NJPW cancels 2020 Wrestle Dynasty event at MSG, prepares for 2021 show

NEW YORK/TOKYO (Heartland Newsfeed) — Japan’s most prestigious wrestling organization will not be stopping in New York City this summer, according to a news release Wednesday.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) made the announcement on their website that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will not hold their Wrestle Dynasty 15 event. The event was to take place at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on August 22.

Mark this as the third NJPW show canceled in 2020

The cancellation marks the third major event cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic. Sakura Genesis was the first event to face cancellation, which was to take place on March 31. The second event, Wrestling Dontaku, was to take place this past weekend.

Ticket and date information is pending, pre-sale registrations open

Ticket and date information for the 2021 show will be announced at a date. However, they are accepting registrations for their pre-sale signup list. Those on the list will be the first to know when the 2021 Wrestle Dynasty show will take place, as soon as NJPW receives confirmation. Additionally, they will receive early access to ticket sales. Additionally, anyone who made a complete registration to be on the list does not need to re-register.

NJPW expresses appreciation for their fans

“New Japan Pro Wrestling remains extremely appreciative of all our great fans worldwide,” the news release states. “While this postponement is unfortunate, the health and safety of wrestlers, staff, fans and society at large is our utmost priority.”

The release continues to add that NJPW wrestlers and staff are coming together under the NJPW Together project. The project has the task of bringing content to the NJPW World streaming platform.

NJPW officials also state that they hope to be back in the ring in the near future.

The 2021 event will still take place at Madison Square Garden.

A look back to Wrestle Kingdom 14

The prior Wrestle Kingdom event, Wrestle Kingdom 14, took place on January 4-5 at the Tokyo Dome. Current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley won the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship off Lance Archer in a Texas Death match. The victory was via knockout.

Festivities for the second night includes Moxley retaining said championship against Juice Robinson and Chris Jericho defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi via submission. Had Tanahashi won the match, he would have won the AEW World Championship. The main event featured IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada with both titles on the line. Moreover, Naito would win the match and both titles.