16 Ups & 9 Downs For NJPW In 2018

6. A Slowing US Expansion

NJPW Long Beach Crowd
Twitter, @socaluncensored

New Japan pushed their US expansion forward with three major shows in California this year. They produced some stellar action (Strong Style Evolved's Young Bucks vs. Golden Lovers bout was one of 2018's finest tag matches), but diminishing business returns, particularly towards the end of the year, suggest the promotion may have rushed into this with too much gusto.

Strong Style Evolved drew 4,372 to Long Beach's Walter Pyramid on 25 March. Six months later, NJPW attracted just 3,007 to the same building for Fighting Spirit Unleashed. Images of empty seeds flooded social media that night, and as confirmed by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter the following week, NJPW resorted to the old WWE trick of selling out the seats in front of the camera to make the building look fuller than it was on tape. Understandable, but sneaky.

While far from disastrous, the situation suggests that New Japan perhaps need to pump the breaks in Calfornia. The good news is that they're coming off a year of record revenue, and their G1 Supercard (co-promoted with Ring Of Honor) sold Madison Square Garden out in minutes. The expansion is still on; it just encountered a few west coast hurdles in 2018.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.