An update is available regarding Tetsuya Naito’s departure from NJPW.
The promotion announced Wednesday morning that it was unable to come to terms with Naito on a contract extension. His final show will be night two of Wrestling Dontaku on May 4 in Fukuoka.
Our own Bryan Alvarez provided an update on the situation to his subscribers on X, writing:
“The impression I have gotten when it comes to Naito is simply that he wanted a lot more money than they were willing to pay him. Good chance this had been awhile in the making.”
In addition to Naito, his LIJ stablemate Bushi will also be departing NJPW. The company stated on its website, “At his own request and after careful consultation, NJPW has come to terms with the departure of BUSHI following currently scheduled appearances ending on May 4 in Fukuoka.”
The departures of Naito and Bushi come on the heels of Jeff Cobb also leaving the company. NJPW announced earlier this week that Cobb’s final show will be April 19 at Korakuen Hall. He is expected to join WWE shortly.
Our own Dave Meltzer wrote of Cobb’s departure , “Those in WWE have confirmed Cobb is starting soon, but the only other thing we were told is that he is not Randy Orton’s opponent at WrestleMania.”
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