STARDOM President Taro Okada Says Several Wrestlers Have Expressed Intention To Leave

More fallout from a big shakeup in STARDOM. 

On Sunday night, STARDOM and Bushiroad announced that they had terminated the contract of founder and executive producer Rossy Ogawa. The announcement stated that Ogawa had been poaching talent during his time as executive producer. 

Speaking to Tokyo Sports, STARDOM President Taro Okada provided more insight into the decision. 

“Around December, we began to hear information that Mr. Ogawa was pulling people out of the company. We had always verbally told him, ‘If you are doing that (pulling out), please stop,’ and ‘We would like to continue working together in the future,’ but we were able to confirm that he has continued to do so since then, so we have taken this action,” he said.

The report notes that Ogawa had long expressed his intention to leave and that he expected to leave in March. However, he continued to recruit talent away from STARDOM, and the parent company, Bushiroad, made the decision to terminate his contract.

“Regardless of whether he starts his own new organization or not, we recognize that his solicitation to quit Stardom and work for another company while his contract with us was still in effect is a serious breach of contract as an act of extraction. We are aware that this is a serious breach of contract,” said Okada. 

Asked if others would follow Ogawa’s lead, Okada stated, “I have had several wrestlers express their intention to leave the company or ask me about it, saying that they are wondering whether they will leave or not.”

Fans can find Ogawa’s comments on his dismissal by clicking here.

Fightful will update fans on the fallout from Ogawa’s departure when more is known.