NC: Tell me the story of what led to AEW having a working agreement with OWE: What attracted you to the promotion? Was it a unanimous decision to go in this direction, or were there people who had doubts about the idea? How long has this been in the works? Was there a specific moment that made you go “We have to do this!”?
MJ: Immediately when I saw a couple of GIFs of the OWE guys on Twitter, I was attracted. So, I looked up more clips and did research on them. I quickly learned my old friend CIMA, who I’d made friends with years ago in Japan, was affiliated with them. That made sense right away, because the clips I watched had a real Dragon Gate feel to it. Yet still, it looked and felt so original. Like a fight scene from an old Kung fu movie. I knew I’d one day work with these guys right away. I’m attracted to anything out of the ordinary.
NC: When you made the announcement of AEW’s partnership with OWE you referred to CIMA’s #Stronghearts faction as “Good Hearts.” How many people have teased you over that flub?
MJ: Hah! Not many, thankfully. I documented the rough travel experience we had, and how I was coming right off a plane from 24 hours of travel with small children, so I think people cut me some slack. Right when I got to the back after I spoke, I looked at PAC whom I knew caught the mistake as well, and we both shared a quick laugh.
NC: Speaking of #Stronghearts, you specifically called out the faction in association with OWE. Does this mean fans should expect to see them exclusively from the OWE roster, or should fans expect to see members of their roster not associated with #Stronghearts already?
MJ: Right off the bat, #StrongHearts will be represented strongly, however, that won’t be the end of it. We expect to use several of the talents coming out of OWE. In my perfect world, once we’re running more regularly, I’d love to house several of the wrestlers, use them for a few months as part of an excursion, and send them back home with a little experience under their belts. Then, send more fresh wrestlers from OWE here to the states to do the same.
NC: As a follow up to that question, how familiar are you with OWE’s homegrown Chinese roster? Is there anyone you’d want to work with personally?
MJ: I’m fairly new to the Chinese roster, trying to do my homework. I am familiar with the talented Japanese wrestlers that are part of the roster. The guys that have stuck out are Zhao Yilong, Zhao Junjie, and Liu Xinxi. My favorite to watch is probably Zhao Yilong, because of the fun things he incorporates with his character. I can see him getting over huge with the American audience. When I watch some of these unbelievable highspots the OWE crew are doing, immediately I’m thinking about how fun it would be to have a tag team match against any two of them. Excited for the possibilities.
NC: It’s no secret that OWE have had difficulties getting international work VISAs for their Chinese talent, with only a handful of their roster who had been advertised to work abroad having actually fulfilled their international bookings. To further complicate matters, the United States and China are presently in the midst of what some call a Trade War. Has AEW worked through these hurdles, or does AEW have a plan in place to do so? Can fans expect to see Chinese OWE roster members at Double or Nothing?
MJ: We are currently working on securing VISAS as we speak. We’ve got a great legal team behind us, with lots of wonderful resources. We are fully expecting to have OWE represented at Double Or Nothing!
NC: With an alliance like this in place so early in both companies life spans, AEW and OWE have a strong chance of leaving lasting impressions on each other. How much of a role do you see OWE’s talent pool playing in these foundational first few years of running AEW?
MJ: I think it’s vital to have something completely fresh and unseen by most eyes be one of the major highlights of our shows. We need to be different aesthetically, and OWE is just that. OWE will grab the audience’s attention and deliver something most fans have never seen. I plan to have OWE be one of the first things on our show, because we’ve only got one first time impression, and we’ve got to make it a big one.
NC: Is it likely that fans will see AEW talent working cards in China on OWE produced events in the near future? Is China a market you want AEW to expand into, long-term?
MJ: That is definitely part of the plan in the foreseeable future. I’ve already had several members of our roster inquire about doing just that. The plan is to definitely expand into China, as it’s one of the few untapped markets with tons of potential.
