AEW & NJPW Deal Was Held Up At First By ‘Childish Stuff’

AEW and NJPW now have a working relationship and that could open that forbidden door for many possibilities. The deal didn’t come along as quickly as some would have preferred.

Click here for our complete coverage of AEW Dynamite from this week.

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that there was “a lot of childish stuff” that held up the deal. NJPW wanted Tony Khan to come see them personally. AEW sent Chris Harrington instead, but they wanted to meet with Tony Khan.

“There was really a lot of childish stuff, and even when I tell people they, you know, don’t wanna believe it. There really was a lot of childish stuff. Essentially, they wanted Tony Khan to come and see them and he didn’t, and even though they sent Chris Harrington and even though the Young Bucks were the office and they were ready to make the deal, New Japan thought that they were fly-by=nighters and it’s not going to mean anything, and they just kinda big leagued them.”

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“They were wrong and they went their separate ways. Then they needed Jon Moxley because he had the U.S. Title. I mean they could have stripped him. They could if they wanted to, but they didn’t want to. The only way to to get him, because he couldn’t go to Japan, was to do it here; but the only way to do it here was to get approval from Tony Khan, so it opened the door.”

It was also said that Herald Meij’s departure from NJPW opened the door for this partnership in a lot of ways. He previously did not see the benefit in such a working relationship. Now it is pretty apparent how beneficial a partnership like that can be.

Transcription by Ringside News