ROH Star Michael Elgin Signs A Two Year Contract With NJPW

It looks like New Japan Pro Wrestling is continuing to learn from the simultaneous exodus of A.J. Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows, which was made possible by the company having everyone under annual contracts that expire in January. Pro Wrestling Sheet majordomo Ryan Satin is reporting that Michael Elgin has been signed to a two year deal, so they’re clearly making changes by locking up one of the most promising foreign talents in the company.

Elgin had an iffy last few years in Ring of Honor, to the point that a lot of fans were skeptical of NJPW bringing him in for the G1 Climax tournament in August. But something clicked for him there, whether or it was increased confidence or something else, and he fit in great there. He’s become more charismatic than he’s ever been before and has gotten decent push as the tag team partner of long-time top NJPW babyface Hiroshi Tanahashi.

As for Elgin’s contract, Satin says “the deal allows Elgin to continue taking bookings wherever he’d like outside of Japan,” meaning “ROH, PWG and even big companies in other countries.” Presumably, he means that it’s a compliment to a full-time ROH contract, as they limit American bookings to ROH and PWG.