After a year away from the squared circle, Jaden Newman is back, and the man formerly known as “The Moral Compass” has returned with a new attitude, a new identity, and plenty of unfinished business.

Now embracing the nickname “True North,” Newman made his highly anticipated return to TWE at Nightmare on Dayton Boulevard, exactly one year after suffering a devastating ACL injury that also included a torn meniscus. Following months of rehabilitation, physical challenges, and mental battles, Newman wasted little time reminding the independent wrestling world exactly what it had been missing.

However, his return wasn’t without controversy. After an impressive singles victory over Drako Starx, Newman shocked the TWE faithful by siding with longtime friend Jameson Shook, reuniting 4825 and turning his back on the Coven of the Goat in explosive fashion.

With upcoming appearances for ACTION Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Symphony, Classic City Wrestling, and Hooligan Championship Wrestling, Newman is determined to make up for lost time and prove that his best days are still ahead of him.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Newman about his emotional comeback, the shocking events at TWE, his upcoming matches, and why he believes independent wrestling is alive and well.

I want to jump right into it. For the first time in a year, we saw you return to the ring on October 24th at TWE against Drako Starx. What did that moment mean to you to get back in the ring?

“It was exactly a year to the day. And whenever I went under the knife in January, I … well, we’ll even kind of backtrack from there… So I initially tore my ACL, and later I would find out my meniscus on October 24th of 2025. And at that time, I had a lot going on. I was the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Tag Team Champion. I was traveling up and down the East Coast and just really doing everything I could to get my name out there. It was a really good year for me. So, to have it kind of halted in that moment, in that match, off of just such a freak accident, and that just goes to show you what pro wrestling is, right? Anything can happen. It was instant. I knew something was wrong. And we finished up the match, and that was that. Oddly enough, and this is what makes the year ahead interesting, I was supposed to wrestle at Nightmare on Dayton Boulevard the following day. I was also then supposed to hop on a plane and go to Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, for my Jersey Championship wrestling debut with the Coven of the Goat. So, I want you to keep in mind all those things as we talk about this. I would go on probably about a month and a half before I got the proper diagnosis. So, I just assumed it was probably, you know, some type of strain or maybe it was like a small tear. No, it was a full-blown tear. I wouldn’t find that out, again, till like a month and a half. So, it was just absolutely disheartening once I got that news because I had fully convinced myself I was ready to go. I was back. So, now, we fast forward to the day that I have my surgery, January 22nd. And I tell the doctor, I said, “Listen, man.” I said, “If you can just make sure I get back good enough to where I can be here from the year that I tore it.” Obviously, you know, you can’t make promises and things like that. It is what it is. But, to myself, I made a promise that I was going to be back a year to the day. I did that. I did it through hard work, strengthening both my body and my mind because an injury like that takes a huge mental toll on you. One that I don’t think gets talked about enough because, let’s be real, an ACL injury and a meniscus it can take you out of the game. Like some people have retired and they don’t come back to whatever field that they work in because of it. And I’m just so blessed to have been able to come back to this point a year later. So then we get into the match with Drako (Starx). And Drako was somebody around the time that I had torn my ACL. He had just gotten released by WWE. And he was from the area. He grew up a little ways down the road near Dalton, Georgia. He had come, actually; this is a fun story to tell. He had come to a TWE show while he was still under contract, but he was kind of hidden in the crowd. And he had watched me and Jameson Shook wrestle on Crash Course. I think it was Crash Course 50. And you can go find that on IWTV. That was a really cool match to have, especially considering that I would consider it the precursor for 4825. And Draco had seen what we were doing, and he was like, man, like he loved the energy of TWE and like what the independent feel was like because you got to think he was an NIL, right? So he went from an athlete to a pro wrestler basically at the highest level going into the performance center. So once he got cut, TWE was his first stop, and I was the person that he wanted to have his first match with, but injury happens. So obviously, we postponed; he wrestled Jameson Shook, and he goes on to have a really good year. While he’s having this really good year, I’m rebuilding. I’m getting better. I’m getting stronger both mentally, physically, any way I can. I’m figuring out what I want to come back as. Then it finally comes time for it. So, I called him out. I wanted to see what he did in that year that I was gone. I wanted to see if he could measure up. Truthfully, I wanted to see if I could still hang. Then, that brings us to Nightmare. And if you haven’t watched the match, go watch it. It’s on IWTV. Drako is one hell of a professional wrestler. Truthfully, he is. If you haven’t seen a lot of Drako, I highly recommend it. Incredible athlete, incredible professional wrestler, and if I’m to peel back the curtain a little bit, he’s an even better person. So, going in there with him, him having a chip on his shoulder, me definitely having a chip on my shoulder, it just made for a great professional wrestling match… It was the closest thing to high that I’ve ever experienced because I’m straight edge. I don’t do anything. But to have something taken away from you and then to be able to earn it back because that’s what it was, man. A year of earning it back. You’re not given a second chance. You earned it. And the second that I came out the curtain, it was hard, man. I honestly wanted to cry. I had goosebumps up and down my body. But I realized what time it was, and I locked in, man. Simple as that. It was another day on the job. And if you watch it, I moved that confidently, too, whenever I was back in the ring.”

