New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that they will be running a fan attended show in Los Angeles on August 14, 2021. This will be the first NJPW Strong event that sees fans in the building and the first for New Japan in the States overall since February 2020.
Notably, there are three All Elite Wrestling stars that have already been confirmed for the event. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley will be there on the night. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, The Good Brothers, will also be appearing.
It’s interesting that Chris Jericho has not been confirmed for this show; with ‘Le Champion’ noting recently how he is interested in a return to the promotion.
New Japan Returns To The US
The inclusion of Jon Moxley is however the biggest news here, as previously it was not believed that AEW talent could work major shows in the United States outside of All Elite. This was the main reason that Moxley was included in B Block of the G1 Climax tournament in 2019, as he could not appear at the A Block show in the States.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing ‘Forbidden Door’ concept, it’s likely that Tony Khan and NJPW have changed how the arrangement works. We don’t have any official word on that however.
The show will be taking place in The Torch at L.A. Coliseum and will be available to view on PPV via FITE TV.
