New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America launches during a landmark year

On Monday morning, NJPW announced plans to launch a subsidiary company in the US, New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America, which will be based in California.

On Oct. 21, the major Japanese promotion held a press conference to officially announce their plans to establish a US-based branch, New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America, next month. The company’s expansion into the States has been rumored, but most insiders had no idea they planned to introduce a subsidiary this year.

However, New Japan has been planting seeds for this announcement for some time. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise with the introduction of their dojo in Los Angeles, more tour dates here in American, and even the IWGP United States Championship. As the new company’s CEO—Takami Ohbari—noted, this is Phase Three of its plan to move into the international market.

This is just the latest announcement in what has turned out to be a landmark for professional wrestling. When coupled with the news that their parent company—Bushiroad—bought Stardom last week, it’s apparent that Japanese wrestling will make a bigger impact in 2020.

It will be interesting to see how this affects wrestling abroad. Yes, the idea of more New Japan shows in US cities is a dream come true for American fans, but what does all of this mean?

NJPW of America plans to hold tryouts and camps to train new talent and expand its deep roster. This is undoubtedly a good thing for performers, who aren’t interested in working for WWE. It gives them another alternative. Also, this gives them the benefits and experiences of competing for New Japan, without having to relocate to another country.

Some fans will immediately assume this spells trouble for WWE or even AEW. It is surprising that this move happened before the launch of the rumored NXT branch in Japan. However, it’s unclear how this could affect other company’s ticket sales.

Sure, logic would dictate when there are more wrestling events and a finite amount of money to spend, fans will be forced to choose. Still, we will have to wait and see how well the company does because New Japan doesn’t have a mainstream audience here yet. They don’t have the same recognition as WWE or AEW  in the US.

Moreover, it seems like NJPW is merely trying to plant their flag in a new marketplace ahead of expansion into their territory. It’s hardly a coincidence that WWE also reportedly attempted to acquire to Stardom as a base for NXT Japan.

When you look it that way, this is all a smart countermeasure in the face of Triple H’s rumored plan for global localization.

That isn’t to say that was the driving force behind these recent moves, but it probably sped up plans that were already on the table. The fact that AEW laid claim to a handful of their biggest stars may have played a part as well. As a matter of fact, it’s not hard to imagine this is possibly a response to a demand for their performers in America.

With that said, this will likely affect Ring of Honor more than those two companies. There is some merit to the thought that this could spell the end of their relationship with New Japan. If New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America becomes one of its competitors, it could harm them the most.

On the other hand, if they continue their partnership this could make them a bigger force in the industry.

All in all, there is plenty to be excited about following this announcement. This is truly the best time to be a wrestling fan. We look forward to what New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America has planned for the next year.