So this week at New Japan’s Wrestling Dontaku event we were treated to the return and re-invention of Yota Tsuji.

Tsuji was what’s called a Young Lion, a junior level wrestler coming up through New Japan’s training and development system. And until Wednesday night, he was on excursion half way around the world with Revolution Pro Wrestling in the UK.

As is customary with a former Young Lion’s re-introduction to the company, Tsuji was sporting a very different look and attitude to the one he left Japan with in 2021.

And it got me thinking that we could be looking at a new generation of the Three Musketeers.He was the missing piece.

For those who don’t know, The Three Musketeers was the label given to a group of home grown talents who defined New Japan in the 90s – Masahiro Chono, Shinya Hashimoto, and Keiji Muto. I have videos about them as a group and as individuals if you want to dive deeper.

In the early 2000s, a new trio was given the moniker. And now 20 years after that, I think we have the third generation of Musketeers.

Shota Uminio is already a phenomenal pro wrestler in the classic sense. He’s an innovator, a showman, perhaps even a wrestling genius. The Keiji Muto or Tanahashi of the group.

Ren Narita is a stoic, no nonsense fighter who embodies strong style. Definitely the Shinya Hashimoto, and obviously the Katsoyori Shibata.

And as for Yota Tsuji? If his new attitude and attire is anything to go off, he is very much in the Masahiro Chono-Shinsuke Nakamura category of swaggering, charismatic badasses.

#wrestling #njpw #wwe