NJPW star and former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA announced after his match at New Year’s Dash that he is leaving the company to embark on a journey. During the event, he and his House of Torture stablemates, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, lost a six-man tag team match to Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Oleg Boltin.
Recently, NJPW1972.com issued a statement announcing that SANADA will be taking "an indefinite leave of absence from in-ring competition." The statement reads, "Effective January 6, SANADA is on an indefinite leave of absence from competition. No return date has been determined at this time. We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing SANADA wrestle and appreciate your understanding."
SANADA has been with NJPW since 2016. During his time with the company, he became the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion. He is also a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and won the New Japan Cup in 2023. Additionally, he held the IWGP World Heavyweight Title for 271 days before losing it to Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 18.
