Rocky Romero: NJPW Still Figuring Things Out After Sale

Rocky Romero says New Japan Pro-Wrestling is still working through plenty of unresolved questions as it adjusts to new ownership, describing the promotion as being in the middle of a transition period.

Romero addressed the state of the company in a new interview, pointing to the sale of NJPW to TV Asahi and CyberAgent earlier this year as the driving force behind the uncertainty. It’s the most significant corporate shake-up the promotion has undergone in years, and according to Romero, the ripple effects are still being sorted out behind the scenes.

For a promotion that has weathered no shortage of change over the past decade — shifting ownership structures, the rise and fall of various U.S. partnerships, and a constantly evolving talent roster — this latest transition stands apart simply because of the scale of the companies now involved. TV Asahi has long been connected to NJPW through broadcast ties, but a direct ownership stake alongside CyberAgent, a major Japanese internet and tech conglomerate, signals a different kind of institutional backing than wrestling fans are used to seeing at the top of the company.

Romero is uniquely positioned to speak on this. Beyond his in-ring career as a longtime member of CHAOS, he’s been one of the key figures steering NJPW’s American expansion efforts, including its New Japan Strong programming and the promotion’s broader relationship with the U.S. wrestling scene. That vantage point gives weight to his comments about the company still needing to figure out its path forward — he’s someone who has to help execute whatever direction ownership ultimately settles on.

The timing is notable, too. NJPW has spent the last several years trying to stabilize its American footprint after the dissolution of its partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America’s old media arrangements, all while continuing to navigate a talent landscape where AEW, WWE, and other companies are aggressively courting the same pool of international stars. A new ownership group bringing fresh resources could mean anything from expanded media deals to a renewed push into the U.S. market — but it could also mean a slower, more cautious period while new stakeholders get their bearings, which appears to be closer to what Romero is describing.

For now, there’s no indication of specific structural changes, talent moves, or creative shifts tied to the sale — Romero’s comments read more as an acknowledgment that the company is still in flux than a preview of concrete plans. That’s not unusual for a wrestling promotion absorbing new ownership, but it does leave plenty of open questions about what NJPW looks like a year or two down the road, both creatively and on the business side.

Given Romero’s role in New Japan’s American strategy, his read on the situation is worth watching closely. If there’s a bigger vision starting to take shape at NJPW headquarters, he’ll likely be one of the people helping carry it out — and one of the first to say so publicly when there’s more to share.