Tag: NJPW

NJPW Reportedly Breaking Tradition To Accommodate Karl Anderson

It appears that NJPW expects Karl Anderson to return in the coming months. Anderson reportedly is not going to be stripped of his NEVER Openweight Championship despite not appearing at this weekend’s NJPW Battle Autumn event, according to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. WON’s Dave Meltzer reported Friday that NJPW will break tradition by not stripping Anderson of the title for failing to appear at a scheduled event. 

Anderson, 42, returned to NJPW in 2021 and won the NEVER Openweight Championship in June of last year by defeating Tama Tonga. The American star was booked to appear in a title match this Saturday at NJPW’s Battle Autumn event in Osaka, but the match has since been rebooked. Anderson was scheduled to take on Hikuleo for the NEVER Openweight Championship. However, earlier this week NJPW announced that “despite extensive efforts” to reach Anderson about the match, “NJPW officials have still been met with no response, and have been left with no other option but to cancel the planned NEVER Openweight Championship match.”

The promotion then said that Hikuleo made a “direct request” to instead face Yujiro Takahashi in a non-title match at the event. Meltzer reported Friday that the match remains a non-title match and that the issue at hand with Anderson appears to be an angle, and that NJPW expects Anderson to return to Japan despite no-showing this weekend. The angle — which Meltzer notes to likely culminate at January’s upcoming Wrestle Kingdom event — comes weeks after Anderson returned to the WWE for the first time since 2020.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Reveals Karl Anderson Will Forfeit His Title If He Competes At WWE Crown Jewel

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to WWE earlier this month, backing up AJ Styles as he was seriously outnumbered by The Judgment Day. That raised a lot of questions regarding the tag team’s current status with NJPW. Not only is Anderson the promotion’s Never Openweight Champion, but he is slated to defend that title at Battle Autumn on November 5.

The plot thickened considerably when WWE announced The OC and The Judgment Day will clash at Crown Jewel, a WWE event taking place on the same day as Battle Autumn. In case it wasn’t clear, Anderson confirmed that despite his NJPW booking, he will be competing for WWE on November 5 and will not be in Osaka to defend his title.

After an initial reaction to that news from NJPW’s president, the promotion has now revealed a full statement (thanks, Fightful). “NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response,” the statement reads. “Should Anderson decide to renege on his scheduled championship match, he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Championship and return the title belt to NJPW immediately.”

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1585110853187416064

When Anderson confirmed he will be heading to Saudi Arabia on November 5 and not Japan, the Never Openweight Champion also claimed the title defense was booked without consulting him. NJPW denies that was the case, highlighting in the statement above that the match was booked on October 4, and that Anderson was complicit in that process.

What happens next remains unclear. What appeared to be an arrangement between WWE and NJPW when Gallows and Anderson first showed up on Raw now doesn’t seem to be an official deal at all. It now seems like Anderson won’t be at Battle Autumn, and that he will be stripped of the Never Openweight Title. As for returning the championship to the company, that might be a little tricky and could make the situation even more problematic.

Source: TheSportster

NJPW President Addresses Karl Anderson Being Double Booked For November 5

NJPW President Takami Ohbari has taken to Twitter to address WWE Superstar Karl Anderson being double booked for November 5.

Anderson is scheduled to defend the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo at NJPW Battle Autumn, which is the same day he is scheduled to team with AJ Styles & Luke Gallows against The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio), at Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 5.

Back on October 4, NJPW announced Karl Anderson would be defending the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo on November 5 at NJPW Battle Autumn. Then on October 10, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows made their surprise return to WWE on Raw, as a back up for for AJ Styles in his battle with The Judgement Day.

It was then announced during the October 17 episode of WWE Raw, it was made official for Styles, Anderson, & Gallows and The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio) to have a six-man tag match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 5.

In a video posted to Twitter on October 19, Anderson claimed NJPW never confirmed the NJPW November 5 date with his booking agent The Big LG – Doc Gallows. Anderson then said he will not be defending the NEVER Openweight Title at the Battle Autumn event. 

Source: WrestleView

Japanese Wrestling Legend Antonio Inoki Has Passed Away At The Age Of 79

One of the most influential and important figures in the history of Japanese professional wrestling has died.

