In an update on Sanada’s future with TNA Wrestling, a report from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that the company are essentially getting Sanada for free as WRESTLE-1 sent him to work there and are paying him only his regular salary, as the belief is that working for TNA Wrestling and holding the X-Division Championship will make Sanada a bigger star than he already is in Japan.

The report notes that it was believed that Sanada would be returning to Japan on a full-time basis before the year was out, however there has been talk of signing him to a joint contract where he would work primarily for TNA Wrestling and return to Japan for the big WRESTLE-1 events, which would mean that he has to be somewhat protected in TNA Wrestling’s storylines in order to keep him a big star in Japan, something The Great Muta sees a lot of in Sanada.