SquaredCircle

No, I get it. I don't like working in America, either.

Looks like the two did a follow up with TS (keeping in mind this is at least in part kayfabe): https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/341332

Tetsuya Naito (42) and BUSHI (42) of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) have revealed the circumstances behind their shocking departure. Naito, who had been competing essentially as a free agent after his contract expired on January 31, will leave NJPW after the May 4 Fukuoka event. His close ally from Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ), BUSHI, will join him in this move.

What happened to one of pro wrestling’s most popular stars, and what lies ahead?Naito requested to leave on March 3 but was persuaded to stay by the organization until early on the 16th, when his departure was approved and announced the same day. When we reached out for an interview about this seismic event in the wrestling world, we were urgently summoned to the sacred ground of a family restaurant.Waiting for us with BUSHI, Naito shared his current state of mind while eating omurice: “There’s a limit to how long I can be a wrestler, so I think it’s better to do what I want while I can.

I want to live for the present more than the future.” He recalled being moved by fans in Costa Rica, where he wrestled for the first time in April 2019, and expressed a growing desire to bring the live Tetsuya Naito experience to smaller countries or regions in Japan that NJPW doesn’t visit. “One reason for leaving is that I want to do things I couldn’t do while in NJPW,” he said.

However, Naito emphasized that his future plans are “completely blank.” He admitted to inner conflict: “I was torn about whether it was okay to leave until the last moment. Just a few months ago, I thought I’d only leave NJPW when I retired from wrestling.” He also noted that, despite his strong attachment to NJPW since his training days, that passion had begun to fade. “I don’t know why… There were various frustrations, and even though I might’ve been laughed at for treating it like a joke, I repeatedly called emergency meetings [at family restaurants] to raise issues.

But NJPW, for better or worse, doesn’t change, and I’ve come to feel a disconnect with my own desires,” he said, his expression darkening.BUSHI, meanwhile, had initially signed a new contract but stormed into Naito’s contract renewal meeting to declare his own departure. “If Naito wasn’t signing, I’d already decided I’d leave too. I couldn’t envision myself in NJPW’s ring without Naito,” he explained.

Committed to sticking with Naito, he added, “I didn’t expect the contract to actually be terminated, but nothing’s decided yet. As of today, I’ve got offers from Gamma, Gurukun Mask, and Asuka Pro Wrestling, so I’ll think them over,” he said, savoring a masked melon parfait in true masked wrestler fashion.Attention also turns to the future of LIJ, Japan’s most popular wrestling unit. Regarding his relationship with remaining members Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji, Naito said, “We’ve been discussing this since last year, so I don’t think the news surprised the others.”

He added, “I don’t know what conversations we’ll have when we meet at the start of the series [on the 19th at Korakuen]. I still feel LIJ is my place, but everyone has their own thoughts, so we’ll need to talk it out.”Having said his piece, Naito quipped, “Ugh, I’ll be unemployed from May 5. How am I gonna live? You’re not gonna make us pay for this exclusive interview, right?” Despite choosing to leave, he shamelessly tried to skip out on the bill. That day, the two boldly left the restaurant first, leaving only the check on the table.