Details Behind Tetsuya Naito's Departure From NJPW

After nearly 20 years, Tetsuya Naito is leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling. NJPW revealed via press release that they and Naito have mutually agreed not to renew his contract. In addition to Naito, fellow Los Ingobernables de Japon star Bushi is leaving the promotion.

Naito is scheduled for NJPW appearances through May 4. After that point, he'll no longer have any obligations to the company and he'll be free to appear elsewhere. It's not yet known what Naito's future plans may be, but the company's press release emphasized that they were on good terms with the departing wrestler.

According to Fightful Select, Naito has been working without a contract for some time as he and NJPW negotiated his next potential deal. In the end, the two sides were not able to come to an agreement. The report also noted that there are numerous other NJPW wrestlers who have not signed new deals and are currently working without a contract. Along with Naito and Bushi, NJPW star Jeff Cobb is on his way out, with rumors strongly suggesting that he's set to join WWE in the near future.

The last several years have seen some of the promotion's top stars leave in favor of AEW and WWE, such as Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay, but Naito's departure may be particularly surprising. Apart from sojourns to CMLL and ROH, as well as guest appearances in independent promotions, NJPW has served as Naito's home promotion for the entirety of his wrestling career. As for Bushi, he began his career elsewhere, but has been a consistent part of the NJPW roster for more than a decade.