NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd recently launched a scathing attack on AEW International Champion MJF.

Taking to his X account, Kidd decided to take shots at ‘The Salt of The Earth.’ The NJPW wrestler wrote that the former world champion could never touch him in the squared circle. A few minutes later, Kidd sent out another Tweet. He said that MJF never had a “real scrap”, and he challenged the AEW wrestler to come to Nottingham so that he could show how to fight. Check out the Tweets below:

It is unclear why Kidd decided to go after MJF and the latter is yet to respond.

Gabe Kidd has made a handful of appearances in AEW. He had joined forces with Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly at last month’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view. Kidd is currently competing in the NJPW G1 Climax 34.

Meanwhile, MJF recently became the AEW International Champion. The 250th edition of AEW Dynamite emanated from Little Rock, Arkansas last week. Will Ospreay and MJF showcased a remarkable match that saw some back-and-forth action.

In the final moments of the match, ‘The Aerial Assassin’ tried to lift MJF for the Tiger Driver 91. However, he paused and was reluctant to hit the move. For those who are unaware, Ospreay had previously said that he retired the move.

MJF took advantage of the situation and shoved Ospreay into the referee. MJF went on to hit Ospreay with his Dynamite Diamond Ring and earned the pinfall victory to capture the title. During the match, Will Ospreay even used Styles Clash but that went in vain.

• AJ Styles Reacts To Will Ospreay Using His Move: “Why do you think it bothers me?”

Tetsuya Naito is once again the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion after regaining the title at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door.

In the show’s co-main event, Naito dethroned Jon Moxley, ending his reign at 79 days. Naito was able to kick out of a Deathrider by Moxley though the AEW star was able to withstand Naito’s Destino. In the end, a second Destino clinched the win, and the title, for Tetsuya Naito.

This win makes Naito a two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. At Wrestle Kingdom 18 in January 2024, Naito won the gold for the first time with a win over Sanada. His 99-day reign would be ended by Moxley at Windy City Riot in April. This win also makes Naito the second-ever two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, alongside Kazuchika Okada.

• NJPW Star Questions Decision To Put IWGP Heavyweight Title On Jon Moxley

What’s Next?

With Jon Moxley no longer the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, it remains to be seen when we’ll see the title next defended at an AEW event. While the next Forbidden Door is a year away, AEW and New Japan have close ties, meaning we could see the title defended far sooner than that. In the meantime, Moxley will turn his attention to AEW All In 2024, while the next major event for New Japan is the Fantastica Mania: USA show on July 13.

• Jon Moxley Hates Twitter: “Take it off your phone. Throw it in the garbage”

All Elite Wrestling & New Japan Pro Wrestling will team up tonight to present Forbidden Door 2024 from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

The show will be the third annual Forbidden Door event and will see more promotions than those listed in the title. In addition to AEW and New Japan, the latter’s sister promotion STARDOM will be involved, as will Mexico’s CMLL.

Match Card

A total of 14 matches have been announced for tonight’s pay-per-view. They are:

• PRE-SHOW: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Yota Tsuji, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) and Místico (with Alex Abrahantes)
• PRE-SHOW: Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe (with Stokely Hathaway) vs. Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano
• PRE-SHOW: Mariah May (with Toni Storm, Luther and Mina Shirakawa) vs. Saraya (with Harley Cameron) (Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first-round match)
• PRE-SHOW: House of Black (Malakai Black and Brody King) vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong and Gabriel Kidd vs. Private Party (Zay and Quen)

• Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jack Perry vs. Dante Martin vs. Lio Rush vs. El Phantasmo (Ladder Match for the AEW TNT Championship)
• The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho and Big Bill) and Jeff Cobb (with Bryan Keith) vs. Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata
• “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) (with Luther) vs. Mina Shirakawa (AEW Women’s World Championship, Mariah May at ringside)
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy
• MJF vs. Hechicero
• Jon Moxley (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
• The Elite (Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, and Kazuchika Okada) vs. Scissor Ace (Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, and Hiroshi Tanahashi) (with “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn)
• Mercedes Moné (AEW) vs. Stephanie Vaquer (NJPW) (Winner Takes All match for the AEW TBS Championship and NJPW Strong Women’s Championship)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi (Men’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first-round match)
• Swerve Strickland (c) (with Prince Nana) vs. Will Ospreay (AEW World Championship)

How to Watch

The Zero Hour pre-show for AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door 2024 will be streaming live from 6:30 pm Eastern and fans around the globe can catch it for free on AEW’s official YouTube channel and Bleacher Report.

The AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door 2024 pay-per-view starts at 8 pm ET live from Paradise, Nevada. The event can be purchased and streamed on Bleacher Report and traditional PPV means in the US. For international audiences, the show will be made available through Triller TV.

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s President Hiroshi Tanahashi stunned fans this week by making an appearance and competing on the May 25, episode of AEW Collision.

Tanahashi was revealed as the mystery partner of Claudio Castagnoli and Daniel Garcia in a trios match that saw them face Lance Archer and The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch.) The match ended with Tanahashi hitting Vincent with his signature Sling Blade, followed by the High Fly Flow, to get the win for his team. 

The forbidden door has been opened as Hiroshi Tanahashi joins Castagnoli & Garcia.

