If you watched Wrestle Kingdom on AXS TV last January and were hoping to do the same in 2020, you’re out of luck.
New Japan Pro Wrestling revealed through a tweet, “in response to US fan queries,” that, “There are currently no plans for TV broadcast of NJPW events in 2020 (WK14 included) in the US.” Wrestle Kingdom 14 will be available to watch outside of Japan on the NJPW World streaming service with a monthly subscription (about nine dollars) or as a pay-per-view on Fite TV, with the January 4 and 5 events $24.99 each.
NJPW had aired on AXS since 2014 and the channel co-produced some of the company’s events in the United States, including the opening night of this year’s G1 Climax tournament. AXS paired New Japan with MMA programming for a while, but the NJPW will end its run on the channel as part of a Saturday night pro wrestling block along with WOW Women of Wrestling.
This development comes after Anthem Sports & Entertainment, which owns Impact Wrestling, bought a majority stake in AXS in September and Impact started airing on the channel on Tuesday nights the following month. October 2019 also saw New Japan announce the creation of a U.S.-based subsidiary called New Japan Pro Wrestling of America as part of its international expansion. At the time, the promotion made it sound like it would continue to work with AXS, but now it looks like its presence in the United States will be maintained without a TV show, but through live events, NJPW World subscriptions, and the occasional Fite PPV.
