New Japan Pro-Wrestling issues an official statement regarding Karl Anderson's status for the Battle Autumn event on November 5.
NJPW previously advertised that Karl Anderson will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship at the Battle Autumn event on November 5. Anderson and Doc Gallows returned to WWE on the October 10 episode of WWE RAW, and they were subsequently booked for a six-man tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel. This event is also on November 5, but NJPW has continued to advertise him for Battle Autumn. On October 19, Anderson and Gallows posted a video in which they stated that they won't appear at the show, though NJPW has continued to advertise the match.
On October 25, NJPW issued an official statement on the situation. The post noted that the company has not heard back from Anderson in its efforts to negotiate with him in recent days. NJPW stated that if Anderson does not compete as scheduled, he will be required to vacate the title and return it to NJPW immediately.
From NJPW:
Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Early morning Japan time on October 20, NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson posted a video on social media indicating that he would not be making his advertised commitment on November 5 in Osaka.
NJPW had announced Anderson’s match with Hikuleo for the NEVER Openweight Championship on October 4. Despite comments from Doc Gallows to the contrary in Anderson’s video, the booking was made through the appropriate channels, and with Anderson’s expressed approval.
However, after the match’s announcement, both Gallows and Anderson would appear on the October 10 edition of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” broadcast. This led to WWE announcing a match featuring both men for their Saudi Arabia event on November 5, in direct conflict with Anderson’s prior commitment.
NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response. 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.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling holds its champions to the highest standards of professionalism, and sincerely apologises to fans for any disappointment or inconvenience caused by this matter.
The current lineup for the Battle Autum event on November 5 is below.
NJPW Battle Autumn (11/5)
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (c) vs. Hikuleo
- IWGP US Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: United Empire (Francesco Akira & TJP) (c) vs. Titan & BUSHI
- Taiji Ishimori, Master Wato, El Desperado, and Hiromu Takahashi compete in a wild card tag match
- Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) vs. TBA
- NJPW World TV Title Tournament Semifinals
Fightful will continue to monitor the situation and provide more information as it becomes available.
Fans can find results from past NJPW events at Fightful's results section.
