10 Problems WWE Faces After WrestleMania 33

8. New Japan Is Expanding Into The U.S.

Roman Reigns August 2016
NJPW

This July, New Japan Pro Wrestling will - for the first time ever - promote shows in the United States that aren't being run in conjunction with a U.S.-based wrestling organization. The two events - called "G1 Special in USA" - will take place in Long Beach, California's Long Beach Convention Center.

New Japan Pro Wrestling is the second largest wrestling company in the world, but let's be honest - they pose no real threat to the worldwide juggernaut that is WWE. At the same time, though, the fact that New Japan is expanding proves that there's a growing market for non-WWE wrestling in WWE's home country.

It's been a while since wrestling fans have felt like they had a real alternative to WWE; even during it's more popular years, TNA was often criticized for feeling like "WWE-lite."

NJPW's legitimate stateside momentum may herald a turning of the tide in terms of fan sentiment, and could bode poorly for WWE as it continues to forge a path into the marketplace.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013