Karl Anderson Still Expected To Compete In NJPW After WWE Return

WWE brought Karl Anderson back to the company, but he is still a champion in NJPW. The NEVER Openweight Title still belongs to the Machine Gun, and his next title defense is on a date where he was double-booked.

The Crown Jewel event is booked on November 5th, the same night as Anderson’s scheduled title defense against Hikuleo. According to Sean Sapp behind Fightful’s paywall, Anderson is still expected to compete in NJPW even after his WWE return.

There still are and always have been active plans for Karl Anderson to compete in NJPW. We haven’t heard an update on the title itself, but that NJPW does expect Anderson to fulfill additional dates, which WWE was fine with.

Beyond that, we’re told that New Japan has been aware that Anderson and Gallows were heading to WWE as far back as August, and that’s when the deal was hammered out.. Those familiar with the situation say that things are fine between Anderson, NJPW and WWE.

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We will have to see how things pan out. WWE has a private jet, so it’s not 100% impossible that Anderson will make the November 5th NJPW event, but that’s still not incredibly likely. Obviously, there is a lot to unpack in this situation, as it is full of possibilities and politics.

What’s your take on this tricky situation? Sound off in the comments!