Tetsuya Naito firmly addressed rumors about his NJPW departure, clarifying, “Let me be clear: in the five contract renewals I’ve had, I never once brought up money.” He expressed his frustration with the false narrative, blaming media coverage by saying, “It’s extremely frustrating to have people think I’m quitting because of money, and honestly, I think it’s Tokyo Sports’ fault.” Feeling trapped by misinformation, he added, “But if Tokyo Sports writes about it, it somehow sounds even more like a lie, so what the heck am I supposed to do…?”
Naito stressed that he always negotiated reasonably, explaining, “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.’” Instead, he emphasized, “I just wanted them to properly value what a wrestler’s match is worth.” While he acknowledged the company’s challenges, he pointed out, “I get that the number of wrestlers has increased, and there are unavoidable circumstances, but still…”
Responding to NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi’s statement wishing he stayed, Naito questioned the sincerity, asking, “Did they do that when other wrestlers left?” He defended Tanahashi, saying, “I think it’s wrong that President Tanahashi got some heat from the fans because of that,” but also revealed, “Tanahashi only showed up during the final (fifth) contract negotiation anyway.”
Naito admitted, “Sure, maybe I made some selfish requests,” but criticized NJPW’s efforts to retain him, noting, “They didn’t exactly work hard to convince me to stay.” He also highlighted the lack of urgency from the company, explaining, “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.” Concluding with a message for the future, Naito said, “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.”
Source: Tokyo Sports