Longtime pro wrestling commentator Kevin Kelly is leaving NJPW in the near future.
Kelly revealed on X/Twitter that he will be leaving NJPW “at some point,” but will still call NJPW Destruction on Monday, October 9, and Wrestle Kingdom 18 with New Year Dash in January.
“I am at some point soon but I’ll leave it to New Japan to announce it or not. I plan on calling Destruction at Ryogoku and Wrestle Kingdom/ New Year Dash,” he wrote in response to a fan.
Kelly then noted that his wife of 32 years wants him to spend more time at home, which is why he made the decision to leave.
“My wife of 32 years said she doesn’t want to be alone anymore so that’s why I made the decision,” he wrote to another fan.
Another fan asked Kelly who could possibly fill his shoes in Japan.
“Someone who can be in Japan all the time that has wrestling experience but is not affiliated with another company. Someone that can grow into and with the product,” he wrote back.
Kelly also responded to a fan who commented on how NJPW has a tall task ahead in selecting a replacement. Kelly indicated that he has already picked someone, noting that he hopes this man is not viewed as a “replacement” but someone that can create his own sound and story.
“I’m hoping the new guy I picked isn’t viewed as a ‘replacement’ but rather creates his own sound and story,” Kelly wrote back.
Kelly began his pro wrestling career in 1991 on the indies, and was hired by WWE in June 1996. He worked various roles with WWE until being release on March 21, 2003 due to budget cuts. Kelly ended up with ROH from 2010 – 2017, but also began doing NJPW English commentary in October 2015. He was hired to work AEW Collision when the show premiered in June, and currently calls the Saturday program with Nigel McGuinness, and occasionally Jim Ross, who provides “expert analysis.”
You can see Kelly’s related tweets below:
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