More on WWE & NJPW Talks for Potential Partnership

As noted before, WWE held talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling earlier this year regarding the idea of a potential working partnership between both companies. While the current status of these talks are not known, one of the terms included WWE wanting to be the exclusive American partner for NJPW.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources confirmed the intital report by Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that talks had been held earlier this year. Johnson reported that his sources also stated that these talks mainly revolved around the idea of Daniel Bryan being able to potentially work at some NJPW events.

Johnson also confirmed that the current status of these talks are not known.

In an interesting note, NJPW talent Fred Rosser, former Darren Young in WWE, revealed in a recent episode of his Pro And Bro Wrestling podcast that he was first told of these talks by WWE’s Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis during the filming of his interview for WWE’s upcoming Nexus documentary.

“When they contacted me, I said, ‘sure, cool.’ What they paid me…I always said if I do this for the money, I would have complained a long time ago. I purposely showed up with my New Japan jacket because I’m very proud of it. We (filmed) in a house. The producer was very cool and asked, ‘How do you like New Japan?’ I told him I loved it. As soon as we started rolling he asked, ‘do you mind if you take off the New Japan jacket?’ I said, ‘I’m very proud of this jacket and you guys just inducted Jushin Liger into the WWE Hall of Fame and I just talked to John Laurinaitis and he told me about a New Japan and WWE possibly collaboration. If this is supposed to be Nexus uncut and uncensored, let me be me because I’m very proud.’ The producer said, ‘No problem, you sold me,'” he said. “I’m very proud of the stuff I’m doing with New Japan and I talked to the people at New Japan that really matter and have helped me and they thought it was funny. All of this is putting more eyes on New Japan. If they do this collaboration in the future, let me be part of it.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com