Take me through that rehab process. In that year off, what did you learn about yourself that you may not have known before?

“Yeah. So the biggest thing that I learned about myself was one: I’m very impatient. But through that year of rehabilitation and such, I learned patience. And I learned that everything comes in time. I feel like that’s something that we, as independent wrestlers, do: we create this, whether it be an internal clock or an external clock that we look at, this time window of when things are supposed to happen. So, once I realized that I needed to take my time and just understand that I have to control what I can control, that was the biggest lesson I learned. That is what, quite frankly, got me in the best shape I can be in and put me in a better place mentally as well. During that time out, I was able to acquire some new mentors. With that, I learned so much about myself and my work ethic and grit and just going after what you want and not taking no for an answer, right? And that was the mentality that got me to this point. So that I would say would probably be the biggest thing that I learned about myself was that I had to become patient.”

Obviously, that was an amazing moment seeing you return to the ring, but by the end of the night, you were singing a different tune as you helped Jamesen Shook against Nathan Mowery, seemingly reuniting 4825. What went into this decision for you?

“Well, let’s go back here to what you said. You can’t reform what was never broken up. If I’m being honest, Jameson Shook the whole time that I was out. Once again, I’ll peel back the curtain on this. I don’t mind at all. There was one person out of the two stables, teams, whatever you want to call it, that actually was checking on me, calling me regularly, and making sure that I was mentally doing okay. And it was Jameson Shook. Simple as that. I wasn’t getting a phone call from Dan Wilson. I wasn’t getting a phone call from Tank or Nathan Mowery because, for them, you know, alright, man down. Got to keep moving on. Coven of the Goat above all, and they mean that whenever they say that. So, I can understand why people were probably shocked, but at the end of the day, how can I trust anybody that puts themselves above others? Jameson Shook and I, we were best friends, you know. I trained him how to be a professional wrestler, and we have a bond that just can’t be broken, and that was developed by those moments, like winning the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championships. It was defined by those moments that we traveled together and had flight delays, and had to sleep in airports and at road stops. It’s, and I’m getting flustered thinking about it because I just don’t understand how somebody who claims that their family with you can just continue like nothing happened and only care whenever they see you in person. Jameson texted me; he called me. He visited me. He even took me to PT sometimes whenever I needed it because I couldn’t drive for at least two months. Can I say the same thing for Dan? No. So, I mean, you tell me what your decision would have been.”

While injured, we heard you on commentary at TWE, and there were quite a few times when Shook did something reprehensible that you stayed silent about it. Was this something that was in the works for a while?

