It has been speculated that the latest NJPW president Harold Meij has been trying to make a splash overseas with their company, which is based in Japan.
He is the first ever non-Japanese president of the company and ever since he has taken charge there have been numerous non-Japanese wrestlers winning championships and big matches. Some have said this has coincided with their push into the foreign markets.
New Japan do share shows with other companies overseas like ‘Ring of Honor’ in America and ‘RevPro Wrestling’ here in the UK. This means a sharing of the performer talent and perhaps less pressure on NJPW to really put on as good a show on as they could.
Biggest stars from Japan and UK
It looks like the company are pulling out all the stops to try and make a lasting impression on their first show here. Their top three stars, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi, have already been announced for the show which is a very big pulling point as these guys are loved the world over.
Two British stars who perform for NJPW have also been announced for the show in Essex-born Will Ospreay and most recently British Wrestling stalwart Zack Sabre Jr.
NJPW General Manager Michael Craven spoke to Mirror Sport about his company’s first solo show here in the UK. “Firstly, none of this would be possible without our British fans – they are the best in the world! When I joined NJPW, one of my goals was to bring our New Japan to our fans in the United Kingdom.
“Also, the best wrestlers from not only Japan but also worldwide are going to be on the card – we expect it to be the must-see event of the year.”
UK Takeover
“It’s the first time we’re doing such a big event in the UK and we are asking the fans about who they want to meet through our Twitter account (@njpwglobal). Our motto is ‘King of Sports’ and our fans like the fact that we take pro-wrestling as seriously as any other sport.”
Tickets are on sale now and the highest tier tickets have sold out for this one already with a lot of interest in this show with it being over five months away.
New Japan’s first foray into standalone shows is certainly living up to the hype so far and the UK is the beneficiary to this. Fans from all over the country will flock to see this show and New Japan are famous for not letting the fans go home unhappy.
