NJPW veteran Satoshi Kojima has revealed that his dream opponent is AEW Superstar Samoa Joe.
The legendary former IWGP Heavyweight Champion was defeated by CM Punk in the 2023 Men’s Quarter Finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
NJPW Star Satoshi Kojima Dreams Of Samoa Joe Encounter
Kojima, who has made multiple AEW appearances including a loss to Jon Moxley at AEW All Out 2021, took to Twitter to share his disappointment in losing the opportunity to face Samoa Joe in the Semi-Finals:
“On June 25th, if I had beaten CM Punk, I would have fought Joe at this time. It’s my dream to fight Joe. I hope that someday it will come true.”
Joe and Punk squared off in a singles bout for the first time since March 2005 in the Semi-Finals on Saturday night, with the Chicago native scoring the pinfall victory over his former ROH rival.
The pair shook hands after the match before a disgruntled Joe then launched a savage attack on his opponent, with FTR running out to make the save.
The straight edged star now moves on to face Ricky Starks in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final next week.
Tony Khan has previously spoken highly of NJPW’s involvement with AEW and even hinted at how important their involvement could be when AEW comes to the UK next month.
Speaking to Reuters, Khan said that it would be a “huge benefit” to AEW if NJPW is involved at AEW ALL IN at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday 27th August:
“It would be a huge benefit to AEW if there is participation from New Japan Pro Wrestling and some of their top stars in the event.
In a world where the proposed merger happens, as it is suggested on paper, then I would believe the AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling partnership is more imperative than ever before.”