It was revealed that a huge Antonio Inoki announcement was being planned by NJPW.
NJPW has indicated they were all set to announce that Antonio Inoki was to be their Honorary Chairman for life. The announcement was going to be made public at the NJPW Declaration of Power show in Tokyo on October 10.
A notice regarding Antonio Inoki and New Japan Pro-Wrestlinghttps://t.co/7UjxDoenSC#njpw pic.twitter.com/pTc5hha70K
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) October 4, 2022
NJPW put out this statement regarding the planned announcement on their website today:
New Japan Pro-Wrestling wishes once again to express profound grief at the passing of founder Antonio Inoki, and our deepest sympathies to fans, family and friends.
As part of our 50th Anniversary celebrations, and to celebrate Antonio Inoki’s role as a founder, wrestler and beyond, NJPW had planned to name Mr. Inoki the Honorary Lifetime Chairman of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After Antonio Inoki graciously accepted the invitation, he was officially named Honorary Lifetime Chairman on September 1 2022.
This information was due to be made public on October 10 at Declaration of Power in Ryogoku Sumo Hall. It is to our deep sadness that this announcement cannot take place as previously planned. However, in accordance with Mr. Inoki’s wishes, all of us at New Japan Pro-Wrestling will continue to move forward and lead the professional wrestling world to the utmost of our abilities.
Antonio Inoki, who was the founder of NJPW, sadly passed away at the age of 79 on October 1 2022.