Yahoo! Japan reported Antonio Inoki passed away at his home on Saturday, October 1. A specific cause of death was not reported, but Inoki’s health problems over recent years were well known. In an interview earlier this year, he admitted he had been near death on a number of occasions.

News of Inoki’s passing came nearly 62 years to the day after his pro wrestling debut at the age of 17 on September 30, 1960. Another literal and figurative giant in Japanese wrestling history, Inoki’s future tag team partner Shohei Baba, made his in-ring debut on the same card for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (later, simply known as the Japan Wrestling Alliance).

Inoki and Baba’s departures from the JWA changed the course of wrestling in Japan forever. In 1972, Inoki founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling, while Baba founded All Japan Pro Wrestling. Without two of its top stars, the JWA collapsed.

Inoki’s influence spread around the world. In 1976, he squared off against Muhammed Ali in an infamous “wrestler vs. boxer” match. The bout is viewed by many as a prelude to the future popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts.

Inoki’s leadership of NJPW was not without its missteps. His interest in MMA during the early 2000s gave birth to an in-ring philosophy that became known as Inoki-ism. However, the shift to the shoot fighting style nearly doomed NJPW. Inoki sold his stake in NJPW in 2005 and stepped away from the company.

Inoki explored other promotions and ventures following his exit from NJPW. Those included him founding the Inoki Genome Federation

Inoki also found success in the political arena. He served two terms in the House of Councillors. He was first elected in 1989. During that term, he notably traveled to Iraq, where he met with Saddam Hussein and successfully negotiated the release of a group of Japanese hostages.

A failed re-election bid saw Inoki leave office, but he returned after being elected to a new term in 2013. This one was marked by a number of controversial trips to North Korea. Inoki retired from politics in 2019.

Word of Inoki’s death began circulating in North America on Friday night.

News of his passing was announced during Friday night’s live broadcast of “SmackDown,” with Michael Cole conveying the company’s condolences to Inoki’s family, friends, and fans. On Twitter, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque shared his own tribute.

“One of the most important figures in the history of our business, and a man who embodied the term ‘fighting spirit,'” Levesque wrote. “The legacy of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki will live on forever.”

Inoki defeated Bob Backlund to win the WWF Heavyweight Championship in 1979, but the company never officially recognized his reign. Inoki was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

AEW Owner and CEO Tony Khan joined the many on social media paying tribute to Inoki’s memory.

“RIP Antonio Inoki, a pioneer in the pro wrestling industry,” Khan wrote on Twitter Friday night. “Inoki’s influence and his achievements will live on forever in the wrestling world; he’s an inspiration to all of the dreamers. Thank you sir.”

Many of NJPW’s current top stars are in London, England where the company is holding its two-night Royal Quest II event this weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

KUSHIDA Off Upcoming NJPW Show Due To Health Concerns

New Japan Pro Wrestling(NJPW) announced that KUSHIDA would no longer participate in an upcoming event in Kumamoto, Japan, tomorrow due to health concerns related to a suspected skin disease. The Japanese star was initially removed from a show last Saturday after coming down with a fever. You can read NJPW’s full announcement below.

KUSHIDA, who was scheduled to wrestle on a non televised live event September 21 in Kumamoto, will miss the event as a precaution due to health concerns.

KUSHIDA was removed from Saturday’s event in Kagoshima after presenting with a fever. After testing negative for COVID-19, he underwent consultation with doctors who diagnosed him with a suspected skin disease.

We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing KUSHIDA wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.

The following change has been made to Wednesday’s card.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga, KUSHIDA & Jado vs Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo ->

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Tama Tonga & Jado vs Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Taiji Ishimori

Source: EWrestlingNews

STARDOM Teases ‘Super Big Foreign Wrestlers’ For Upcoming Show

All sorts of things are happening right now in World Wonder Ring Stardom. The promotion is set to have talent appearing on New Japan shows in the United States for the first time starting in October, followed by a joint show with New Japan, called Historic x-Over, in November, where the first-ever IWGP Women’s Champion will be crowned. And the latest announcement seems to suggest a big player could be involved in the tournament to crown the first champion.

