AXS TV has done a great job bringing New Japan Pro Wrestling to America over the last two years, but their weekly show has had one major flaw so far: it’s consistently run weeks and sometimes months behind New Japan’s actual schedule. If you follow the results of the company’s major shows online, you’d be reading about matches that wouldn’t air in America for several more months. That significant delay has always put a bit of a damper on what is otherwise the best wrestling show on TV.
Fortunately fans won’t have to wait that long to watch Wrestle Kingdom 11. New Japan’s biggest show on the year will start airing on AXS TV just over a week after it happens in Japan. The show will air live on the streaming New Japan World service, with both Japanese and English language commentary (courtesy of Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino, in his final gig before starting with WWE’s developmental system), on January 4, and nine days later American viewers will be able to catch the show’s main event, Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega, on AXS. The following week’s episode will feature the Intercontinental title match-up between Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi, and more Wrestle Kingdom matches will comprise the subsequent two episodes, as well. Every episode will feature commentary from the regular AXS team of Jim Ross and Josh Barnett. If you aren’t watching Wrestle Kingdom through New Japan World, you’ll now be able to catch up on all the action in a much shorter timeframe than before.