WWE/NJPW News: NJPW owner comments on working with WWE

What’s the story?

In an interview with Tokyo Sports, NJPW owner Takaaki Kidani opened up on NJPW’s rising sales as well as the promotion’s goals in the near future.

Additionally, Kidani revealed that NJPW would like to work with the WWE, however, until the latter co-promote with NJPW the Japanese promotion will continue working with talents who’ve had some sort of affiliation with WWE; for instance, Chris Jericho. Fans can read the translated excerpts from the interview, courtesy @STRIGGA from Purolove.com, below—

In Toyko Sports Takaaki Kidani said that in two years time he wants to fill the seats in the outfield of the Tokyo Dome and mobilize even more fans. Therefore he says New Japan needs young japanese stars, specifically a heavyweight star in his 20s.

— STRIGGA (@STRIGGA) January 5, 2018

Kidani furthermore said that he remembers how the New Japan fan club had 1,890 members in 2012 and now membership figures are at 12,000. Kidani: "The base is rising. Various synergies are occurring. New Japan's sales are also rising."

— STRIGGA (@STRIGGA) January 5, 2018

With rising numbers Kidani said NJPW will be able to pay more money to wrestlers and he wants to get more wrestlers with a relationship WWE involved in New Japan. He says he's going to do that until "the other side" says: "Let's get along."

— STRIGGA (@STRIGGA) January 5, 2018

Link to the article: https://t.co/A5FxqFU2Iu

— STRIGGA (@STRIGGA) January 5, 2018

In case you didn’t know…

WWE and NJPW are two of the oldest professional wrestling promotions in modern history that successfully function to date.

While, pro-wrestling’s ‘Golden Era’ saw several WWE performers also compete in NJPW, in this day and age of expertly-crafted exclusive contracts, seldom does the WWE allow its top Superstars to work for other promotions. On the other hand, the WWE generally refrains from co-promoting a pro-wrestling event with another organization.

The heart of the matter

Takaaki Kidani asserted that NJPW would love to continue selling out shows at the Tokyo Dome, and eventually fill the outfield seats as well. However, he explained that in order to achieve that goal, the promotion needs more young Japanese stars and a Japanese Heavyweight superstar who’s in his twenties.

Furthermore, Kidani elucidated that NJPW has experienced tremendous growth in its fan-base & sales, and continues to do so in 2018, hence the company will have more funds so as to pay their wrestlers greater salaries.

Kidani added that NJPW aims to bring in more WWE performers who’ve worked with the American organization and continue doing so until WWE agrees to finally co-promote events with them.

What’s next?

The vast majority of professional wrestling industry experts believe that NJPW’s move of roping in the services of Chris Jericho has benefitted the company’s international brand and sales.

The aforementioned theory is now being further accentuated by the fact that NJPW has already planned out a feud between Chris Jericho and one of the Japanese organization’s top stars Tetsuya Naito.

Author’s take

Truth be told, it’d be awesome to see a few yearly events that have a crossover card featuring the best of WWE and NJPW.

Nevertheless, with the WWE widely heralded as the world’s premier professional wrestling promotion, NJPW has a long way to go before they could possibly pressurize the Vince McMahon-helmed company to work with them.