Rocky Romero Recalls WWE's Interest In Him

New Japan Pro Wrestling mainstay Rocky Romero is the Japanese promotion's primary American liaison and one of the company's bookers. One of the most influential people in the pro wrestling business currently, he's been fiercely loyal to NJPW, making it his home for most of his career, and it's paid off. 

In a new interview with the "Under the Ring" podcast, Romero stated that his career trajectory could have changed if he took an offer from WWE seven years ago, ahead of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament.

"I think I was in between contracts [with NJPW], and we were renegotiating mine, and WWE was very interested, and they wanted to offer me the Cruiserweight Classic," Romero recalled. 

"And then they wanted to offer me a coaching position. I think that if they didn't offer me the coaching position, and they just offered me the Cruiserweight Classic, then I probably maybe would have waited a little bit longer to re-sign with New Japan, and I would have done [the tournament]. But them offering me the coaching position made me feel like they didn't want me to wrestle, so that ... I maybe wasn't gonna go very far in the Cruiserweight [Classic], so I decided to not take it, and to re-sign with New Japan," stated Romero.

He added that the last two years have been some of his best in the wrestling business, so he feels he made the right choice. In the ring, "Azucar" has been mainly representing NJPW in its "NJPW Strong" American arm — which he books — and its international affiliates, wrestling for AEW, ROH, Impact Wrestling, and CMLL.