AEW x NJPW Partnership: The Most Polite Talent Raid In Pro Wrestling History

28 comments

1. I guess NJPW will never be able to compete with AEW and WWE. With AEW their best hope is that it drives subs for NJWorld as people are intrigued by the AEW guys going over there.

   At least in the last 6 or so months more AEW guys are going over to Japan. I think NJ Mox is far more interesting than AEW Mox for one.

   At least this also means Ospreay can live in the UK and still do NJPW and hopefully RevPro’s big shows

2. They fucking deserve it! Ohbari is a cock and got all his talent stolen cause he’s so fucking desperate to get a footing in the West where no one gives a shit anymore about New Japan. You can’t just plug JAGs like Finley and Shota in the main events and hope people stay with a bland ass product especially when you lose top level stars like Jay and Ospreay. Hopefully Okada leaves for the WWE too. He’s too good to go down with this shitty company ran by a cock (and for the clown show that is AEW). Bring back Papa Meji! At least he had a fucking spine and told Tony Khan and The Elite to fuck off.

3. NJPW doesn’t have the money to compete with WWE and Tony Khans contract offers.

   Its not a raid, most wrestlers simply wanna get paid. Sorry $$$ > epic matches with Okada, Naito, etc. And most of the gaijins don’t wanna stay in Japan forever

4. You guys *really* hate AEW lol

5. I mean it’s not exactly a talent raid. Jay white left njpw was presumably wwe bound until something halted that. Aussie open wanted a njpw contract but never got it. Meanwhile Moxley is working njpw shows Bryan danielson is working wrestle kingdom. It’s not the best decision to work with any western company that has money like AEW. But it’s entirely a raid of talent the only technically raided was Ospreay

6. NJPW before the pandemic had Money. Now they cannot afford to pay to keep non Japanese wrestlers. WWE has and will sign them. Now AEW being around means that they will be interested.

   The difference is AEW and NJPW have a partnership. They can still work Japan. With the money being thrown around outside of Japan, this is bound to happen. Good for the wrestlers. This companies now have to pay more instead of being cheap.

7. There’s no such thing as a “talent raid” anymore

   Terms like that were used back when uncovering treasure troves of talent took a lot of research because the internet hadn’t globalized everything

   Now everyone has easy access to all the same material, it’s easy to get in touch with the right people, and the Japan-to-America-and-vice-versa entertainment pipeline is a multi-billion dollar industry

   It’s really not that deep y’all – wrestlers have a limited time to make money before their bodies give out, they’re going to go where the money is best. Yes someone might take a small pay cut to stay in a situation they like, but the difference between NJPW money and AEW/WWE money isn’t small.

8. Cool clickbait video. Is this joker still pushing crypto?

9. Definitely wouldn’t qualify as a raid. I’d say Impact’s having a better working relationship with NJPW right now, as the AEW one is unquestionably lopsided, but despite being the arrogant upstart on the block AEW’s got the cash and reach. They’re firmly the No 2 company in the US if not the globe.

   Japan’s COVID policies, how much COVID hurt basically every wrestling company in Japan, and the difference in requirements for the product were always going to make the relationship wonky. NJPW relies a lot more on tours, after all. The ROH acquisition also really seemed to screw things up. That’s still probably the biggest albatross hanging over AEW right now.

   Biggest people AEW acquired from NJPW were probably going to end up in WWE so at least this way NJPW can potentially use some of these guys again. After all, Omega and Bucks mentioned a WWE offer before they created AEW, and White supposedly had an offer too. Aussie Open didn’t but they did stay they wanted a NJPW contract and couldn’t get one. Dunno if Ospreay’s come out more candidly yet (it’s only been a day after all) but I know he was also teasing a WWE offer.

10. These are grown ass men who make there own decisions. New Japan will have to make new stars and in time they’ll get back to the heights they were at pre Covid.

11. NJPW are in a very unique position, like being between a rock and a hard place. They are the number #1 pro-wrestling promotion domestically and ahead of other companies like NOAH, DDT and Dragon Gate but WWE is constantly lurking Japan and mostly control the world-wide market. Them working with AEW feels like New Japans only real option realistically, if they don’t they now have a mini-WWE to contend with for talent, fans, interest, etc. Working with AEW allows them to exchange talent throughout the year, do cross-over events like Forbidden Door, keep some star-power available for their big Tokyo Dome shows. Its not the most ideal partnership in the world but its better than the alternative. This also gives them a chance to freshen up the main event scene and start pushing young talent, the new three (or four) musketeers namely as guys like Tanahashi and Naito aren’t going to last forever.

12. A talent raid is a bit harsh. Aew is the best option from a njpw perspective. njpw literally cannot afford to keep the big foreign wrestlers full time, and they need to keep a good chunk of money to make sure the big domestic talent aren’t swallowed up by wwe. If they sign for aew they can still work big shows for njpw, g1’s and other tournaments are still an option.

    I think new japan work under the basis that they’re never gonna be the full time home for gaijin, they’ve always had guys coming in and out. I think aew arent gonna try and sign any of the big domestic talent, and thats why njpw are so open to keep working with them. They get their big match gaijin, without having to pay them full time and they keep their domestic talent protected

13. I mean, the previous option was they have good matches in NJPW then go to WWE. At least this way they get paid and can still work NJPW.

