Backstage News On AEW & NJPW Working Relationship

After the events that concluded AEW Dynamite: Beach Break, there has been an update surrounding an AEW and NJPW working relationship.

Last night, KENTA made a surprise appearance on AEW Dynamite, hitting Jon Moxley with the G2S. This shocking debut left many speculating whether AEW and NJPW were now working together.

It appears that The Forbidden Door has been well and truly opened. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, New Japan and All Elite Wrestling are entering a working relationship.

Meltzer noted that Moxley was a huge incentive for New Japan to form a partnership with AEW. Moxley is the current IWGP US Champion, but hasn’t defended his NJPW title since last February, because of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

In that time, Moxley has become one of the biggest stars in AEW. NJPW reportedly didn’t want Moxley to vacate the title once again, so were motivated to strike a deal with AEW.

Here is the full quote:

“The deal is done and the sides have a working relationship. The pandemic probably sped it up, but it also holds it back at the same time. The only way to get Moxley was to make a deal.

“When AEW first started, I think New Japan had no idea how successful they would be. There was really a lot of childish stuff, and even when I tell people, they don’t wanna believe it, but it really was. It was a lot of childish stuff – it was essentially that they (NJPW) wanted Tony Khan to come and see them and he didn’t. And even though they (AEW) sent Chris Harrington, and even though the Young Bucks were office and they were ready to make the deal, New Japan thought they were just fly-by-nighters and it’s not gonna mean anything. They just kinda big leagued them and they were wrong, and they went their separate ways.

“But then they needed Jon Moxley because he had the US Title. They could have stripped him, they could have if they wanted to, but they didn’t want to. The only way to get him, because he couldn’t go to Japan, was to do it here, but the only way for him to do it here, it had be approved by Tony Khan, so it opened the door.

“And Harold (Meij) is gone. I wrote when Harold was gone that that opens the door. And it did open the door. It was new people, and as far as what happens from here, we’ll see. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I think it probably wouldn’t have happened because Moxley would have been able to go to Japan in between AEW dates and defend the championship there. That deal was already in place. With the pandemic, because it had to be in the United States, that changed everything, and the flip side is that by doing that, the sides are working together.

“I don’t know if there’s anything (beyond the Moxley vs KENTA program), but yes. The answer’s pretty much yes. I know people who can’t wait to go back to Japan, put it that way. Will there be anything? Perhaps there will be stuff with KENTA, but there really can’t be stuff with anybody else because they’re all in Japan. So like I said, the pandemic sped it up but the pandemic also slows it down. It’s like Okada, Tanahashi, and any of these guys, can come here, but they can’t. When the pandemic is over then yeah, at that point, relations are open. Anything’s open, but it’s probably not gonna be that soon because they would have to quarantine to go back and they can’t do that. They can’t do two weeks. I suppose somebody could, but really I don’t think they want to do it that way. One of the advantages that they could do also, they could send people to AEW for excursion.

“Everything is open, and nothing is open, because nothing can happen yet. Unless someone’s gonna come full time, and that’s only gonna be Young Lions. If the pandemic ends, is there an opening to do Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi at the Tokyo Dome? If everything is back to normal, yes, there’s an absolute opening. And would those two wanna do it? Yes. The answer is yes, the wrestlers would want to do it. Could they do it in Madison Square Garden? Yes, they could. But is it gonna happen next month? No. It can’t.”

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As mentioned by Meltzer, while a partnership between the two companies exists, the COVID-19 pandemic limits the amount of interactions that NJPW and AEW are able to book. Not only is travel restricted, the companies would have to factor in quarantine time before performers could wrestle again.

KENTA’s Dynamite debut was only possible because he was originally in the US for NJPW Strong tapings in Los Angeles, so didn’t have to cross international borders to get to Jacksonville.

Reports indicate that The Forbidden Door is ajar, ready to swing open when the pandemic calms down.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

• Working Relationship
• Dynamite
• NJPW
• AEW

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