After six long months, Karl Anderson’s polarizing NEVER Openweight Title run came to an end against Tama Tonga today at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Tonga himself lost the strap to Anderson at last year’s Dominion event. In that time, Anderson made successful defenses against former NJPW ace Hiroshi Tanahashi and rising star Hikuleo.
Karl Anderson’s run was riddled with controversy. This was due to his recent return to WWE to reform The OC with AJ Styles. The original Bullet Clubber was also Tama Tonga’s mentor in the latter’s early years in the promotion, lending some interesting long term themes to their feud.
In a match that didn’t quite live up to their considerably more slick first encounter, Tama Tonga bested Anderson with his own Gun Stun finisher.
Where Does Karl Anderson Go From Here?
Considering his WWE commitments, it’s quite plausible Karl Anderson is done with NJPW for the foreseeable future. After a six-year absence, ‘Machine Gun’ returned to New Japan last year to a fair bit of fanfare and a surprise singles push.
He defeated then-NEVER Champion Tama Tonga in his first singles match back. Anderson then shocked many when he started appearing on Monday Night RAW shortly thereafter.
His second title defense with Hikuleo wound up being delayed due to his WWE commitments. Now, with the belt taken out of his hands, Anderson can likely enjoy a more relaxed schedule in 2023.
For Tama Tonga, this big win is another step in his rise to babyface superstardom in NJPW. Few could’ve suspected the Tongan star would take off so quickly in the redeemed hero role. As a two-time NEVER champ, the sky could be the limit in 2023 for him.
