WWE Wrestler Advertised For Upcoming NJPW Show

This WWE star might be tied to Stamford, but NJPW is advertising him for Osaka...

by Andy H Murray
Killer Kross NJPW
WWE/NJPW

Despite returning to WWE on last night's Raw, Karl Anderson is being advertised Battle Autumn '22 show on Saturday 5 November.

Anderson, NJPW's reigning NEVER Openweight Champion, is due to defend his strap against Hikuleo at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. The event listing has this positioned above Tetsuya Naito and Will Ospreay's IWGP United States Championship match, suggesting it could headline.

NJPW confirmed Anderson vs. Hikuleo in a news update earlier today. This was posted after Anderson and tag team partner Luke Gallows returned to Raw, joining forces with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles against The Judgment Day.

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Anderson and Gallows re-signing with WWE immediately raised questions about their New Japan status. Karl has been NEVER Openweight Champion since 12 June, while Fightful Select had previously been told that the duo were committed to NJPW through Wrestle Kingdom (4 January 2023), despite recently becoming free agents. Whether or not that is still the case is unclear.

For what it's worth, the official @njpwworld Twitter account retweeted a clip of Gallows, Anderson, and Styles brawling with The Judgment Day on Raw last night:-

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Gallows and Anderson's WWE return marked their first appearances for the company since April 2020, when they were released early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.