Tony Khan said that AEW’s relationship with NJPW was “a bit of a cold war” in 2019 and 2020, the promotion’s first two years. Khan made the comments on Thursday during the media call for Full Gear, which is set for Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona.
“When I became a wrestling promoter, AEW at the very beginning of our journey did not have the best relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling and it’s really grown a lot,” Khan said.
Khan explained that at the time, Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho were the connection between the two companies, as both men were wrestling for AEW and NJPW. According to Khan, a lot of relationships in the industry changed due to the pandemic. The working relationship began to grow in 2021, when Khan got close to Rocky Romero and NJPW booker Gedo, leading to the first Forbidden Door in 2022.
Khan said he’s excited to help with Wrestle Kingdom 21. The event is scheduled for January 4 at the Tokyo Dome, with Kenny Omega challenging Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Omega was one of the wrestlers who left NJPW to start AEW.
In addition to Omega, Jon Moxley will wrestle Shingo Takagi in an Unbound Deathmatch, MJF will make his NJPW debut against Ryohei Oiwa, and Will Ospreay will take on Callum Newman.
Khan hinted that there won’t be another Wrestle Dynasty, as the Wrestle Kingdom 21 card has so many AEW stars that it’s already very similar to the one for the joint show at the Tokyo Dome in January 2025.