''NJPW Strong'' is a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

produced by Japanese

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

(NJPW) which debuted on August 7, 2020. It currently airs Saturday at 8pm ET on

NJPW World , also referred to as NJPW World and New Japan World, is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). On December 1, 2014, NJPW and its minority owner TV Asahi ...

and

FITE TV Fite (stylized as FITE by Triller) is an American digital video streaming service launched on May 20, 2012, that is dedicated to combat sports-related programming (including boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling). The network dist ...

History

On November 24, 2014,

AXS TV AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...

announced that it had acquired a thirteen-episode series featuring matches from

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

under the

AXS TV Fights ''AXS TV Fights'' is the brand name of AXS TV's live mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai and kickboxing broadcasts. Formerly known as '' HDNET Fights'', the program's name was changed to ''AXS TV Fights'' in July 2012, following the network's re ...

banner. The series was an English-language adaptation of NJPW's own television series, ''NJPW World Pro Wrestling'', produced by

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

. The series premiered on January 16, 2015, airing on Friday evenings. This was the first time NJPW had been aired on an American television network since its formation in 1972. NJPW content would continue to air on AXS until December 2019. Prior to this, on October 21, NJPW announced the formation of an American subsidiary called "

New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

". On July 31, 2020, NJPW announced a new weekly series titled ''NJPW Strong'', with its initial episodes to feature matches from the inaugural

New Japan Cup USA New Japan Cup USA is an annual professional wrestling tournament produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament is a spin-off of NJPW's annual New Japan Cup introduced in 2020. The tournament was promoted under NJPW's North American br ...

tournament. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJPW of America. The premiere episode of ''Strong'' aired on August 7, 2020, broadcast live from NJPW's training

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and streaming on NJPW's service

. The event was held with no spectators due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On August 19, NJPW announced that ''Strong'' would be streaming on

in conjunction with NJPW World.

Special episodes

Roster

The wrestlers featured on ''Strong'' take part in scripted

feuds A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...

and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match.

Commentators

Ring announcers

References

External links

Official New Japan Pro-Wrestling Japanese websiteOfficial New Japan Pro-Wrestling English website
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling 2020s American television series 2020s Japanese television series 2020 American television series debuts 2020 Japanese television series debuts New Japan Pro-Wrestling American live television series American professional wrestling television series