All Elite Wrestling collaboration ‘can be huge’ says OWE ahead of talks with Cody Rhodes, Young Bucks
- Talks with Cody Rhodes and Young Bucks ongoing and ‘possibilities are big’
- Shanghai-based OWE ‘will do everything to support AEW to bring the best wrestling to the world’
One of the more intriguing titbits to come out of All Elite Wrestling’s inaugural press conference in Jacksonville earlier this week was the announcement they would be working with China’s Oriental Wrestling Entertainment.
AEW’s executive vice-president Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks said the new promotion would be working with some of the high-flying wrestlers from the innovative Shanghai-based group, whose roster is largely made up of former martial arts students and Shaolin monks.
But just how will the relationship work?
OWE management stressed to the South China Morning Post there has been no official announcement yet as to the details of the partnership, but promised there would be news “soon”.
But the two promotions have talked – OWE’s head trainer and president CIMA, the legendary Japanese wrestler from Dragon Gate, is long-time friends with Jackson – and are open to working with each other.
“It’s not an official announcement yet,” OWE vice-president Michael Nee said. “How to work with each other, what the whole thing will look like, we haven’t had the thorough conversations yet.
“But they made an announcement that they’re happy to work with us, and we’re really happy about that too. We’ll just try to give them all the resources we have.
“CIMA told them everything about OWE and that’s why we’re starting this cooperation. Both parties have the intention to work with each other, and the management know each other very well, so the possibility is big.”
OWE officials are arranging to travel to the US to meet AEW – the new wrestling venture which is being financially backed by billionaire Jacksonville Jaguars owners Shad and Tony Khan – before making an official announcement.
“AEW knows OWE is doing really good in China with the Chinese kung fu and everything, and we have many talented wrestlers,” Nee said. “We are based in China, they’re in the US, but working together we can be huge in the future, that’s the intention.
“From the very beginning, we’re willing to do global matches like Japan, China, Asia, US and everywhere – we think wrestling is an international sport and entertainment. It should be global.
“AEW also would like to globalise and work with many countries, so on this point we have something in common.
“OWE will do everything to support AEW to bring the best wrestling to the world.”
China is in the early stages of accepting wrestling as a form of entertainment, and is still developing its fan base – but OWE think AEW can help them in that regard.
“We are really working hard to let Chinese people know what wrestling is, the beauty of it,” Nee said. “If all the Chinese people know OWE can work with the best leagues like AEW, it’s really good for us, and also we can get approval from the international fans.
“We’re young, we’re just beginning, but we have the skills trained by CIMA, the martial arts schools, to compete and challenge with the best people globally.
“Everything from our perspective, we are thinking that’s good for us. What’s gonna happen in the future no one knows.”