“My decision was made the moment that Dan Wilson decided he never wanted to pick up the phone. Simple as that, right? You can say what you want to about Jameson. You can say that he’s an asshole, he’s a jerk, or that he did some things that were maybe uncool, but at the end of the day, Jameson Shook is one of the best death match wrestlers on the planet. He’s built up the resume for it. He does things that are not traditional. Yeah, maybe he’s a little cocky for it. Guess what? You got to be a little cocky if you want to make it in professional wrestling. Simple as that. It’s not that I stayed silent because I didn’t agree, or I agreed, or it wasn’t like this evil thing where, in the back of my head, I had this seed planted that I was going to set this person that I used to team with on fire, that I was going to abandon these people that once called me family. That was never the case. It was a matter of observation and watching the landscape of TWE change in that very moment. Sometimes silence speaks louder, just as I mentioned with Dan Wilson.”

Going forward, TWE has three more shows to round out their 2026 campaign. What can fans expect from you?

“They can expect the best version of Jaden Newman. I’m coming back. I’m firing on all cylinders. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m ready to put out the best work of my career. I’m 28 years old, 13 years in this thing. I’m ready to get to work, and I’m ready for anybody that steps across the ring for me. I hope that they’re ready for me, too.”

In December, you will also be making your return to ACTION Wrestling for the first time in a year. What is your mindset heading into that?

“So, it’s interesting because there’s a lot of parallels, right? So, I came back a year to the date of my ACL injury. Well, almost a year to the day I returned to ACTION as well because at Bangers Only last year was when me and Jameson shook, we had to forfeit the IWTV Independent Wrestling Tag Team Championships. That was something that left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Don’t get me wrong, I had the privilege and honor of being able to call ACTION Wrestling through a headset with Rob Weathers, and I learned so much from that experience. Also with that, I got to scout the current talent field. I don’t know who I’m going to be wrestling on December 4th, but regardless, I think I know what I’m getting myself into, and I couldn’t be more excited to return to Tyrone, Georgia. ACTION Wrestling, aside from TWE, has been a second home to me. So, it just means a great deal to me to be able to come back there and give back to those who have supported me for nearly a decade that ACTION Wrestling’s been around.”

The last time fans at ACTION saw you, you and Jamesen had a stranglehold over those IWTV Independent Wrestling Tag Team Championships. Is this a goal of yours that you’d like to get back to?

“It’s not a goal. I’d say it’s more of a mission because once again, we talk about things getting taken away from you that shouldn’t have been taken away from you. We were never pinned for those championships. We were never submitted. We didn’t give up. We were told that we had to forfeit them. We were told that we had to vacate them. We were studying our tape, getting ready for Bang and Matthews because, at the time in the summer, they were the guys that had those championships. Now, it’s Bustah & The Brain. Now it’s Alec Price and Jordan Oliver. I’ve wrestled both of those individuals. Both are very talented, but they are holding, in my opinion, stolen property because they never beat 4825 for those championships. And you’re right, we had a stranglehold over those titles, but we didn’t just defend them in the Southeast. We made sure that we were actually defending champions. We defended those things literally everywhere, whether it was St. Louis, Illinois, Missouri, Alton. literally all over the east coast. We did everything that we could to make sure that we held up our end of the bargain, and we did that till the very end. So Bustah & The Brain. Whenever we get our opportunity, we are coming for those. We’re in a rebuild process right now, but understand that Jameson Shook and Jaden Newman are coming for our championships.”

While you were scouting talent at ACTION Wrestling, is there anyone who caught your eye who you now want to face off with?

“It’s been such an incredible place to see the game through from the commentator’s desk. I would be lying if I didn’t obviously say that I had my eyes on Darian Bengston. Darian is somebody who means a great deal to me. I would consider us friends. We have wrestled each other a dozen times. I actually believe I was Darian’s first match in ACTION Wrestling. So to see him with the championship that I helped make a world title, by the way, myself and Adam Priest, whenever we went over to Oberhaus in Germany for WXW and Friends. I’m intrigued by the challenge of wrestling Darian for that title because I’ve seen every single defense that he has made this year with it. I watched him win that championship. So maybe, just maybe, I might have his number, or I can at least have it for three seconds. I understand that I’m coming back. I don’t have enough matches under my belt to even rank. So, we start from ground zero, right? That’s fine. I understand that. But Darian is absolutely somebody that I have my eyes on. Another person who doesn’t really sit on the fair side of competition for me, but is somebody that I think needs to be leveled a peg, is one Grayson Pierce. I see him all the time, and he’s very talented, but I think that he just resorts, I should say, to these underhanded tactics that he doesn’t need to. But because of that, that’s why he has the reputation he does in the locker room. That’s why he has the reputation that he does with the fans. So, I want to see what he’s about. Simple as that. And then Matt Sells, you know, he had some choice words to say about me at ACTION Wrestling’s anniversary event, and that’s fine. I understand that he was also hurt, and he was going through a similar injury that I have. But Matt, now that I see you’re cleared and well, quite frankly, that I’m cleared, I think that maybe, just maybe, we should see if all that talk can equate to the walk. So yeah, that’s what I would say is in the scope for me at ACTION Wrestling.”

