Backstage Update On Karl Anderson’s Future With NJPW

Karl Anderson has confirmed he will return to New Japan Pro Wrestling to defend his NEVER Openweight Title, but a report says more might be to come.

Karl Anderson was still NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Champion when he made his shocking return to WWE on the October 10th, 2022 edition of Monday Night Raw alongside long-time tag team partner Luke Gallows. Anderson was scheduled to defend his championship for New Japan on the 5th of November against Hikuleo but he pulled out of the bout, claiming NJPW had not gone through the proper channels to ensure his appearance.

Now Karl Anderson has confirmed that he will return to the Japanese promotion at least one more time with a message on social media stating that he will appear for NJPW on December 14th. Luke Gallows confirms the news in a video accompanying the post, adding that he will also be in attendance but does not name an opponent for Anderson.

While many expect Karl Anderson to lose his title now he is back in WWE, a new report from Fightful Select suggests that things might not be as clear-cut in that regard. The report says that when NJPW became aware in August that Gallows and Anderson were going to return to WWE, plans were made to ensure Anderson could work Japanese dates around his WWE schedule.

Interestingly, Anderson is said to have committed to work more dates for the promotion past December, and he and Gallows are pencilled in for Wrestle Kingdom in January in the Tokyo Dome. That would be notable as AEW stars FTR and Kenny Omega will be part of that show as well.