No Japanese Wrestlers on NJPW New Beginning USA 2019 Tour Due to Govt. Shutdown

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently revealed the cards for their upcoming New Beginning USA 2019 tour, which takes place from January 30th to February 2nd in the United States.

The company also apologized for the lack of notable Japanese stars in this tour stating that it was due to visa issues related to the Untied States government shutdown.

“It is with great disappointment that we must announce that due to the ongoing 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, we were unable to obtain visas for our Japanese talent who were looking forward to seeing our US fans at the New Beginning in USA.”

The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s newsletter that NJPW had applied for work visas for several of their Japanese stars last November under the assumption it would have been taken care of prior to this year’s New Year Dash event, which occurred on January 5th. Instead, NJPW had to wait until this week to announce the cards due to their unresolved visa issues. NJPW originally had plans for Tomohiro Ishii, Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto, Jushin Thunder Liger, and possibly Satoshi Kojima to make appearances during this tour.

Full card of New Beginning USA – January 30th in Los Angeles, California:

• Alex Coughlin vs. Clark Connors
• Jonathan Gresham vs. Tyler Bateman
• Colt Cabana vs. Shane Taylor
• Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Brody King) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)
• Jeff Cobb vs. Karl Fredericks
• Chuckie T vs. David Finlay
• Juice Robinson & Tracy Williams vs. Roppongi Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero)

Full card of New Beginning USA – February 1st in Charlotte, North Carolina:

• Karl Fredericks vs. Clark Connors
• Colt Cabana & John Skyler vs. Lance Archer & Shane Taylor
• The Great-O-Kharn vs. Tracer X
• Jeff Cobb & Jonathan Gresham vs. Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Brody King)
• Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Alex Coughlin
• Chuckie T & Rocky Romero vs. David Finlay & Tracy Williams
• IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match – Beretta vs. Juice Robinson (c)

Full card of New Beginning USA – February 2nd in Nashville, Tennessee:

• Karl Fredericks vs. Alex Coughlin
• Colt Cabana & Jonathan Gresham vs. Lance Archer & Shane Taylor
• The Great-O-Kharn vs. Harlem Bravado
• Marty Scurll vs. Clark Connors
• Jeff Cobb vs. Brody King
• 6-Man Tag Team Elimination match – Beretta, Chuckie T, & Rocky Romero vs. Juice Robinson, David Finlay, & Tracy Williams