Dave Meltzer believes WWE may not give NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia the push she deserves.
Giulia hit the headlines on November 6th as there were reports that WWE was interested in signing the NJPW Champion and going as far as to say that she may report to the Performance Center later in the month. However, while some fans of the Stardom wrestler may be very excited that Giulia could soon be signed to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, WWE’s history may be against her.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave more insight into the status of the New Japan star. Meltzer first confirmed that Giulia is under contract until Spring 2024 so a move to WWE will not be immediate. It was also stated that although the NJPW Champion has that star power equivalent to the top stars of the United States, the language barrier could be a hindrance:
She’s under contract until March. So up until March nothing’s happening. I know Mike Johnson was correct in reporting that there’s interest. Now there’s been interest in her since 2019. So it is more a story now because there is more interest in her now. But she’s not going anywhere until March. And I mean, the thing with Giulia is like, you know, Giulia was born in England. But she does not know English, which will be a handicap in the United States in both [promotions].
She could learn it of course. And she knows a couple of languages, but English not being one of them. I mean I think she knows some words and things like that, but she’s not fluent in English. But she’s got the look. The thing with her I mean, very unique look. And you know, whenever I watch Stardom, you know, Mariah May’s got the look, too. But Giulia is the one she has that aura of a superstar, that maybe more or as much as any woman in the business, you know, like a Rhea Ripley or a Becky Lynch, you know, just you see them and they, they have that special aura. And she’s got that.
Dave Meltzer On Why NJPW Star Might Be Too Physical For WWE
Meltzer continued by discussing the very physical in-ring style of Giulia and compared it to fellow New Japan star KENTA, who wrestled in NXT under the name Hideo Itami. KENTA was also known for his hard-hitting style in New Japan but had to tone it down in NXT, losing a significant part of what made him unique:
Her ring style is very much about very crazy, dangerous bumps, and very hard-hitting. Again, like one of the guys who, you know, got all that fanfare, we went to WWE and ultimately was not a success was KENTA. And one of the reasons was that KENTA knew when he went there, that he could not hit as hard because they don’t do that there. So, you know, he started, you know, he was all, I don’t want to hurt anybody, I’ve got to learn to adapt to their style. And in doing so, his strengths were gone. And so he didn’t really do that.
Well, Giulia is the same thing. I mean, she does really hard-hitting in a way that they don’t do there she’s going to have to adapt her style. She may not be as impressive in the ring, because that’s a big part of her game. It’s not to say she’s not going to make it. She does have the look. She will have to learn English or they won’t push her past a certain level. I mean, that’s just the way it is. But it’s there’s no guarantee that she’s going anywhere.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit Wrestling Observer Radio and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.