Huge Update On Karl Anderson And NJPW's NEVER Openweight Title

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has released a statement regarding the NEVER Openweight Title currently held by WWE Superstar Karl Anderson.

In the statement, NJPW noted that the booking for Anderson vs. Hikuleo for the NEVER Openweight Championship was announced on October 4 and the booking was made through "the appropriate channels." The company said it was also made with Anderson's "expressed approval." The match is scheduled for the Battle Autumn show in Osaka on November 5.

NJPW went on to note how after its match announcement, Anderson and Luke Gallows made their WWE return on the October 10 edition of "Raw." Their return led WWE to announce that Gallows and Anderson will be part of its Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is happening the same day as NJPW's Battle Autumn. Gallows and Anderson are set to team with A.J. Styles to face The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio).

NJPW says that if Anderson decides to "renege" on his scheduled championship match in Osaka he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Title and return the belt to NJPW immediately.

NJPW also mentioned the video that Anderson posted on social media on October 20. He revealed in the video that he would not be able to do the title match and accused NJPW of not going "through his booking agent." Anderson has been the NEVER Openweight champion since June 12, 2022. He won the title after he defeated Tama Tonga at Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall.