WWE Raw Star Faces MAJOR Scheduling Conflict
Two shows, seven time zones, no direct flights... a huge WWE vs. NJPW scheduling conflict looms.
Recent WWE returnee Karl Anderson has a scheduling conflict on his hands.
Last night's Raw brought the announcement that Anderson and the rest of the newly-reformed OC (AJ Styles and Luke Gallows) will wrestle The Judgment Day's Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio at Crown Jewel 2022 on 5 November. This show takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The problem is that Anderson had already been announced for another show taking place seven time zones away. New Japan Pro-Wrestling confirmed last week that Karl would defend his NEVER Openweight Championship at Battle Autumn in Osaka, Japan on that same date, despite his and Gallows' WWE return the previous day.
No direct flights currently operate between Osaka and Riyadh. The two cities are seven time zones away. Optimistically, Crown Jewel will start around five hours after Battle Autumn finishes.
Karl Anderson is not working both events.
While nothing is announced yet, it's likely that Crown Jewel will take precedence. That Anderson and Gallows would continue to work NJPW through Wrestle Kingdom in January 2023, thus honouring a previous agreement, has been reported since the duo returned to WWE last week.