14. Dude is legit VK-ing, and barely anyone is talking about it.

15. Its just the unfortunate part of the weakening yen. You are seeing this too in other puro feds where the wrestlers are taking US dates more frequently cause even a small payday at a place like GCW might be the equivalent in yen to a major showdate for a Japan big 3 promotion or even a whole months of wages in one of the smaller feds.

16. Contracts expire, wrestlers leave. This and other breaking news tonight at 10.

17. I’ll watch it later, cause Rantin’s is actually one of mi favorite wrestling channels on YT. But based on the title, I don’t think it’s fair to call it a raid: at the end of the day, they haven’t gottwn there and taken all their top talent (which is essentially what a talent raid is), and even though it ain’t an ideal situation, this partnership allows New Japan to be able to use the guys who leave and/or come from AEW in their events from time to time (as well as a co-promoted event in Forbidden Door), rather than them leaving for WWE and not be seen for at least a chunk of years (maybe forever if they’re successful there or get used and like living in the States like Nakamura).

    The problem imo resides more on the capability of NJPW and the rest of puroresu (or lack there of) to compete with WWE and AEW on the contract department. For the most part, it hurts them with the gaijin talent, but we’ve also seen Japanese wrestlers do the jump (which in the male department hasn’t really been that hurtful, as the biggest names to make the jump were the aforementioned Nakamura and KUSHIDA, who went back to Japan a few years later, but in the female side of things Stardom lost Kairi Hojo and Io Shirai in back to back years, and tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if they at least go after a few of their talents in the upcoming lustrum or so, just like they’re currently doing with Giulia).

18. “Talent raid” is pretty hyperbolic but I get why NJPW fans feel that way. At the end of the day companies aren’t loyal to wrestlers so why should wrestlers feel any oblligation to stay with one company? And that’s a systemic problem and not about anything in front of the camera; booking, TV time, matches, story, etc. I’m talking money and benefits. No one gets that second bit but when all you have is a body of work and the money in your pocket, assuming you value your work, then you go where you compromise the least.

19. 😂😂😂😂😂 this sub makes it really hard for me to enjoy AEW and NJPW at the same time w how bitter some of you “fans” can be towards AEW it’s honestly embarrassing

20. Given how honest Will has been about his health, I don’t blame him for chasing the biggest bag. He can still conceivably do NJPW dates or Forbidden Door. He might also still be able to do RevPro shows here.

    Regarding Aussie Open, it’s just unfortunate that they bungled the contract situation. Khan paying for Mark’s surgery was also a big deal. Like any job, they need security.

    Having them in AEW has probably helped raise the profile of UE outside of the promotion amongst the fan base too.

21. The relationship means wrestlers get to be paid by AEW and promoted on both AEW and NJPW. Bigger names from across the globe and NJPW mainstays being on NJPW shows makes the NJPWWorld subs go up and NJPW of America attendance up as well. I don’t see why this is a bad thing.

22. I understand these loses have hurt NJPW, but shouldn’t we also be happy for the wrestlers who now have options to further their careers and better themselves financially? For guys like White and Ospreay, was there anything else for either of them to accomplish in NJPW?

23. Tony comes from the NFL and Premier League so all he is doing is signing free agents that contracts are up.

24. They are only doing what NJPW have done to NOAH in the past, and still do now re: Kiyomiya in the G1.

    At least they get good revenue from shows like Forbidden Door.

25. NJPW don’t have the means $$$ to compete with aew or WWE and maybe even impact. I think given their partnership and ospreay loyalty to the cause they allowed AEW to do this. If he was going to WWE I’d doubt they’d be ok with this. Tell him fuck off finish your contract and then let him leave.

    Will probably talked with NJPW higher ups and they came to agreement after discussing numbers and wants. Will still works a lighter schedule then WWE and gets to also stay in the uK and not uproot his family.

    Also not sure how much this has to do with this but his ex bea priestly is in NxT and possible coming to the main roster. I don’t know if that split was friendly or not and if that also had some bearing on his decision

26. Both Jay and Will are young enough to go there get a huge payday then come back in a few years.

27. Fightful reported that Ospreay was open with his intentions to leave with NJPW bosses and when he explained intent to sign with AEW he did it with their blessing. But whatever stokes your hate.

28. This is like every year, when someone leaves NJPW and everyone cries fowl or why didn’t the office do this, only difference is it happened earlier. But here’s the point whether it’s WWE or AEW, the pattern has been set that you can be a nobody that no one has ever heard of and within a couple of years NJPW can make you into a name big companies will want. NJPW will continue to receive fresh talent who can be given the opportunity to get over. Fresh talent who don’t have all the injuries of working the NJPW style and more importantly fresh talent who NJPW doesn’t have to pay as much. Ospreay spent close to a decade in NJPW, now Khan has a talent with the lion mark, all the injuries that come with it and paying him more then NJPW ever could. Meanwhile NJPW has a fresh protégé of Ospreay ready to cut his teeth. Will it work out, it’s risky. But I give NJPW a better chance of establishing new stars then AEW with a roster that size. NJPW maybe in recovery mode but AEW has its own issues.