NJPW Strong

Last updated
NJPW Strong
NJPW Strong Logo.svg
Genre Professional wrestling
Created byTakami Ohbari
Written by Gedo
Directed byLogan Chegwidden
Presented by
Ian Riccaboni, and Matt Rehwoldt (English language commentators)
Starring New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America roster
Country of origin
  • Japan
  • United States
Original languages
  • English
  • Japanese
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes126 (as of January 28,2023) (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setup Multi-camera setup
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseAugust 7, 2020 (2020-08-07) 
January 28, 2023 (2023-01-28)
Related
NJPW World Pro Wrestling

NJPW Strong is a brand name utilized by Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). NJPW Strong also refers to the former professional wrestling television series produced by NJPW's New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA) subsidiary. [3]

Contents

The Strong weekly TV series debuted on August 7, 2020, airing on Saturdays at 8 pm ET on NJPW World and FITE TV until its final episode aired on January 28, 2023. After the program's end, NJPW Strong became the branding for NJPW events held in the United States. These events are distributed live via PPV under the NJPW Strong Live banner, and are later distributed as weekly instalments of the NJPW Strong on Demand series.

History

Background and Early format

On November 24, 2014, AXS TV announced that it had acquired a thirteen-episode series featuring matches from New Japan Pro Wrestling under the AXS TV Fights banner. The series was an English-language adaptation of NJPW's own television series, NJPW World Pro Wrestling, produced by TV Asahi. The series premiered on January 16, 2015, airing on Friday evenings. [4] This was the first time NJPW had been aired on an American television network since its formation in 1972. [5] NJPW content would continue to air on AXS until December 2019. [6] [7] Prior to this, on October 21, NJPW announced the formation of an American subsidiary called "New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America" (NJoA). [8]

On July 31, 2020, NJPW announced a new weekly series titled NJPW Strong, with its initial episodes to feature matches from the inaugural New Japan Cup USA tournament. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJoA. [9]

The premiere episode of Strong aired on August 7, 2020, broadcast live from NJPW's training dojo in Los Angeles, and streaming on NJPW's service NJPW World. [10] The event was held with no spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] On August 19, NJPW announced that Strong would be streaming on FITE TV in conjunction with NJPW World. [12]

Change in format

On January 6, 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi announced on his blog that the January Strong tapings would be the last, and that "overseas tournaments" would be held in a different format in the future. [13] On January 30, NJPW announced that all of the promotion's future American events would be branded under the NJPW Strong name and be available for purchase via pay-per-view (PPV) providers.

Beginning with Battle in the Valley on February 18, the NJoA PPVs began airing as NJPW Strong Live, with Strong ceasing to be its own show with exclusive content. These PPV events will later air on NJPW World in hour-long installments known as NJPW Strong on Demand. [14]

Events

Roster

Commentators

Language Commentators Dates
Japanese Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Shigeki Kiyono
Katsuyori Shibata/Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shigeki Kiyono
August 7, 2020 – October 24, 2020
November 28, 2020 – December 18, 2020
January 8, 2021 – April 30, 2021
May 21, 2021 – August 20, 2021
September 25, 2021 - October 2, 2021
November 6, 2021 - November 13, 2021
November 20, 2021 - January 8, 2022
January 22, 2022 - June 25, 2022
July 16, 2022 – August 27, 2022
October 29, 2022 - November 5, 2022
November 26, 2022 - December 17, 2022
January 8, 2023 - January 28, 2023
JapaneseKatsuyori Shibata, Hirooki Goto, and Shigeki KiyonoOctober 31, 2020 – November 21, 2020
Japanese Togi Makabe and Shigeki KiyonoMay 7, 2021 – May 14, 2021
Japanese Satoshi Kojima and Shigeki KiyonoAugust 27, 2021 - September 18, 2021
Japanese Yuji Nagata and Shigeki KiyonoOctober 9, 2021 - October 30, 2021
July 2, 2022 - July 9, 2022
September 3, 2022
September 24, 2022 - October 1, 2022
October 1, 2022 - October 22, 2022
JapaneseKatsuyori Shibata/Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, and Shigeki KiyonoSeptember 10, 2022 - September 17, 2022
October 9, 2022
JapaneseTakami Ohbari and Shigeki KiyonoJanuary 15, 2022
JapaneseHiroshi Tanahashi, Takami Ohbari and Shigeki KiyonoNovember 12, 2022 - November 19, 2022
JapaneseKatsuyori Shibata, Takami Ohbari and Shigeki KiyonoDecember 24, 2022
English Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov August 7, 2020 – October 2, 2021
December 4, 2021 - January 29, 2022
January 8, 2023 - January 28, 2023
EnglishAlex Koslov and Matt Rehwoldt October 9, 2021 - November 27, 2021
English Ian Riccaboni and Alex KoslovFebruary 12, 2022 - March 26, 2022
May 13, 2022 - June 4, 2022
July 9, 2022 – December 24, 2022
English Ian Riccaboni and Matt RehwoldtApril 2, 2022 - April 30, 2022
June 11, 2022 - July 2, 2022
EnglishKevin Kelly and Matt RehwoldtMay 7, 2022

Ring announcers

Language Ring announcers Dates
EnglishAdnan KureishyAugust 7, 2020 – January 28, 2023
JapaneseTakuro ShibataAugust 7, 2020 – January 28, 2023

See also

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References

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