NJPW Returning To San Jose

The NJPW Rumble on 44th Street event last night in New York City featured a packed card that saw new NJPW Openweight Strong Tag Team Champions crowned and potentially a new CHAOS member in Lio Rush. During the show, it was announced that New Japan Pro-Wrestling will return to San Jose, Calif., for Battle in the Valley 2023.

Battle in the Valley will take place on February 18 and is set to be the first major event in North America on NJPW's 2023 calendar. The event is the second of its kind, with the first Battle in the Valley taking place last November in the San Jose Civic Center, the same venue as the upcoming show. The 2021 event was headlined by Jay White losing his NEVER Openweight Championship to Tomohiro Ishii.

NJPW has a history in California, with the opening of the LA Dojo in 2018 effectively cementing SoCal as its home base in North America. It also has a history of running events in the Bay Area. Events such as Strong Style Evolved and the G1 Special in San Francisco in 2018 were two of the first major stand-alone events for NJPW in America, making this return to the West Coast and the Bay Area specifically a logical one for the company.

Tickets for the event go on sale on November 4. Information on the card is yet to be announced.