You will also be making your return to Pro Wrestling Symphony on December 5th against Colby Carter in a 30-minute Iron Man Match. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“So, it’s one of those situations where, with an Iron Man match, this will be my third, by the way, and I’m undefeated in Iron Man matches. I understand the pacing that you have to have, the breathing technique you have to maintain so that way you can continue, right? It’s a mental game of chess, realistically, whenever it pertains to these things. And Colby Carter, very talented. Yeah, absolutely. But let’s be real. I’m not going to mince words here. I don’t like Kobe. I think he’s a fraud. I think he’s a phony. I think that he is somebody who was kind of picked as the guy that was going to elevate Nashville professional wrestling. I kind of took a little bit of offense to that because he was just plucked as the golden boy. He didn’t have to earn it. He didn’t have those trials and tribulations that I’ve had for the last 13 years. But because he looks like a Greek God, because he was trained by the people he was trained by, he was placed in this high position. And that’s fine. I just hate that for him because now that means he has to deal with me. The discourse of whether Colby Carter is better than Jaden Newman pisses me off because the fact that it’s even a question irks me. The only reason that he beat me in the very first match that we had was that the promoters of Pro Wrestling Symphony couldn’t deal with the fact that he wasn’t able to get it done in the time that was allotted. So what did they do? They added five more minutes on the clock, and he took advantage of me, and he beat me. He got a few extra minutes to catch his breath and get me. But let’s see what happens when he can’t catch his breath. Let’s see what happens when you put 30 minutes on the clock. How many times can he pin me? How many times can he tap me out? Or can he even tap me out? Colby Carter, you hit hard, you’re good, but you’re not great because great is Jaden Newman. Great danger is what you’re in when it comes to Pro Wrestling Symphony. Simple as that. You don’t have the championship to hide behind me anymore. All we’ve got to do is let that bell ring, and everyone will see everything that I have said about you is true.”

About a week later, you will be making your debut at Classic City Wrestling. What can fans expect from you there?

“Man, this return tour is so exciting because I do get to make these stops, and whenever it pertains to like certain places, I try to kind of have some level of exclusivity. So, to be in Atlanta, to be making my return to Classic City, it’s something that means a great deal to me considering that this is an in-ring debut, but it’s a return because, for a little small story here, I was supposed to debut there at Classic City in 2022, the year that I won the Scenic City Invitational. It was a few weeks after. I showed up to the venue. I was ready to wrestle. I had my gear on. We were ready to do the damn thing. Then Mother Nature, the weather, took its toll. The rain’s bad. The ring is wet. Everybody’s having to get out of there. To Classic City’s credit, they took care of me. They still made sure that I was paid, and they let me stick around and sell merch. That was something that meant a lot to me. I knew that I wanted to pay them back eventually. So, with that, I get to make up that date a few years later, and I don’t know who they’re going to have me against, but I’m excited because it’s going to be at the 40 Watt in Atlanta, which is an incredible venue. If you haven’t seen it, definitely go seek it out and check it out. Classic City, they’ve just been doing some really, really, really cool stuff. I’m excited to get in there and mix it up with their roster because it is different than ACTION Wrestling. So, there are a couple of similar players, but nonetheless, there are definitely some different ones, too, that I haven’t had a chance to touch. So, I’m excited for it.”

And then, in January, at Hooligan Championship Wrestling, you will be taking part in a tournament called “King Of The Hooligans.” What is your mindset heading into this one?

