Juice Robinson is now a free agent from NJPW.
We noted back in early November that Robinson’s NJPW contract was set to expire at the end of January. It was believed then that he would receive multiple offers from other promotions.
In an update, Robinson’s contract with New Japan reportedly expired back on January 31, according to Fightful Select. He has been with the company since August 2015, and signed a new multi-year deal in 2019.
There is no update on what Robinson might have planned for his future. He has been working for NJPW in the United States, and Impact Wrestling due to the working relationship between the two companies, but has not been to Japan to wrestle since March of last year. It’s possible that he continues wrestling for NJPW without a deal.
Robinson has continued to work for Impact and NJPW as of late. He last appeared on the taped January 22 edition of NJPW Strong, losing to the debuting Bad Dude Tito. He and David Finlay, who lost to Jonah on NJPW Strong the week before Juice’s loss to Tito, teamed up at the January 15 NJPW Strong New Beginning USA tapings to face Tito and Jonah, in a match that will be airing soon. That could be Juice’s final NJPW match for the time being.
When confirming that he would be a free agent in February, Robinson noted to Sports Illustrated back in November, “It’s a great time in wrestling to show up anywhere, and maybe it’s the right time for me to spread my wings and fly.”
Robinson left NJPW as a two-time former IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time former IWGP Tag Team Champion. He and David Finlay also held the Impact World Tag Team Titles on one occassion.
Robinson expressed interest in returning to ROH a few months back, despite his first run not working out, but they was before the company went on a hiatus. He had a brief run with ROH in January 2019, leading the Lifeblood stable, but he left the company in June 2019 to put his NJPW career in Japan first.
There is no word on if Robinson is talking with AEW, WWE or Impact Wrestling, but we will keep you updated. As CJ Parker, Juice was signed to a FCW/WWE NXT developmental deal from 2011-2015, and is a one-time former FCW Florida Tag Team Champion. He requested his release in late March 2015, and WWE later announced the departure on April 3, 2015. Robinson left WWE to pursue a career in Japan.
Robinson and former WWE Superstar Toni Storm were engaged to be married back on September 30, 2021. There is no word on if their relationship will play a factor in their future pro wrestling plans, but it is possible. Storm asked for her WWE release in late December, and it was granted on December 29. Storm will become a free agent when her 90-day non-compete clause expires on Tuesday, March 29.
As seen below, it looks like Storm and Robinson were celebrating on vacation earlier this week.
Stay tuned for more on Robinson’s status.
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