NJPW releases statement on NEVER title match at Battle Autumn in Osaka

NJPW has released a statement regarding Karl Anderson and the NEVER Openweight title, saying Anderson must defend the title on November 5 or he will be stripped of the championship.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, NJPW wrote that the match had been made “through the appropriate channels” and Anderson had expressed approval.

“NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response,” NJPW wrote on their website. “Should Anderson decide to renege on his scheduled championship match, he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Championship and return the title belt to NJPW immediately.”

A title match between Anderson and Hikuleo was made back on October 4. However, on October 10, Anderson and Luke Gallows returned to WWE on Raw, aiding AJ Styles against The Judgment Day. The following week, a six-man tag match that includes Anderson was made for WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, which takes place on the same day as NJPW’s Battle Autumn event in Osaka, November 5.

Anderson later released a video with Luke Gallows saying all the bookings run through him, and New Japan Pro Wrestling never booked the match with him. Anderson said they would be coming back to Japan on their time to defend the NEVER title.