Rocky Romero: The AEW-NJPW Working Relationship Just Makes Sense

While relations between AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling were initially frosty, a working relationship has since blossomed between the two promotions and they have exchanged talent since January of this year. 

NJPW work with IMPACT Wrestling and other North American promotions beyond AEW but the Japanese company also had the option to work with WWE earlier this year after Vince McMahon's company opened talks which would have allowed Bryan Danielson to wrestle in Japan had he re-signed with WWE. Negotiations with WWE ultimately went nowhere, though, and Danielson made his AEW debut in September. 

Rocky Romero reflected on the talks with WWE on the Battleground Podcast and he revealed WWE reach out every "X amount of years" to talk. 

"I don't know how much I can actually say but could say that definitely they reached out. You know, WWE definitely reached out as they do every X amount of years I feel like they reach out. I mean obviously [Bryan] Danielson being in the middle of that was no secret and it was no secret to Tony [Khan] either or AEW so, obviously Tony was a part of that too once Bryan was completely free and clear to make those talks with him so, so yeah," Romero began. 

"There was - a lot of people talk, you know what I'm saying? There's talking. I wouldn't go so far to say that there was ever gonna be a deal made or anything like that. It's just like, you know, WWE comes knocking on the door and they wanna talk, people are gonna listen to what they have to say but I mean obviously working with AEW versus working with WWE is two completely different things, you know?"

Romero then noted that AEW truly understand NJPW and the amount of AEW wrestlers who previously worked for New Japan means a working relationship "just seems to make sense." 

"Where AEW, they have a true understanding of New Japan and what the product is and have a complete respect for the history of the product, for what the product is, for the wrestlers and how they do. I mean obviously because, you know, New Japan wrestlers kind of leaving New Japan helped to start AEW so there's always been that crossover connection so, it just seems to make sense in the grand scheme of things, both companies working together and I think it's been - obviously it's just been the beginning of it and I think that this is gonna be a - like the Hangman Page-Kenny Omega feud, this is gonna be a long-term thing so I think people are excited of course and they're ready for [Kazuchika] Okada to show up and fight Kenny at Full Gear or something but like, I think this is gonna be a long-term thing because both companies are building themselves up right now, you know?" Rocky added.

H/T to POST Wrestling