“So if you’re familiar with the resume of Jaden Newman, you know that I am no stranger to tournaments. I’ve been a part of some really prestigious ones over the years on the independents, and this one is going to be no different. Hooligan Championship Wrestling, they’ve been doing some really good stuff. I’ve never wrestled in Evansville, Indiana, but there’s a lot of wrestling history with that city. So, I’m very excited for that. Tim Bosby’s been holding it down as the Hooligan Champion. Tim can keep the championship for now. That’s my boy. I’m not going to talk ill. I’m not going to talk ill of him. But whenever it pertains to being a king, whenever it pertains to the King of the Hooligans, look no further than Jaden Newman. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there with some heavy hitters. Like, I know for a fact that Shean Christopher is in the tournament, and Shean is another really good friend of mine, somebody that I got really close with over this year. Hopefully we get to cross paths in the tournament, truthfully. I’ve never had a chance to wrestle Shean Christopher, so it would be very fun to see who fares in that battle. Nonetheless, if I can make a prediction on myself, I would say that you’re going to be looking at your 2027 King of the Hooligans.”

Looking ahead for you, what are your future goals?

“Man, you know, that’s always such a loaded question that I feel gets asked on a majority of podcasts that always holds some weight to it because everyone obviously, there are some similar goals, but it’s one of those things where, like, I’ve really had the time to sit down and think about what the next moves are because in my situation, I’m 28 years old; I’ve been wrestling now for 13 years in and around the scene, booking, promoting, commentary, whatever it may be. Whenever it pertains to the future of Jaden Newman and what my goals are, I definitely would like to make my way to television. I’ve had a taste along the way, you know, whether it be working for the NWA, working for WXW over in Germany, and even extra work for some of the major companies. But that’s where I think I would really like to land myself is with one of those major companies, whether it be WWE, AEW, MLW, or TNA. I just feel like I’m in a position now, with the experience that I’ve gained and that I continue to gain, to where I could be a really good player for a major company. That would be my goal: to do that. But until we get there, obviously for me, international travel is something that means a lot. I really enjoy whenever I get to go over to the European scene and the UK scene. So, going back there is a big goal for me. With that, you know, I can’t wait to announce some things. But, really, it’s just, man, my biggest goal is to just continue staying healthy and to just really just continue carving out my way.”

Any future opponents you’d like to square off with?

“Oh my gosh. So, as far as it goes, man, there are so many incredibly talented individuals, and I wish that I could name every single person that’s on my list, but I kind of have a separate one both for myself and then for 4825. One person that’s high on my list would be Bear Bronson. It’s been so incredible to see everything that he’s done on the independent scene, whether it be in the death match scene or with TNA. He’s had a killer year, man. It’s just been so awesome to watch his meteoric rise. As far as singles go, Luke Jacobs is a guy that I’ve seen over in the UK scene who’s been absolutely killing it for years. That is somebody that I’d love to go and wrestle. There are just so many different people from so many different spots that have my attention that it’s like I just want to wrestle everybody. That’s just kind of how I feel: I want to wrestle everybody from every region, from every part of the world, and just test myself, man. In that year I was gone, a lot of people have raised their stock, and now it’s the chance to see if I can raise my stock with them and see if I still fare against the best of the best. That’s kind of where I’m at, man. Even as far as tag team matches. I mentioned Bustah & The Brain, Alec Price, and Jordan Oliver. I would still love to wrestle with Bang and Matthews. There are just so many talented individuals right now, man. I just can’t even pick one or two, even. It’s frying my brain just thinking about it. Nonetheless, I’m just so excited because the landscape is so good, right? I know right now the big discourse online is that the indies are dead. I’m going to be so real with you: that is the furthest thing from the truth. Because so long as we have people that care about independent wrestling, so long as we have people with the DIY mentality, independent wrestling is going to be around for as long as we can have it be. Simple as that. We just have new challenges right now, but we’ll overcome those challenges. It’s peaks and valleys, man. Nonetheless, it’s up to us to continue independent wrestling. I think that with the players we’ve got right now, we’ll be just fine.”