Kevin Knight has made it clear that a return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a possibility he would enthusiastically embrace.
“The Jet” has not competed for NJPW since May 2025, when he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Since that appearance, Knight has continued to build momentum in AEW, where his profile, character presentation and in-ring opportunities have evolved. Asked about the prospect of following a path similar to Kenny Omega by returning to NJPW after working in AEW, Knight said he would love to have the chance to revisit the promotion that helped shape his early career.
“Yeah, you know, me personally, I would love to. I would love to get that chance,” Knight said. “If we can make that happen, yes. If the timing is right, yes.”
Knight also recognized that his situation would not be identical to Omega’s. Omega’s history with New Japan included a considerably longer run and a rise to the top of the company before he ultimately joined AEW. Knight acknowledged that New Japan audiences already have a deep connection with Omega because of that body of work, while his own return would represent a different type of story.
For more background on this topic, read Zach Gowen Announces Retirement From In-Ring Competition.
For Knight, the appeal is not simply making another appearance in a familiar ring. He wants to return at a point where fans can clearly see the difference between the wrestler they watched develop in the dojo system and the performer he believes he has become.
“Obviously, Kenny Omega had a much longer tenure in New Japan than I did, he reached the mountain top before he came over to AEW,” Knight said. “So, the New Japan fans have already gravitated to him, you know what I mean? So, I feel like it would be a different situation for me to go back, but I would love to go back in New Japan and show the audience just how much I’ve grown in my character and my stature, in my work.”
From Young Lion to an Evolved Performer
Knight’s desire to return is closely tied to his history in NJPW. He noted that the promotion’s audience saw him at the beginning of his journey, when he was working as a Young Lion. That background gives a future return a built-in sense of progression: fans who watched Knight learn the foundations of the system would have an opportunity to assess how far he has come.
The Young Lion period is designed around growth, discipline and the gradual development of a wrestler’s identity. It is not generally the finished version of a talent’s presentation. Knight’s comments make clear that he views his time since then as a period in which he has broadened his work and become more established as a character.
That distinction matters to Knight. A return would allow him to present himself not merely as a former NJPW trainee making a nostalgic appearance, but as a more complete wrestler coming back with increased experience and a changed sense of stature. He specifically pointed to development in his character and his in-ring work as elements he would want the New Japan audience to see.
“New Japan has seen me from the very beginning when I was a Young Lion,” Knight said. “For them to see me now, I feel like maybe a little more time needs to pass, but I would ultimately love to come back to New Japan and show them this new side.”
The reference to timing is notable. Knight did not present a return as imminent or confirmed. Instead, he stressed that it would need to happen under the right circumstances and suggested that more time may be needed before he makes that move. There is no announced date for a Knight appearance in NJPW, and his remarks should be viewed as an expression of interest rather than confirmation of an upcoming booking.
Best of the Super Juniors Remains Knight’s Most Recent NJPW Appearance
Knight’s last NJPW match came during the May 2025 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The annual tournament is one of the promotion’s major showcases for junior heavyweight wrestling, putting competitors in a setting where singles performances, consistency and adaptability are all under a close spotlight.
His participation in that tournament remains the latest point in his NJPW timeline. A future appearance would therefore carry the added context of a significant gap between outings. Knight’s comments suggest he sees value in allowing that gap to help make the contrast more apparent when he does return.
There is a practical difference between a wrestler returning quickly after a brief absence and returning after a longer period of visible development elsewhere. Knight is not claiming that he has already reached the equivalent position Omega held in NJPW; in fact, he directly acknowledged the difference in their tenures. His focus is on giving New Japan fans a fresh look at a wrestler they first knew at an earlier stage.
That is the central point of Knight’s comments. He is not framing a possible NJPW comeback as a recreation of somebody else’s journey. He is framing it as an opportunity to continue his own, using the connection he already has with the company as a foundation for a new presentation.
AEW Momentum Continues Ahead of WrestleDream
While Knight is open about his interest in revisiting NJPW, his immediate focus is in AEW. He is scheduled to team with Kyle Fletcher to challenge the Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships at WrestleDream.
The title match gives Knight a major platform at a time when he is discussing the next stages of his career. The Young Bucks have long been among the most prominent teams associated with high-level tag team wrestling, and a championship challenge alongside Fletcher places Knight in a match with substantial stakes.
For Knight, the WrestleDream bout is also an opportunity to demonstrate the very growth he referenced when discussing New Japan. A tag title challenge does not guarantee any future arrangement with NJPW, but it provides a significant current test in AEW as he continues to expand his resume.
Knight and Fletcher enter the match with the chance to alter the AEW tag team landscape if they can defeat the champions. At the same time, Knight’s public comments ensure that his broader ambitions are also clear: he wants to keep moving forward in the present while remaining open to revisiting an important part of his past.
No Return Confirmed, But the Door Is Open
There is no indication that Knight has a scheduled New Japan date, a declared tournament entry or a confirmed program waiting for him. His position is more measured than that. He wants the opportunity, believes it could be meaningful, and wants it to take place when enough time has passed for the return to feel like a genuine evolution rather than a simple repeat visit.
That patience is consistent with the way Knight described the idea. He wants to show NJPW fans a “new side” of himself, not simply remind them of where he started. A return, if and when it happens, would give him a chance to reconnect with an audience familiar with his earliest professional development and introduce them to the performer he has become through his subsequent work.
For now, Knight’s next confirmed major objective is WrestleDream and the AEW World Tag Team Championship match against the Young Bucks. Beyond that, the possibility of NJPW remains an ambition Knight has put plainly on the record: the door is open, the interest is there, and he hopes the timing eventually creates the right moment for “The Jet” to come back.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.