Originally published on ProWrestlingSheet.
A new era of NJPW on AXS TV will begin in 2019 ... as the cable company announced they'll start broadcasting "same-week coverage" of events with a new announce team.
The press release states:
AXS TV ushers in a new era of its NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING (NJPW) coverage with real-time same-week coverage of the promotions’ biggest events in 2019. The new schedule kicks off with a same-day near-live two-hour broadcast of NJPW’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 13, on Friday, Jan. 4 at 8pE/5pP.
The Wrestle Kingdom special is headlined by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito, and will feature the network debut of the NJPW commentary team of Kevin Kelly and Don Callis.
“Same-day coverage of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 ushers in a new era of NJPW on AXS TV,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “Based on the tremendous growth of NJPW on AXS TV, we are making major changes to reward wrestling fans by delivering NJPW in primetime on Friday nights as close to when it takes place as possible.”
This means the highly criticized team of Jim Ross and Josh Barnett will no longer call the shows
AXS TV’s upcoming NJPW schedule is tentatively as follows:
- Jan. 4 – Wrestle Kingdom 13 (2 hours)
- Jan. 11 – Wrestle Kingdom 13 (2 hours)
- Jan. 18 – Wrestle Kingdom 13
- Jan. 25 – New Year Dash
- Feb. 1 – New Year Dash
- Feb. 8 – New Beginning in Sapporo
- Feb. 15 – New Beginning in Sapporo
- Feb. 22 – New Beginning in Sapporo
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