>>18354866
The indie scene is only big because there's very limited room at the top. And even the guys at the "top" in Japan (meaning a lot of NOAH and DDT guys) are paid per appearance and make peanuts -- you can make more on the American indies by far.

Japanese indie guys aren't the guys NJPW should be poaching though, that should be companies like Dragon Gate and DDT's job. NJPW should be snatching up top NOAH/DDT/AJPW stars but Bushiroad is fucking retarded and holding on to every yen right now. They refuse to pay anyone.
I hate to always bring it up but I think it's significant that Aussie Open were holding the IWGP heavyweight tag belts, some of your marquee titles, and weren't even on one-year contracts, they were just being paid per appearance with no guarantees. You will never retain wrestlers with this sort of strategy. There are just better places for them to work.
It lowers NJPW down to the level of NOAH and DDT because it's all they are willing to pay, that same tier of investment from the parent company.

You have to spend money to make money and Bushiroad refuses to spend money right now. Maybe they're actually trying to lure Tony Khan into a buyout.