Hiroshi Tanahashi Says NJPW Looking To Do More Multi-Year Contracts

NJPW is looking to expand the number of multi-year contracts it will be doing, according to company president Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi recently spoke with Pro Wrestling Today for a new interview and told the site that the company is seeking to altering their contract structure to do longer-term deals in order to encourage talent into staying longer.

NJPW contracts tend to be one-year deals that get renewed. However, that has led to a number of talents leaving particularly this year. EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, David Finlay, Clark Connors, and Gabe Kidd all exited the promotion at the start of the year. Tanahashi noted that he isn’t pessimistic about the matter but is planning to do more contracts with longer tears and more pay. You can see the highlights below:

On Rebuilding Plans:

“I’ve stayed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling my whole career, but there was a time in the past, around 2004, when I considered going to America. So I understand how the wrestlers feel. It’s a natural right for a professional wrestler to go to an organization that values ​​them highly and offers better conditions, including a higher guarantee. That’s why improving the internal structure of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, raising guarantees, and reviewing contract terms are urgent priorities. I strongly feel that we must create a bulwark to prevent other organizations from poaching our best wrestlers, such as introducing multi-year contracts, in order to maintain what makes New Japan Pro-Wrestling unique.”

On the Departure of So Many Talent This Year:

“I’m not at all pessimistic about the current situation. That’s because this is the very history that New Japan Pro-Wrestling has repeated over the years. When the older generation is full and the positions are settled, someone leaves. In the past, we’ve seen the Three Musketeers of Fighting Spirit leave, and Satoshi Kojima leave, right? More recently, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay have left. But each time, young wrestlers have fiercely competed for the open positions” and new stars have been born—that’s the history of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.”