(NOAH) Naomichi Marufuji "I want to stand again as one of Noah's pillars" - press conference on the eve of his return for the first time in two months.
4th August 2022
MARUFUJI: This is Marufuji. I have been absent for about two months. It happens that I will return tomorrow on August 5th, but it looks like I will do my best. I am no longer at an age or at a point in my career to make comments like a young person. It wasn't because my knee was injured, or because I had an accident during a match, but I felt something was wrong while going about my daily life, and from then on the condition got worse and worse. After inspection at the hospital, the gap between the knee bones that had accumulated over the years had disappeared by 1mm, and there was inflammation all over. Because that was the cause, it has been getting better while I have been resting for the last two months. I've gotten to the point where I feel like I can have matches, so tomorrow I want to do it as much as I can.
Q: Regarding Thatcher's absence
MARUFUJI: Rather than being a wrestler, I want to speak as someone from the standpoint of the company. In the midst of Corona, there are many things that are really going wrong in our everyday lives, and of course those kind of things happen in the pro wrestling world without exception. Even so, during the pandemic, Noah fought against corona with all kinds of things in mind, and we have always created a situation where we have turned a negative into a positive. I have a feeling that Noah has created a number one situation in the pro wrestling world, and in the midst of all of that, with Thatcher missing now, in terms of sorting out the empty slot, Noah is full of heavyweights. If you think about careers and such, I think there are many wrestlers who can fill that void, but I want to show you our young power here. Therefore, I would like Inamura and Okada to fight a qualifying match. That is because they also fully show we are Noah, and they also show the momentum of Noah. I want to see that kind of match as a qualifier, and I want them to have a hot match that overflows from the hole that has been left open, starting with the deciding match. I want to entrust this to the two of them.
Q: What about the situation of teaming up with Sugiura for the anniversary show?
MARUFUJI: I don't really know what to say about the situation, but there was a question of what to do if Marufuji was not at the anniversary. My knee wasn't in a state where I could compete until just before it was decided that I would be able to return, and after the decision was made, I recovered quickly. This is, after all, the power of pro wrestlers and humans. As for the situation on August 5th, Takashi Sugiura...Shiozaki...Shiozaki? I think it makes a lot of sense that the early members of Noah can team up and fight like this. I would like to have a match that conveys to the people watching that this is meaningful.
Q: Is it okay to interpret that your N-1 participation was postponed?
MARUFUJI: Yes. To be frank, I don't think it's a league that you can fight in the midst of while returning. America has already been decided.
Q: What are your thoughts on watching Noah from the outside for the last two months?
MARUFUJI: I felt there were parts that were really exciting, but I also felt that there were parts that were still lacking. I feel a little sad when I see things that are thriving without me, but when I see things that are lacking, I wonder if I am necessary too. Here I would like to stand in the ring, and stand as Noah's support as one of the pillars.
Q: While you were absent, Mutoh announced that he would retire, how do you feel about it?
MARUFUJI: I watched him up close. I knew about Mutoh's condition, and I am very grateful that he fought through it and continued to have matches. I can only think him.
Q: If the opportunity arises, do you feel that you would like to participate in the Retirement Road?
MARUFUJI: Do I want to experience him one more time? If I can't do that in a match, then it's okay to drink together.
Q: What is the state of your knees?
MARUFUJI: Knee condition? What do you think? But isn't it good? When I think I'm good, I'm good, and when I think I'm no good, I've been telling you that it's no good. Because I think I can, I think I can.
Q: What is your immediate goal after returning?
MARUFUJI: Hmm, what is my immediate goal? I don't have much time left to be idle, so I want to go as far as I can without stopping. I am going to America at the end of the month, and by expanding not only in Japan but also overseas as a Noah wrestler, I hope that I can be a force that can make Noah even a little bigger. Of course, I am saying pretty things, but of course I am aiming for a belt as well.
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