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TBS!@LanceHoyt | @DEATHxWALKS | @NoNamexVincent | @ClaudioCSRO | @GarciaWrestling | @tanahashi1_100 pic.twitter.com/CSVdHqDr9m

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 26, 2024

This marked Tanahashi’s first match in AEW since his appearance at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023. At that event, Tanahashi unsuccessfully challenged then-AEW World Champion MJF. The Trios match was also Tanahashi’s second match on AEW Collision. His last bout on the show saw him defeat Swerve Strickland on the June 24, 2023 episode. 

• Hiroshi Tanahashi Wants The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

What’s to Come? 

Tanahashi’s involvement with the show won’t be the last time fans see names from New Japan Pro Wrestling on AEW programming. On June 30, 2024, the two promotions will team up to hold the third annual Forbidden Door crossover event. The show will take place in Elmont, New York from the UBS Arena. 

So far, the only match confirmed will see the AEW World Championship defended against the winner of the Casino Battle Royale match that will take place on the May 29, edition of AEW Dynamite. Participants for that match have yet to be confirmed. 

New Japan had no other alternative but to let go of Kazuchika Okada, according to parent company Busihiroad’s President Takaaki Kidani. 

Despite being one of New Japan’s top stars for years, it was in January 2024 that the company announced it would not be renewing the contract of the ‘Rainmaker.’ This ended the 18-year tenure of Okada under contract and was met with a backlash at the time. 

In an interview with Proresu-TODAY, Kidani was asked for his thoughts on Okada’s departure. 

“I can only say that I had no choice. As I have said many times, if I were in the same position, I would have done the same thing. So I can only say that it can’t be helped and that I wish them all the best, and I may sound like a customer, but all I can say is, please spread the word of Japan’s greatness to the world.”

Okada benefitted greatly from Bushiroad’s influence during his NJPW run as the company scored him media appearances and commercials that elevated his star power. With that said, Kidani made clear that Okada’s in-ring success was all his own doing. 

“He became what he is because he worked hard, but I think it was also due to the cooperation of those around him and good rivalry between them.”

Since leaving New Japan, Okada has signed with AEW and wasted no time in March by siding himself with The Elite. The Rainmaker is currently in his first reign as AEW Continental Champion. He will team with his Elite allies at AEW Double or Nothing 2024 to face FTR, Darby Allin, and Bryan Danielson in the Anarchy in the Arena match. 

AEW has experienced several injuries that have sidelined key members of their roster. Eddie Kingston is the latest addition to that list.

Kingston suffered an undisclosed injury during NJPW Resurgence, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports.

Kingston lost the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship to Gabe Kidd at NJPW and sustained injuries during the match. He was hurt during a table suplex spot.

After the incident, Eddie required assistance but managed to walk backstage with a noticeable limp. The extent of his injury is not fully known, but it was confirmed that he sustained a legitimate injury during the match.

It was previously thought that he suffered a leg injury during that match. This new report has now confirmed those fears.

Young Bucks’ NJPW Return

The Openweight Championship match was also significant as it marked the return of the Young Bucks to NJPW. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson made their a surprise return during the NJPW Resurgence event, targeting Eddie Kingston in a brutal assault.

After Kingston failed to defend his NJPW Strong Openweight title against Gabe Kidd in a No-rope Last Man Standing Match, Jack Perry approached the ring for a staredown with Kingston. This distraction allowed the AEW EVPs to enter the ring and launch a surprise attack on Kingston. After a brief promo, they executed an EVP trigger, effectively taking Kingston down.

This Young Bucks spot during NJPW Resurgence was obviously planned ahead of time, and Kingston went through with it despite his injury. We’re sending out our best to the Mad King for a speedy recovery.

Eddie Kingston may have suffered a serious injury during his appearance at NJPW Resurgence which has raised questions about upcoming plans in AEW. 

At the event, Kingston lost the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship to Gabe Kidd in a No-Ropes Last Man Standing Match. Kingston had held the title since 311 days after winning the title at NJPW Independence Day in July 2023. 

Unfortunately, it appears that Kingston may have suffered an injury during the match. As Bryan Alvarez explained, Kidd delivered a suplex to Kingston to the outside of the ring and noted that Kingston’s leg “hit that barricade so hard.” Dave Meltzer agreed, adding that it “scared the hell out of me.”

Alvarez noted that Kingston immediately grabbed his leg after the spot which proved to be the finish of the match. It was also stated that Kingston was “not moving” for minutes after the match but was able to pull himself up for the post-match segment with The Elite. 

Kingston was “limping bad backstage” in another worrying sign for the now-former Openweight Champion. There were concerns at the event that the Mad King would not be able to do the post-match angle. 

There’s no update on Kingston’s status but this situation could jeopardize plans for AEW Double or Nothing. During the May 8, episode of AEW Dynamite, Kingston was revealed as part of Team AEW that will battle the Elite in Anarchy in the Arena. Kingston will be joined by Bryan Danielson and FTR if this situation doesn’t keep him from the upcoming pay-per-view.  

• Eddie Kingston Doesn’t Regret “Whatever” Attitude to WWE Tryout

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Gabe Kidd didn’t hold back during a recent appearance for CBS News Los Angeles and took aim at both WWE and AEW. 

