Former WWE Star Returning to Japan For 5-Month Run

Former WWE Superstar Davey Boy Smith Jr., who has spent most of his wrestling career outside the WWE system despite his family’s deep ties to the company, has announced his return to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).

Speaking on Cafe de Rene with Rene Dupree, Smith Jr. shared that he would be heading back to Japan later this month, continuing his run with AJPW under a five-month contract.

“All Japan have been doing great, and I’m returning back for the Champion Carnival and then staying over until August. So I do five-month contracts with them at a time. So I stay over there for five months.

I’m going back [to Japan] March 26th. I’m back in Canada right now, just seeing some family, and then I’m gone away for about five months,” Smith Jr. said.

Smith Jr. has competed in multiple tours with AJPW and previously held the AJPW Triple Crown Championship before Jun Saito dethroned him. The Champion Carnival is set to begin on April 9.

A Career Spanning Multiple Promotions

Born Harry Francis Smith on August 2, 1985, Smith Jr. has built an impressive wrestling career across promotions worldwide. The son of wrestling legend Davey Boy Smith, he started training at age eight and made his professional debut at fifteen.

During his time in WWE, he competed under the names David Hart Smith and DH Smith, capturing the Unified Tag Team Championship with Tyson Kidd as part of The Hart Dynasty. After leaving WWE, he found success in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as part of the Killer Elite Squad alongside Lance Archer, winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship three times.

Smith Jr. also had a strong run in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he became a two-time Opera Cup winner and former MLW World Tag Team Champion. His tenure in AJPW has further solidified his legacy, as he won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in November 2024, marking his first world title in a major promotion.

Michael Reichlin
Michael Reichlin has been following pro wrestling since 1989. He's been covering wrestling news since 1998 and has attended countless wrestling events across the United States.
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