Tama Tonga says there is unrest all over the world.
Following the news of Will Ospreay vacating the IWGP World Heavyweight Title due to a neck injury, it was reported by Voices of Wrestling that there was "gaijin unrest" in NJPW over how the company has handled the COVID situation.
NJPW announced nine wrestlers tested positive for COVID-19 coming out of Wrestling Dontaku.
Speaking on his Tama's Island podcast, Tama Tonga addressed the report of unrest.
"There is no 'unrest' here. If anybody is unrest, they are keeping it quiet and to themselves and talking shit to dirtsheets. Maybe one or two, but that's anybody. There is unrest in WWE, unrest in AEW. Guys at McDonald's are unrest. There are Japanese wrestlers that are unrest. That's dumb shit. Gaijin mass exodus? What the hell," he said. "If anything, their contract might be up and now that wrestling is flourishing in America, there are better opportunities that people may want to leave. I say, to all the foreigners, I'm super happy where I'm at. As long as [money] keeps coming through, I'm fine. I think some foreigners, their contract is up, they might decide to move elsewhere to grow as a performer. AEW is hot. IMPACT is IMPACT. NXT, NXT UK, WWE. When it's time and people want to leave, they can do. The situation in Japan is a little iffy because of COVID, but we're dealing with it and I think we're fine. We're trying to maneuver and navigate ourselves throughout it. Unrest. When you say 'gaijin' it separates us from the Japanese wrestlers like we aren't on the same boat. Everybody is unrest and trying to figure it out. Whoever is creating these rumors is not understanding the situation. We're all on the same boat and dealing with this. How you handle it mentally is up to you. If the foreigners are not handling it well, then, fuck you. We're all dealing with it. Any foreigners bitching, fuck you."
Tama continued, unhappy that everyone was grouped together.
"When you group the foreigners and the term 'gaijin unrest' is used, you're grouping all of us that don't want to be on that boat. For us that are happy and love what we're doing, we're here. To group us together, you're being a coward," he stated.
Tonga has participated in NJPW events since the company returned to live action on May 22 after pausing following Wrestling Dontaku due to the positive COVID tests and the state of emergency in Japan.
Before he vacated the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Will Ospreay did an interview and praised NJPW, reaffirming his commitment to the company. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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