New Japan Pro Wrestling has their creative slotted for quite some time, according to some talent.
NJPW has long been known for long-term booking, and we were able to gain some more detail about the process recently. Fightful Select has learned that the vast majority of New Japan Pro Wrestling creative was set through Wrestle Kingdom already as far back as August, four months before the event takes place. We've spoken to several talent who said that they were told this throughout the summer.
Fightful has learned that NJPW had interest from high profile names in the wrestling industry, but they were told that New Japan wasn't sure if they could make it work. The reason they were provided is that the most of creative is planned out through 2022. One New Japan source indicated that's largely standard procedure, but that it deviated quite a bit during the pandemic for obvious reasons. However, that same source indicated that an injury could adjust multiple things at any given time.
One of those adjustments has obviously been the Karl Anderson WWE signing, but we're told they've already adjusted accordingly.
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