AXS has announced that NJPWâs debut in the United States will be broadcast live on AXS TV on Saturday night, July 1 at 8PM EST.
Night Two Premieres in Its Entirety on AXS TV, Friday, July 7 at 8PM EST.
Below is the full press release:
AXS TV TO LIVE BROADCAST NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLINGâS FIRST-EVER U.S. EVENT, THE âG1 SPECIAL IN THE USA,âSATURDAY, JULY 1 AT 8pE
The Historic Broadcast is AXS TVâs First Live NJPW Broadcast and Marks the Promotionâs Biggest Step into the U.S. Market
Night Two Premieres in Its Entirety on AXS TV, Friday, July 7 at 8pE
Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks Join Superstars Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, HiroshiTanahashi, and Tetsuya Naito at the âG1 SPECIALâ
Catch Up on the Most Recent NJPW Events Friday Nights in June on AXS TV Leading Up to the Event Including New Japan Cup, Sakura Genesis, Dominion and More
LOS ANGELES â May 18, 2016 â AXS TV, TV ASAHI and NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING today announced AXS TV will be the exclusive U.S. television broadcast home of NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTINGâs first-ever U.S. eventâthe G1 SPECIAL IN THE USAâlive Saturday, July 1 at 8pE/5pP from the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.
Following Saturday nightâs live event broadcast of the G1 SPECIAL, AXS TV will premiere the second night of the event in a four-hour showcase on Friday, July 7 at 8pE/5pP. The special presentation will feature every match from night two in Long Beach with limited commercial interruption.
The G1 SPECIAL marks AXS TVâs first live broadcast of NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING, the worldâs fastest growing and second largest wrestling promotion, which the network has showcased on Friday nights in its award-winning, hour-long weekly series since 2015. AXS TVâs NJPW broadcast teamâWrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnettâwill be ringside for both nights of the event to call the action for the network.
âNew Japan is coming to the U.S. for the first time in its illustrious 45-year history,â said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. âThe timing for the first-ever U.S. event and live TV broadcast is perfectâthe weekly NJPW television show on AXS TV is a hit and the tickets for the G1 SPECIAL in the USA sold out within hours. We are excited to see how fans respond to this historic live broadcast.â
âNew Japan Pro Wrestling is simply delighted to have our very first event in the United States, and to have it air live on TV marks a major breakthrough for the Japanese pro-wrestling promoters,â said Mr. Naoki Sugabayashi, Chairman of the Board, New Japan Pro Wrestling. âIt is definitely going to have the most exciting matches by the most formidable wrestlers⊠donât miss it!â
âNew Japan Pro Wrestling has been one of our most important partners over the years and we are absolutely excited that NJPW is now holding its premier major event in the United States,â said Mr. Hitoshi Matsumoto, Deputy General Manager, Business Division, TV Asahi. âNJPW content is a big success in Japan supported by fans of all generations and genders, so we do hope the viewers in the United States will find themselves hooked with the same explosion of excitement.â
âThis is going to be one of the most eagerly anticipated events that I have broadcast in my 40+ year career,â said Jim Ross. âRestaurant-quality slobberknockers will be abundant on this historic weekend of pro wrestling excellence.â
âNew Japan is bringing the lead in to the most prestigious tournament in the world of professional wrestling to the U.S.,â said Josh Barnett, âand I am pumped to call the blood, sweat, and tears ringside with J.R.!â
Also announced today, the G1 SPECIAL is scheduled to feature American stars Cody Rhodes and âThe Young Bucksâ Mike and Nick Jackson, in addition to NJPW superstars Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito. More wrestlers and official match listings are forthcoming.
Leading up to the live G1 SPECIAL broadcast, AXS TV will give viewers the opportunity to catch up on the latest NJPW events during the networksâ Friday night series with the âSummer of Strong Styleâ event showcasing all of the promotionâs 2017 events. Upcoming episodes include top matches from New Beginning in Sapporo and Osaka; New Japan Cup; Sakura Genesis; Wrestling Toyo and Dontaku; and, the night before G1 SPECIALâFriday, June 30âback-to-back episodes featuring Juneâs Dominion 6.11 event.
Following the G1 SPECIAL, AXS TV will continue to showcase NJPW events closer to their original airdate during its Friday night series, starting with the Best of the Super Juniors and the G1 Climax 27 tournament.
AXS TVâs upcoming NJPW schedule is as follows (subject to change):
May 26 @ 7pE â âWrestle Kingdom 11â 4-Part Marathon
June 2 @ 7pE & 8pE â âNew Beginning in Sapporoâ
June 9 @ 7pE & 8pE â âNew Beginning in Osakaâ
June 16 @ 7pE, 8pE & 9pE â âNew Japan Cupâ & âSakura Genesisâ
June 23 @ 7pE & 8pE â âWrestling Toyoâ & âWrestling Dontakuâ
June 30 @ 7pE & 8pE â âDominion 2017â
LIVE â July 1, 2017 @ 8pE/5pP â âG1 Special in the USA Night 1â
July 7 @ 8pE â âG1 Special in the USA Night 2â
ABOUT AXS TV
Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur CEO Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing groundbreaking music programming, stand-up comedy performances from todayâs top comedians, and hard-hitting mixed martial arts promotions. The networkâs hit franchise series include THE BIG INTERVIEW with Dan Rather; ROCK & ROLL ROAD TRIP WITH SAMMY HAGAR; THE WORLDâS GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS; GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE; AXS TV FIGHTS; and NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING.
AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter/Spectrum TV, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW, DISH, Frontier, Sling TV, Altice/Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable/Spectrum TV, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers, including members of the National Cable Television Cooperative. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, please visit www.axs.tv and www.axs.tv/press. Follow AXS TV on Facebook, Twitter @axstv; Instagram; Cyber Dust and YouTube.
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