Kidd was on the show to promote the upcoming NJPW Resurgence 2024 event. The show will take place on May 11 from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Canada. 

When asked what makes New Japan different to other wrestling promotions, the English grappler shared his views on WWE and AEW. 

“Listen, I’ll put it in very simple terms. You like theater? Go and watch WWE. If you’re a fat nerd who can’t talk to girls, go and watch AEW. If you want to watch the real stuff, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, this is where it’s at.”

Kidd will be competing in some inter-promotional warfare at NJPW Resurgence later this month. He will challenge AEW’s Eddie Kingston in a No Ropes Last Man Standing match for Kingston’s New Japan Strong Openweight Championship. 

Crossover Matches

While Kidd hardly has a favorable take on AEW, NJPW Resurgence will feature plenty of All-Elite talent. AEW staple Jon Moxley will headline the show when he puts the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Shota Umino. 

Lance Archer will challenge Jeff Cobb for the latter’s NJPW World Television Championship. Jack Perry, fresh off his appearance on this week’s AEW Dynamite, will team with Ren Narita & EVIL to face Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & The DKC. It won’t just be AEW and New Japan talent involved, as TNA Wrestling’s X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali will face Lio Rush on the pre-show. 

Jon Moxley made history when he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Tetsuya Naito at NJPW Windy City Riot, but it appears that at least one star is not happy with this call.

NJPW star Yota Tsuji had an interview with Tokyo Sports where he shared some interesting thoughts on the booking of the company’s top title.

The 30-year-old first questioned the decision to put the title on Moxley even if he agreed to hold the belt. He said that the problem lies with officials of New Japan:

Where did the value of IWGP go? If Moxley agreed to be the champion, he certainly has the right to have a championship match. The problem is New Japan Pro Wrestling, which doesn’t say anything about it.

Moxley already has title defenses set against Ren Narita and Shota Umino. Before these matches that will be taking place on NJPW shows, however, he will be defending the title against Powerhouse Hobbs on this Wednesday, May 24 episode of Dynamite.

‘We Have To Find A Way Out of This Situation’: Yota Tsuji 

The 2024 New Japan Cup winner asked why Hobbs who has never been to NJPW himself is suddenly eligible to challenge for the top prize of the company:

Then what are the NJC and G1 for? He may be a great player, but even if he doesn’t win the NJC, a player who has no connection to New Japan or has never been to New Japan will suddenly reach the top. It would be strange for him to challenge for the belt of Hobbs.

In the first place, I wonder if that player has a visa. Even if he wins the belt, will he be able to come to Fukuoka? How long will he be under the influence of AEW, who have no respect for IWGP? I think we have to find a way out of this situation.

Jon Moxley became the first person to hold the heavyweight gold in WWE, AEW, and NJPW when he picked up the IWGP title at the April 12 event.

Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto to win the 2024 New Japan Cup in March. It was his first big accolade in the company that earned him the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Tsuji, however, was defeated by Naito when he challenged for the title at Sakura Genesis on April 6.

The quotes in the article have been translated through Google translate

AEW and NJPW are gearing up for another Forbidden Door pay-per-view this summer. According to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, popular Japanese women’s wrestler AZM will return to the US this summer and is scheduled to compete at this year’s crossover event.

Several top NJPW stars have joined All Elite Wrestling in recent months, including Kazuchika Okada and Jay White. AEW star Jon Moxley just won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, a strong indication that the two promotions have a very healthy working relationship.

The inaugural Forbidden Door pay-per-view was held in June 2022 in Chicago. The main event saw Jon Moxley defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi by pin-fall to win the interim AEW World Title.

Last year, Bryan Danielson defeating Kazuchika Okada by submission in a dream match that fans are still talking about until this day. 

Fresh off his win at NJPW Windy City Riot, newly-crowned IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley is now slated for his first title defense as a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s two-night Wrestling Dontaku event.

As revealed by NJPW, the Wrestling Dontaku event will emanate from the Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan, on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, respectively. Four matches have been announced for the first night, while night two’s card also boasts four contests.

Night One Action

One day after winning the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, Nic Nemeth challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to face him for the title once he recovered from an ankle injury. As such, NJPW later announced that Nemeth would defend his title against Tanahashi at the Sakura Genesis event on April 6.

Unfortunately for Tanahashi, NJPW later determined his injury to be more serious than they initially thought, prompting them to postpone this IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match. In the meantime, Nemeth pivoted his attention to NJPW Windy City Riot, where he would be tested against former NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii. 

After Nemeth conquered Ishii, NJPW confirmed that the title match between Nemeth and Tanahashi was back on and scheduled for night one of Wrestling Dontaku. 

The full cards are set for Wrestling Dontaku!

May 3!

Nic Nemeth vs Hiroshi Tanahashi!
Yota Tsuji vs David Finlay!
ZSJ vs Jeff Cobb!
Moxley/Umino/Desperado vs HOUSE OF TORTURE!https://t.co/uHXav195Wl#njpw #njdontaku pic.twitter.com/vTUFH3PywZ

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 15, 2024

Elsewhere on the card, NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will defend his title against Jeff Cobb with a 15-minute time limit. Former IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay will also be in action as he takes on Yota Tsuji in singles competition.

