NJPW Confirms Plans To Perform Outside Japan

It has been a busy day for New Japan Pro-Wrestling as they held their 2022 Business Strategy Presentation today at Hikosen Theater in Ueno, a district of Tokyo's Taitō City. A number of key topics were presented by New Japan President Takami Ohbari, including NJPW's plans to once again perform outside of Japan.

Ohbari made a major announcement for fans in the United Kingdom, confirming that the company would return to the nation in October — the first NJPW event to be held in the UK since the independently promoted Royal Quest event in August 2019 at the Copper Box Arena in London. Ohbari also noted that, along with plans to leverage their New Zealand dojo, the promotion will run more events in Oceania in the near future.

With travel restrictions easing around the world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, NJPW has been focusing its international attentions across the Pacific Ocean in the United States of America, which recently saw the company partner up with Tony Khan's AEW to present the first-ever interpromotional Forbidden Door pay-per-view on June 26. NJPW's North American brand, "Strong," also recently presented a pay-per-view special, Capital Collision, on May 14 in Washington, DC.

NJPW had previously tested these waters by attempting to expand in the North American market, but notably, when presenting the opening night of the G1 Climax 29 in 2019 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas — the first time the annual tournament had graced American soil — the company only drew 4,846 fans at a venue that could hold up to 20,000.

Before the pandemic shut down the world, NJPW had plans to solely present Wrestle Dynasty at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 2020, which would have been the promotion's second event from the world-famous venue — the first being a joint show with Ring of Honor, the G1 Supercard, during WrestleMania 35 weekend, which drew 16,534 fans — but this event was ultimately postponed because of the global situation and was never rescheduled.