Early this morning, Stardom made the following announcement on Twitter.

“Urgent notice,” Stardom tweeted. “Super big foreign wrestlers from overseas decided to participate in the [IWGP Women’s Championship tournament]!! Scheduled to be announced at Korakuen Hall on 8/27!”

Shortly after the announcement, Japanese Twitter user Shigeo provided his own translation that confirmed the news, while also providing an additional comment from Stardom promoter Rossy Ogawa. Shigeo’s translation referred to the teased foreign wrestler as “an unbelievably famous non-Japanese Joshi wrestler.”

Stardom provided no other hints at who the mystery talent could be. One name that will likely receive a ton of speculation is AEW star Toni Storm. Storm previously worked for Stardom from 2016 to 2018, winning the World of Stardom and SWA Undisputed Women’s Championships, as well as the 2017 Cinderella and 5Star Grand Prix tournaments. While no known working relationship exists between AEW and Stardom, a July report suggested the two sides were discussing a plan to work together, and Storm was named as a talent Stardom would be interested in using. Storm is currently scheduled to challenge for the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW All Out on September 4, taking on the current champion — and Storm’s tag team partner — Thunder Rosa.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Announces Its First North American Show With STARDOM Talent

While the working relationship between AEW and New Japan has dominated the headlines in 2022, things are also heating up between New Japan and World Wonder Ring Stardom. The two promotions introduced the IWGP Women’s Championship in late July, which followed an announcement earlier in the month that Stardom talent would be working New Japan shows in the United States starting later in the year. We now know the exact date Stardom talent will be showing up at NJPW events.

Early Thursday morning, New Japan posted a press release on its website, announcing that Stardom talent will be appearing on the Rumble on 44th Street event, taking place in New York City on October 28. Barring New Japan adding Stardom talent to upcoming shows in Los Angeles or Las Vegas, this would be the first event New Japan has promoted in America at which Stardom talent will appear. No specific performers have been mentioned for the event at this time.

Rumble on 44th Street will occur a little less than a month before New Japan and Stardom will run their first ever co-promoted show, Historic X-over, on November 20 in Tokyo. Stardom had previously announced that the first ever IWGP Women’s Champion would be crowned at Historic X-over. As of this writing, neither Stardom nor New Japan has revealed who will compete for the brand new title or if there will be a tournament to determine the first ever champion. As such, it’s unclear if the Stardom match in New York will be related to the IWGP Women’s Title or not.

Tickets for Rumble on 44th Street will go on sale on August 25. In the meantime, New Japan recently wrapped up their G1 Climax tournament, with Kazuchika Okada defeating Will Ospreay to become the fourth wrestler to win back to back G1’s. As a result, he will earn a IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023. As for Stardom, the promotion is currently running its annual 5-Star Gran Prix tournament, with their next show taking place this Saturday in Osaka.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Announce Return To The UK With Royal Quest II

After almost three years away, New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced their return to the UK with the sequel to their last British-based event, Royal Quest. Doubling up on their 2019 venture, the Japanese promotion are staging Royal Quest II over two nights.

Announced through New Japan’s social channels, where fans can find ticket information, Royal Quest II will be held inside the Crystal Palace Indoor Arena in South London. The event will span across October 1-2, providing the British fans with a full weekend of action, as if to make up for their absence in the UK since 2019.

Seeing as the previous Royal Quest hosted numerous title matches, headlined by “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Minoru Suzuki, it stands to reason that NJPW will be bringing the big guns once again to fill the two cards for the Saturday and Sunday shows.

Coming to the UK in just under two months, Royal Quest II comes during an interesting time in the NJPW timeline. With the finals of the G1 Climax coming on August 18, the road to Wrestle Kingdom will be under way, with the tournament winner securing a place in the main event of the Tokyo Dome on January 4. The past few years have seen the G1 Climax winners defending their prize in the months leading up to Wrestle Kingdom, meaning Royal Quest could host such a match.

Royal Quest also comes just over a week before NJPW’s puts on Declaration of Power inside the Ryōgoku Sumo Hall on October 10. The placement of two major events so close together is an odd choice for NJPW, and it will be interesting to see how they spread marquee matches across them.

