AEW Star Wants NJPW Return After 8 Year Absence

AEW/NJPW

AEW’s Adam Cole is hopeful for a return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling having last competed there eight years ago.

Since signing with AEW in September 2021, Cole has competed for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the AEW and NJPW co-produced Forbidden Door in June 2022.

His last appearance at an actual NJPW show, however, was at the January 2017 New Year Dash, teaming with The Young Bucks in a losing effort against CHAOS (Beretta, Rocky Romero & YOSHI-HASHI), although he would appear on ROH co-produced shows later that year.

Cole is now hoping for a return to the company where he is a former Bullet Club member, going into detail in a recent interview with Doc Chris Mueller.

Speaking about his history in NJPW, Cole would reveal that he would love to go back to Japan once again, saying:

“The one for sure that I think I would love to do is I definitely want to go back to New Japan. I got the chance to wrestle there a few times and I got to do a Wrestle Kingdom show, which was amazing.

“But then right as I started going to Japan more often is when I left, so I was not able to continue going to Japan. So now that I’m back in All Elite Wrestling, the idea of being able to go over and wrestle for New Japan again is very high up on my list.”

Cole defeated ROH World Champion Kyle O’Reilly at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in January 2017.

Asked if the current period is the best time to be a wrestler, Cole was effusive in his assessment, saying:

“Without question. It’s a fact. Since I’ve started wrestling, this absolutely is the best time to not only be a wrestler, but to be a wrestling fan.

“It’s so incredible to see so much great pro wrestling across the board. All the opportunities that so many different wrestlers are getting. It feels like a golden age, or like a boom period for pro wrestling. I love that. It makes me so so happy.

“2025 At this moment, this has been the most exciting time to be a wrestler or a fan.”

Following the 2017 New Year Dash match, Cole would appear at the ROH & NJPW Honor Rising and War of the Worlds show before making his WWE debut in August of that year.

In WWE, Cole would hold the NXT Championship, the North American Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Transcript from Bleacher Report.

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• adam cole
• NJPW
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