Maybe, I'm in the vocal minority but there are a lot of NJPW fans who are also AEW fans. Quite frankly my interactions with AEW fans have left too many sour taste in my mouth. AEW wrestlers actions on social media and real life have made it to the point I don't want their product at all. I tried AEW, but things from the past made me give up on the promotion entirely. I have noticed it with AEW fans that they get on you for criticizing the company in any capacity, and I have experienced that a lot.
I stopped watching WWE for years now, and I'm not going back to it because that company has done too much for my liking where it's just not bearable. I have my standards, and my standards are this.
I have just outright refused to watch a lot of NJPW stuff involving AEW talent at all. Sure, Takeshita maybe a great wrestler but he's an AEW guy and when he had to belt I refused to watch it. Jon Moxley same thing when he had the belt, no thank. I know he's not with AEW, but when I saw Nic Nemeth last year in NJPW I was so uninterested in that. It was for me "Oh Dolph Ziggler, the man who's been doing the same gimmick for years now".
Last year's Best of the Super Junior when Nick Wayne and Kevin Knight had matches. I skipped their matches entirely, this year's Wrestle Kindom I didn't watch Tsuji vs Takeshita I fast forwarded to the end to see if Tsuji won by avoiding spoilers. I didn't watch Tanahashi's retirement with Okada at all. I look at Okada and I reminded myself of him being very selfish that he couldn't even drop the NEVER Openweight Six Man belts to a team that needed it on his way out of NJPW. I have no interest in Okada at all. I didn't watch Wrestle Dynasty at all last year, and even if I have NJPW World I'm not going to watch.
Yes, I could hurt myself by not watching certain matches or people but here is my thing. When, I got into NJPW it was mainly at a time when ROH had been on tv here in New York City, even though it was the channel Destination America. But, I also got into NJPW because of two Youtubers who covered it RealNeatPuro and Showbuckle. I kept up with NJPW seldomly back then and I liked it.
For me AEW's working relationship with NJPW has not helped the company in my view. I look at how too much AEW on NJPW has really soured me on NJPW at times. The New Beginning USA show of this year(2026). I passed on the show entirely bevause I had no interest in 90% of the card. I just hope that this year's BOSJ is strictly NJPW, CMLL, DragonGate, and maybe an AJPW wrestler as well.
I'm just going to go back on my morals with AEW. I don't care if I'm in the vocal minority but I let it be known. I'm sure, I'll get comments about find another promotion to watch then, I watch Marigold as well. I'm just a fan of NJPW and if the AEW "partnership" ended tomorrow then I would be happier.
by GalaticWeiss
11 comments
NJPW fans are willing to show interest in AEW. A larger portion of AEW fans think NJPW is just a little Indy company that should be thankful AEW even looked their way
You guys either need to get better with bait or find different ways to farm engagement. Just make the posts about the retired guys or something idk
Same, AEW and the Yen being down really brought NJPW significantly for me. TNA and NJPW was the most interesting crossover and was pretty fair for both parties.
I take this post more like venting rather than objectively debating “AEW hasn’t helped NJPW” or “you shouldn’t watch AEW” or anything like that, you have your preferences which is technically fine
I do think the most diehard AEW fan can come across as unbearable, I do think personally the partnership has led to TK more or less getting a head start on particular talents he had interest in once their contracts come up. And Okada dipping before putting over the young guys looked selfish to me as well tbh
*Objectively*, though, it’s on New Japan for their lack of an ability to hold onto talent longterm, sure the yen may be struggling but that’s not on AEW. And if you look at the Tanahashi retirement situation, although we’ll probably never get a clear view of all the politics behind the scenes, WWE seemed to want to control the situation with Nakamura to either benefit themselves or stick it to AEW, while AEW sent Okada who was easily the best possible choice to retire Tanahashi.
Forbidden Door gives NJPW a certain amount of revenue every year, and even if the event wasn’t seen as successful AEW sent a bunch of their talent to do Wrestle Dynasty in the Tokyo Dome last year. Kenny Omega has worked multiple WK’s and Ospreay probably will as well.
I don’t watch AEW because I don’t like their show. I’m not sure why it needs to be more complicated than that, or why there is supposed to be some sort of “moral” principle involved with watching their show or not.
It’s ironic that you call AEW fans unbearable. Only to make a entire post whinning about AEW, their wrestlers and even Okada; just for being associated with NJPW via the partnership.
Get over yourself, if your “morals” means that you can’t enjoy wrestling. Then what’s the point of calling yourself a NJPW fan let alone a wrestling fan? I might not like the AEW-NJPW partnership but as least I’m not writing an entire essay just to bash AEW and their wrestlers like a unbearable whinny douchebag.
I’m more annoyed from anti-AEW fanboys that downvote anything in here that is not condemning AEW.
Just get over it and support the product you enjoy instead of focusing on a company that obviously creates a product thatis not for you.
>I look at how too much AEW on NJPW has really soured me on NJPW at times
NJPW fucked itself.
Nothing Tony Khan did forced the NJPW booking team to run Naito into the ground while pushing no new talent to replace him, nor forced them to wait until Tanahashi’s literal retirement to finally crown ONE new top guy, as the entirety of their prior main event scene left or retired. Nobody forced NJPW to put DOUKI into House of Torture and increase its membership to the point that it’s basically impossible for them to run a show without half of it being House members (and I *like* House of Torture). Nobody forced them to disband the only other heel group (War Dogs) with no replacement ready, meaning they now have to artificially push United Empire into that role when UE has been a face unit for years at this point.
These were all complete own goals and are far more why the company’s in the straits that it’s in. Goes double if the rumours of management disrespecting the boys is true and not just Okada being pissed at (ironically) the other Okada.
Honestly I stopped reading when you said you skipped Tanahashi’s retirement. You missed one of the most iconic matches of the modern era out some grudge against the fan base of another company???
Fans online of a lot of companies can be utterly shit, its not AEW exclusive. If anything its like people equate companies to sports teams instead of just organisations like they are. And just in case it comes up, I’m not an AEW fan (have not watched a show in years) as in general I dont like TV format wrestling.
Why would you not have watched Kevin Knight’s matches in BOSJ last year? You skip other NJPW wrestler matches too? No shame if you do. It’s what I do for Chase Owens matches.
Missing Okada Tanahashi is wild, I agree that AEW discourse online can’t take criticism at all but you should really watch that match just for Tanahashi. I do wish it was more new Japan focused here but AEW is a more internet friendly promotion so you’re not going to have a lot of discussion about history. It is what it is I suppose, I’m just thankful we are no longer in the era of giving an AEW guy a title reign.
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