Something fans have been wanting for over a year might finally be on the cusp of happening. With AEW being started predominantly by former NJPW talent in The Elite, namely former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega, it was impossible to avoid, but always seemed unlikely. NJPW was a bit upset by Omega & The Young Bucks leaving, especially Harold Meij. However, just days after Meij was announced to be leaving NJPW, we’ve seen a renewed push towards this link finally being established.
AEW Has Never Hid Their Talents Past With NJPW
While a formal agreement has never been in place, it’s not like NJPW hasn’t been referenced by AEW. The best example came on the 2019 Halloween episode, when Omegas past partner Kota Ibushi was referenced during his entrance. Add in Chris Jericho taking the AEW Championship to NJPW for his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi, and it’s clear AEW has been just waiting for the word. However, this past week has had a flood of fuel for this fire.
Hiroshi Tanahashi Showed Up On Dynamite, Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer Pictures Shown
On the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, it was a big celebration of thirty years of Chris Jericho, and video messages from friends and rivals were shown throughout the show, including Hiroshi Tanahashi who stood proudly in front of the NJPW Lion Mark logo, and said he wanted to face Jericho about ten more times. Their feud earlier in the year was already big for this potential connection, with it all being woven into the storyline, with Tanahashi wanting to be the one to kick open the ‘Forbidden Door’ separating the two companies.
As if Tanahashi showing up wasn’t enough, there was more. Next week on AEW Dynamite, we have a much hyped match between Jon Moxley & Lance Archer for the AEW Championship. This isn’t the first time they’ve met this year, and everyone knows it. They had a Texas Death Match in the Tokyo Dome, and pictures from that match were proudly shown, and both men talked about how intense that match was.
Evil Uno & Orange Cassidy Want To Be On The Next Big NJPW Tour
Next month, we have a joint tournament in NJPW, both Best Of Super Juniors & World Tag League happening in unison. Two AEW talents expressed interest in this, with Orange Cassidy tweeting out ‘When is BoSJ?” and Evil Uno of Dark Order tweeting out “Evil Uno wonders about the World Tag League.” It’s worth noting that these tournaments often rely on outside talent from ROH & CMLL to work, so Cassidy & Dark Order showing up in Japan for a month is not impossible. We’ve seen Dragon Lee express interest in BoSJ as well, showing that there will be outside talent coming in.
This is still just a lot of speculation, but things are looking very promising for fans who want AEW & NJPW to work together. Do you think in 2021 we will see these two great companies working together? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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