While his Best Friend Trent Beretta continues to feud with Will Ospreay, Chuck Taylor has been notably absent from AEW television.

Since securing a win over The WorkHorseman on AEW Dark Elevation back in March, Beretta has bounced around the AEW roster in a variety of different performance configurations, from losing to Samoa Joe for the ROH World Television Championship, to tagging with Roppongi Vice in bouts versus The Wingmen and FTR, and even some trios action first with Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland versus Private Party and The Blade, and eventually, a trios match with FTR versus the United Empire's Ospreay, and Aussie Open.

And as for Chuck Taylor? Well, he's been largely MIA, potentially too busy watching the Philadelphia 76ers blow it in the playoffs the umpteenth straight year to get in an AEW ring. Well, now that the Sixers' season is over and Taylor has to prepare for an offseason of what-ifs starting with the NBA Draft later this month, the well-traveled veteran grappler has officially returned to the ring – only, the ring in question doesn't belong to Tony Khan.

No, Taylor's return to the ring actually can in NJPW Strong, where he wrested as a representative of CHAOS alongside Tomohiro Ishii, Mascara Dorada, Ren Narita, and Trent's Roppongi Vice partner Rocky Romero.

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The blacked-out silhouette of Matt Riddle with a text bubble reading “Sign with AEW?” with the AEW logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Kazuchika Okada in front of New Japan Pro-Wrestling logo

Kevin Billings ·

Will Ospreay in between logos for AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Kevin Billings ·

Though his team didn't ultimately win their bout versus the Bullet Club, in a match that was filmed at the 2300 Arena in South Philly before Juice Robinson was sidelined indefinitely with acute appendicitis, it was nice to see Chuckie T back in a wrestling ring after a few months away, especially since it helped to solidify the Best Friends-Chaos connection heading into Forbidden Door. If Trent ultimately does earn a match versus Ospreay on the card, expect to see Romero and Taylor – not to mention Orange Cassidy – ringside to prevent any shenanigans from the United Empire.