IMPACT Wrestling & New Japan Pro-Wrestling Announce Major Co-Produced Live Show, Set For Thursday, March 30th in Los Angeles
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“Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive” Will Feature Must-See, Cross-Promotion Dream Matches
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Will Ospreay Expected To Be A High-Energy, Action-Packed Match of the Year Candidate
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 in conjunction the annual Wrestlecon convention, 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 are $350 each – and those prized, limited VIP seats are perk-filled, including a post-show Meet & Greet with select Talent, an exclusive event t-shirt, and a personalized cameo-style video from various wrestling personalities.
Wrestlecon Superfans will have the first crack at purchasing Multiverse United tickets. Superfans can buy Multiverse United tickets on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, starting at 10am EST.
Tickets for Multiverse United can be purchased at: wrestlecon.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.
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About IMPACT Wrestling:
A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc., IMPACT Wrestling® is one of the world’s top wrestling brands, producing over 200 hours of original content annually and televised in 120 countries including AXS TV in the United States. Founded in 2002, IMPACT Wrestling’s deep library of premium content is streamed across the world on key OTT platforms including Pluto TV, XUMO and its own on-demand subscription service IMPACT PLUS©. A Twitter official partner, IMPACT has a powerful social media presence with over 10 million engaged followers across all major services. Ancillary businesses include live events, merchandise, licensing, and sponsorship.
Other matches include:
The X-Division Title will be on the line at Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive as the champion defends against top stars from IMPACT Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. On the IMPACT side, we have current reigning X-Division Champion Trey Miguel, as well as former X-Division Champions Frankie Kazarian and Rich Swann. Entering the arena from NJPW will be Kevin Knight, Clark Connors and Rocky Romero. Miguel must first defend his title against an opponent handpicked by Director of Authority Santino Marella at Sacrifice on March 24th. Don’t blink as the action promises to be fast and furious in Los Angeles!
The new IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, Ace Austin and Chris Bey of Bullet Club, will defend their titles against not one, not two but three other teams at Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive. Former IMPACT World Tag Team Champions and current reigning NJPW STRONG Tag Team Champions the Motor City Machine Guns, Aussie Open and TMDK will all be vying for the gold. Who will be victorious when four of the most accomplished duos in IMPACT and NJPW collide?
Eight-man tag team action comes to Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive as stars from both IMPACT and NJPW join forces for battle. One team will feature Callihan, PCO, Fred Rosser and Alex Coughlin. Standing across the ring from them will be Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, Eddie Edwards, Tom Lawlor and Kratos. Brace yourself for this star-studded showcase in Los Angeles.
The stars will be out in Los Angeles as the Knockouts World Title is up for grabs in a huge four-way match at Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive. If Mickie James successfully defends the gold against Jordynne Grace at Sacrifice, her title will be on the line against not one, not two but three formidable opponents. Stepping up to the challenge is IMPACT Wrestling’s Deonna Purrazzo and Gisele Shaw, as well as Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Miyu Yamashita. The stakes are high and the Knockouts World Title is in serious jeopardy!