Night one of Wrestling Dontaku will also see an explosive six-man tag team match, as House of Torture’s EVIL, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru battle Shota Umino, El Desperado, and Jon Moxley.

Night Two

Following his tag team outing on night one, Jon Moxley will defend his newly won IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Ren Narita in the main event of Wrestling Dontaku night two. 

Moxley initially offered his protege Shota Umino the opportunity to be his first challenger. However, before Umino could respond, Narita attacked Moxley with his reinforced pushup bar, proclaiming his interest in challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

ICYMI

Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in Fukuoka May 4 against Ren Narita!

Gabe Kidd takes NEVER aim at Shingo Takagi and much more!https://t.co/uHXav195Wl#njpw #njdontaku pic.twitter.com/eiF5kQtXN4

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 15, 2024

Two other titles will be on the line on night two, the first being NEVER Openweight Championship. In this title match, Shingo Takagi will be defending against Gabe Kidd. Meanwhile, IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) will put their titles on the line against KENTA and Chase Owens. 

In non-title competition, Taichi and SANADA will be pitted against a pair of night one opponents — Nic Nemeth and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Jon Moxley is riding high after his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship victory and has issued a warning to everybody in New Japan Pro Wrestling. 

Moxley captured the title at NJPW Windy City Riot from Tetsuya Naito in a historic victory for the AEW wrestler. With this win, Moxley becomes the first man in history to have won the WWE, AEW, and IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. 

Speaking after his big win, Moxley said that the air “tastes like f***ing victory” before thanking those who have supported him. Moxley added that title wins mean little to somebody who is able to do whatever they want. 

“I don’t really care what three letters or four letters or five letters are on the name… I go where I want. I do whatever the f*ck I want, whenever the f*ck I want, and nobody can stop me.”

Later on, Moxley gave a warning to the entire New Japan roster ahead of his first title defense

“When you see what I do to my next opponent, when you see what I do to Shota, how far I am willing to go, what lengths I am willing to go to, how much I just absolutely show no mercy whatever, even to people that I love, you will see things in a whole different light.”

Check out Jon Moxley's first words after winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship!

…And Shota Umino's response 👀#njpw #njriot pic.twitter.com/9XG3qt5wXH

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 14, 2024

Moxley’s historic win is another accolade on what has become an epic career for the former WWE Superstar-turned-AEW staple. The New Japan roster will have to seriously step up its game if they hope to dethrone Moxley who is planning on a lengthy title run in the months to come. 

Matt Riddle was in no mood to stick around after losing the NJPW World Television Championship at NJPW Windy City Riot 2024. 

Riddle lost the gold to Zack Sabre Jr. at the April 12, event from Chicago, IL. After the pinfall loss, Riddle immediately got out of the ring and walked to the back, laughing and dancing without any regard for the outcome. This is hardly a good look for Riddle as it seems that the title meant nothing to him

Matt Riddle just no sold the loss to ZSJ and immediately got out of the ring laughing, smiling, and dancing… smh #NJRIOT #NJPW

https://t.co/ZdrPI5xa5o

— 🅰️🅾️ (@KXNGAO) April 13, 2024

This win makes Sabre the first-ever two-time NJPW World TV Champion. He was the inaugural champion and won the title at Wrestle Kingdom in January 2017 and held the title for exactly one year. 

NJPW Windy City Riot Highlights

Riddle’s behavior wasn’t the only notable part of New Japan’s Windy City Riot event. The show also saw Jon Moxley become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion with a main event win over Tetsuya Naito. The win makes Moxley the first man in history to have held the WWE, AEW, and New Japan World Championships. 

Jack Perry also competed at NJPW Windy City Riot in a loss to Shota Umino. For his entrance, Perry wore a jacket emblazoned with the message ‘CRY ME A RIVER.’ This was an obvious nod to Perry’s backstage altercation with CM Punk at AEW All In: London which resulted in both being suspended and Punk later being fired. 

AEW broadcasted the backstage footage during a segment on AEW Dynamite but removed the footage when uploading the segment in question to YouTube. 

AEW’s Jon Moxley has added another massive accomplishment to his legendary career by becoming the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. 

In the main event of NJPW Windy City Riot, Moxley dethroned Tetsuya Naito for the gold. Naito had held the title since Wrestle Kingdom 18 in January 2024, where he had dethroned Sanada. 

Not only did Moxley win the gold, but he has also made history in the process. With this victory, the AEW star has become the first person to win the richest prize in New Japan, All Elite Wrestling, and WWE. 

Jon Moxley has now won the top belts of the 3 top promotions completing the “Global Grand Slam”:

• WWE Champion: 2016
• AEW World Champion (x3): 2020, 2022
• IWGP World Heavyweight Champion: 2024

THE ACE OF THIS WORLD. pic.twitter.com/Xx14Pdxfmm

— Drainmaker 🌧️ 💵 (@DrainBamager) April 13, 2024

Renee Paquette & Tony Khan Show Support

Moxley had two important allies by his side for his latest World Championship victory, most importantly his wife Renee Paquette:

AEW President Tony Khan was also spotted at the event and congratulated Mox on winning New Japan’s top prize in the same building where he first won the AEW World Championship.

