| Multiverse United | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |||
| Promotion | Impact Wrestling New Japan Pro-Wrestling NJPW Strong | ||
| Date | March 30, 2023 | ||
| City | Los Angeles, California | ||
| Venue | Globe Theater | ||
| Tagline(s) | Only the Strong Survive | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Multiverse chronology | |||
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Multiverse United (marketed asMultiverse United: Only the Strong Survive) was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event co-produced byImpact Wrestling andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a part ofWrestleCon. It took place on March 30, 2023, at the Globe Theater inLos Angeles,California. The event was the secondMultiverse event promoted by Impact duringWrestleManiaWeekend as part of WrestleCon, followingMultiverse of Matches in 2022, thus establishing the Multiverse event as an annual tradition.
Nine matches were contested at the event. In the main event,Hiroshi Tanahashi defeatedMike Bailey. In other prominent matches,Kenta defeatedMinoru Suzuki to retain theStrong Openweight Championship,Trey Miguel retained theImpact X Division Championship in aSix-way Scramble, andBullet Club (Ace Austin andChris Bey) retained theImpact World Tag Team Championship in afour-way tag team match.
In October 2019, NJPW announced their expansion into the United States with their new American division, New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.[1] On July 31, 2020, NJPW announced a new weekly series titledNJPW Strong. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJoA.[2] On January 30, 2023, NJPW announced that all of the promotion's future American events would be branded under the "Strong" name. Multiverse United would later air as part of theNJPW Strong on Demand series.[3]
On February 9, 2023,Impact Wrestling andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced they were co-producing an event as part of that year'sWrestleCon called Multiverse United: Only the Strong Survive, taking place at the Globe Theater on Thursday, March 30, 2023, airing live onFITE.[4][5][6][7]
The event featured severalprofessional wrestling matches, which involve different wrestlers from pre-existingscriptedfeuds,plots, andstorylines. Wrestlers portrayedheroes,villains, orless distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on Impact'sweekly television program.[8]
There was only one match on the pre-show, withYuya Uemura facingGabriel Kidd. Uemura won after anoverhead suplex and adiving crossbody.[9]
In the opener,Trey Miguel defended theImpact X Division Championship againstClark Connors,Frankie Kazarian,Kevin Knight,Rich Swann, andRocky Romero in aSix-way Scramble. In the end, as Knight jumped from the top rope, Connors countered with aspear in mid-air. Miguel then tossed Connors and pinned Knight to retain his title.[9]
Next,Eddie Edwards,Joe Hendry, andTeam Filthy (Tom Lawlor andJ. R. Kratos) facedAlex Coughlin,Callihan,Fred Rosser, andPCO. The latter won after Callihan delivered alow blow and aSpike Piledriver to Hendry, and PCO performed thePCO-Sault on Kratos to win the match.[9]
In the next bout,Jeff Cobb took onMoose. In the end, Cobb countered a move into theTour of the Islands for the win.[9]
Next,Deonna Purrazzo,Gisele Shaw,Masha Slamovich, andMiyu Yamashita squared off to determine who will head toRebellion to challenge for theImpact Knockouts World Championship. In the end, Slamovich delivered anAir Raid Crash to Purrazzo. Yamashita then hit aRoundhouse Kick. Purrazzo then delivered apowerbomb and theQueen's Gambit on Shaw for the win.[9]
In the next match,Bullet Club (Ace Austin andChris Bey) defended theImpact World Tag Team Championship againstAussie Open (Kyle Fletcher andMark Davis),The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley andChris Sabin, andTMDK (Bad Dude Tito andShane Haste). In the closing stages, Aussie Open delivered the Pendulum Powerbomb to Bey for a near fall. Bullet Club delivered Roundhouse Kicks to Tito, and then delivered theArt of Finesse/The Fold combination to retain the titles.[9]
Next,Kushida facedLio Rush. In the closing stages, Rush hit asuicide dive to Kushida on the outside. Kushida then locked in theHoverboard Lock, but Rush escaped. Rush delivered the Come Up, but Kushida reached the bottom ropes. As Rush leaped into the air, Kushida countered it into the Hoverboard Lock for a tapout. After the match, both men embraced each other.[9]
In the penultimate match,Kenta defended theStrong Openweight Championship againstMinoru Suzuki. In the end, Kenta delivered adiving double-foot stomp for a two-count. As Kenta was looking for the GTH, Suzuki escaped into asleeper, but Kenta escaped. Then, unbeknownst to the referee, Kenta delivered a low blow androlled up Suzuki, with his feet on the ropes, for the win.[9]
In the main event,Hiroshi Tanahashi facedMike Bailey. On the outside, Bailey delivered aSpringboard moonsault to Tanahashi. As Bailey was entering the ring, Tanahashi delivered adragon screw on the ropes. As Bailey was looking for atornado kick, Tanahashi countered into aSling Blade. Bailey then delivered atop-rope hurricanrana and hit the tornado kick, but Tanahashi escaped theUltima Weapon. Tanahashi then hit theHigh Fly Flow to pickup the victory. After the match, Tanahashi helped Bailey to his feet.[9]