The Forbidden Door of professional wrestling continues to swing and sway, with Rocky Romero the latest to seemingly walk through it into a new professional arrangement.
This is according to The Wrestling Observer, and has been corroborated by Fightful. Though there weren't any further specifics as of writing, the original Observer report noted that Romero is now "part of the AEW front office", and Sean Ross Sapp took to X to confirm the story as accurate.
In addition to wrestling for NJPW and elsewhere, Romero has been known as a key liasion between AEW and New Japan over the last several years, and has also been credited in-part with helping grow business relationships with the likes of CMLL.
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With limited information on the extent of the role he'll take up in All Elite Wrestling, it's currently unclear if he'll step back from in-ring action entirely. A regular for NJPW and CMLL over the last few years, Romero has also appeared in various capacities for AEW, MLW, Impact/TNA and multiple independent outfits. The 41-year-old is 17-year pro at this point, so speculatively may be looking to work a lighter in-ring schedule as part of the shift.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