Source: TheSportster

NJPW And Stardom Announce IWGP Women’s Championship

It’s been a big week for new championships in wrestling promotions. In the United States, AEW has introduced the AEW Trios Championships, with the inaugural champions to be crowned at AEW All Out on Labor Day weekend. Now, in Japan, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and World Wonder Stardom Ring are getting in on the fun, announcing a historic new championship.

“Just announced in today’s Stardom 2022 Strategy Meeting: The IWGP Women’s Championship!” Stardom’s official account tweeted. “NJPW and Stardom are creating this title for defenses not only in Japan but also in the US on New Japan Pro Wrestling events, appealing to the world with the rich IWGP history!”

While the IWGP Women’s Championship is being announced now, the Stardom account went on to reveal that there will be a little bit of a wait before the first champion is crowned.

“The inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion will be crowned at the NJPWxStardom joint show on November 20th at the Ariake Arena,” the tweet read. “Please note, this belt does not usurp the Red and White Belts in any way. They are the main titles for Stardom events.”

The promotion also offered some more clarification regarding where fans will see this new IWGP Women’s Championship defended.

“The IWGP Women’s Championship is for the NJPW events,” Stardom tweeted. “It’s possible that it could be defended on big Stardom events though. Stardom’s main title remains the World of Stardom title (the Red Belt) along with the Wonder of Stardom title (the White Belt).”

For New Japan, the IWGP Women’s Championship marks the first time a belt exclusively for female talent will be featured in the promotion’s 50 years of operation. Women in NJPW have traditionally held the role of valet, though former WWE star Chyna did briefly wrestle for the promotion in 2002.

New Japan began featuring Stardom talent at Wrestle Kingdom 14, the first Wrestle Kingdom to feature a women’s match, shortly after Bushiroad, NJPW’s parent company, purchased Stardom in late 2019. The promotion has continued to feature talent from their sister promotion at various shows ever since. Earlier this month, Bushiroad announced Stardom talent would also be featured on NJPW shows in the US going forward.

As noted, NJPWxStardom will take place on November 20. As of this writing, it is unknown which talent will be competing for the IWGP Women’s Championship or what format will be used to crown the inaugural champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Relationship Between Kota Ibushi And NJPW

In a two-month span loaded with major story after major story, it’s easy to forget about the saga between Kota Ibushi and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ibushi spent much of May publicly criticizing the promotion, where he’s worked as both a freelancer and as a contracted wrestler for the past five years, for a variety of reasons, so much so that his future with NJPW was called into question. Those questions didn’t go anywhere after NJPW publicly apologized to Ibushi and sanctioned an official he had issues with back in early June.

Since then, things have been quiet regarding Ibushi’s status with NJPW and his feelings towards the promotion — until today. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided some good news on the Ibushi-NJPW situation, with sources close to both parties stating that the gulf between the two sides has narrowed over the last month. Meltzer also noted that Ibushi is looking to get back into both wrestling training and martial arts training, and is interested in starting a dojo in his hometown of Kagoshima.

There are some obstacles to be overcome before Ibushi can get back into the ring, however. Meltzer reports that Ibushi’s main priority at the moment is caring for his mother, who fans may recall attempted suicide during the height of Ibushi’s issues with New Japan. What happened to his mother was thought to have ended any potential for reconciliation between Ibushi and NJPW for good, especially after Ibushi addressed the situation on social media.

The other hold-up is an injury to Ibushi’s shoulder, which he suffered during the G1 Climax 31 final against Kazuchika Okada. Meltzer noted that Ibushi had tweeted earlier in the week, revealing his injury wasn’t healing and was getting worse. This will likely require Ibushi to get surgery, something he was hoping to avoid in favor of healing his shoulder with rest, setting his timetable back even further. In the same series of tweets, Ibushi also stated his issues with NJPW were not settled.

With Ibushi’s return nowhere in sight, NJPW will nevertheless move forward with the 32nd edition of the G1 Climax. The tournament will kick off tomorrow in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo.

Source: Wrestling Inc.