Congratulations to @JonMoxley, the new @njpw1972 IWGP World Heavyweight Champion!

Mox won the title tonight + made history in the same city Chicago and same arena @WintrustArena where he won his first ever @AEW Championship.

Congratulations @njpwglobal on a great show tonight!

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 13, 2024

One fan attempted to call him out for attending NJPW Windy City Riot instead of his own show, AEW Rampage, which also aired Friday night (but was taped earlier in the week). Khan joked that it was a ‘Friday Night Timecop’ situation, a reference to the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme about a time-traveling law enforcement officer.

It's a Friday Night Timecop situation:

I'm at 2 great shows at the same time:#AEWRampage on TNT now
+#njriot NJPW now! https://t.co/jmTDbGex6p

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 13, 2024

Cry Me a River

Moxley wasn’t the only notable name at NJPW Windy City Riot, as Jack Perry competed against Shota Umino in a losing effort. As you can watch below, Perry arrived to his match with a jacket emblazoned with the message ‘CRY ME A RIVER,’ a nod to his backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In: London that AEW recently aired. 

Jack Perry, who made his return to wrestling at NJPW Battle in the Valley in January. While his stint with the Japanese wrestling promotion was going well, he was not nowhere to be seen in AEW.

At Battle in the Valley, Perry even took out the AEW contract, and tore it up, sending a message. For those not in the know, CM Punk infamous altercation with Perry led to Perry’s suspension. However, even though the Jungle Boy’s suspension ended, he was still not seen on AEW TV.

But Perry is still active in Japan, and he is in fact set to face Shota Umino at New Japan STRONG’s Windy City Riot event on April 12. Speaking to NJPW1972.com about the matchup, and it is during this interview that he talked about his work with NJPW and leaving AEW behind.

Perry believes that he was the “scapegoat” in the CM Punk-All In incident. He even wears an armband with the word written on it as part of his ring gear and nickname.

“Well, Japan for me is an opportunity, not to start over, but start a new chapter without having to apologize or pretend to be sorry for the actions of other people. It’s a way that I can stay true to myself and continue to grow despite everything that’s gone on.”

The message is as clear as it can be: Perry is done with AEW, and doesn’t care about the promotion anymore.

“Ripping that contract was a declaration. I’m not playing by your rules anymore. If (AEW) are too afraid to have me anymore, if the specter of Jack Perry is too much, they don’t want to deal with the conversations, the ramifications that brings, then that’s fine.”

And Perry wants to prove this by going on a wrestling journey of his own and making a name for himself on his own terms and efforts:

“I don’t need them. I will go by myself across the world, all by myself, without any of my friends, without any of the things I’m used to, anything that’s been my life for the last five years, and I’ll do it on my own, make my own way.”

That being said, he is still not sure which group or promotion he currently represents:

“Some of these things are unclear even to me, but I would say this: Loyalty is a two-way street, and I show loyalty to those who are loyal to me. As of now, certain parties have been very good to me, and I intend to repay that.”

Speaking about his Scapegoat nickname, Perry added that he’s “man enough” to take the blame and is not “shying away” from it:

“I think it’s ingrained in human nature to be afraid of blame, and the disapproval of others. At the end of the day, that’s weakness. That’s a weak mindset, a weak soul. If you know the truth, what good is the opinion of other people? If you know the truth, you have power. I’m not shying away from the blame. If you need me to be the scapegoat because you don’t have the bravery to stand up for your own actions, then that’s fine. I’m man enough to take that blame from all of us and I’m not going to shy away from it.”

Recently, it was reported that Tony Khan was upset with Jack Perry, and in a subsequent interview, Khan praised his achievements in NJPW and asked fans to “stay tuned” about whether Perry will return to AEW or not.

“Well, I think you gotta stay tuned. Absolutely, Jack’s doing great things in New Japan. The New Japan Cup – he’s had a great run. He’s established himself over there. He feels he’s the ‘Scapegoat.’ But he’s doing great things, and he’s wrestling for a great promotion, and it’s been great tracking Jack’s progress in New Japan. And I think he’s done excellent work there.”

The Bullet Club’s Alex Coughlin will never compete again after announcing that his time in the ring has come to an abrupt end. 

On Twitter, Coughlin confirmed his retirement, adding that it sucks that he has had to hang up his boots. He added that he still has some wrestling merchandise available for purchase. 

https://twitter.com/AlexCoughlin93/status/1771738988732199148

Coughlin wrestled 197 matches over his career, according to stats from Cagematch. His final match took place on February 24 at NYWC Psycho Circus 21. At the event, he teamed with Sean Wachter to defeat QGTM (Jey Mesias & Pat Fitzpatrick.)

Alex Coughlin

Coughlin made his wrestling debut in April 2018 and entered the NJPW LA Dojo that same year. He trained under Katsuyori Shibata in a class that included Karl Fredericks (WWE NXT’s Eddy Thorpe) and Clark Connors.

Known as ‘The Android’ for his strength-based style, Coughlin’s time in New Japan would see him become part of the Bullet Club. At NJPW Independence Day 2023: Night 1, he and Gabriel Kidd captured the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships with a win over Bishamon. The pair held the gold until October 2023 when they lost to current champions Guerrillas of Destiny. 

