Update On Relationship Between AEW & NJPW

NJPW President Takami Ohbari has opened up on his ‘friendship’ with Tony Khan and the importance of NJPW and AEW’s thriving relationship.

AEW and NJPW have long been on good terms with talent frequently crossing over between the two, eventually this led to an official collaboration in the form of the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, with the second instalment of the show taking place on June 25 from Toronto Canada’s Scotiabank Arena.

Ohbari recently opened up on the extent of his and Khan’s relationship in an interview with Thom Fain of Monthly Puroresu, revealing that he and Khan have both a personal and professional relationship:

We certainly keep in touch personally and professionally, and we’ve exchanged gifts.

Friendship between us is vital to make dream matches like at Forbidden Door happen, and it can only be beneficial for both companies to expand the professional wrestling market in both Japan and the US.

Ohbari commented on the future of NJPW in the US following its recent expansion, noting:

“Our goal is to create a synergy between Japan and the US. We used to hold occasional shows in the States, sending a lot of talent and staff to handle it, meaning we couldn’t run in Japan and the US at the same time.

“So that’s a big cost in flights accommodation, and we miss the opportunity for Japanese market.

“Now, we’re close to an ideal. NJPW in the US is more of an established brand now. We still send some of our talent, but not all, to the US. So we can run Japan and the US concurrently.

“LA Dojo and NJPW Academy is also paving the future for NJPW in the US. In the previous financial year, which ended in June, NJPW of America was profitable for the first time, and they helped NJPW as a whole reach its second highest revenues in company history, which is a really impressive feat.”

NJPW’s presence in the US has also continued to expand in recent years, with the NJPW STRONG brand featuring established names including AEW stars, and major names including Mercedes Mone.

Current NJPW IWGP UK (US) Champion Will Ospreay will be featured in a prominent position on the All In card on August 27 from London’s Wembley Stadium, when he takes on Chris Jericho for the first time ever.

On this week’s edition of Dynamite (August 23) both Ospreay and Jericho conducted a contract signing in an intense segment that built intrigue in the bout, however, the Englishman called out AEW’s production team due to a mistake made during the segment,

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