United Empire

Lore & Background

The United Empire emerged as a consolidation of powerful noble houses and military orders within the Core Systems, seeking to impose order and tradition across the galaxy. Its formation was a response to the chaos of the early interstellar expansion, uniting disparate worlds under a single, hereditary ruler. The Empire's power is maintained through a strict feudal system, where loyalty and service are rewarded with land, titles, and influence. Its military, the Imperial Navy, is one of the most formidable in known space, enforcing the Emperor's will and protecting Imperial trade routes. The Empire's culture emphasizes honor, duty, and the preservation of ancient traditions, often clashing with the more democratic Federation and the corporate-driven Alliance.

In Their Own Story

On Night 17 of G1 Climax 30, during a match between Chaos members Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay, Bea Priestley, Ospreay's girlfriend, made her debut appearance in NJPW, at ringside. As Okada locked his Money Clip submission onto Ospreay, Priestley attempted to enter the ring, distracting the referee in the process. Tomoyuki Oka (now known as Great O-Khan) then made his surprise return from excursion and entered the ring behind the referee's back, attacking Okada with an iron claw slam, which allowed Ospreay to hit his Storm Breaker finisher, earning him the pinfall victory. After the match, Ospreay turned heel on Okada by attacking him with his Hidden Blade elbow strike to the back of his head. Later, in a backstage interview, Ospreay announced that he would officially leave Chaos to start a new faction with him, Priestley, and O-Khan called The Empire. O-Kharn later changed the spelling of his name to Great O-Khan, in reference to Genghis Khan of the Mongol Empire. Jeff Cobb joined the stable on November 15 when he was revealed to be O-Khan's mystery tag team partner for the annual World Tag League tournament. The duo would score 10 points (5 wins & 4 losses), not making the final, but getting a win over tournament finalists (and the previous year's winners), FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay).

Reader's Guide

At Wrestle Kingdom 15, O-Khan, Cobb, and Ospreay lost their matches to Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shingo Takagi (for the NEVER Openweight Championship), and Kazuchika Okada, respectively. At New Year Dash!! on January 6, The Empire defeated Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Yota Tsuji when O-Khan & Cobb held Tsuji up for a Super OsCutter. After beating down O-Khan's trainer, Tenzan to the point where he had to be stretchered out, Ospreay declared that they would be renamed the United Empire. This change was later reflected on New Japan's websites, along with the group's first logo. After attempting to defend his tag partner from the Empire's attack, Kojima was scheduled to face Ospreay one-on-one at The New Beginning in Nagoya on January 30. O-Khan was also scheduled to face Tenzan one-on-one. All four men squared off a week beforehand in Tenzan's comeback from injury match in Ota City General Gymnasium on January 23, a match won by Ospreay and O-Khan. On January 26, new stipulations were added to the Ospreay vs. Kojima and O-Khan vs. Tenzan matches for The New Beginning in Nagoya. The loser of O-Khan vs. Tenzan is forced to retire their Mongolian Chop, while the Ospreay vs. Kojima match will be contested under no-disqualification rules. O-Khan and Ospreay went on to win their respective matches. At Castle Attack, United Empire beat the team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tencozy on night one, but were unable to win their matches on night two. Ospreay and Cobb lost to Tencozy, while O-Khan failed to capture the NEVER Openweight Championship from Tanahashi. In March, Ospreay won the 2021 New Japan Cup after defeating Shingo Takagi. After the match, Ospreay hit a Os-Cutter on Bea Priestley, kicking her out of the United Empire and saying that he was 'only looking out for number one' from now on. Toa Henare, now going by the ring name Aaron Henare, would become the fourth man to join the faction at Sakura Genesis 2021. On the same show Ospreay would defeat Kota Ibushi to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. At Wrestling Dontaku, Ospreay made his first defense of the title when he defeated Shingo Takagi. However, Ospreay would later vacate the title after sustaining a neck injury. He would make his return at NJPW Resurgence, claiming to be the 'real world champion', and announcing to not be returning to Japan for that years G1 Climax. In September at the Revolution Pro Wrestling High Stakes event, Ospreay recruited Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher) to the group. The following month during NJPW Strong's Autumn Attack, TJP betrayed the LA Dojo and joined United Empire as their first Junior Heavyweight member. Despite Ospreay's absence, both O'Khan and Cobb would enter the tournament in the A and B block respectively. O'Khan would finish in the bottom half of his block, scoring just 8 points, however, Cobb would break records in his block, going undefeated for 8 straight wins, before losing on the final deciders to Kazuchika Okada on Day 18, whom he had traded back and forth wins with over the second half of the year.

Did You Know?

• The United Empire's capital, Sol, is the birthplace of humanity and remains the most politically and economically significant system in the galaxy.
• Imperial citizens are ranked by a complex system of titles, from Baron to King, each with specific privileges and responsibilities.
• The Imperial Navy's most famous vessel, the Farragut-class Battle Cruiser, is a symbol of the Empire's military dominance.
• The Empire maintains a strict ban on artificial intelligence, viewing it as a threat to the natural order and human sovereignty.
• The Emperor is considered the ultimate authority, but real power often lies with the noble houses and the Imperial Senate.