Bushiroad CEO Responds to Claims of NJPW Being Disrespected by AEW

AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling have been collaborating for the past few years now and it has clearly been a success, as the Forbidden Door pay-per-view is always something fans look forward to every year. With that said, the CEO of Bushiroad has now responded to claims of NJPW being disrespected by AEW.

Following New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s announcements regarding Dominion and their upcoming ‘Soul’ series, a media briefing convened with NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi, Bushiroad CEO Takaaki Kidani, and NJPW Representative Director Hitoshi Matsumoto leading the session.

The focal point of discussion centered on New Japan’s partnership with AEW. The two companies are set to collaborate on June 30th for their next Forbidden Door event. Takaaki Kidani expressed optimism about the partnership’s potential to extend beyond wrestling into other Bushiroad departments.

Kidani emphasized that NJPW couldn’t have found a better partner than AEW and addressed perceptions of being undervalued by their collaborators as he made it clear that NJPW is not the inferior partner.

”We have a very positive relationship with AEW right now, and there is room for it to evolve further. There are things we can’t talk about just yet, but I think it’s something that can involve other departments within Bushiroad as well.

I think that this relationship has settled into something that’s a lot more stable in the long run, and a lot of that comes from Tony Khan having a deep fandom and appreciation for NJPW. He has a lot of passion for 90s guys like (Hiroshi) Hase, and The Steiners. He’s a fan, and both he and his father have an incredible business acumen. Tony Khan’s father started out making Toyota bumpers, and grew his business eightfold in a ten-year span. And the Khans have had all this success, not just in wrestling but American Football and the Premier League. With that acumen and their affinity for Japan, there’s a lot that can be done in the future, and I don’t think NJPW could ask for a better partner right now.

Having said that, there is the perception that NJPW is treated as a sub brand or is looked down on by AEW. Some of that perception of NJPW being behind comes from the economics at the moment. But the truth of the matter is AEW’s strengths and NJPW’s strengths are different. From development of talent from scratch, to a historical and traditional perspective, there’s a lot NJPW can offer that AEW cannot. So there’s a lot that we can do together and while much of it isn’t something we can discuss right now, there’s a lot we will do. But the idea that NJPW is the inferior partner is not correct. We are absolutely on an even footing, and that’s something we’ll prove in the near future.

We have also reported that AEW has other plans for the Forbidden Door 3 event, notably working with CMLL and STARDOM. We will have to wait and see how the event will turn out in the end.

Do you feel AEW and NJPW’s partnership is mutually beneficial? Sound off in the comments section below!