Fragile Monster: The return of Takeshi Morishima

The majority of fans knew that something was going to happen on July 5th, the day when Kenta Kobashi photographed himself with Takeshi Morishima and put it on Twitter. Takeshi Morishima had been missing from puro for three years, and rather do something social such as being in a bar, a restaurant or backstage at an event, he had chosen to walk into a gym run by an old friend who he had known since his days in the All Japan dojo. Later that evening he was photographed out socially with Kenoh (stable-mate from the Super Violent Army era) and another acquaintance.

Then on July10th a tornado of activity started with it being announced that Takeshi Morishima was
going to make his return to wrestling, and would announce the fact that evening at Riki Chosu’s
produce “Power Hall”.
After three years of silence, where for all intents and purposes, Morishima appeared to have vanished
off the face of the earth and no one knew quite what had become of him, he stood in the ring and
announced his return.
He looked fragile.
He looked nervous.
He took a deep breath before he spoke, and took them in between words, his shoulders heaved.
He announced that he would he making his comeback at an event known as “Genesis” to be held on
October 15^th October (coincidentally his 40^th birthday). The card was to be announced, and he was to
have a singles match. After that he left the ring and spoke to the gaggle of journalists and
photographers backstage. Although Morishima appeared enthusiastic about his return, his body
language told another story. He spoke with his eyes shut; he had a nervous habit of brushing the hair
out of his face. He looked as if he was in two minds, half of saying this was a good idea and this was what he wanted, but there also seemed to be a little voice saying, “don’t do this, you should have
stayed away”.

 In April 2015 following a routine blood test after an injury, it was discovered that Morishima was at risk of diabetes, and he was encouraged to retire. A ceremony was planned, which was then cancelled, and afterwards Morishima quietly left Noah once his contract expired, and with it, wrestling. Reading between the lines (and as was later all but said), the real reason for his withdrawal at that time was most likely burn out, and probably a bout of depression.
Mental illness in the East is not as freely talked about as it is in the West. In the West it has only really been a non-taboo subject since probably the late seventies, in the East, is not discussed in the same way, so Noah were protecting Morishima in the best way they knew.
After that, Morishima seemed to have drifted from job to job (at this point I am kind of reminded of some music from Final Fantasy VIII “Where I Belong"), he had worked as a security guard for a concert venue in Tokyo, as a doorman, in a flower shop, he had made burgers, he had delivered pizzas.

A few years later he had been asked to coach an indie federation (which one it was has never been said), and this reignited his spark for wrestling.
Then All Japan came to Gifu one day, and like any other fan, Morishima bought a ticket and sat and watched. He said he didn’t go backstage to see Jun Akiyama, (whom he had known in Noah and had walked out of All Japan with in 2000), but it was then he decided that he wanted to return to wrestling.

There has been a lot of speculation about exactly what Morishima will do; he himself says that he wants to freelance, but he wants to see how his return match goes. He might find that everything falls apart, or he might find he wants to do when he returns, even if he just does a produce show like Toshiaki Kawada or Kenta Kobashi.
One thing that is up in the air is his return to Noah. During the press conference, Morishima said that the one person he wishes to apologise to is Akira Taue (then Noah’s president before the company was sold to Estbee), “for all the trouble caused”. Morishima had left Noah at a time when the company couldn’t afford to lose another star, and the plans for the retirement ceremony had to be cancelled. This is again another grey area of cultural differences. To the Western mind, Morishima has absolutely nothing to apologise for, but to Morishima’s way of thinking he had put the needs of the individual above the needs of the group.

Naomichi Marufuji, backstage at “Power Hall” that evening, told a curious story without giving any names, but hinted that the person involved was Morishima. He said that he met someone in the corridor, and didn’t know if that person had either waited for him, or it was just by chance (either way, if it was Morishima, for two people who had known each other for almost twenty years, it’s kind of a sad story), but they shook hands, and Marufuji wished them luck. He ended by saying (not to the person in question, but on his post at the bottom), “Noah is there for you, if you want it”.

No matter what happens, a reconciliation with Noah, Jun Akiyama welcoming Morishima back to All Japan, freelancing, further produce shows, even if he just works as a trainer or if he vanishes again, nothing is certain or will be certain until October, and Morishima discovers how well he can cope with a return to the ring.