In a new interview with Tokyo Sports, top NJPW superstar and former three-time IWGP heavyweight champion Tetsuya Naito revealed that he has renewed his contract with the promotion, and even took a 24% pay cut in doing it.
Naito, who officially re-signed on January 17th, spoke with the publication about the decrease in pay before hyping up his world title showdown with Kazuchika Okada at the February 20th Golden Series event.
Due to the influence of COVID-19, the audience is decreasing, and I was expected to offer a salary cut, but I didn’t expect this much… Even I got nervous about this. When I saw the amount offered, I literally opened my right eye with my thumb and index finger,” he said. “Next year, I want to take advantage of a higher salary than this cut. After all, it means that even if Okada won the G1, there was no rain of money in New Japan. If this happens, I have no choice but to make it come down on my own.
Naito has been with NJPW since 2005, and is the leader of the Los Ingobernables de Japon faction.