NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson is still advertised for New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Battle Autumn event on November 5.
Anderson was previously announced for a title match against Hikuleo on the show. The Good Brothers returned to WWE on the October 10 episode of WWE RAW, raising some speculation about their NJPW status, but Anderson is still set to compete at the show.
The announcement, courtesy of NJPW’s website, is as follows:
Also already announced for November 5, Karl Anderson will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship gold against Hikuleo. The Machine Gun will go wherever the bright lights will lead him, and that certainly rings true when it comes to November’s big Osaka event. Might it also be true of Wrestle Kingdom and a NEVER Championship defence on the grandest stage? Or will Hikuleo seize the moment and his first career championship?
Plus, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori will defend the gold against El Desperado, Hiromu Takahashi, and Master Wato at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but the four stars will compete in a Wild Card Tag Team Match. Elsewhere on the show, Aussie Open will make their debut in Japan after reaching the top of NJPW STRONG’s tag team division.
The card is as follows:
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (c) vs. Hikuleo
- IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
- Taiji Ishimori, El Desperado, Hiromu Takahashi, and Master Wato, compete in a wild card tag match
- Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) vs. TBA
- NJPW World TV Title Tournament Semifinals
RELATED: Two Championship Matches Announced For 10/15 NJPW STRONG
