NJPW Young Lion Profiles (UPDATED)

Hi guys,

One part of the New Japan shows that I've really been loving since I started watching are the Young Lion matches we see on the tours and the whole concept of young lions in general.

I've seen a lot of amazing guides to the Young Lion system and I won't be trying to copy it but I'm going to focus on the current young lions. Obviously I'll give you all a bit of a short introduction including a brief summary of young lions including alumni and their role in NJPW. However, most of the post is going to be me looking at the current Young Lions based in Japan which means that I'm not counting Hirai Kawato and Tomoyuki Oka who are both on excursion at the moment in Mexico! I am going to look at Teruaki Kanemitsu, Shota Umino, Ren Narita, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura and Ayato Yoshida.

The NJPW Dojo has been said to be one of the toughest experiences wrestlers have gone through, but I've not heard of anyone who hasn't come out the other side as a way better wrestler. This tough approach all comes from the idea of wanting to build up respect and a hard working ethos amongst the young lions. This is why, as well as being at the bottom of the pecking order, there are responsibilities given to them like setting up the ring, doing the senpai's laundry, helping the in-ring talent after the shows and protecting the crowds. It's pretty grueling and all of this is done on top of their training where they learn the fundamentals that they can use in matches including the Boston Crab and dropkicks. In shows, you'll most likely see the young lions in the starting matches whether it be single or tag and they do tag with main roster wrestlers where they are normally the ones to get the worst of their opponents!  Graduates from the dojo include Tenzan, Kojima, Tanahashi, Shibata, Finn Balor and more recently Sho, Yoh, Jay White and David Finlay who are some of the best wrestlers I've ever seen. I can't wait to be able to add some of these names that I'm going to talk about to the list of successful graduates!

Teruaki Kanemitsu (UPDATE: NO LONGER A YOUNG LION)
It was really nice to see Kanemitsu return back to NJPW late last year after a long recovery from a neck injury that happened all the way at the end of 2016 and was seen as career threatening! After joining the dojo in 2015, Kanemitsu was one of the original batch of new young lions that debuted on NJPW shows in 2016 (alongside the likes of Jay White, David Finlay and Hirai Kawato). Kanemitsu initially had a bit of a losing slump but came back in September 2016 to beat Kawato 6 times in a row. Even after a long time on the shelf, when he returned, it's almost as if he hadn't missed a step and came back with even more determination. During his time off, Kanemitsu gained some size and muscle which really shows in his offence which is more heavy hitting and tougher in submissions than it used to be - it also gives him a nice edge over the other young lions. It's going to be great to see Kanemitsu broaden his move set from just the fundamentals and he must be close to his excursion because if anyone deserves it, it's Kanemitsu. I see big things for him in the future.

Note: It's a shame that Kanemitsu didn't finish his Young Lion time and hopefully we'll see him soon!

Shota Umino
Since debuting in April 2017, Shota Umino can definitely be seen as one of the top young lions of this batch and I can easily say that the company are probably planning his excursion now because he's come on so much since he first started. I was lucky enough to watch him in a match when NJPW came to England for SSE UK and the passion this guy has for someone so young is crazy. It's easy for people to put his rising success due to his dad Red Shoes Unno, but Shota's really put his heart and soul into every match. He also really had his chance to shine in the 2018 World Tag League where he teamed with Yoshida from the K-Dojo because, even though they lost every single match, we saw a completely different side to him. By allowing him to use a lot broader moveset than the typical young lion, you saw how he finessed the fundamentals to become a serious contender  - I mean there were a few times in that League where I really thought Umino and Yoshida would pull off an upset. Also, with his new Fisherman Suplex Hold with bridge finisher that is a thing of beauty, it really shows how much Shota's improved. It's so exciting to see what the future holds for Shota Umino and he's going to be a big star one day!

Update: He is currently in the UK on excursion for Rev Pro

Ren Narita
Ren Narita is closing in on the gap between him and Umino and he's really reaching for those brass rings to reach the top of the young lion ladder so to say. Debuting in July 2017, he's been hotly on the heels of Shota in the tag matches since his debut. Although I see Narita making his mark in the Jr division when he eventually makes it to the main roster, I don't see this as him being weaker or it being a bad thing. I just think that with his stature, which isn't as muscly as the others, he;s definitely a lot more agile than his counterparts. Also, like Zack Sabre Jr, his frame and size really helps him when putting his opponents into submissions as well as getting out of them because of the way his body works. What's great about Narita is that he knows how to use his strengths to his advantage. Even though he won't be the biggest guy in the ring, he can be the fastest and utilise the strength he does have to beat his opponents. Similarly to Umino, with his new belly to back spulex with bridge finisher, it's letting the world see how much Narita has improved. I see a bright future for Narita and, once a few of the other young lions leave for excursion, Ren is going to be at the top of the ladder and really prove his worth in NJPW!

