7 Things You Need To Know About NJPW's American Expansion
1. They're Ready For War
Unless a new promoter decides to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into professional wrestling, it’s extremely unlikely that WWE will ever face serious competition again. Their gigantic market share gives them near complete control over the global wrestling scene, and while enthusiasm for their product fluctuates greatly, nothing seems capable of knocking the McMahon family empire down.
NJPW aren’t intimidated by this, however. Company president Takaaki Kidani intends to tackle WWE head on, and while his expansion is still in its infancy, his ambition and tenacity are undeniable. "We are entering a phase where you are either with WWE or against them," Kidani said last December. "WWE are only functionally profitable in the US, Canada and UK. They have TV elsewhere, but also have a lot of weaknesses, and time is not on their side.”
New Japan were stung by the departures of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson last January. Supposedly, that talent raid is what triggered their expansion in the first place, and they've since made an increased effort to sign their wrestlers to long-term contracts so that it never happens again.
Kidani felt slighted by WWE’s aggression, and while NJPW’s product certainly represents an alternative, it’s hard to see them denting WWE without massive financial investment.
Either way, the G1 Special’s sellout is an encouraging start.