Coughlin Outside New Japan 

As part of his New Japan run, Coughlin competed a handful of times for ROH in 2019 as part of the ‘War of the Worlds’ shows. In 2023, he teamed with Shibata to defeat the Workhorsemen. He would later challenge Shibata for the ROH Pure Championship in a losing effort.

Careers Cut Short

Coughlin is not the first wrestler to see their in-ring career cut short. Some wrestlers, such as Saraya, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Copeland, were all forced to retire due to injuries, only to receive second chances. All three are now part of AEW. 

Others have not been so fortunate. Jason Jordan’s last match took place in early 2018 and he retired due to injuries. The former Tag Champion has since made a name for himself as a WWE producer. Tyson Kidd can also be found backstage as a producer after his career was ended in 2015 due to a botched Muscle Buster. 

WWE has their eye on the entire pro wrestling world, and one big prospect may be finally able to join them. Giulia’s deal with STARDOM is running up very soon, and fans will see her next move soon enough.

Giulia, who WWE has eyed for a contract for a while, just made a big announcement about her pro wrestling future. She is leaving STARDOM in only a few days, but she did not mention WWE in her announcement.

Giulia’s Big Announcement

While taking to Twitter/X, Giulia addressed her current status in pro wrestling. In a post translated from Japanese, she announced that there are only a few days left on her STARDOM contract.

It has finally been officially released. I’m sorry for getting ahead of myself and confusing everyone. There are only a few days left in Stardom, but pro wrestler Giulia is still going strong!

stay tuned!

やっと公式リリースされました。私の話だけ先行してしまって、みんなを混乱させてしまってごめん。スターダムでの残り期間はもう後わずかだけど、プロレスラー・ジュリアはまだまだ続く！

乞う、ご期待！

— GIULIA ＝ ジュリア (@giulia0221g) March 22, 2024

Giulia’s STARDOM Exit

Rossy Ogawa, a founder of STARDOM, was fired from the company; and many top stars were thought to be leaving. Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI, Mai Sakurai, and Yuzuki all have contracts set to expire at the end of March. Giulia’s deal is also running up, and she has a big announcement for fans.

Giulia already told STARDOM officials that she is leaving in March. This is not a surprise for them, as there have been reports about her possible exit for months.

Stephanie Vaquer also won the NJPW Strong Women’s Title from Giulia as she wrapped up her time with the company.

In early February, it was reported that Giulia would postpone her WWE debut in order to fulfill her commitment to assist STARDOM founder Rossy Ogawa with his new promotion. The STARDOM standout has said in the past that she had unfinished business in Japan.

Giulia’s Talks With WWE

Giulia has been on WWE’s radar for quite a while. It has been the mindset for a while that she will be WWE-bound whenever free agency hits.

Due to WWE’s interest, it was reported that AEW stayed away from speaking to Giulia. She is wanted in WWE, as even Shayna Baszler has called her a dream match opponent. 

NJPW made the announcement last week that David Finlay would not be participating in the Nagoya event due to sudden illness, leading to his evaluation at a local hospital. The news came unexpectedly, leaving fans anticipating Finlay’s presence at the event.

David Finlay is now speaking out about his injury status. He called NJPW out for keeping him from gold as well.

Finlay Speaks on his Injury Situation

In light of Finlay’s absence, NJPW declared Hirooki Goto as the recipient of the advancement to the semifinals, courtesy of Finlay’s forfeiture. No official prognosis was given as to why Finlay was pulled from the 2024 New Japan Cup tournament. Finlay released a cell phone video from his car to really let fans know what is going on.

David Finlay accused NJPW of knocking him off his mental game before his title match against Nic Nemeth. He also addressed his currently injury status, because he’s still beaten up from his cage match.

Finlay said he’s had no time to rest, so he’s had no time to heal. He went from a cage match to a title match to the New Japan Cup. That called for “damage on top of damage on top of damage, so they wouldn’t clear me for my quarterfinal match, which quite honestly is bullsh*t.”

David Finley called a foul on NJPW keeping gold away from him, because they pulled him from the tournament. He said that he would have left in a hearse if that meant he could hold gold in NJPW again. He said that a cage match took out one of his WarDogs, but it won’t take out the leader.

David Finlay’s Brutal NJPW Schedule

On February 23, 2024, David Finlay faced Nic Nemeth for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s The New Beginning In Sapporo event. Unfortunately, Finlay lost the title to Nemeth after a 23-minute match.

Prior to that, on February 11, 2024, at NJPW’s The New Beginning In Osaka event, Finlay showcased his skills in a Steel Cage match as part of the BULLET CLUB War Dogs team. Alongside his teammates, Finlay emerged victorious after a grueling 64-minute battle against the United Empire faction. He has wrestles 9 times since that loss to Nemeth, and his last match was on March 15.

We will have to see when David Finlay is able to come back to the ring. He is not happy at all about how things are going.

SEScoops is sending David Finlay our best as he gets the rest he needs to heal. Hopefully, he will be able to get back to business and reclaim gold in NJPW. 

Yota Tsuji hopes to be the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but also hopes to be the final man to hold that particular piece of gold. 

Tsuji, the winner of the New Japan cup, Tsuji will battle Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 6. Speaking to the press ahead of the much-anticipated title match, Tsuji shared his plans should he win the gold. 

