AEW President Tony Khan. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Cobb questions parity in AEW's partnership with NJPW

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jun 23, 2024 5:16 PM ET

Jeff Cobb believes AEW needs to do a better job upholding its side of the partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Cobb made the comments during a recent interview with Steve Fall of Ringside News.

“I personally do not like certain things because in a collaboration, in a partnership, it’s supposed to be 50/50," Cobb said. "I personally feel that we hold up our end of the bargain; on the other side, not so much...like, for example, Will Hobs, saying, ‘Hey, I want a title match,’ and for some odd reason, he gets a title. He’s never been in Japan, never wrestled on a New Japan show, and he’s getting a New Japan IWGP World Heavyweight Champion title shot, which is ridiculous.”

AEW has been coming under increasing scrutiny for its partnership with NJPW. Tony Khan has poached multiple top stars over the last year. Jay White, Will Ospreay, Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada have all jumped to AEW programming as full-time talents.

Following Cobbs' comments, former WWE employee Marie Shadows spoke with Yardbarker regarding AEW and NJPW's partnership.

"I agree with Jeff Cobb," Shadows said. "Throughout wrestling history, there have been countless challengers calling out the champion to get a shot. They often lose in the process. For stories to make sense in this partnership, the 50/50 needs to be there and the respect for other company needs to be there. No partnership will ever be perfect, but to gain trust from the workers and fans, it needs to make sense."

Shadows has been vocal regarding AEW's partnership in recent weeks. She recently released an episode of her "The Squared Circle" podcast in which she examined the potentially exploitive partnership and how it drastically favors AEW.

AEW and NJPW will continue their partnership at "Forbidden Door" on June 30. The event has become a staple of the wrestling calendar. CMLL will also feature some of its wrestling talent on this year's pay-per-view. However, if AEW continues to take more than it gives, it's unlikely the partnership will flourish the way it's supposed to. Currently, NJPW is suffering because of the deal, while AEW has a stable of talent that is being consistently underutilized.

Cobb speaking up has taken the conversation into the mainstream. Both AEW and NJPW can find a middle ground. Otherwise, WWE could emerge as a potential partner, especially after their initial crossovers with TNA, which have been such a success.

AEW is struggling on multiple fronts at the moment. The last thing it needs is to lose one of its strongest allies. Something must change. Hopefully, it will be in the near future.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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