Rumors tend to fly all over the place in pro wrestling all the time. There are always pictures floating around the internet of guys outside of buildings of competing companies and whispers of potential signings to rival promotions. The hottest thing going over the last few months is talk of some guys from New Japan going to the WWE, in particular AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. The discussions now include Styles’ Bullet Club brethren Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
For the most part in the past I just wrote these talks off as just good old wrestling speculation but apparently where there is smoke there is fire. The story first broke when famed wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer broke the story on MLW Radio and Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer usually is close what’s going on and the WWE ran a story on WWE.com that acknowledges that something going on. Maybe somebody at the Federation is starting to understand how to use the internet. There is even a picture of the Chairman in a Bullet Club shirt floating around cyberspace giving the WWE some of the biggest buzz it has had in a while.
Fresh off an awesome Wrestle Kingdom 10, there is no better time for this news to come out no matter how true it maybe. The WWE will need a shot in the arm and bring SmackDown to USA they will need to revamp that brand. Loading up the roster and creating a new brand extension could be incredible for company. There is also NXT to consider which is becoming its own dynamic promotion and needs to be fed some top notch talent. That being said I have no interest in seeing Nakamura in NXT for any extended period of time.
Before we get too far ahead of things here are some facts. None of the talents mentioned have signed WWE contracts as of press time. Both AJ Styles and Doc Gallows contracts are up while Anderson and Nakamura are still under contract. According to all the dirt sheets all of these men are in negoations. This is the not the first time Styles or Shinsuke’s names have come up in WWE talks. The Nakamura rumors have even been discussed on our podcast. More than likely one or two of these men will make the jump to the United States to work on RAW but I doubt all four will make it over.
Styles is most likely the guy coming over to the WWE but the company is not going to miss the opportunity to get some web hits. Nakamura is under contract and working semi main event with the IC Title so he will not be leaving for a while. Not to mention as it has been discussed before on the Ring Time Podcast, New Japan is not just standing by and letting talent roll out. They are not some small company with no means of compensating talent financially and not ready to lose a major home grown talent like Nakamura who may get back in the main picture against Okada sometime over the next year. Whatever happens 2016 is promising to be a very interesting year in pro wrestling.
Written By
Keith B. Holt
Follow on Twitter @Kholtjr
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