You Want a War? ROH/NJPW to host a supershow inside MSG during WrestleMania weekend

It has probably been said so many times over the past few months, but it is worth saying: At this moment, it is a great time to be a pro wrestling fan. There is variety in what you can watch, whether it is WWE or “the other guys”. The latter are the ones the former don’t want you talking about. Well, “the other guys” are getting people talking. Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, the top independent promotions in the world today, are joining forces for a mega-show at Madison Square Garden. The event will take place on WrestleMania weekend.

It was announced that the name of the event will be called the G1 Supercard.

JUST ANNOUNCED: @ringofhonor and @njpwglobal to bring their G1 Supercard to The Garden, Saturday, April 6, 2019. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 10th! #G1Supercard pic.twitter.com/aXu2uVAKtg

— MSG (@TheGarden) July 12, 2018

Matches for the event have not been announced yet. Talent wise, we can expect the normal Being the Elite characters and several of New Japan’s top stars. That includes Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito.

In a combined press release, NJPW President Harold Meji stated:

“This is a historic initiative for ROH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This gives us a great chance to expose fans to NJPW in the building which housed so many memorable and compelling matches.”

Not to be outdone, ROH COO Joe Koff also discussed the monumental announcement. A man who has been working very hard to bring Ring of Honor to a mass audience, Koff stated:

“This is destined to join a long list of historical wrestling moments and where better to hold it than at Madison Square Garden. I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve as a company and am very appreciative of how great our relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling has become. However, none of this would be possible without our fans, who are truly the best in the world. Madison Square Garden would not be possible without them and for that I am most grateful.”

How did we get here? We can go way back to the death of WCW if we really wanted to. More or less, it all started with Cody Rhodes’ bet with the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer regarding ROH selling out 10,000+ events. That turned into the creation of ‘All In’ (based in Chicago), and it is currently crushing expectations, even before a second match was announced. NJPW also delivers during their San Fransisco tours at the Cow Palace. Those G1 Specials have provided great moments, including the crowning of the recently created IWGP U.S. Title. As a result, a team up of this magnitude was inevitable.

This is a huge moment for a number of reasons. We first thought that Ring of Honor’s attempts to house an event inside MSG was kiboshed when the building backed out. Rather than pout and moan, another action was taken. Now, combined with a partner they have done business with in the past, the efforts were enough to have an event.

WrestleMania 35 will take place at MetLife Stadium on April 7. Normally, NXT TakeOver is the day before. Being based in New York, the event will be at the Barclays Center. That means there is no longer a simple solution of where fans will head to on a Saturday night. Anything is possible, and the fact that ROH and NJPW are taking a gamble at this is commendable.

The only question to ask is: Which event will you be attending?

Tickets for the G1 Supercard go on sale Wednesday, August 8 for Honor Club subscribers and Friday, August 10 for the general public.