Tetsuya Naito has officially wrestled what may be his final match for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, closing out a nearly two-decade chapter with the promotion that made him a global star. The emotional sendoff came during NJPW's Wrestling Dontaku event in Fukuoka, where Naito teamed with fellow Los Ingobernables de Japon members BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and Shingo Takagi. Their victory over Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii, Taka Michinoku, and Shota Umino served as a fitting end to his tenure, for now.

Following the match, Naito stood tall with his LIJ stablemates as they celebrated the win. The crowd roared in support as the group shared a final LIJ salute in the ring. With Naito’s theme music echoing through the arena, the four posed together one last time near the entrance ramp before heading backstage.

Later in the night, after Yota Tsuji successfully retained the IWGP Global Championship against Yuya Uemura, all five LIJ members reunited on stage. Naito and BUSHI joined the group to share one final symbolic pose. Tsuji, addressing the fans, admitted he was unsure about the future of LIJ, but said, “We will always be ingobernable and will always be connected.”

The wrestling world was shaken last month when news broke that Naito and NJPW had failed to reach a new deal, with both sides mutually agreeing to part ways. According to Bryan Alvarez, financial differences may have contributed to the breakdown in negotiations. “The impression I have gotten when it comes to Naito is simply that he wanted a lot more money than they were willing to pay him. Good chance this had been awhile in the making,” Alvarez wrote.

Naito began his NJPW journey as a young lion in 2005 and steadily rose through the ranks. By 2014, he had entered the main event scene and later redefined his career by forming Los Ingobernables de Japon in 2015. Over his celebrated career, he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship three times, held the IWGP World Heavyweight title twice, and earned a place in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2022.

While his NJPW run may be ending, Naito’s legacy remains untouchable, and fans will no doubt be watching to see what comes next.