Two WWE stars are reportedly considering moving to Japan! Chris Jericho is trying to get AEW
to work with New Japan behind-the-scenes and New Day shoot hard on WWE’s scripted promos.
Hello and welcome to the WrestleTalk Super News - I’m Oli Davis.
Before last year, WWE was the girlfriend that broke up with you - it very rarely happened
the other way round - with them routinely releasing mass groups of talent every six
months. But suddenly at the start of 2019, which I’m sure has absolutely no connection
with the launch of All Elite Wrestling, it was the wrestlers that started saying to WWE:
nah babes, we’re done. Last year saw Hideo Itami, Goldust, Tye Dillinger,
Mike Kanellis, TJP, Dean Ambrose, Jim Ross, Mike Kanellis, Luke Harper, Jordan Myles,
The Ascension, Mike Kanellis, Sasha Banks, Sin Cara, and Mike Kanellis all either reportedly
asking for their releases or just letting their contracts expire, with some actually
being granted. But not Mike Kanellis no matter how many times he tries.
And 2020 appears to be no different, with two high profile women wrestling names also
reportedly being tempted away from WWE - current Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane and
top NXT heel Io Shirai. And it’s a story that begins all the way back in 2016.
Io and Kairi both came to prominence as two of the best women wrestlers in the world from
their time in the all-female Japanese promotion Stardom, who they had both wrestled for since
2011. But WWE went on a worldwide raid of female talent through 2016 and 17 to put on
their inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament - leading to them poaching Sane in March 2017
for a three year contract, reportedly worth $60,000 - which was actually a pay cut from
what she was then making in Japan. Shirai was offered a contract at the same
time, but a failed medical meant she wouldn’t join WWE until a year later in June 2018 - also
reportedly for less money than what she was making in Japan.
The two briefly formed the Sky Pirates tag team in NXT before Kairi was rather pointlessly
called up last April to form a new women’s team with Asuka called the Kabuki Warriors,
where they would be managed by Paige. They did win the women’s tag team championships,
and even main evented last month’s TLC pay-per-view against Becky Lynch and Charlotte, but the
match fell apart after Kairi seemingly suffered a concussion, which Flair appeared to exasperate
with a reckless powerbomb, and she hasn’t been cleared to compete since.
While it’s being reported that WWE expect Sane to be cleared in time for a women’s
Royal Rumble match spot on January 26th, it appears that both Sane and Shirai’s former
promotion might take advantage of how the two women are being treated.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Stardom are offering big money to Io and Kairi to
return to Japan. This follows Stardom being bought by New Japan’s parent company Bushi
Road late last year, and it seems the new owners have huge plans for the promotion - which
has already seen the first ever women’s match being put on in New Japan’s WrestleKingdom
show over the weekend, and now potentially bringing back two of the biggest women wrestling
stars in Japan from the last decade. Bushiroad director Takaaki Kidani has already
said in interviews that he’s trying to get Sane and Shirai back in Stardom, as they’re
investing more money in the promotion and need big stars. And Sane’s WWE deal is thought
to expire in just a few months, with her three-year deal presumably finishing in March 2020 - and
Dave Meltzer previously reporting she’s “definitely expressed interest in exploring
other options.” But he’s now also added what Shirai’s
feelings are on the whole situation… The Wrestling Observer Radio has claimed that
Io is unhappy in the United States working for WWE because she’s away from her fiance
- New Japan wrestler and new Never Openweight 6-man tag champion EVIL. Apparently they don’t
get to see each other that often and she doesn’t like being so far away from him. On top of
this, she’s earning less in NXT than she was in Stardom.
But Io signed with WWE a year after Sane, meaning her contract is likely up in June
2021. As we’ve seen over the last year, though, wrestlers aren’t content to just
wait out their deal expiration dates any more, as they can just publicly request their releases
on Twitter. Oh my God, Mike Kanellis has just asked for his release again! Meltzer speculated
that WWE might up her money soon to stop her from trying to leave, as they’ve already
put in a significant amount of time building her up as one of NXT top heels:
“Io may be moved to the main roster real quick to keep [her from leaving] because then
her pay goes way up because her pay in NXT is nothing special. I heard she was making
more money [with STARDOM].” Asuka is also often lumped in with Sane and
Shirai because, well, she’s Japanese. But she’s reportedly perfectly happy in WWE
at the moment and isn’t looking to go anywhere. Don’t expect this to be the last time in
2020 that WWE needs to guard itself against a threat from the East, as Vince McMahon might
find himself like Germany in 1941, where Russia turned babyface and created a war on two fronts.
