The NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, along with the ROH World Championship and the AEW Continental Classic Championship, combining for the first-ever AEW Triple Crown Championship, are on-the-line in the inaugural ongoing AEW Continental Classic Tournament.
According to Rocky Romero, New Japan Pro Wrestling was fully aware of plans to include the NJPW STRONG Openweight title in the round-robin, G1 Climax-style tournament.
Romero recently spoke with Jeremy Lambert and Joel Pearl on “In The Weeds” for an interview, during which he was asked if he and NJPW were aware of plans to involve the NJPW STRONG Openweight title in the tourney.
“There was something going around that New Japan didn’t know,” Romero said. “I knew the whole time. I told New Japan. Obviously, it’s an unusual concept to have a New Japan Champion put up his titles at the end of this thing. It’s just a bit unusual and I think that’s where some of the people didn’t really fully understand everything.”
Romero continued, “New Japan knew and I think it’s cool. I hope at the end of it, it’s Eddie or Mox [Jon Moxley] or somebody who does wrestle in New Japan. Even Danielson [Bryan Danielson], that they come out on top so hopefully I don’t have to tell my bosses, ‘We messed up and now here is somebody that we can’t book,’ who is in Triple A or something. I think it will all work out and I’m excited. It’s a cool concept for US fans as an introduction since it’s like the G1. So fans who haven’t watched the G1 will get hooked on the concept and come on over and check out the G1 next year because it’s the best wrestling tournament on earth. You can’t really duplicate it exactly. I do think it’s a cool introduction.”
Check out more from the Rocky Romero interview from “In The Weeds” via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.
