More Details on WWE's Attempt to Form a Partnership With New Japan Pro-Wrestling and AEW's Response

By Connor Casey

AEW and New Japan will host their first crossover event, Forbidden Door, this coming June. However, the young promotion wasn't the only company trying to partner up with Japan's top pro wrestling promotion. Back in May 2021 reports started popping up that the WWE was in talks with New Japan in order to become its exclusive partner, effectively cutting AEW out of the equation. Bryan Danielson then confirmed later that year that WWE had attempted to keep him in the company by offering him the freedom to also work in Japan, but he wound up signing with AEW months after his WWE contract had expired in April 2021. Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso dropped a new report on Thursday once again confirming WWE's efforts but had new information about how both AEW's Tony Khan and New Japan officials handled it. 

"Before reaching that agreement (Danielson's deal with AEW), WWE officials sought out creative solutions to keep him in the company, which Danielson later confirmed. That led to Nick Khan's opening the lines of communication to New Japan, exploring ideas to collaborate between the two companies," Barrasso wrote. "Tony Khan found out about WWE's interest through his trusted contacts in New Japan, SI learned. New Japan officials stressed to Tony Khan that working with AEW was their priority, especially with the trust they had forged. This led to Tony Khan's promo directed at Nick Khan last May, when he stated there was only room for one Khan in wrestling — and 'not some con man from Connecticut.' Per sources, top NJPW officials knew about the promo before it was released — and encouraged him to do it."

Throughout 2021, the crossovers between AEW and New Japan exponentially increased, with KENTA, Minoru Suzuki, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Tomohiro Ishii and Rocky Romero popping up throughout the year and the IWGP United States Championship even changing hands on an episode of Dynamite. On the other side, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston and Lance Archer have been occasionally popping up at New Japan's US events. 

As for whether or not Forbidden Door will be the only AEW x NJPW event, New Japan president Takami Ohbari told SI, "Traveling between Japan and the U.S. is no longer a significant problem," says Ohbari, who also addressed whether there will be a follow-up event with AEW in Japan. "If Japanese fans are invested in this event and the demand is there, then there will absolutely be the impetus for us to take the next step of holding an event in Japan."

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