Kazuchika Okada is not the only star leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling as another star finished up with the promotion at Saturday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Nagoya event.
The match
EVIL defeated Tama Tonga in the main event to win the NEVER Openweight Title, which appears to be Tama’s NJPW swan song as the bout initially ended in a double DQ once Bullet Club, Guerrillas of Destiny, and Hontai members hit the ring.
Tama insisted the bout be restarted as a lumberjack match. He was pinned after interference from Dick Togo and Ren Narita.
Goodbye
Following the bout, Tama cut a promo where he thanked the fans. He previously announced this month that he would be leaving NJPW at the end of January.
It’s unclear whether Tama could go next, whether that be WWE, AEW, or TNA Wrestling. Tama has been on WWE’s radar for a while, including last May.
"Thank you for giving me a chance to know you. I love you." -Tama Tonga following his NEVER Openweight Championship match at #njnbg. Extremely emotional moment and hard to process. Great showing from Tama Tonga. @njpwglobal
— Walker Stewart (@VelvetVoiceWS) January 20, 2024
Tama Tonga dropped the NEVER Openweight title to EVIL and with that, had his farewell match in NJPW today.
Tama's run in the company lasted nearly 14 years, where he was a founding member of the Bullet Club.
Best of luck to him in his future. 👍pic.twitter.com/WbJgKfLEli
— Drainmaker 🌧️ 💵 (@DrainBamager) January 20, 2024