Update: He is currently on excursion training in the LA Dojo

Yota Tsuji
Yota Tsuji reminds me a lot like Kitamura (I mean except the whole like massive ass muscles and the fact that he was slightly scary). He reminds me of Kitamura just because of his pure size and strength which is pretty remarkable for a young lion and not something you see that often. He has that typical passionate and over excited attitude of a young lion, but there's something in Tsuji that shows that he knows his ability and that he can use his strength really well against anyone he's in the ring with - even those on the main roster. Tsuji also has an advantage with his sports background which includes American football, taekwondo and baseball which obviously helps him with speed, strength and the stamina needed for wrestling, especially in NJPW. At the moment, everything with Tsuji is very chaotic and his passion for the the business shows. But, I think that once he learns to calm down and masters a wider range of moves apart from the fundamentals, there'll be no stoping Yota Tsuji climbing up the ladder and being a future champ!

Yuya Uemura
After only debuting in 2018 alongside Tsuji, Uemura has been a great addition to the young lions putting his heart and soul into matches and, although he doesn't necessarily get the win, he really fights with honour and uses every experience as a learning curve. As seen when he wrestlers, Uemura has a great amateur wrestling background which shows when you look at how strong his holds and submissions are. This alone can put him at a great advantage against some of his larger and stronger opponents and I mean when you're a young lion, anything is an advantage against the more experienced main roster wrestlers. Also, like all the other lions, he's so quick and agile for someone of his height which means that he can get himself out of some sticky situations that young lions see themselves in... like getting in the path of Minoru Suzuki or Jay White. I see Uemera improving match after match and give him a year or so, I can see huge things for him whether it be the heavyweight or jr heavyweight division!



Ayato Yoshida
I wasn't sure whether to put Yoshida in this list, mainly because he's a product of the Kaientai Dojo. But, he's impressed me so much over the last year in NJPW and because we're seeing him more and more in the New Japan ring, it's only fair to add him to the list! You can tell that Yoshida is one of the most experienced of the young lions from the way he holds himself in the ring (because at the K-dojo, he's definitely not a young lion). Although people have commented that he may not have the same basic fundamental skills in submissions as some of the NJPW young lions, he makes up for it in so many ways from his speed to his striking which is nothing like any young lion I've ever seen. His PK sends shivers down my spine when he kicks someone in the back and his strikes must echo through the arena. Although he's got the same passion (and black trunks) as the NJPW young lions, you can tell that he's a lot calmer from the way he wrestles to even something as trivial as the way he makes his way to the ring. If you've got time, watch some of his stuff from the K-Dojo because, even though the wrestling styles are pretty consistent with his moveset not being as limited as other young lions, his personality is more on show from his gear to  the way he dominates in the ring. I really hope we see more and more of Yoshida in a NJPW ring because I see him being a huge contender in the future for some of the top titles, whether it be heavyweight or Jr heavyweight.

Note: We haven't seen Yoshida since his run with Shota, but I would love to see him in a NJPW ring again soon!



For me, the Young Lion's are a vital part of NJPW and it's so amazing getting to see all of them progress from over enthusiastic young lions to superstars, the likes of which we've seen with so many lion's of the past after excursions. I also can't forget about the Young Lions at the LA Dojo, however I don't really know much about them and haven't seen them wrestle enough to really write a lot about them yet, but they're also being taught the fundamentals in the traditional Japanese style. The dojo's really are creating the stars of the future and it's exciting to go along with them on the journey. Also, with social media, it's really nice to see the young lion's lives outside of the dojo and I'd recommend following them on IG for some top quality content including karaoke!

I know I haven't given you a really in-depth look at the young lion system because that really wasn't what I wanted to do because there are already a lot of them around. However, I don't think these young lions get the credit they deserve and maybe you should take more notice of the starting matches with the young lions because you could be watching a future IWGP Heavyweight champion flourishing in front of your eyes. With these guys getting their start in NJPW alongside Kawato and Oka, the future of the company is in safe hands! I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments what you think about the young lions and who you see as NJPW's future star by commenting below, tweet/ follow me @Full_Time_Nerd and @Wrestling_Chat, watch for updates on my IG WrestlingChatter96 or even talk to me on the Facebook page Wrestling Chatter.

So, until Next Time

Bye!