Which… I suppose, yes, in that case I am comparing WWE to Nazi-era Germany. But purely
on a battle strategy perspective. I’m not say-
After Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes left New Japan after last year’s
WrestleKingdom 13, suddenly gutting the promotion of its main event non-Japanese talent, NJPW
has been understandably frosty towards the new American promotion they went to start,
AEW - with Dave Meltzer even reporting last Summer that those initials were ‘forbidden’
backstage in New Japan. But it seems AEW president Tony Khaaaaaan
has a New Years Resolution: squash that beef. Squash the beef! Squash the bee-
Chris Jericho has revealed that it was him who pitched the idea of putting an AEW title
shot on the line in his non-title WrestleKingdom 14 match against Hiroshi Tanahashi yesterday,
and Khan approved it. As Jericho won, it now appears this was nothing more than a very
effective promotional tactic to build excitement around the match, and not Khan and New Japan
signing off on a bigger working relationship. But New Japan’s Japanese commentators did
frequently bring up AEW in the show, the title was heavily featured in the Jericho vs Tanahashi
match, and the crowd did react loudly to the championship belt - all good signs that something
could be worked out between the two sides later down the line. Right now, though, there’s
no proper relationship behind-the-scenes, but Le Champion himself Chris Jericho has
vowed in his post-match WrestleKingdom interview to make this happen:
“The forbidden door is closed, but I don't think it needs to be closed. Put aside all
of the hurt feelings and egos, put aside all of the issues and politics and concentrate
on great wrestling matches and big business... I can see the amount of money that we could
make together with AEW and New Japan, both here in Japan and in the United States, and
Canada, and England, and Australia, and all around the world. So even though I beat Tanahashi
tonight, I would be more than willing to wrestle him again, any time, and I’d be willing
to give him an AEW title shot. And Okada. And Naito, and Suzuki, and Ibushi, and Ospreay.”
Jericho’s words shouldn’t be taken lightly, as he reportedly has a lot of backstage sway
in AEW, and now he’s gotten a few other wrestlers excited about the idea…
Along with Jericho saying he expects to wrestle on next year’s WrestleKingdom - most likely
against one of those main event names he mentioned in his interview - and Jericho’s current
AEW title rival Jon Moxley will also continue to wrestle for New Japan, leaving WrestleKingdom
14 not just with his newly re-won IWGP United States championship, but also with a feud
set up with Minoru Suzuki TAKE MY YEN NOW - another AEW wrestler has tried to book himself
in a New Japan match too, with the former ‘Tye Dillinger’ Shawn Spears tweeting
Jay White: “Hey Switchblade, We should wrestle sometime.
Sincerely yours, The Chairman” What dream match-ups do you want to see between
AEW and New Japan? Let me know in the comments down below because I’ll be replying to people
FROM OUTTA NOWHERE for the first 30 minutes after this video goes live!
Sadly none can involve arguably the world’s most exciting wrestler for the next few months,
as PWInsider is reporting Will Ospreay suffered an ankle injury - thought to be a broken heel
- in his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title loss to Hiromu Takahashi on Day 1. Which, despite
Ospreay only having one foot to wrestle on, will still likely be a 5 star breaking match
when Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer ratings come out on Thursday.
If Kofi Kingston hadn’t signed a new multi-year contract with WWE last month, you’d think
the New Day might be trying to get released themselves to go to New Japan or AEW too,
as the latest episode of their WWE-endorsed New Day: Feel the Power podcast might have
had its most brutally honest comments yet. The trio spoke about how Vince McMahon and
WWE now gives them a lot more creative freedom around their promos, with Big E revealing
they do have a writer, but it’s their direction: “We don't write our own promos, but we are
given promos and oftentimes we are able to say 'we don't really care for this, so we're
not going to say that.' So, we huddle in a room for an hour and come up with what we
want to say. Our creative process is so fun and easy and organic. I don't like when we
have a writer. There's three of us and we'll have a writer in the room, just lingering.
It's always easier for the three of us to go into a room, sequestered, and just hash
things out. We start popping ourselves and getting on a roll to make things more creative
and more us. I don't want to take shots at anyone, but if we read what was given to us
on a regular basis....trash." Xavier Woods jumped in and tried to frame
the ‘trash’ comment a bit more diplomatically: “There are certain situations where, if
you have someone writing for you that doesn't have similar life experiences or sense of
humor, it's harder for them to write in your voice. That's something we ran into."
The real reason has been revealed behind why Liv Morgan made her shock return as Lana’s
lover! Click the video on the right to find out more! And watch mine and Luke’s full
review of yesterday’s excellent WrestleKingdom 14 show by clicking the video below that!
I’ve been Oli Davis, and that was wrestling.