Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito announced his departure from NJPW after contract talks collapsed. He will leave in early May after completing his scheduled appearances.
New Japan made the announcement on April 16th. Fans first dismissed the news on April 1st as an April Fool’s joke. However, rumours linked Naito’s exit to monetary disagreements. Naito spoke out against these claims in Tokyo Sports.
“Let me be clear: in the five contract renewals I’ve had, I never once brought up money. Ever since they made me the initial offer in the first negotiation, I never touched the subject again. It’s extremely frustrating to have people think I’m quitting because of money, and honestly, I think it’s Tokyo Sports’ fault. But if Tokyo Sports writes about it, it somehow sounds even more like a lie, so what the heck am I supposed to do…?”
Related content
“I never made any unreasonable demands. I never said, ‘Since I’m wrestling more, pay me more,’ or ‘That guy wrestles less, pay him less.’ I just wanted them to properly value what a wrestler’s match is worth. I’ve been saying that for years. I get that the number of wrestlers has increased, and there are unavoidable circumstances, but still…”
Naito denied making financial demands during his tenure with NJPW. He emphasized his goal was fair valuation of matches.
READ MORE: Major WWE Blunder Makes Headlines in Mexico Newspapers
