NJPW STRONG, also known simply as STRONG, is a professional wrestling television program produced by Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The show debuted on August 7, 2020, running for 60 minutes. STRONG airs on Saturday at 8pm Eastern Time on NJPWWorld.com and FITE TV, primarily showcasing American wrestlers, along with the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship.
History[]
STRONG's origins began in 2014, after AXS TV acquired a thirteen episode English adaptation of NJPW World Pro Wrestling, which aired on Friday evenings. This marked the first time NJPW was broadcast on American television, and would continue to be broadcast on AXS TV until December 2019. NJPW STRONG was announced on July 31, 2020, and premiered on August 7, 2020, broadcast from the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme, California, with the initial episodes featuring the inaugural New Japan Cup USA 2020. On August 19, it was announced that STRONG would also be broadcast on FITE TV.
Championships[]
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship
- NJPW STRONG Women's Championship
On-air personalities[]
Commentators[]
- Japanese Commentators
| Commentators | Dates |
|---|---|
| Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shigeki Kiyono | August 7, 2020 – August 22, 2020 September 19, 2020 – October 10, 2020 December 12, 2020 – December 18, 2020 February 5, 2021 – February 12, 2021 April 3, 2021 – April 23, 2021 June 11, 2021 |
| Katsuyori Shibata/Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shigeki Kiyono | August 29, 2020 – September 12, 2020 October 17, 2020 – October 24, 2020 November 28, 2020 – December 5, 2020 January 8, 2021 – January 29, 2021 February 19, 2021 – March 27, 2021 April 30, 2021 May 21, 2021 – June 4, 2021 July 16, 2022 - present |
| Katsuyori Shibata, Hirooki Goto & Shigeki Kiyono | October 31, 2020 – November 21, 2020 |
| Togi Makabe & Shigeki Kiyono | May 7, 2021 – May 14, 2021 |
| Satoshi Kojima & Shigeki Kiyono | August 27, 2021 - September 18, 2021 |
| Shigeki Kiyono & Yuji Nagata | October 9, 2021 - October 30, 2021 July 2, 2022 - July 9, 2022 |
| Shigeki Kiyono & Takami Ohbari | January 15, 2022 |
- English Commentators
| Commentators | Dates |
|---|---|
| Kevin Kelly & Alex Koslov | August 7, 2020 - October 2, 2021 December 4, 2021 - January 29, 2022 |
| Alex Koslov & Matt Rehwoldt | October 9, 2021 - November 27, 2021 |
| Ian Riccaboni & Matt Rehwoldt | April 2, 2022 - April 30, 2022 June 11, 2022 - July 2, 2022 |
| Kevin Kelly & Matt Rehwoldt | May 7, 2022 |
| Alex Koslov & Ian Riccaboni | February 12, 2022 - March 26, 2022 May 13, 2022 - June 4, 2022 July 9, 2022 - present |
Ring announcers[]
- Japanese Ring announcers
| Ring Announcer | Dates |
|---|---|
| Takuro | August 7, 2020 – present |
- English Ring announcers
| Ring Announcer | Dates |
|---|---|
| Adnan Kureishy | August 7, 2020 – present |
