Yota Tsuji Wants AEW & NJPW To Have an Equal Relationship

During a recent NJPW Road to Destruction tour event, reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji indicated that he wants to see New Japan and AEW have an equal relationship.

During a recent show, Tsuji stated, “I’m going to keep holding onto the IWGP. And I’m going to spread pro wrestling even further across Asia. One more thing, I need to sort out our relationship with AEW to make it an equal one.”

Tsuji’s criticism of AEW and the ongoing AEW and NJPW partnership has been well documented. As champion, he also refused to work the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event earlier this year.

However, now, based on his latest comments, Tsuji at least seems to be more open to working with AEW and collaborating to better improve their partnership. His stance on AEW had recently started to soften after AEW President and CEO Tony Khan highly praised Tsuji.

Tsuji later told Tokyo Sports about Tony Khan, “I was once again struck by the greatness of his character as a person. I’ll say it again, I respect Tony Khan.”

Yota Tsuji defends his title against former champion Hirooki Goto, late this weekend at NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2026. The event takes place on Sunday, Sept. 27. It will be held at the Kobe World Hall in Kobe, Japan.

辻「神戸のIWGP、勝利することはもちろん一番大事なことだ。この前、ベトナム行ってきたんだ。『Blast of ASIA』観てくれたか？俺はIWGPを持ち続ける。そしてプロレスをもっとアジアに広げていくんだ。もう1つ、AEWとの関係も対等なものに整理していかなきゃな」https://t.co/JIwZvq1GRi#njdest pic.twitter.com/rpssW2JDv2

— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) September 13, 2026