Eddie Kingston may have suffered a serious injury during his appearance at NJPW Resurgence which has raised questions about upcoming plans in AEW. 

At the event, Kingston lost the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship to Gabe Kidd in a No-Ropes Last Man Standing Match. Kingston had held the title since 311 days after winning the title at NJPW Independence Day in July 2023. 

Unfortunately, it appears that Kingston may have suffered an injury during the match. As Bryan Alvarez explained, Kidd delivered a suplex to Kingston to the outside of the ring and noted that Kingston’s leg “hit that barricade so hard.” Dave Meltzer agreed, adding that it “scared the hell out of me.”

Alvarez noted that Kingston immediately grabbed his leg after the spot which proved to be the finish of the match. It was also stated that Kingston was “not moving” for minutes after the match but was able to pull himself up for the post-match segment with The Elite. 

Kingston was “limping bad backstage” in another worrying sign for the now-former Openweight Champion. There were concerns at the event that the Mad King would not be able to do the post-match angle. 

There’s no update on Kingston’s status but this situation could jeopardize plans for AEW Double or Nothing. During the May 8, episode of AEW Dynamite, Kingston was revealed as part of Team AEW that will battle the Elite in Anarchy in the Arena. Kingston will be joined by Bryan Danielson and FTR if this situation doesn’t keep him from the upcoming pay-per-view.  

• Eddie Kingston Doesn’t Regret “Whatever” Attitude to WWE Tryout

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Gabe Kidd didn’t hold back during a recent appearance for CBS News Los Angeles and took aim at both WWE and AEW. 

Kidd was on the show to promote the upcoming NJPW Resurgence 2024 event. The show will take place on May 11 from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Canada. 

When asked what makes New Japan different to other wrestling promotions, the English grappler shared his views on WWE and AEW. 

“Listen, I’ll put it in very simple terms. You like theater? Go and watch WWE. If you’re a fat nerd who can’t talk to girls, go and watch AEW. If you want to watch the real stuff, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, this is where it’s at.”

Kidd will be competing in some inter-promotional warfare at NJPW Resurgence later this month. He will challenge AEW’s Eddie Kingston in a No Ropes Last Man Standing match for Kingston’s New Japan Strong Openweight Championship. 

Crossover Matches

While Kidd hardly has a favorable take on AEW, NJPW Resurgence will feature plenty of All-Elite talent. AEW staple Jon Moxley will headline the show when he puts the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Shota Umino. 

Lance Archer will challenge Jeff Cobb for the latter’s NJPW World Television Championship. Jack Perry, fresh off his appearance on this week’s AEW Dynamite, will team with Ren Narita & EVIL to face Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & The DKC. It won’t just be AEW and New Japan talent involved, as TNA Wrestling’s X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali will face Lio Rush on the pre-show. 

NJPW Resurgence is in the books.

Earlier tonight (Aug. 14), NJPW Resurgence emanated from The Torch at LA Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The main event saw IWGP United States Champion Lance Archer put his gold up for grabs against Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the co-headliner, Jay White defended the NEVER Openweight gold against David Finlay.

Resurgence also saw a surprise appearance from former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. He revealed that he has been medically cleared to compete but he will not be participating in the G1 Climax due to issues with NJPW brass.

We also got an appearance from Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. The two confronted Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson after their match against Jon Moxley and Yuji Nagata. After a back-and-forth verbal exchange, the Good Brothers left the ring.

Here are quick results for NJPW Resurgence.

• Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Lance Archer – For IWGP United States Championship
• Jay White (c) def. David Finlay
• Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Jon Moxley & Yuji Nagata
• Tomohiro Ishii def. Moose
• Juice Robinson def. Hikuleo
• Lio Rush, Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura def. Tom Lawlor, JR
• Kratos, Jorel Nelson, Royce Issacs & Danny Limelight
• Ren Narita, Clark Connors & TJP def. Rocky Romero, Fred Rosser & Wheeler Yuta
• Karl Fredericks def. Alex Coughlin

Brody King is no longer a part of the NJPW Resurgence card.

Tonight (Aug. 14), NJPW Resurgence will take place inside the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. In the main event, Lance Archer will put the IWGP United States Championship on the line against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Plus, Jay White defends the NEVER Openweight Title against David Finlay.

King was expected to be featured in the third match of the night. He was going team with Yuya Uemura, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi, and Lio Rush to take on Tom Lawlor, Danny Limelight, JR Kratos, Jorel Nelson, and Royce Isaacs.

The official Twitter account of NJPW Global has announced that King is off the card.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Brody King will be unable to compete at Resurgence. We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing King wrestle and appreciate your understanding.”

King is being replaced by Adrian Quest. At this time, it is unknown why King has been pulled from NJPW Resurgence. Quest was going to be featured in a tag team dark match. Jordan Clearwater will take his place.

Here’s an updated look at the final NJPW Resurgence card.

IWGP UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Lance Archer (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jay White (c) vs. David Finlay

The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Jon Moxley & TBA

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Moose

Juice Robinson vs. Hikuleo

Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Lio Rush, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura vs.
Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Danny LimeLight, JR Kratos, Royce Issacs & Jorel Nelson)

Fred Rosser, Wheeler Yuta & Rocky Romero vs. Ren Narita, Clark Connors & TJP

Alex Coughlin vs. Karl Fredericks

NJPW has just announced they are holding their first event on US soil since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. NJPW Resurgence is scheduled for Saturday, August 14^th at the L.A. Coliseum. Fans will also be in attendance for the event. The actual venue is in The Torch, a concert center opening this summer. Initial promotions for the event say a total of 5000 tickets will be available, however, this could be increased to 10,000 if necessary.

Masks will be mandatory for those in attendance unless eating or drinking. Tickets go on sale on June 30^th, with prices ranging from $39 to $299.

The full NJPW Resurgence match card has not been announced yet, however, Jon Moxley is advertised for the show. No doubt, he will be putting his US title on the line. Interestingly, Shota Umino is returning to NJPW for the first time since leaving on excursion in September 2019.

NJPW Resurgence Names a Strong List of Stars for the Event

The NJPW Resurgence show will feature prominent names from NJPW but also a number of talents who perform on the US-based NJPW Strong brand. The advertised list as it currently stands is:

• Jon Moxley
• Jay White
• Tom Lawlor
• Doc Gallows
• Karl Anderson
• Juice Robinson
• David Finlay
• Shota Umino
• Ren Narita
• Karl Fredericks
• Clark Connors
• Alex Coughlin
• Hikuleo
• Fred Rosser
• Lio Rush
• Brody King
• Chris Dickinson
• TJP
• JR Kratos

The return of NJPW to American soil is another big step forward for wrestling, as it looks to get back on track. The sport survived the pandemic well, but there is always something special about having a live crowd. Whether watching at home or in the audience, crowds are what make events special.

An aptly named show indeed, NJPW Resurgence is not only a return for crowds but a return to international touring, which is a very exciting prospect for fans around the world.