“I would want the 4th generation IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I want to make it exactly clear just how much IWGP means. That means I should take the IWGP World Heavyweight title, separate it again, officially retire the Intercontinental belt, and carry the IWGP Heavyweight.”

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was created on March 1, 2021, with the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Naito won the title back in January of this year by dethroning Sanada at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Issues

In the three years since the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was created, the title has seen a mixed-at-best response from fans. Many disagreed with the deactivation of the Intercontinental Championship, which had been held by the likes of Naito, Chris Jericho, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship got off to a rough start when the title eventually launched. A rather forgettable inaugural reign with Kota Ibushi was ended by Will Ospreay. The Brit would then suffer a neck injury, resulting in the title being vacated. Within three months of it being created, the title was on its third champion: Shingo Takagi.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Design

Perhaps the biggest issue with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is the title’s design. Many find the look of the title as ‘ugly’ especially compared to the IWGP World Championship. While Kota Ibushi said in 2021 that he was sure the title would grow on people, that’s yet to happen with many fans three years on. 

Nic Nemeth continues to make moves since becoming a name free agent and his most recent might have put himself between a “Stone Pitbull” and a hard place.

The IWGP Global Champion took to social media to lay down a challenge New Japan makes its way to Chicago, IL on April 12,, but before he did, he made clear that he wants a piece of NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi when he’s healthy, and he’s willing to put his gold on the line against “The Ace.”

“I will take on anyone, any time, any place and I see New Japan has a show in Chicago, April 12, Windy City Riot! You better believe ‘The Wanted Man’ is gonna be there, and I’m calling you out cause I want the hardest hitters there are! Tomohiro Ishii! Ishii vs. ‘The Wanted Man’, Windy City Riot – you hit hard, but I hit harder. Chicago, April 12, let’s rock.”

CHICAGO. APRIL 12 #NJPW @njpw1972 @njpwworld pic.twitter.com/cYumiPLcHz

— Nic Nemeth (@NicTNemeth) March 20, 2024

Nic Nemeth Wrestling Career So Far After WWE

Nic Nemeth was released by WWE back in September of 2023, and once he officially became a free agent, the former Dolph Ziggler hit the ground running by making an appearance at January’s Wrestle Kingdom and later showing up at TNA Hard To Kill.

Nemeth later did become the IWGP Global Champion by defeating David Finlay at New Beginning. As for TNA, Nemeth just defeated former TNA World Champion Steve Maclin at Sacrifice and is set to face Moose for the World Title at Rebellion.

Nic isn’t just keeping his wrestling work inside the ring ropes, however. Just last week he made his debut as a new co-host on Busted Open Radio.

Pro wrestling contracts are very important to the business. It helps companies lock down talent to make sure they can use them for later. Then again, contracts are not essential in every case.

It seems that NJPW star Gabe Kidd has actually been working without a contract. This has left him working for the company for well over a month on a handshake deal.

Gabriel Kidd’s Contract Status

According to Fightful Select, Gabe Kidd’s contract with NJPW was expected to expire in January. It lapsed, leaving him without a contract for approximately a month and a half.

Despite this contract situation, he continued to participate in key events such as the major cage match with Bullet Club War Dogs in February and New Japan Cup matches in March.

Now it is reported that Kidd has inked a new deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The specifics of the contract terms have yet to be disclosed. During the past few weeks, Kidd has been in Japan, actively participating in matches for the New Japan Cup shows.

Gabe Kidd in NJPW

Gabe Kidd is known for his contributions to Bullet Club and Bullet Club War Dogs, the 26-year-old wrestler is viewed as a potential rising star within NJPW. Now, it seems that he will be sticking around NJPW for even longer.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more, in the pro wrestling world. Please keep checking back for more updates.

There are a lot of plans in place for NJPW, but they can’t predict everything. Sadly, David Finlay is unable to wrestle as planned, and the company was forced to figure things out.

NJPW announced today that David Finlay will not compete tonight in Nagoya due to illness. He is currently undergoing evaluation at a local hospital. Hirooki Goto will advance to the semifinals via forfeit.

David Finlay is Out

In a recent announcement by NJPW, it was revealed that David Finlay would be absent from the event in Nagoya due to an unexpected illness. This was a bit of a surprise, because fans were expecting to see him.

With Finlay unable to compete, NJPW announced that Hirooki Goto would advance to the semifinals of the tournament by default. While Goto’s advancement was a result of Finlay’s unfortunate circumstance, it provided him with an opportunity to progress in the tournament that he didn’t pass up.

BREAKING

David Finlay will not compete tonight in Nagoya due to illness. He is currently undergoing evaluation at a local hospital. Hirooki Goto will advance to the semifinals via forfeit.

LIVE, English: https://t.co/qjGRy4IgTM#njpw #njcup

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) March 16, 2024

Who is David Finlay

With a rich wrestling lineage as a fourth-generation wrestler, David debuted in NJPW during the 2015 Best of the Super Jr. tournament. He then joined the New Japan Dojo. His road in NJPW included a tag team run with Juice Robinson, but now he is on his own.

