It is never fun to see shows that fans have been excited for get cancelled, but it can be unavoidable. This is the case with the cancellation of the upcoming shows in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Events from March 1st to 15th are cancelled until further notice. This will impact both the upcoming anniversary show which was scheduled for March 3rd, as well as the New Japan Cup, which would have taken place from the 4th to the 14th. All ticket holders are to be refunded in full.
A Hard Choice
While companies like Stardom got ahead of the game and cancelled shows earlier due to the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19. Initally NJPW intended to simply cancel the meet and greets and urge fans to not come to show feeling ill, offering easy refunds in those situations. However based on recommendations made on February 26 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, they decided to go ahead and cancel the upcoming tours.
Official Statement From New Japan Pro Wrestling
On their official site, they released the following statement. “NJPW has reached this difficult decision after careful consideration. Ultimately, the health and safety of our fans, staff and wrestlers is our highest concern. We remain deeply appreciative of your support of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. “
They also promised future announcements, likely in regard to what will happen with the planned match between Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi and the New Japan Cup.
How Will They Proceed?
This series of events will certainly effect this years plans, but they we will likely still see anything major that was announced. Fans are hopping that the encounter between Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi will instead happen at Sakura Genesis. Naito would have faced the winner of the New Japan Cup there, but that will likely be pushed back beyond this next major show. With the New Japan Cup being a major event for the company, they will find a slot in it. They booked very few people outside of NJPW this time around, so they should be able to deliver the same match list in the coming months.
With a major outbreak like that of Coronavirus COVID-19, this could not be the end of events being cancelled. Even Wrestlemania is at risk, due to the sheer amount of people who will show up. We can only hope that the situation dies down, and there are no further shows cancelled for any company.
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