In an interview with Wrestling Observer Live, NJPW star Rocky Romero discussed AEW’s working relationship with CMLL in light of AEW’s pre-existing partnership with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
AAA and CMLL have a notoriously unamicable relationship. On the other hand, AEW has been working with AAA for quite some time, and most recently booked CMLL wrestler Mistico on Rampage.
Romero said, “The parameters are things like no AAA talent on the same show as CMLL talent, obviously not in the same matches as well. But yeah, I think I’m pretty much responsible for at least getting the conversation started and bringing the idea of CMLL working with AEW. In this case, primarily Mistico. I think over the past few weeks, we’ve heard quite a bit that Tony Khan was a big fan of Mistico and having him was a big deal. Just to be able to open that door for CMLL, AEW, and New Japan to hopefully do some more work together next year, I think it’s really cool. That’s another forbidden door opened.”
The rebranding was announced at the end of Bound For Glory this past weekend. Impact Wrestling will switch back to TNA Wrestling at Hard to Kill in January 2024.
D’Amore said, “While we found that stability under the IMPACT banner, and I’m very proud of that, what we now have is we’re ready to go there and have our growth and true success. Our true second golden era under our true name, TNA Wrestling. I’ve had a few people say, ‘I really like IMPACT.’ We’re back where we’re supposed to be. The name of the company is TNA Wrestling. Every Thursday night, you’re tuning into IMPACT. TNA Wrestling IMPACT. Both of those brands have value, but TNA, at our core, is who we are and gives us back that swagger that maybe we lacked. I talked about too much apologizing, that’s done. Are we going to make mistakes? Absolutely, but when we do, we get up, dust ourselves off, and get back at it. We are going to go back to our roots. We are going to go out there and we are going to press. When the whole business zigged, we zagged. When small wrestlers weren’t allowed to be in the main event, even WCW, for all the work with cruiserweight, they didn’t main event. They main evented here. AJ Styles was a World Champion here. We changed an industry. When tag team wrestling was almost obsolete, we went out there with Team Canada, America’s Most Wanted, 3 Live Kru, Triple X, and did tag team wrestling right. When women were still wrestling in mud and jello and fighting over who might get a chance to sleep with somebody twice their age, we went out there and gave women a platform to be athletes and be respected equally. We will continue to do those things. People have been asking what IMPACT Wrestling is. I think you’re going to see a clearer, cleaner vision for that. It’s an amazing time in wrestling, I’m not here throwing shade, there are a lot of great things out there, but we’re very confident in putting our foot in the ground, planting our stake and saying ‘we’re really good at what we do and we’re coming.’”
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The wrestling world is abuzz with news of AEW’s working relationship with CMLL, a partnership that has raised eyebrows due to the historically strained relationship between CMLL and AAA. In a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Live, NJPW star Rocky Romero shed some light on this unique collaboration.
Romero revealed that there are certain parameters in place to ensure a smooth working relationship between AEW and CMLL. One of the main stipulations is that no AAA talent can appear on the same show as CMLL talent, and they cannot compete in the same matches. Despite these restrictions, Romero expressed his excitement about the partnership and credited himself for initiating the conversation between the two promotions.
One of the key factors in this collaboration was the inclusion of CMLL wrestler Mistico on AEW’s Rampage. Romero mentioned that AEW President Tony Khan is a big fan of Mistico and securing his participation was a significant achievement. Romero sees this as an opportunity to open doors for future collaborations between CMLL, AEW, and NJPW in the coming year.
In other news, Impact Wrestling President Scott D’Amore recently discussed the return of TNA Wrestling and why it marks a second golden era for the promotion. During a media call for Bound For Glory 2023, D’Amore announced that Impact Wrestling will rebrand as TNA Wrestling starting from the Hard to Kill event in January 2024.
D’Amore expressed his pride in the stability achieved under the Impact banner but emphasized that the switch back to TNA Wrestling signifies a new phase of growth and success. He believes that returning to their roots will bring back the swagger that may have been lacking and eliminate the need for constant apologies. D’Amore highlighted TNA’s history of breaking barriers in the industry, such as featuring smaller wrestlers in main events, showcasing tag team wrestling when it was considered obsolete, and providing a platform for women to be respected as athletes.
The decision to rebrand as TNA Wrestling reflects the company’s confidence in their abilities and their commitment to delivering high-quality wrestling content. D’Amore assured fans that while mistakes may happen, they will continue to learn from them and push forward. He promised a clearer and cleaner vision for Impact Wrestling, stating that they are ready to make their mark in the wrestling world.
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In conclusion, the collaboration between AEW and CMLL, despite the complicated relationship between CMLL and AAA, shows the willingness of promotions to work together for the benefit of the wrestling industry. Additionally, Impact Wrestling’s decision to rebrand as TNA Wrestling signals a new era of growth and success for the promotion. Wrestling fans can look forward to exciting developments and collaborations in the coming months.