Ever since the Coronavirus first appeared at the start of the year, we’ve seen almost all wrestling companies worldwide cancel wrestling events. This has been a financially damaging time and it looks like BJW is the latest company to feel the sting.
大日本プロレスでは5月中の大会延期・中止を決定いたしました。
興行が出来ない中、大日本プロレス存続のため近くクラウドファンディングを実施いたします。
全ての方が大変な状況の中、公開されましたらサイトを見ていただけるだけでも幸いです。
よろしくお願いします。#bjw #大日本プロレス pic.twitter.com/AY8eMmwaS5— 大日本プロレス BJW Official (@BJWOfficial) May 1, 2020
The company has revealed through Twitter that they have opened a crowdfunding campaign to ensure the company can keep operating throughout the Coronavirus situation. This comes after they have had to cancel their May tournament.
BJW Owner and still active wrestler, The Great Kojika, recently talked to Tokyo Sports expressing his concerns for wrestling during the lockdown period. One of his most damning statements was:
“There has never been such a crisis since the beginning of the professional wrestling world. I’m sorry, but if this situation continues for six months, it’s wouldn’t be strange that all promotions except New Japan Pro Wrestling have collapsed. Compensation from the national or local government? It’s impossible because there’s no such thing. Some wrestling promotions didn’t even register.”
BJW is currently one of the top deathmatch/strong promotions in Japan with stars like Drew Parker, Abdullah Kobayashi, Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Ryuji Ito and many more in its ranks. They are also famous worldwide for their work with CZW, GCW, Chikara, and FREEDOMS. The company urges anyone interested to look at the site, even if they can’t give anything.
The crowdfunding site is currently in pre-publishing but can be found here. You can also support BJW through its on-demand service BJW Core.
／?BJWCOREは月額888円で見放題！／
2020年2月21日
東京・後楽園ホール大会▼蛍光灯＋ダブルボード We are the crazy world6人タッグデスマッチ
関根龍一&塚本拓海&佐久田俊行
vs
マット・トレモント&シュラック&ジミー・ロイドhttps://t.co/4uTJjnAlaz#bjw #bjwcore— 大日本プロレス BJW Official (@BJWOfficial) April 2, 2020
All images courtesy of BJW Twitter, Pro Wrestling Fandom