As it was announced back in March during Strong Style Evolved, New Japan Pro Wrestling will be making its return to the United States in on July 7th for a G1 Special. The event is set to take place at the famed Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, a venue where legends such as Ray Stevens, Peter Maivia, Pat Patterson and countless others have performed.

Today, a rumor has surfaced that despite the Cow Palace holding anywhere from 10,000-14,000 for a wrestling event, the July 7th show has only sold roughly 2,500 tickets thus far after going on sale yesterday.

With another big non-WWE show coming up in September, All In, some are drawing a comparison between NJPW’s US ticket sales and what All In could end up drawing. The event being put on by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks will take place in Chicago, Illinois at the Sears Centre Arena, home to the NBA G-League’s Windy City Bulls. The Sears Centre Arena has a capacity of roughly just over 11,000.

EA’s Take: I think it’s really tough to draw a comparison between New Japan being in San Francisco and having an all-star cast of non-WWE performers in a city like Chicago. The fans always seem to turn out in Chicago and with a loaded roster that includes some of the best NJPW has to offer combined with other independent favorites, it’s almost like comparing a Pro Bowl team to the regular (insert any NFL team’s name here) roster. While the Cow Palace was booming and selling out back in its day, that was a long time ago now. All In also has the advantage of more time to promote, not to mention they have the Hollywood factor with Stephen Amell. Do they sell the building out? Maybe not, but I’m willing to bet it’s at least close. As stated by our very own New Japan Pro Wrestling expert Andrew Balaz, if they haven’t sold 70% of the building by the end of May then there would be cause for concern.

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