Wrestlers who have reportedly opted not to go to WWE once their current deals expire

Tetsuya Naito

Naito revealed that WWE approached him with a contract offer after the Dominion Event in June of 2018. He declined, saying that he'd rather help grow NJPW in Japan and around the world. Several sources, including SEScoops, noted Naito's decision.

It's good for NJPW because he's been one of the company's top wrestlers for the last few years. He's like the antihero who takes on threats both foreign (Chris Jericho) and domestic (Suzuki-Gun, Hirooki Goto, etc.).

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While he hasn't had as many runs with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he probably should have, he's been a trusted star for the company whether in the main event or in the mid-card.

Seeing how Shinsuke Nakamura has been booked may have had a factor in Naito's decision to remain with NJPW. Or perhaps he never considered signing with WWE. Only he knows.

He's challenging Chris Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13, so gold might be in his immediate future if Jericho is going to try wrestling elsewhere.

About the author

Matt Serocki is a sports journalist from outside of Boston, Massachusetts who has written about sports for a local newspaper, the MetroWest Daily News.

Matt has written about professional wrestling for the past year but has been writing lyrics, short stories and novels in his spare time. He writes around 30-50 articles per month.

During his time on writing for Sportskeeda, Matt has written about a variety of topics including the history of the business as well as about the current stars and product. He follows numerous promotions like the WWE, AEW, ROH, MLW, NJPW, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and WOW.

Studied Communications with a focus on writing at Framingham State University from 2000-2004.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari