WWE Books The OC For Crown Jewel Despite Karl Anderson's NJPW Title Defense
Ava Bailey Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows returned to WWElast week to provide backup for their old buddy AJ Styles as he faced down The Judgment Day alone. Odd despite the rumors as not only does Anderson still have NJPW's Never Openweight Championship, but he is slated to defend it next month at Battle Autumn.
Crown Jewel And Battle Autumn
Anderson's opponent on November 5 in Osaka will be Hikuleo, a match that is presumably still on not only because it is still being advertised, but because NJPW has been retweeting WWE posts about The Good Brothers' return. However, a potential spanner was thrown into the works on Raw this week as Anderson was booked in a match on the same night in an entirely different part of the world.
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Anderson & Gallows competed in WWE for the first time in more than two years on Raw this week, defeating Alpha Academy. After the match, Judgment Day emerged and challenged them to a match at Crown Jewel. Styles suggested they throw down later on the show, but Dominik Mysterio declined on account of not having his gear. Maybe his dad usually brings it to work for him.
The Crown Jewel Card
The OC vs. The Judgment Day and Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, another match made official on Monday night, have been added to WWE's Crown Jewel card. That doesn't mean they will definitely go down as planned, of course. Something will have to give between now and November 5, though. Whether that be The OC finding a one-night replacement for Anderson so he can defend his title in Japan, or WWE requesting his match with Hikuleo be moved to another event.
The nature of WWE's relationship with NJPW, if there is one at all, is currently unclear. It's assumed there must have been discussions between the companies for Anderson to show up in WWE while still holding a NJPW title. Sasha Banks might also be hopeful of a working relationship between the two as she teased an IWGP Women's Title match against Kairi Sane this week.
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