>The key here is that New Japan was aware Anderson wouldn’t be available for the November 5 Osaka date before the card was announced. Anderson defending the NEVER Openweight Title against Hikuleo was always the plan. Someone (believed to be Anderson, but we haven’t been able to 100% verify this) pitched announcing the match anyway, knowing full well Anderson wouldn’t be making the date, and then turning the situation it into a storyline, with the idea being Anderson is ducking Hikuleo, with the company furious and fearing he’s going to take their championship to WWE and never return.
