Is WWE Planning A Mass Raid Of New Japan Pro Wrestling?
2 min read
In the event you’ve been under a rock for the past 48 hours or so, there’s a huge rumor coming out of Japan. The rumor being after their annual Wrestle Kingdom pay-per-view, New Japan Pro Wrestling had several of their biggest stars give notice that they were leaving. According to a report originally published by The Wrestling Observer, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson are all in talks with WWE. If this pans out, WWE will have not only poached the TOP talents in NJPW, but they will have also set themselves up for another “Monday Night Wars” type of run, as their roster would then be exploding with talent.
While this scenario hasn’t been explicitly confirmed, no one is denying it either, and all parties are certainly fanning the flames of internet speculation. AJ Styles recently followed Triple H on Twitter, WWE.com has an article up on their website directly addressing the rumors (which WWE almost NEVER does), and in a tweet that has since been deleted, The Bullet Club themselves had this to say:
Keep a couple of them #BalorClub shirts handy we might be needing them. @wwebalor
— BulletClub (@BulletClubNJPW) January 5, 2016
So what does all this mean? Are these guys genuinely headed to WWE? Or is this all some clever cross promotion? The real answer is a resounding MAYBE. Back in the summer, there were reports that WWE and NJPW were indeed trying to establish a working relationship, one that seen Japanese Wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger appear on an NXT special. So while this could be the biggest migration since Hall and Nash back in ’96. One thing is for sure, WWE could definitely use a bit of shaking up as ratings have been falling in recent months, and they have proven in the past that they’re not above working with other wrestling promotions if it helps them in the long run.
What do you think? Would you like to see AJ Styles and Nakamura in a WWE ring? Can Gallows and Anderson flourish in an overly scripted tag team division? Sound off in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #NJPWWE
