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As previously reported, NJPW President Harold Meij has resigned and about to depart the company on October 23rd. As he prepares for his departure, Meij's plans for the biggest event of New Japan Pro Wrestling's calendar year have been revealed. Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the two key things Meij is working on for the January 4th, 2021 Wrestle Kingdom are the safety standards for the event and clearing outside talents.
Presumably, Meij would be interested in bringing in AEW talent because he would not need Tony Khan's approval due to many of their guys having a clause in their contracts to work NJPW dates if they do not conflict with their AEW commitments. The biggest hurdle with securing outside talent is that they would have to be in Japan now or at least by mid-December to quarantine ahead of the Wrestle Kingdom event. This will be an issue for someone like AEW World Champion and IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley as he is used on most weeks for Dynamite.
Chris Jericho is another star who was used for last year's Tokyo Dome event. However, his recent comments about the importance of AEW to him means that he will see his home promotion as more of a priority than NJPW. It also remains to be seen if Meij's departure may potentially bring the return of the members of the Elite back to New Japan as well. We will have to wait and see which outside and AEW talent Harold Meij is able to bring in for WrestleKingdom next year.
Takami Ohbari takes over as NJPW President from Harold Meij
NJPW of America CEO Takami Ohbari will take over for Harold Meij as President starting on October 23rd. This follows a rep from Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Meij was seen as divisive among the American and English speaking talent in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
It was also reported that most believe that Meij's impending departure will be "good news" to a potential AEW-NJPW relationship. We will keep you up to date on the latest regarding this shakeup to New Japan and how everything progresses.
