Top Pro Wrestling NOAH Star Set To Appear At WWE SummerSlam Following AJ Styles Match
AJ Styles recently battled Pro Wrestling NOAH legend Naomichi Marufuji on a PPV, continuing WWE's recent trend of cross-promotion with outside promotions like AJPW, NOAH, and TNA, and now his opponent is coming across the Pacific Ocean for more interplay between the two companies.
Pro Wrestling NOAH announced that former GHC Heavyweight Champion Marufuji will be on Japanese commentary for ABEMA's PPV broadcast of WWE SummerSlam on August 3, though technically the time difference means that Marufuji will be doing commentary on August 4, as the event starts at 8 am in Japan.
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📺『サマースラム2024(WWE)』丸藤正道選手のABEMA PPV 日本語生中継解説ゲスト決定🔥🔥
＼『サマースラム2024』
日時：8月4日(日) あさ8:00開始
配信：ABEMA PPV完全生中継！"WWEがお届けする真夏の大一番"の日本語中継に丸藤選手がゲスト解説として登場！🎙#noah_ghc #WWE
🔻PPVのご購入🔻 pic.twitter.com/CYpGk9mOXL
— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) July 21, 2024
The news comes not only after Styles's Budokan win over Marufuji, but also the news that WWE will be sending "NXT" talents Josh Briggs and Tavon Heights to NOAH's N-1 Victory tournament in August. The round-robin tournament, similar to NJPW's G1 Climax tournament, will run from August 4 through September 1.
WWE has been cooperating with more companies as of late, with numerous TNA Wrestling talent appearing on "WWE NXT," including Joe Hendry, who has become a central figure in recent weeks, as well as TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, who not only competed in the women's Royal Rumble but also challenged NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez at NXT Battleground. "NXT" faction The No Quarter Catch Crew competed at TNA Slammiversary this weekend, in a losing effort to The Rascalz' Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, and former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee. No Quarter Catch Crew's Charlie Dempsey even challenged for AJPW's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship just after New Year's, in a losing effort to then-champion Katsuhiko Nakajima.