New Report Confirms WWE Made Overtures to NJPW Last Year

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A new report has confirmed previous details about WWE having reached out to NJPW last year. You may recall that back in May of 2021, it was reported that WWE had been in talks with NJPW for a potential deal that would have seen WWE become NJPW's exclusive business partner in the US. Of course, those talks didn't come to fruition and AEW is now set to host a joint PPV with NJPW, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, in June.

According to Sports Illustrated, WWE president and CRO Nick Khan made overtures to New Japan last year for such a deal. The report confirms the details from last year that Bryan Danielson was a focal point of WWE's interest as they were working on solutions to keep Danielson in WWE. Khan reached out to NJPW and began exploring potential ideas to work together. The report notes that Tony Khan found out about WWE's interest through contacts in Japan, and that NJPW officials assured Khan that their priority was working with AEW considering how they'd been fostering their relationship for a while at that point. Khan famously cut a promo that month where he said:

"As we get ready to go live tonight on Dynamite on TNT, I just wanted to address as the Forbidden Door — I read in the Observer today that New Japan Pro Wrestling has apparently had talks with WWE's President Nick Khan. Well Nick, I just have to say if you've been talking to New Japan for two months, you've gotten a lot done. Just in the last two weeks I've had Yuji Nagata, Ren Narita, and Rocky Romero on AEW. I've reunited Roppongi Vice. I've had the New Japan IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley defend the title successfully on our show, retaining it. And I have future plans with New Japan for the US Title. So you must've really gotten a lot done in two the months, Nick."

According to SI, NJPW officials knew about the promo before it was released and in fact encouraged Khan to go forward with it.

The report quotes NJPW president Takami Ohbari regaring the upcoming joint PPV as saying, "Traveling between Japan and the U.S. is no longer a significant problem. If Japanese fans are invested in this event and the demand is there, then there will absolutely be the impetus for us to take the next step of holding an event in Japan."