Takaaki Kidani gives his thoughts on the working relationship between NJPW and AEW.
The owner of NJPW spoke on this topic during a recent press conference alongside new company President Hiroshi Tanahashi. When asked if NJPW merely catered to what AEW needs Kidani gave this answer:
We have a very positive relationship with AEW right now, and there is room for it to evolve further. There are things we can’t talk about just yet, but I think it’s something that can involve other departments within Bushiroad as well. I think that this relationship has settled into something that’s a lot more stable in the long run, and a lot of that comes from Tony Khan having a deep fandom and appreciation for NJPW. He has a lot of passion for 90s guys like Hase, and the Steiners. He’s a fan, and both he and his father have an incredible business acumen. Tony Khan’s father started out making Toyota bumpers, and grew his business eightfold in a 10-year span. And the Khans have had all this success not just in wrestling but American Football and the Premier League. With that acumen and their affinity for Japan, there’s a lot that can be done in the future, and I don’t think NJPW could ask for a better partner right now. Having said that, there is the perception that NJPW is treated as a sub brand or is looked down on by AEW. Some of that perception of NJPW being behind comes from the economics at the moment. But the truth of the matter is AEW’s strengths and NJPW’s strengths are different. From development of talent from scratch, to a historical and traditional perspective, there’s a lot NJPW can offer that AEW cannot. So there’s a lot that we can do together and while much of it isn’t something we can discuss right now, there’s a lot we will do. But the idea that NJPW is the inferior partner is not correct. We are absolutely on an even footing, and that’s something we’ll prove in the near future.
AEW and NJPW are getting ready to present the third-ever Forbidden Door pay-per-view later this month, a show that may also includes the likes of STARDOM and CMLL. Full notes from the press conference can be found here.