As has been the case all along, Karl Anderson is still slated to work NJPW Wrestle Kingdom.
Reports emerged recently indicating that WWE and NJPW had come to an agreement for Anderson to work the January NJPW spectacular, but those that we've spoken to all throughout the process say that has been the plan since August.
Back in late August, WWE approached Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, offering them WWE contracts. The two had been working without deals in NJPW since leaving IMPACT Wrestling. However, interest from WWE's side was already mentioned to the two in June and July, even before the regime switch was official. However, when the WWE regime switch happened, talks accelerated, an offer was made and Gallows and Anderson were inked to WWE deals while Anderson was still NEVER Openweight Champion.
Issues regarding the Crown Jewel scheduling conflict had long been solved and worked into a NJPW storyline to extend Karl Anderson's program with Hikuleo, as Fightful had reported back in October. As far as Anderson was concerned, he was always set to work the Wrestle Kingdom show and had planned from that from the point he was signed with WWE.
To reiterate, Karl Anderson was always under the impression he was working Wrestle Kingdom throughout the entire process, and had been planning for it.
As far as more of a relationship between WWE and NJPW, we're actively asking about that, but everything we've heard so far is a "wait and see" approach
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