Rocky Romero notes (Patreon)

Fightful Select caught up with NJPW and AEW’s Rocky Romero. The former eight-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion joined Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp for a thirty-minute conversation. The two would discuss numerous topics, such as the Forbidden Door, Jack Perry, Chuck Taylor, TalkNShopAMania, and more.

Sean kicked the interview off by saying he was interested in learning what Rocky Romero's day looks like. Romero gave some details regarding what the day would look like for him. 

Rocky mentioned he would be catching a flight to Edmonton for the May 8th edition of AEW Dynamite. He also noted that he would catch up on some of his NJPW work and speak with some talent during the day.

Romero added that he would be flying back home on Thursday, and on Friday, he would attend a meet-and-greet event with NJPW President and star Hiroshi Tanahashi and a press conference.

The CHAOS stable member said his job is 24/7 and added he is “really happy with everything that I'm doing, and I'm happy with both products [NJPW and AEW].”

Rocky told Fightful that he attends almost all AEW televised events unless he has other commitments with NJPW or CMLL. Romero noted that the relationship between AEW and NJPW is strong and tight.

Rocky stated that Stardom would be part of Forbidden Door this year and that CMLL will likely participate in the Forbidden Door as well. He mentioned that Chris Jericho was influential in getting the relationship started. Romero would explain how the Forbidden Door was something that could happen. Romero said, “Tony and I finally sat down and talked, kind of cleared the air. I went back to New Japan and told them about our meeting. The doors were open, and the Forbidden Door concept started.”

Sean mentioned how the Forbidden Door has been an incredible success. He noted how AEW announced their Pay-Per-View schedule months ahead and mentioned the hiring of Kosha Irby [AEW Chief Operating Officer]. 

Rocky said, “Yeah, Kosha has been killing it. I think the team is, is really on, and, you know, they've made some changes to the schedule; putting out the pay-per-view schedule this early is incredible.” 

Rocky noted that the schedule release allows fans to plan their year and see what events they can attend. Rocky added that New Japan has also been trying to announce its shows early. He mentioned this weekend's show in Ontario, California, and the big show they have scheduled in Washington, D.C., for this August. He also noted that they will be announcing another big event this Saturday.

The conversation would change topics, and they would discuss Jack Perry’s time in New Japan and how it happened. Rocky told Fightful he had conversations with Jack, The Young Bucks, and Tony Khan. He said they all agreed it would be the right decision for him to come to New Japan. He believed many people wanted to see what kind of reaction Jack would get. 

Romero added that it was a great opportunity to have Jack there and that he is a phenomenal talent. He said he likes Jack's role in House of Torture. He believes it’s easy for Jack to be a heel. Rocky said, “He's great at it, and that opened the door when he came back because people were excited for him to come back to AEW.”

Romero said the heat that Jack received in Chicago was one of the coolest reactions they had in New Japan of America. Romero would say, “Overall, I was just really happy. I thought it was a win for both companies and, obviously, a big win for Jack.”

The conversation would then move on to talk about Chuck Taylor. Sean mentioned how Taylor may not wrestle again. Rocky said, “It's just unfortunate not to see Chuck be able to do even more, and I don't know if we ever will.” He added it's a pretty crappy situation overall. 

Rocky told Fightful he is happy that his Roppongi Vice tag partner, Trent Beretta, is getting his opportunity to show out. Rocky said he thinks Trent is better and more comfortable as a heel. Rocky said the reaction Trent received last week in Winnipeg was amazing.

As the conversation progressed, Sean asked about the chances of seeing another Talk 'N Shop A Mania. Rocky told Sean that he would love to bring it back and do it, but it would be challenging because it's tough to put together.

Rocky told Fightful about his audition for Lucha Underground. Rocky mentioned that Chris Joseph loved his audition, which consisted of him doing a monologue that wasn't very wrestling-related. Rocky said they returned to him within 24 hours and found out he got the job. He also mentioned that he would like to see Tony Khan acquire the Lucha Underground library.

Sean and Rocky discussed the possibility of Will Ospreay working with Soft Ground Wrestling and Rocky’s reaction to Fred Rosser’s infamous promo on Tom Lawlor from 2021.

The conversation would wrap up with them discussing some of the matches scheduled for New Japan of America: Resurgence.

Rocky Romero will team up with Tomohiro Ishii and The DKC to face Jack Perry, Ren Narita, and EVIL at New Japan Strong Resurgence. The event will be available on NJPW World on Saturday, May 11th.