Swerve Strickland Says AEW-NJPW Relationship Is ‘In An Interesting Place Right Now’
Swerve Strickland discusses the current relationship between AEW and NJPW.
As we rapidly approach this year’s Forbidden Door event, there is a ton of discussion surrounding the current state of NJPW. This has led to some criticism towards the company for their inability to produce new stars in recent years.
Speaking with Forbes for a new interview, Swerve was asked about the current relationship between both promotions.
“I think it’s in an interesting place right now because I think New Japan is in an interesting place. They’re still trying to find their new stars, their talents that take them into the next generation. AEW is in a place where all of our stars are trying to rise to the top. Kevin Knight has found his own. Kyle Fletcher is finding his own. Bandido is stepping into his own. Now you’ve got Takeshita finally besting Okada. That was a former New Japan legend over there. All these guys are stepping into their own. It’s like all these guys have to be showcased now in certain ways.”
Strickland went on to single out Callum Newman and Yota Tsuji as guys that are stepping up in NJPW.
“It’s almost like New Japan hasn’t found all of the guys who are stepping into their own yet, but you are getting the Callum Newmans and the Yota Tsujis. There are guys over there, but now it’s like, can their guys match the amount of guys that we have stepping up? That’s the challenge right now. It’s the new wave of talent matching up.”
Swerve also said that he wants to see STARDOM match AEW’s rising wave of talent.
“I would say the same thing about the women with Stardom as well. It’s all about matching up that wave of talent that’s rising up. You want to meet them at the same time, not when one side is rising higher than the other.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Strickland spoke about his recent singles matches with Kenny Omega. Check out his full comments by clicking here.
Special thanks to Forbes for the quote(s) in this article.
