Davey Boy Smith Jr. has Quit NJPW and is likely headed to MLW

[Big Red Machine]

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter


Davey Boy Smith Jr., quit the promotion. He hasn’t been happy for some time. There were more a lot of small issues and frustration about not being used as well as things that build up from the past. There were issues because on the night before WrestleMania, he wanted to go to the WWE Hall of Fame because they were inducting Jim Neidhart, who is part of his family, as well as Bret Hart a second time. New Japan was running MSG and he kept asking whether he’s booked on the show so he could make plans either to do the Hall of Fame or not. Even as late as two weeks before the show he couldn’t get an answer. He also told them he’d rather go to the Hall of Fame for family reasons than be an afterthought on the show or used in a meaningless way. He ended up working multiple shows in the New York area that week but not the MSG show. New Japan let him work the Dynamite Kid tribute show that Satoru Sayama and Hisashi Shinma put on but there’s heat between Massao Hattori and Shinma. Several months back, Smith had pitched an idea of he and Lance Archer doing a tribute to Dynamite on a New Japan show where he’d score a pin after a Dynamite Kid style diving head-butt. Gedo turned him down and told him he was too big to do that move and instead wanted to do the angle where Chuckie T would go nuts and get DQ’d for a chair shot. The idea is that they wanted to turn Chuckie into a wrestler who at times would just snap, basing it off the Ken Shamrock WWF character. Of course that fell apart when Chuckie and Barreta didn’t sign new deals and instead signed with AEW. He had also asked for New Japan’s permission to work Impact and didn’t get permission. He asked what the problem was and they said “Fucking Jeff Jarrett and TNA,” and were still mad about how Okada was booked. Smith told them that Jarrett was long gone, and that he was going get a big push. The people at Impact were very high on him. New Japan told him he couldn’t go. Somehow this turned into a miscommunication because when Lance Archer asked about them getting more dates this year, or that the team would be focused on more, the office told him they thought Smith was going to Impact. Except they had just told him he couldn’t do so. The office said that’s what Gedo told them. He ended up signing with MLW where he’s supposed to be put in a title program with Tom Lawlor, although MLW knew that New Japan had first dibs on his dates. There were reports he was going to ROH, but that’s not the case. He’s working MLW. With him no longer working New Japan, that could, like what happened with Michael Elgin, open up the door for Impact, although we’re told there has been no recent discussions with him with that promotion. Impact did have big plans for him originally. Jim Ross has always been high on him and he’s with AEW. AEW has worked out deals with people like MJF, Jimmy Havoc and Brian Pillman Jr., who are under MLW deals. Ross, when he was working for World of Sport and ITV, wanted to build the entire franchise around Smith as the top star or at least one of the top stars. But Ross isn’t on the AEW booking team, but his ideas would almost surely be listened to. MLW doesn’t have issues with its talent working Impact, and I think they realize if they work AEW it is a double edge sword. It does up their stock as far as star power for MLW when MJF or Jimmy Havoc works AEW to at least a small degree, but on the flip side, if they get over and AEW wants them, the odds are when their MLW deal is up, it’ll be very difficult for MLW to get them to renew

[cero2k]

"and is likely headed to MLW"

he already is, I think the likely is Impact, and oh boy, I can't hardly wait!

[Big Red Machine]

"and is likely headed to MLW"

he already is, I think the likely is Impact, and oh boy, I can't hardly wait!

I can see AEW snatching him up instead of TNA. He'd be one of the biggest (of not the biggest) guys on the roster. He brings something AEW doesn't have yet, so I can see them pursuing him.

[cero2k]

"and is likely headed to MLW"

he already is, I think the likely is Impact, and oh boy, I can't hardly wait!

I can see AEW snatching him up instead of TNA. He'd be one of the biggest (of not the biggest) guys on the roster. He brings something AEW doesn't have yet, so I can see them pursuing him.

that is a big possibility and wouldn't mind it a single bit. Davey Boy could be a heel champion anywhere he wants to go and he'd be a perfect chase for the smaller guys like Page, Jungle Boy, or Omega.

Impact right now is clamoring over the hoss guys and is based on Canada, so it may just be incredibly comfortable for him since it would allow him to do MLW too.

[Big Red Machine]

"and is likely headed to MLW"

he already is, I think the likely is Impact, and oh boy, I can't hardly wait!

I can see AEW snatching him up instead of TNA. He'd be one of the biggest (of not the biggest) guys on the roster. He brings something AEW doesn't have yet, so I can see them pursuing him.

that is a big possibility and wouldn't mind it a single bit. Davey Boy could be a heel champion anywhere he wants to go and he'd be a perfect chase for the smaller guys like Page, Jungle Boy, or Omega.

Impact right now is clamoring over the hoss guys and is based on Canada, so it may just be incredibly comfortable for him since it would allow him to do MLW too.

Hasn't AEW been using a bunch of MLW guys as well (Lucha Bros. Havoc, etc.)?

[cero2k]

Hasn't AEW been using a bunch of MLW guys as well (Lucha Bros. Havoc, etc.)?

yeah, but if the situation with the Lucha Bros is of any indication, those non-exclusive contracts will become exclusive come october cuz we're talking US tv being the restriction