NJPW Press Conference notes: AEW relationship, Tanahashi's growth plan

[Chris]

NJPW owner: AEW relationship is ‘very positive,’ we couldn’t ask for a better partner

NJPW owner Takaaki Kidani addressed the perception that NJPW is inferior to AEW in their partnership.

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NJPW owner Takaaki Kidani believes that his promotion and AEW are “absolutely on an even footing” in their partnership.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Hiroshi Tanahashi addressed his first six months as NJPW president and outlined a 10-point plan to help the company grow. Among those was NJPW strengthening its ties with AEW. Tanahashi said he spoke with Tony Khan while in Las Vegas recently and discussed how NJPW and AEW can continue to collaborate in the future.


Kidani also spoke at the press conference, describing NJPW’s relationship with AEW as very positive. He said NJPW could not ask for a better partnership right now.

Addressing the perception that NJPW is the inferior partner in the relationship, Kidani said that is “not correct.” Kidani believes that the promotions are on an even footing and both offer different strengths. He pointed to NJPW’s history and tradition as one of those strengths, along with the way NJPW develops talent from scratch:

“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.

Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay both left NJPW and signed full-time contracts with AEW over the last several months.

Jon Moxley, one of AEW’s top stars, is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion for NJPW. Moxley is defending the title against EVIL in a lumberjack match at NJPW Dominion this Sunday.

AEW & NJPW will join forces for their Forbidden Door pay-per-view in Long Island, New York on Sunday, June 30. It’s the third straight year the event has taken place.

Here are all 10 points that Tanahashi detailed in his plan for growth:

1. Talent discovery and development
2. Elevating the value of title belts
3. Reducing/eliminating outside interference
4. Increasing the prominence and status of NJPW Hontai (the group of wrestlers affiliated with main NJPW instead of one of the promotion’s other factions)
5. Strengthening ties with Stardom
6. Strengthening ties with AEW
7. Improving the live fan experience
8. Improving NJPW World
9. Improved treatment of personal information (after NJPW lost a USB drive that contained some personal information of fan club members this April)
10. NJPW sponsorships (improving relationships with current sponsors and introducing new ones)

 

[Roy Mustang]

3. Reducing/eliminating outside interference

FIRE THE HOUSE OF TORTURE

 

[Chris]

FIRE THE HOUSE OF TORTURE

You know that was a kayfabe point lol

 

[Comrade Khan]

Increasing the prominence and status of NJPW Hontai (the group of wrestlers affiliated with main NJPW instead of one of the promotion’s other factions)

this is needed and makes a lot of sense coming from Tana who never led a faction afaik during his time on top

 

[Chris]

Pres. Tanahashi Offers Ten Steps to NJPW Success in Coming Months

Tanahashi’s six month progress report sees top issues addressed

news.njpw1972.com

More details involved

 

[Roy Mustang]

You know that was a kayfabe point lol

I do lmao

 

[Apoho Creed]

All of this is bs this has always been there 10 Point Plan it's just that they haven't had success or excuted it lately. Let's go through the Points shall we?

1. Yeah Mcfly you guys thought guys like Okada and Ospreay were staying on with NJPW and do not have a fall back plan to start to push that younger talent like Umino and Tsuji to get you ready for hopefully a decade more of success. Moxley shouldn't be your Champion right now if you had some Booking Abilities one of the Young Guns would be Champion right now and you would be thriving vs falling from the Sky in my opinion.

2. Then stop hot shotting the fucking titles and changing the names of them no reason. The US Title to UK Title and now it's the Global Title stop that nonsense then.

3. Oh brother

4. Well please do but right now talent are leaving so you need to create a reason why anyone would want to go up there right now first.

5. Please do. How about more Matches involving the Stardom ladies duh. Everytime you used them especially when when the IWGP Women's Title on the line it was one of most talked about thing on the Card and one of the better things that came off from the Shows.

6. You jerk me off and I'll jerk you off sounds about right.

7. Good when I win the Lottery and I'm nearly my 70s maybe you'll make that happen till then I'll believe it when I see it.

8. Yeah I've heard multiple problems with NJPW World with the Streams being terrible, and the Site itself being so unstable to the point you can't log in and watch the Shows. I can get that being a problem off the jump but Years in it shouldn't be happening I feel.

9. Biggest fuck off job from NJPW this Year I remember hearing never let it happen again.

10. Please do that any money that continues to flow in for ya is always a positive.

 

[Leon TrotSky]

"elevate the titles" then why did you remove the history of the top title?