Jake Lee officially signs with NJPW

Jake Lee has officially signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Lee was brought into the company in storyline by the Bullet Club War Dogs to attack Tetsuya Naito, which he did at a Korakuen Hall show in April. Later that month, he teamed with the War Dogs in an Elimination match against LIJ at a show in Hiroshima. He then returned in July for the G1 Climax 34 and finished the tournament with 8 points.

Lee held a press conference on September 3 to announce he is now a full-time member of the NJPW roster.

“Do you know what this is?’ he asked while holding an envelope containing his new contract. “Quite probably, yes. New Japan Pro-Wrestling wanted to do what it took to sign me, and out of the goodness of my heart I signed.”

“As a member of War Dogs, what I should do is wreak havoc in that ring. Smartly,” Lee continued.

Lee was asked about holding a press conference to announce his signing, something rarely done by “heels” in the company.

“I’d like you to consider the answer before you ask me,’ Lee responded. “But kindly as I am, I will answer. I’m a heel in the ring, or to put it more accurately, a betrayer, a conniver and a Smart Bastard. But I have a kinder side to me. That’s part of my smartness, you can say. Out of the kindness of my heart or smartness of my brain, I hosted this press conference. How about it?”

Asked about the possibility of one day signing with AEW or WWE, Lee responded:

“Just because there are big companies elsewhere does that make this a small pond? Does it? Of course not. This is a symbol of Japanese wrestling and there is more than enough to be done here. I truly believe that with all my heart- that is, if I have a heart. Hahaha!”

Lee was originally trained in the All Japan Dojo in 2011 and remained with the promotion until the end of 2022. He then debuted with Pro Wrestling NOAH in January 2023.

The press conference is available below: