(NOAH) "I think I will dominate" Jake Lee reveals his ambition in his first GHC challenge to Kaito Kiyomiya in an exclusive interview

Hochi News

March 15th 2023

Pro Wrestling Noah will be held at the Yokohama Budokan on the 19th March. GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya will make his 5th defense of the title against former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, Jake Lee. Jake, the former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, who left All Japan last year announced that he will be competing in Noah on New Year's Day at The Nippon Budokan. This will be his first GHC challenge. Furthermore, this will be the supreme peak match following Keiji Mutoh retiring from the ring at the Tokyo Dome on the 21st February. This will be an important decisive battle for Noah's future. Hochi News directly interviewed Jake about his current state of mind. 

Q: Immediately after Kaito Kiyomiya lost to New Japan's IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada at the Tokyo Dome on February 21st, you announced your challenge, why? 

JAKE: I've talked about this many times in various places, but shouldn't he take a break now? That is all I have to say. It was wonderful for him to keep trying, and the customers were moved by it. What he's doing isn't bad at, but there is a lot of pain and hardship for everyone to endure, right? The more it piled up, the more it became unbearable to watch. 

Q: Right. 

JAKE: In addition, the belt holders are the representatives who lead the promotion, so I thought that if things continued like this, it would affect Noah itself. That's why I told him to take a break.

Q: Did you think that Kiyomiya should have given up the belt after losing to Okada?

JAKE: I don't think so, and I've said this many times, but I don't think that the GHC is lower than the IWGP. If he had put the belt on the line at The Dome on the 21st, it would have been a different match, and I think he would have been in that state of mind. 

Q: Has the authority of the GHC been shaken? 

JAKE: I don't think I would go that far. Rather, I think this challenge will be before that happens. The audience will want to see what the champion will show in this state, and will want to see if Jake Lee wins the belt. I just think it's the best timing. 

Q: On the contrary, is there a part that evaluates Kiyomiya? 

JAKE: There are many. He's 26 now, right? I made my re-debut in 2015 when I was 26, after I had stopped wrestling once (in 2011). He never quits and has survived and hard and tough times to seize the present. That point is not limited to Kaito Kiyomiya, but it is a feeling that I have for many wrestlers, "These people are amazing, and I ran away once". That is why I am always thinking about how to use this big advantage as a weapon to fight. 

Q: Please tell us about your thoughts when you rejoined All Japan in 2015.

JAKE: I didn't want to regret it. If I didn't get in the ring there was a scene that reminded me of the Kübler-Ross model, "At that time, I should have worked a little harder..." or "I wish I had done this a little more". So I didn't want to leave any regrets. 

Q: Was it the same with leaving All Japan and joining Noah? 

JAKE: There was also the sense that I would regret it if I didn't come here. No matter what I choose, I will have some regrets, but I am satisfied with the answer I made after thinking about it myself.

Q: Yes

JAKE: I'm not trying to do something cool, I'm just acknowledging my weaknesses and doing what I want to do. That's why I am just saying what I think about the current champion (Kaito Kiyomiya), not just words I made up. Customers aren't stupid by any means, and if you make up words, those kind of things can be seen through. So, that's why I am thinking about what kind of manner Jake Lee will show the real thing, not something manufactured. 

Q: I see

JAKE: As long as I live, I think there will be regrets. Even if that happens, know yourself and how you live through professional wrestling. If I can build it, I think my life will be very meaningful. 

Q: How did you view the GHC Championship during your era in All Japan? 

JAKE: As a symbol of freedom. Looking at the history up until now, and even now, I don't think the belt has lost its luster.

Q: It's been two months since you entered Noah's war, have you made any discoveries in the ring? 

JAKE: No one is taller than me (192cms tall)*, but each one has something that will overturn my size, and each one uses that as a weapon. There are a lot of things that you can learn only after you wrestle them, and there are many wrestlers who I haven't fought yet, so I think I will be able to experience it more myself.

Q: I have the impression that your presence is increasing with each match.

JAKE: This is the new business model. I have to show my side as a creator who creates things that are different from before.

Q: Keiji Mutoh has retired, how do you see Noah after "The Mutoh Era?"

JAKE: I think I am going to dominate. Everyone has their own image, and I think that the person who embodies that and wins, will make the future, the post Keiji Mutoh era, their own. I don't think it has anything to do with heavyweights or juniors. 

Q: There are no (weight) class boundaries. 

JAKE: Rather than there being no boundaries, I am more talking about who makes that time their own. It's not about the line between juniors and heavyweights, it's about who creates more of a buzz and brings in more customers. 

Q: What is the future of the unit "GLG (Good Looking Guys)" launched with Jack Morris and Anthony Green, right after you entered Noah? Are there any new members you are interested in? 

JAKE: There are several wrestlers who I am interested in. First of all, so that I can get a firm command there, I have to leave results. Unless I do that, I wouldn't feel like following myself. No matter how good an offensive ability is, if your ability as a first rank wrestler is not good enough, it's going to be...? I think that is what a unit leader is. 

Q: Is it essential to acquire the GHC for that purpose? 

JAKE: Isn't that right? If everyone who sees it agrees, it will be possible to do various things. However, regarding that, I haven't thought about how much I'm going to admit it, because I haven't taken it yet (laughs). 

Q: Then, what is your plan after taking the GHC? 

JAKE: The reason I came to Noah is because I want to compete with various wrestlers, wrestlers who I haven't fought yet, and who I want to fight with for the belt. The tension, the anxiety and all sorts of emotions intertwined the match is exhausting, but it makes me feel like I'm alive.

Translated from Hochi News

Picture credit: Hochi News

NOTES

Kübler-Ross model: AKA the The Five Stages of Grief, introduced by author Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in her book "On Death & Dying".

192cms tall: Next tallest would be Mohammed Yone at 185cm, Go Shiozaki at 183cm and Yoshiki Inamura, Kazuyuki Fujita and Shuhei Taniguchi at 182cm.