Chris Charlton served as the American color commentator for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th and NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty on January 5th.
He was noticeably absent from commentary at NJPW New Year Dash!!! on January 6th, with El Phantasmo and Jeff Cobb asking play-by-play announcer Walker Stewart about Charlton's absence.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Charlton is on an "indefinite hiatus" stemming from his anti-AEW comments made at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty.
During his commentary at Wrestle Dynasty, Charlton referred to Tony Khan as a "money mark."
Charlton also played up the AEW vs. NJPW rivalry, noting Kazuchika Okada, Jay White and Will Ospreay leaving NJPW for AEW, and questioning what they had accomplished in AEW while downplaying the Continental Classic compared to the G1.
Wrestle Dynasty featured multiple AEW vs NJPW bouts including, Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji vs. Jack Perry, The Young Bucks challenging for the IWGP Tag Team Titles, and Ricochet facing Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event.
Charlton has not publicly commented on his status.
Fans can find Fightful's coverage of NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty by clicking here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review by clicking here.
