New Japan has announced a rebranding/repackaging of their US product for 2023 amidst rumors of the end of NJPW STRONG…they may have been greatly exaggerated. Going forward, all New Japan US events will be held under the NJPW STRONG label, to include PPVs, which as live events will become known as “STRONG LIVE” starting with Battle In The Valley on 2/18. Then in March the weekly show will become known as “STRONG On Demand” and will feature all the PPV matches over 4 weeks of episodes, 2 or 3 matches per week. This will continue with the WrestleCon weekend event in March and the Washington DC and Philadelphia events in April.
So to summarize, live PPVs in the US will continue but they will now also be called STRONG LIVE and will later be available on the weekly TV show spread out over 4 weeks’ worth of shows a few weeks later. The weekly shows will continue to be available every weekend on New Japan World and presumably FITE. Live events will continue to be available on FITE in English and as PPVs on New Japan World in Japanese. But no more monthly TV tapings like they had been doing since the brand launched in 2020.
UPDATE: On New Japan’s Japanese website, they confirmed the April events will be available as live PPVs. STRONG On Demand also will continue to be available on FITE.
