Karl Anderson Sows Confusion Around IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Situation

Karl Anderson appears to be in a tricky predicament. He's currently scheduled for WWE's Crown Jewel event and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Battle Autumn, both of which take place on November 5. Anderson is set to take part in a six-man tag team match at Crown Jewel, teaming with O.C. stablemates AJ Styles and Doc Gallows against The Judgement Day's Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor. On the same day, Anderson is also booked to defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuelo, which would be Anderson's second defense of the title. In NJPW, if a wrestler does not defend a championship after a championship match has officially been scheduled, they are stripped of said title, leaving it vacated. Accordingly, NJPW has publicly stated that if Anderson decides not to compete and defend the NEVER Openweight Championship at Battle Autumn, he will be stripped of the title immediately, and now Anderson himself has responded.

"I'm not vacating anything," Anderson tweeted. "I'm the greatest #NeverOpenweightChampion of all time. I'll defend it on my time ..... get with my booking agent [Doc Gallows,] I'll see ya then [Hikuleo]."

NJPW has seen numerous titles vacated in the past when wrestlers were not able to defend them. Earlier this year, Sanada was forced to vacate the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship due to injury. The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been vacated as well — Will Ospreay was forced to vacate the title in 2021 after holding it for just 46 days.

Anderson has held the NEVER Openweight Championship for 136 days, originally defeating former Bullet Club member Tama Tonga — Hikuleo's real life brother — for the title and successfully defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi.