NJPW Strong
 Logo for the brand and the former television program as of August 7, 2020 | |
| Product type | Professional wrestling |
|---|---|
| Owner | New Japan Pro-Wrestling |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | August 7, 2020 |
| NJPW Strong | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Created by | Takami Ohbari |
| Written by | Gedo |
| Directed by | Logan Chegwidden |
| Presented by |
|
| Starring | New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America roster |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original languages |
|
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 126 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | August 7, 2020 – January 28, 2023 |
| Related | |
| NJPW World Pro Wrestling | |
NJPW Strong is a brand name utilized by Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA) subsidiary.[3]
In its original incarnation, NJPW Strong was the name of a weekly professional wrestling streaming television show produced by NJoA. The 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 part of the NJPW Strong on Demand series.
History
[edit]Background and Early format
[edit]On November 24, 2014, AXS TV, under the AXS TV Fights banner, announced that it had acquired a thirteen-episode series produced by TV Asahi featuring matches from New Japan Pro Wrestling. 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]
On October 21, 2019, 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
[edit]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. These PPV events will later air on NJPW World in hour-long installments known as NJPW Strong on Demand.[14]
Events
[edit]Roster
[edit]See also
[edit]- List of major NJPW events
- List of professional wrestling television series
- 2020 in professional wrestling
References
[edit]- ^ Thompson, Andrew (August 5, 2020). "Alex Koslov returning to NJPW to do commentary for NJPW Strong". Post Wrestling. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Home, David Marquez Productions". David Marquez Productions. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Radican, Sean (August 5, 2020). "NJPW Strong details announced for NJPW World, new weekly show will debut with NJPW Cup USA tournament". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "AXS announces New Japan TV deal, official details, time slot, debut date and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. November 24, 2014. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 27, 2015). "July 27, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The Undertaker returns at Battleground, NXT/ROH insanity with Liger booking, and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 24. ISSN 1083-9593.
- ^ Nason, Josh (December 27, 2019). "NJPW NO LONGER AIRING ON AXS TV". F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "New Japan Pro Wrestling Won't Air in American TV In 2020". Uproxx. Warner Music Group. December 27, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "NJPW Announced New Japan Pro Wrestling of America Subsidiary". f4wonline. October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "New Japan Cup USA announced for NJPW STRONG debut 【NJoA】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Bushiroad. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "2020.08.07 NEW JAPAN CUP 2020 in the USA". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Bushiroad. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Vishwakoti, Anish (August 8, 2020). "8/7 NJPW Strong results: Anish V's review of Kenta vs. Karl Fredericks, Jeff Cobb vs. Tanga Loa, David Finlay vs. Chase Owens, and Brody King vs. Tama Tonga in New Japan Cup USA first round matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Last Row Media, LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Watch NJPW STRONG on FITE! 【NJoA】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Bushiroad. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "棚橋弘至『クライマックス今回』". 棚橋弘至 オフィシャルブログ powered by Ameba (in Japanese). Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ "NJPW of America, STRONG transform in 2023 【NJoA】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. January 30, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
