To call Karl Anderson's second NJPW match since re-signing with WWE anything but weird would be an incredible understatement. Advertised for the match with Doc-now-Luke Gallows by his side, who ultimately didn't show up due to being used for a nothing burger spot on Monday Night RAW, Anderson came out expecting the sort of hero's welcome a founding member of Bullet Club would, but was instead greeted by a disapproving crowd who didn't want to see this guest performer back in “their” ring.

Fortunately, Anderson took the opportunity to work another match under the bright lights of the Tokyo Dome in stride, and in this his ninth Wrestle Kingdom match for the promotion, gave an appropriate effort versus what was expected from the WWE pro.

Anderson pulled out the greatest hits of his NJPW run in what very well may be his finale with the promotion. He hit stun guns, hit Tonga with the belt, and even attempted to end the other OG member of Bullet Club's career for good with a stun gun on the ramp for a potential 1-2-3. Still, this wasn't the Finals of the 2012 G1 Climax, and as the match went on, Tonga worked over his Sour Boy buddy while the crowd cheered him on before hitting a stun gun of his own for the pin – even if the aforementioned finisher was kind of botched.

And there you go, folks; Anderson is no longer the NEVER Openweight Champion, WWE's first performer to wrestle in NJPW in decades was sort of a dud, and this whole ordeal will go down as nothing but a trivia question a few months down the line… assuming the Good Brothers don't get an extended excursion to Japan following A.J. Styles' ankle injury in Hershey, Pennsylvania.