Rocky Romero touches on the recent string of events that see promotions working together to create super shows such as AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and addresses mending fences between IMPACT and NJPW.
In 2023, it is not uncommon for promotions like AEW or MLW to work with NJPW, CMLL, or alternative Stateside promotions to create special shows for the professional wrestling audience as a whole.
Speaking with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Romero agreed that the global COVID pandemic likely opened the door for these types of crossovers, reflecting on early conversations with Chris Jericho about an AEW x NJPW event when AEW was in its infancy and such an event seemed like a pipe dream with only Chris Jericho being allowed to go over to New Japan from All Elite Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in 2020.
"I think you hit the nail on the head. I think that that’s definitely one of the reasons why New Japan really opened up even more than just working with CMLL," Romero said. "There was always talks between the wrestlers about AEW working with New Japan. I remember Jericho bringing it up the last Wrestle Kingdom that he did. He was like, ‘What do we gotta do to get these two companies to work together?’ I was like, ‘All in due time. Let this thing build. It’s a forbidden door. Now nobody can crossover, you’re like the only one at this moment. Let there not be a rush for it. Let’s build some anticipation for it and the slower we go with it, the better it’ll be.’ I think that really showed. Obviously pay-per-view numbers have been strong for Forbidden Door and attendance has been really, really great for the last two. I’m looking forward to number three."
Speaking about the difficulties of mending fences between IMPACT Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Romero credited Scott D'Amore for going the extra mile and being willing to prove that the promotion was now run by a different regime following NJPW feeling burned by a Jeff Jarrett-led previous regime of TNA/IMPACT.
"IMPACT was not an easy conversation at first, but also, Scott D'Amore came over and he he brought the rest of the regime with him and just said,' Hey, you know, guys, it's not that TNA anymore. We're a completely different company now.' So I think that was cool, and it kind of opened up the conversation a bit," Rocky said. "Working with Scott, he really understands what New Japan is. He's obviously a fan of New Japan as well. So, you know, I think that us getting together so many times, honestly, even at Luke Gallows' house a few times for Talk ‘N Shop A Mania and everything, we were able to have some really awesome conversations about what that would look like. Even though it wasn't up to him, he wanted to make good on New Japan for any of the mistakes that the previous regimes have made, you know, and I think that he definitely did that."
Speaking about the possibility of a major supershow that would include promotion from AEW, NJPW, MLW, TNA/IMPACT, CMLL, and more, Romero says that it's possible. While it's not going to happen anytime soon, he believes that it's becoming closer and closer to being a real possibility with NJPW at the heartbeat of the entire crossover.
"It’s possible. I think we’re not probably there just yet, but I think it becomes closer and closer. I feel like, definitely, New Japan is in the middle of it all. I feel like New Japan hosting some kind of show, maybe in Japan, would be really, really cool. High production, do the whole thing like a Tokyo Dome or Yokohama Arena and inviting some kind of world summit and inviting all these different companies to come wrestle on this card, which would be a real mega super card, you know? Like you said, having all the logos and everybody being attached to it, that’d be money."
Even though Scott D'Amore had told NJPW representatives that IMPACT is not the TNA of old, the promotion will soon be going back to the TNA wrestling name beginning in January with TNA Hard To Kill 2024. Learn more about the rebranding here.
Fans can check out the whole interview with Rocky Romero embedded above and keep up with all things NJPW by checking out the recently revamped NJPW World website and apps.
