Foreign Talent Reportedly Unhappy At NJPW's Handling Of Latest COVID Outbreak

New reports suggest plenty of unhappiness in the ranks of New Japan Pro Wrestling right now.

by Andrew Pollard
Jay White David Finlay Juice Robinson
NJPW1972.com

With New Japan Pro Wrestling in the midst of a COVID outbreak right now, there is said to be plenty of discontent behind the scenes in NJPW.

As per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the promotion's foreign talent are said to be particularly unhappy about having to quarantine while this ongoing situation is attempted to be addressed.

No wrestlers have publicly expressed their concern and unhappiness as of yet, although Fit Finlay mentioned earlier this week, during an appearance on Gerald Brisco and JBL’s Stories podcast, how his son David – who’s currently contracted to NJPW – is weighing up his options right now.

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During that chat, Fit described how it’s “ridiculous” that talents such as his son and Jay White are having to quarantine themselves in the New Japan Dojo rather than at least be able to stay in a hotel. Elsewhere, there’s been rumblings that other wrestlers are against returning to New Japan until quarantine measures are completely lifted, with those talents considering future options away from NJPW.

Just today, Japan has extended its ‘state of emergency’ is areas of the country, as it looks to get a hand on its latest battle with COVID-19.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.