Taichi will once again turn a personal piece of his past into a professional wrestling venue this autumn.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has confirmed that Taichi will present Old School Pro-Wrestling on October 17 at his former middle school in Hanakawa, Hokkaido. The event marks the second straight year that Taichi has hosted a wrestling card at the school, following an event last autumn that stood out for both its setting and the unusual matchups it brought together.
The first major match announced for the 2026 card carries significant inter-promotional intrigue. Taichi will team with a partner who has not yet been revealed to face Pro Wrestling NOAH star Naomichi Marufuji and a partner of Marufuji’s choosing. With both teams still incomplete, the match gives Taichi and Marufuji the opportunity to shape the direction of one of the show’s centerpiece attractions.
For Taichi, the event is more than a hometown appearance. Hosting a wrestling show at the school he attended gives the normally imposing “Holy Emperor” a rare chance to place his career in a setting tied directly to his own upbringing. It also creates a distinctive atmosphere that differs from a standard arena event, with the literal old-school location matching the name of the show.
For more background on this topic, read Tatsumi Fujinami and Zack Sabre Jr. Set for Korakuen Hall Main Event at Dragon Expo 2026.
A Return To A Singular Wrestling Setting
Last year’s Hanakawa event was remembered as one of the more unconventional stops on the Japanese wrestling calendar. Rather than presenting a routine NJPW-branded event in a familiar venue, Taichi brought wrestlers together at his former middle school and helped produce combinations and confrontations that would not ordinarily appear on a typical tour card.
That initial event was successful enough for Taichi to bring the concept back in 2026. The return underlines the appeal of a card built around a wrestler’s personal connection to a community, while still offering fans meaningful in-ring matchups involving names from beyond the NJPW roster.
NJPW described the appeal of the original event by noting that it featured “first-time matchups and combinations from within and outside NJPW never before seen.” That is an important part of what makes Old School Pro-Wrestling different. The setting naturally attracts attention, but the card’s potential rests on the possibilities created by bringing together talent who may not regularly cross paths.
At this stage, only the Taichi versus Marufuji tag bout has been announced. Further matches are expected to be added before October 17, leaving plenty of room for the event to develop into another varied lineup. Until then, the mystery surrounding the two unannounced partners provides the immediate hook.
Taichi And Marufuji Have History
Taichi and Marufuji are far from strangers, even if their meetings have been relatively infrequent in recent years. Their shared history reaches back to the period when Suzuki-Gun was a major disruptive force in Pro Wrestling NOAH during 2015 and 2016.
During that era, Suzuki-Gun’s presence in NOAH created a number of high-profile conflicts, and Taichi and Marufuji were often on opposite sides of tag team competition. Their rivalry was shaped by the broader hostilities surrounding the invading Suzuki-Gun unit, giving this October’s encounter more depth than a simple promotional crossover.
Their competitive relationship then became quieter for a period. That changed at All Together in Sapporo during the summer of 2024, an event that brought wrestlers from multiple major Japanese promotions onto the same card. On that occasion, Taichi joined Yuya Uemura and SANADA to defeat Marufuji, Kento Miyahara, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
That result gives Taichi a recent measure of success against Marufuji in Hokkaido, although the October 17 match presents a much more intimate kind of home-field situation. Taichi will not simply be wrestling in his home prefecture; he will be competing at his own former school, in front of a crowd attending an event created around his personal history.
The announced match also offers Marufuji a chance to answer that 2024 defeat. As one of NOAH’s most enduring figures, Marufuji brings major experience and prestige to the event, while his freedom to select a partner makes it impossible to fully predict the dynamic before the bell rings.
The Mystery Partners Will Shape The Match
Neither Taichi nor Marufuji has named a tag team partner. That uncertainty is central to the announcement, especially because both wrestlers have extensive connections across Japanese professional wrestling.
Taichi’s selection could say much about the kind of match he wants to have on his own card. He could choose someone familiar from NJPW, a wrestler with a separate connection to Hokkaido, or a surprising guest capable of making the special event feel even more unique. Nothing has been confirmed, and the identity of Taichi’s partner remains entirely open.
Marufuji’s choice brings an equally compelling question. The NOAH veteran has worked with a broad range of wrestlers during his career, and the eventual partner could influence whether the bout leans toward an extension of his past rivalry with Taichi or becomes something altogether different.
Because the teams have not been finalized, it would be premature to project alliances or possible outcomes. What is clear is that the match will combine a long-running thread of Taichi and Marufuji’s history with the unpredictable nature of a special event designed to create unusual pairings.
“On October 17, Taichi will present Old School Pro-Wrestling, with the old school being literal, and with a massive matchup added to the card already.”
The phrase captures the balance at the heart of the show. There is a playful quality to staging wrestling at a former school, but the announced tag match is being positioned as a major attraction in its own right. Marufuji’s participation ensures that the card will have a notable NOAH presence from the outset.
A Hometown Spotlight For The Holy Emperor
Taichi has long been one of NJPW’s most distinctive personalities, and Old School Pro-Wrestling gives him a platform unlike a normal tour appearance. It places him in the role of host while also requiring him to lead from the front as a featured competitor.
That combination is particularly meaningful in Hanakawa. Wrestlers often speak about wanting to perform in their hometowns or home regions, but the opportunity to run an event at one’s actual former school is exceptionally rare. The emotional stakes are different from those of an ordinary title challenge or faction battle, even though Taichi will surely want the same thing he seeks in any match: victory.
NJPW pointed to Taichi’s 2024 win at All Together in Sapporo as evidence that he has already found success in Hokkaido against Marufuji. The October event now raises a more personal question: can he repeat that result when the contest is held in his hometown and at the school where his story began?
Marufuji and his eventual partner will be there to spoil that homecoming. The NOAH star’s history with Taichi ensures that there is no reason to expect sentiment to affect the competitive edge of the match. The school setting may be unusual, but the rivalry entering the ring is rooted in years of high-level Japanese wrestling competition.
What Comes Next
Old School Pro-Wrestling is scheduled for October 17 in Hanakawa, Hokkaido. The Taichi and mystery partner versus Marufuji and mystery partner tag match is the first bout confirmed for the card.
More match announcements are still to come, along with the identities of both teams’ second members. Given the approach taken with the first Hanakawa event, the remaining card will be watched closely for additional uncommon matchups and appearances from wrestlers who may not often share a show.
For now, Taichi’s return to his old middle school has already established one of the autumn’s most unusual wrestling events. A personal venue, an inter-promotional main attraction, and a rivalry with roots in the Suzuki-Gun and NOAH conflicts of 2015 and 2016 have given the October 17 show a strong foundation well before the complete lineup is known.
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.