[19 / 3 / 11]
>“Unlike the New Japan/ROH show in Madison Square Garden, where really each promotion did its own matches, Most of the matches on the Forbidden Door show are expected to be AEW vs. NJPW”
>Stardom will not be involved
>"While never talked about much, in 2018, when AEW was first being formulated, the idea was that television would start in October 2019 and the thought was that the top AEW stars would continue to appear on the monthly big shows for New Japan, as many in the company had done in the past."
>Basically, NJPW under (Harold Meij at the time) didn't think a company run by wrestlers and a rich guy would last long and underestimated how big of a deal it was that that AEW got the TV deal with TNT.
>NJPW only saw Omega and Jericho as the needle movers. NJPW thought they were not losing Omega and he was originally suppose to win against Tanahashi. It was Omega who wanted to drop the title to him. NJPW thought they would still get Jericho after he signed with AEW but they saw he was too expensive for them and they stopped booking him.
>NJPW also liked Cody, The Young Bucks and Hangman in Japan but "didn't think they were necessary to have." They actually wanted Tony Khan to come over to Japan rather than have Cody, The Young Bucks and Chris Harrington.
>Mox ended up being "the big key" to this working relationship because he was holding the US title at the time. He had a separate deal with NJPW so he could appear on the G1 in Japan but not in the US shows. They also kept the US title on Mox during the pandemic. Mox convinced Tony Khan to let him go to a New Japan Strong taping after Meij was out of the picture (and also because the taping was in Los Angeles and Mox could drive there from Vegas) and the "relations on both sides started getting better."
https://www.f4wonline.com/newsletters/wrestling-observer-newsletter
>Stardom will not be involved
>"While never talked about much, in 2018, when AEW was first being formulated, the idea was that television would start in October 2019 and the thought was that the top AEW stars would continue to appear on the monthly big shows for New Japan, as many in the company had done in the past."
>Basically, NJPW under (Harold Meij at the time) didn't think a company run by wrestlers and a rich guy would last long and underestimated how big of a deal it was that that AEW got the TV deal with TNT.
>NJPW only saw Omega and Jericho as the needle movers. NJPW thought they were not losing Omega and he was originally suppose to win against Tanahashi. It was Omega who wanted to drop the title to him. NJPW thought they would still get Jericho after he signed with AEW but they saw he was too expensive for them and they stopped booking him.
>NJPW also liked Cody, The Young Bucks and Hangman in Japan but "didn't think they were necessary to have." They actually wanted Tony Khan to come over to Japan rather than have Cody, The Young Bucks and Chris Harrington.
>Mox ended up being "the big key" to this working relationship because he was holding the US title at the time. He had a separate deal with NJPW so he could appear on the G1 in Japan but not in the US shows. They also kept the US title on Mox during the pandemic. Mox convinced Tony Khan to let him go to a New Japan Strong taping after Meij was out of the picture (and also because the taping was in Los Angeles and Mox could drive there from Vegas) and the "relations on both sides started getting better."
https://www.f4wonline.com/newsletters/wrestling-observer-newsletter
