Update On Kevin Kelly’s NJPW Status Following Collision Debut
Long-time NJPW announcer Kevin Kelly made his debut on a solo AEW show on Saturday after he was announced as the new voice of Collision alongside Nigel McGuinness.
Former WWE broadcaster Kevin Kelly has been the English voice of New Japan Pro Wrestling since 2015 but many wondered about his long-term role with the promotion after he was announced as the lead announcer for AEW’s new Collision show.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Kevin Kelly will still be a part of NJPW’s English broadcast team in the near future but says past the G1, he should be available for almost all episodes of Collision:
“[Kelly’s] going to Japan from mid-July to mid-August, so he won’t be around then. And then he’s gonna get, he’s doing at least one more Japan show, but I think it’s like a one-shot. So I don’t know if that’s gonna mean missing a show, but AEW and New Japan, you know, they have good relations, so Tony’s not gonna like, do something where, you know, it’s like he can’t go anymore.
“But as far as long term, I don’t know what the situation is, but, Kevin Kelly is committed from what I understand to New Japan, at least through the end of the year. And he’s gonna be calling the tag team tournament, but, from home, which means that he probably can go to all the AEW shows.
“So I think there’s probably just the G1 stuff that where he’d be missing and maybe, maybe one other show, maybe even not one other show. Depending on if that show was a weekend show, which it probably is. So it is probably one other show in whatever the big fall show would be, whatever it is. September, October, they’re gonna do like a big one, you know, whether it’s Autumn Attack or whatever the show is gonna be, that he’s committed to going there for that.”
There is uncertainty over another AEW announcer as Jim Ross announced he was taking some time away following his brief appearance at the announce table during Collision’s main event.