Tetsuya Naito no longer under contract to NJPW, update on current status of negotiations between both parties

Tetsuya Naito is no longer under contract with NJPW.

The news was revealed in an exclusive story from Tokyo Sports that includes comments from Naito about his current status with NJPW. Naito has been working without a contract since his previous deal with NJPW expired on Jan. 31. Naito has had three rounds of negotiations so far with NJPW and another round is expected to come in the near future.

One of the sticking points for Naito in the negotiations has been the disparity in the number of matches he’s had since he signed his last deal in 2024. “I understand that it is treated as an important product, but players who have a day off can do maintenance, or if anything, get a qualification for retirement,” said Naito. “But the players who have been out all the time don’t have that kind of time, and their bodies are getting more and more exhausted. I said that the difference was too big, but basically I can’t accept it, so I feel like I’m putting it on hold this year because I have the same questions.”

Naito, who currently is one half of the IWGP World Hvt. Tag Team Champions with Hiromu Takahashi, also indicated that he believes his time left in the ring is limited and he wants to end his career being used in a manner he is satisfied with. I haven’t decided what to do if I quit, but when I was young, I had the feeling of ‘I’m going to retire at about 40 years old,’ and it’s true that there is a part where I feel a physical decline that I can’t do now, what I could do a few years ago,” said Naito. “I strongly feel that there is a limit to the remaining time, and I feel that it would be better to act as I want rather than continuing with strange dissatisfaction.”