On April 16, NJPW announced that Tetsuya Naito would be departing NJPW as the two sides mutually agreed to not renew his contract.
Naito's contract with NJPW expired on January 31st and he had been working as a freelancer.
Speaking to Tokyo Sports, Naito addressed negotiations with NJPW and comments that he was looking for more money.
"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...? 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..."
After Naito's departure was announced, NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi issued a statement, saying he wanted Naito to stay until the end.
Naito said, "Did they do that when other wrestlers left? I think it’s wrong that President Tanahashi got some heat from the fans because of that. Tanahashi only showed up during the final (fifth) contract negotiation anyway," Naito revealed. "Sure, maybe I made some selfish requests. But they didn’t exactly work hard to convince me to stay. After my contract expired on January 31st (as a contracted wrestler), it took more than a month before they even contacted me for the next negotiation. I'm not trying to say, ‘Why didn’t you do this or that for me?’ now. But if they don’t change the way they handle contracts, I think the same thing will keep happening in the coming years. I really hope my departure prompts them to rethink how they approach contract renewals."
Along with Naito's departure, it was also announced that BUSHI would be leaving NJPW as well.
Naito and BUSHI will compete in their last scheduled matches with NJPW at Wrestling Dontaku night two on May 4th.
