The following was issued:
AXS TV PRESENTS FRESH EPISODES OF WORLD-CLASS NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING ACTION THIS MARCH, STARTING WITH A BATTLE FOR THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ON MARCH 3
Episodes Highlight Top Moments from NJPW’s New Years Golden Series, Including Okada vs Naito for the World Heavyweight Championship, EVIL vs Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Title, Tanahashi vs SANADA for the US Heavyweight Belt, & More
LOS ANGELES (February 28, 2022) – AXS TV, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc., celebrates the return of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) to the Network’s lineup this March with five all-new episodes showcasing the top matches from NJPW’s 2022 New Years Golden Series—airing every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, starting March 3.
The series puts the spotlight on world-class New Japan Pro-Wrestling action each week, delivering one hour of exclusive content compiling the absolute best moments from the iconic promotion’s most recent broadcasts. Additionally, the new episodes will feature fast-paced commentary from NJPW’s English-language broadcast team, with Kevin Kelly handling play-by-play duties for the March 3 premiere before being joined by Chris Charlton for every episode after.
AXS TV’s complete NJPW March Programming Lineup is as follows:
* March 3—New Years Golden Series, filmed live from Osaka, Japan on 2/13/22
-Highlights include a dream tag-team match pitting World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and US Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi against Los Ingobernables de Japón members Tetsuya Naito and SANADA in an epic showdown that sets the stage for Tanahashi and SANADA’s upcoming battle for the US Heavyweight Belt, and Okada and Naito’s monumental matchup for the World Heavyweight Championship.
-Bullet Club brawler EVIL defends his NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii, who seeks to avenge his controversial loss to EVIL at Wrestle Kingdom 16 and reclaim the NEVER Openweight belt for the seventh time in this special lumberjack match.
* March 10—New Years Golden Series, filmed live from Sapporo, Japan on 2/19/22
-Two tag-team championships are on the line tonight, starting with a massive eight-man bout for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles as defending champions Tiger Mask and Robbie Eagles face their toughest challenge yet against the teams of El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori, Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi, and El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
-Then, Bullet Club seeks to add to their ever-growing accolades as members EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi step into the ring against CHAOS duo Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI for the IWGP Tag Team Championships.
* March 17—New Years Golden Series, filmed live from Sapporo, Japan on 2/19/22
-IWGP US Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi makes his first title defense against Los Ingobernables de Japón’s own SANADA, who Tanahashi personally called out to be his first challenger after reclaiming the belt at Wrestle Kingdom.
* March 24—New Years Golden Series, filmed live from Sapporo, Japan on 2/20/22
-Minoru Suzuki and Toru Yano are unleashed in a rabid Dog Cage Match, where the winner must lock his opponent inside a canine kennel for the right to be crowned KOPW 2022 Champion.
-CHAOS reignites their rivalry with Bullet Club, as Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and YOH defend the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team titles against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO.
* March 31—New Years Golden Series, filmed live from Sapporo, Japan on 2/20/22
-The 2022 New Years Golden Series comes to a close, as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defends NJPW’s most coveted prize against Los Ingobernables de Japón figurehead—and longtime rival—Tetsuya Naito in this hotly-anticipated main event.
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