After assuming leadership of Bullet Club, Finlay declared that the group was now exclusively for ‘savages,’ as he kicked out El Phantasmo and recruited Clark Connors. He then challenged for the NEVER Openweight Championship, winning over Tama Tonga in a brutal encounter.

Although Finlay lost the title to Tama later that October, he made a significant impact at Power Struggle in Osaka by attacking Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley after their US(UK) Heavyweight Championship match, destroying both belts.

In the aftermath, a new IWGP Global Championship was established, and Finlay claimed the inaugural title at Wrestle Kingdom 18. Now, he is still going strong in NJPW, despite his recent health setback.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more. You never know what will happen next, but we can’t wait to bring you all the headlines you need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q-Ar6_mKIw

This year’s AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door event will be the biggest show of its kind thanks to the influx of, and usage of talent from CMLL and STARDOM. 

AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling held its first Forbidden Door show in 2022 and hosted an equally successful sequel event last year. The name comes from the proverbial ‘forbidden door’ that wrestlers have been allowed to step through to compete for promotions other than the one they work for. 

STARDOM & CMLL At Forbidden Door

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that STARDOM and CMLL wrestlers will be a part of this year’s Forbidden Door event. Meltzer added that he believes the ROH Supercard of Honor event on April 5 will also feature talent from STARDOM. 

Tony Khan & STARDOM

Mere hours before this week’s AEW Big Business, Tony Khan shared a photo with STARDOM President Taro Okada. Khan said it was an honor to welcome Okada to the show.

It's an honor to have @tokada_mh4e the President of @we_are_stardom here with us tonight at @tdgarden in Bosston for this evening's Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite!

We are ready for some #AEWBigBusiness,
8pm ET/7pm CT on @TBSNetwork
TONIGHT!!! pic.twitter.com/FjAEcAsWHV

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 13, 2024

This meet-up comes at an interesting time, as STARDOM’s previous President Rossy Ogawa was fired from the promotion earlier this year. Following Ogawa’s exit, Khan poked fun at his situation via a series of tweets.

Bye Rossy! pic.twitter.com/rF8RJSjuqS

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) February 5, 2024

On his show, Meltzer suggested that the tweet above and similar made clear that Khan’s loyalty was with STARDOM, not the ex-President that many on the all-female roster support. This loyalty has clearly paid off for Khan, who will now be able to feature several talented women at the upcoming Forbidden Door event. 

The wrestling world has to mourn the unexpected loss of another colleague this week as Yutaka Yoshie passed away following an AJPW match in Takasaki City on March 10. The cause of death was initially unknown, but wrestling colleague Suwama has confirmed why his close friend passed away.

Suwama, who also was in the tag tournament Yoshie was participating in, rushed to the hospital following his match to be with Yoshie. Speaking with Tokyo Sports, Suwama was told by Yoshie’s family that he passed away due to arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries.

Suwama said that the family notified him that “it was not caused by a professional wrestling match, so please don’t worry about it. Even in the snow, he was wearing short sleeves and shorts, and he was a cheerful and cheerful person. It was truly unexpected…”

Yoshie was only 50 years old and set to celebrate his 30th year in wrestling, making his debut in 1994 for NJPW.

WWE Hall Of Famer Mourns The Loss Of Yutaka Yoshie

2015 WWE Hall Of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami was actually a mentor of Yoshie, and commented on the sudden passing.

“I’m shocked. He also appeared at our house, and we were friends who worked together at Muga. I never expected to hear news like this. I never dreamed of that,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve been wrestling for more than 50 years, and he’s a memorable wrestler. When he wrestled with Muga, he was a great force, and he had character, so I guess you could say he was dependable. He worked hard as a member, and there were many fans of his, both locally and in the region, who cooperated with him.”

We at SEScoops would again like to send our prayers and condolences out to Yoshie’s family, friends and fans at this time.

Quotes translated via Google from Japanese.

Some extremely tragic news coming out of Japan on Sunday as All Japan Pro-Wrestling Star Yutaka Yoshie has passed away. Backstage following his tag match on Sunday, Yoshie’s health “suddenly deteriorated” and was quickly taken to a hospital in Tasaki City.  Yoshie was only 50 years old.

Yahoo Sports reports that Yoshie teamed with Ryo Inoue to face Hokuto Omori and Ryoji Choi, but nothing notable stood out that may have seem to affect Yukata’s well-being. No cause of death has been discovered at this time. AJPW issued a statement following the passing of the notable talent.

“Yutaka Yoshie, who was participating in the Takasaki tournament held today, passed away on March 10, 2024. After Yutaka Yoshie returned to the waiting room after the game, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was rushed to a hospital in Takasaki City, but he never returned home. We would like to remember Yutaka Yoshie’s achievements during his lifetime and pray for his soul to rest in peace. All Japan Pro Wrestling.”

The promotion also announced that the airing of those particular tapings will be postponed in light of Yoshie’s passing.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, who won the IWGP Tag Team Championships with Yoshie, took to social media to mourn the loss of his partner.

https://twitter.com/tanahashi1_100/status/1766829534484308462

Yoshie was set to celebrate his thirty years in the wrestling business as he was brought up training in the same class as Satoshi Kojima. He made his debut under NJPW in 1994.

We at SEScoops would like to extend our prayers and condolences to Yutaka Yoshie, his family and friends at this time.