IMPACT Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will team up for the Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive event on March 30.
Several crossover matches have been announced for the show, which will air on FITE. IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander will face KUSHIDA, and Mike Bailey will take on Will Ospreay. Plus, Moose will battle Jeff Cobb. Trey Miguel, Ace Austin and Chris Bey, and many Knockouts will represent IMPACT, while KENTA, Rocky Romero, Minoru Suzuki, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight, Fred Rosser, and others will compete for NJPW.
The announcement, courtesy of NJPW’s website, is as follows:
IMPACT Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will co-produce a major live pro wrestling show on Thursday night, March 30, at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles with megastars from both promotions in-action and numerous first-ever dream matches confirmed.
The show – Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive – will air live on pay-per-view on fite.tv, starting at 8 p.m. PST.
IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander steps into the ring at Multiverse United against KUSHIDA, while “Speedball” Mike Bailey battles Will Ospreay in the co-main event that will be a nonstop fight for bragging rights.
The Bailey-Ospreay battle is their fifth-ever one-on-one contest and the first since August 2022, with their first-ever back in 2015. “Will Ospreay is the best professional wrestler in the world, after me,” Bailey said. “So, this will be the best professional wrestling match of the year.”
Alexander is the longest-reigning IMPACT World Champion and also was half of the decorated tag-team The North that is the longest-reigning IMPACT World Tag Team Champions. KUSHIDA is a 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a 2-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Time Splitters teammate Alex Shelley). KUSHIDA is a 2-time winner of the prestigious Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
Also confirmed for Multiverse United: NJPW’s Jeff Cobb battles former IMPACT World Champion Moose. IMPACT stars confirmed for the dual promotion spectacle: reigning X Division Champion Trey Miguel, Ace Austin and Chris Bey, plus most of the Knockouts. NJPW will be represented at Multiverse United by KENTA, Rocky Romero, Minoru Suzuki, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight, Fred Rosser and many others.
Tickets for Multiverse United start at $60 and go on-sale THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, starting at 10am EST. Front-row seats and the coveted balcony seats are $350 each – and those prized, limited VIP seats are perk-filled, including an exclusive event t-shirt, commemorative ringside photograph, and more! For tickets, go to highspots.com
“We are very excited for this unique collaborative event that brings together two of the best wrestling companies in the world,” said IMPACT Wrestling executive vice-president Scott D’Amore. “Since NJPW returned to AXS TV just over a year ago, we have been looking at ways to expand our working relationship between the two brands. Multiverse United on March 30th at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles is the first of many exciting collaborations between IMPACT and NJPW.”
NJPW representative director Takami Ohbari said, “New Japan Pro-Wrestling and IMPACT have been a winning combination on AXS TV, and now fans get to see these two companies share the same ring in person. I personally cannot wait to see what arises from this special card, and I can guarantee fans will experience a historic event the likes of which they’ve never seen before.”
The IMPACT Wrestling/New Japan Pro-Wrestling relationship began in 2005 with Jushin Liger facing Samoa Joe at BOUND FOR GLORY. In 2006, Hiroshi Tanahashi faced AJ Styles at FINAL RESOLUTION and New Japan fielded Team Japan for the 2006 World X-Cup.
IMPACT was involved in New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom events from 2008 to 2011, with such legendary matches as Kurt Angle vs. Yuji Nagata, Abyss vs. Manabu Nakanishi, and Giant Bernard and Tomko vs. The Steiner Brothers. Other stars who have participated in IMPACT/New Japan matches, including the Motor City Machine Guns, Kevin Nash, Masahiro Chono and Tomohiro Ishii, among others. The 2011 Wrestle Kingdom featured a World Championship title defense by Jeff Hardy against Tetsuya Naito.
In 2021, NJPW tag team FinJuice arrived in IMPACT Wrestling, as well as Jay White, Satoshi Kojima, Minoru Suzuki, the Guerrillas of Destiny, and others.
IMPACT star Ace Austin competed in NJPW’s 2022 Best of the Super Juniors. Ace Austin and Chris Bey made the finals of the 2022 NJPW Super Junior Tag League and the Motor City Machine Guns are the reigning NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions.
MARCH 30
Only the strong survive in NJPW and @IMPACTWRESTLING Multiverse of Matches!
Will Ospreay vs Mike Bailey!
KUSHIDA vs Josh Alexander!
Moose vs Jeff Cobb official!Tickets on sale FRIDAY 10 AM EST!https://t.co/C4LdhRamYz#NJPWxIMPACT pic.twitter.com/vHU4wuejnM
— NJPW of America (@NJPWofAmerica) February 8, 2023
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