NJPW Says No to Working with AEW

[Vegas]

I read this article tonight (shared on Facebook by AEW who said they were sorry to hear about this development) that NJPW has decided it will not work with AEW but will continue to work with ROH.

New Japan Pro Wrestling RULE OUT Working Relationship With All Elite Wrestling

Major news with significant ramifications follows: Dave Meltzer has reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that, as things stand, New Japan Pro Wrestling has ruled out a working relationship with All Elite Wrestling while maintaining the existing relationship with Ring Of Honor.

This, we can infer, is the result of the planned discussions between the three parties that reportedly followed Wrestle Kingdom. The events of New Year's Dash render this unsurprising; the Elite were wholly absent from the show, which resonated as a mission statement for the future of a company untempered by the ascent AEW group. Standing alone, New Japan went all in on the push of in-house prospect Jay White.

To quote Bad Luck Fale, January 5 was very much New Japan saying "F*ck 'em."

To editorialise, this is quite the ballsy move: by ruling out AEW, depending on Kenny Omega's next destination, the company has effectively ruled out the man who has raised New Japan's profile in the west to an extent that allowed them to expand into it. New Japan have removed piles of money from the table, perhaps out of preemptive concern for a risky political situation.

By affording the Elite such creative freedom - Omega petitioned for a reunion and storyline with Golden Lover Kota Ibushi, for instance - New Japan have perhaps recognised that they have indirectly shaped the successful image of their competition, and are now looking after their own interests.

Suddenly, this new wrestling war has presented us with a new battle.

[Deleted]

C.Y.O.A.

[Swarm]

What would be the point of AEW if they worked with ROH and NJPW? Isn't that what's been going on for years anyways?

[pikemojo]

Yeah, it seems that AEW maybe should have waited until they have more big announcements under their belt before going into these big time negotiations. Right now it doesn't look like AEW is bringing much to the table. They're a wrestling company with 4 stars and a large bankroll. Unless NJPW is SUPER interested in keeping their 4 faces on their program, what interest would we expect them to have? Nothing against the guys, just seems like maybe they jumped the gun a bit.

[Deleted]

I mean, I kind of don't blame them *at all* for not wanting to work with a group of guys who basically hijacked their promotion for the past year and change and then decided to bounce when they found a money mark. New Japan relied too heavily on them and they got burned...kinda like they did with AJ. Maybe, just maybe, trying to make the gaijin the focus of your company when they can always use it to make more money stateside is a bad idea. HMM.