AEW reportedly have “massive interest” in signing NJPW star Juice Robinson to a full time contract, after the former NXT star lost to Jon Moxley on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite.
On the September 28th 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, Robinson took on AEW Champion Jon Moxley in a non-title match in his debut match for the promotion. He lost the match but impressed fans who had not previously seen his work in Japan, and most importantly caught the eye of AEW President Tony Khan.
Despite recently becoming a member of Bullet Club, Juice Robinson is still a free agent in wrestling. He is wrestling on a per-date basis with New Japan Pro Wrestling and is not currently tied to any major promotion. He was previously signed to WWE on their NXT brand, but is unlikely to re-sign for the promotion due to the tough time he had in the promotion under former trainer Bill Demott.
His NJPW contract expired in February 2022 and could be set to sign a deal with a major company any day now. It was reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider that AEW officials backstage were impressed by his performance in defeat by Jon Moxley and hope to sign him to a more regular contract going forward.
PWInsider.com is also told that after his match against Jon Moxley this past Wednesday in Philadelphia as well, there is massive interest in bringing in Juice Robinson as often as possible and making him a regular for the company.
Mike Johnson on Juice Robinson signing for AEW
Robinson, formerly known as CJ Parker in NXT, has ties to AEW which could cement his decision to sign for the company. He is married to AEW Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm, with the pair tying the knot in 2022. With her signing a permanent deal with AEW earlier this year, a move to the company would keep him near his wife and not the other side of the world in Japan, which may be preferable for the couple.
He has been pushed well in NJPW in his time there. He is a multiple time IWGP United States Champion, having battled with Jon Moxley on numerous occasions over the championship. He is also a former tag team title holder, with former partner David Finlay (son of former WWE star Finlay) as FinJuice. He has the credentials to be a main eventer in AEW if pushed correctly and would be a huge coup for Tony Khan if he can pull off this deal.
Juice Robinson famously wrestled in Kevin Owens first WWE match before being released by the company, before making his way to Japan as a star of New Japan Pro Wrestling. You can see that match below.