NJPW Announces "Dream" 50th Anniversary Plans
"Dream matches, dream cards, and dream events" come to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2022.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has just announced big plans for 2022, which will be the promotion's 50th anniversary year.
As confirmed ahead of today's Best of the Super Juniors show in Tokyo, NJPW will celebrate its landmark anniversary with special events, a museum exhibition, and more.
"Dream matches, dream cards, and dream events" are on the docket in 2022, according to president Takami Ohbari. A range of merchandise produced in collaboration with 50 different companies is also in the works, with gaming chairs and golf bags already unveiled.
NJPW's 50th-anniversary tour kicks off on 11 February and will be preceded by the New Year's Golden Series in January. This harks back to an old tour name from the promotion's earlier decades of operation.
The aforementioned museum exhibition will be titled NJPW-ism. It'll be in place in Tokyo from 11 to 27 February, with Andre the Giant's boots cited as an example of the kind of things fans can expect to see on display.
2020 and 2021 have been rough on Japanese promotions in particular, with travel restrictions and audience sanctions (including the ruling that fans cannot chant and shout at shows) dragging even the market leaders down. There is currently no word on when such sanctions will be lifted.