NJPW Champion Fired Days Before Title Match
NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya is set to take place on January 20th but has one match scheduled for the show been scrapped and a star fired?
Tama Tonga revealed he is leaving NJPW just moments after winning the NEVER Openweight Championship from Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom 18. However, before he departs the company he has spent the last 13 years with he is scheduled to put his title on the line against EVIL at New Beginning in Nagoya. However, doubt has now been cast over that match taking place.
EVIL has taken to social media to claim that he is now the NEVER Openweight Champion and Tama Tonga has already been fired by NJPW (translation by Google):
Tama’s profile has been properly deleted. It’s a company decision that Tama is already fired. I don’t have to come to the Nagoya game either. Hahaha!
ちゃんとタマのプロフィールは削除になってんな。タマがもうクビだってことは会社としての決定事項だな。名古屋の試合も来なくて良いぞ。ハッハッハ！ pic.twitter.com/MfaImoEiyJ
— EVIL (@151012EVIL) January 10, 2024
Has NJPW Really Fired Tama Tonga?
While the match between Tonga and EVIL is still being advertised for the New Beginning show, Tama Tonga’s profile has been removed from both the Japanese and international versions of NJPW’s website.
Instead, EVIL is now shown as the current NEVER Openweight Champion despite never having actually won the gold from the outgoing founder of Bullet Club.