(NOAH) Expose heel OZAWA reveals the inside story of pro wrestling, and his mind blowing true character.

10th April 2025

Rolling Stone Japan

The incident that led to the birth of a rare dark hero in Pro Wrestling Noah took place at the Nippon Budokan on New Year's Day in 2025. 

Taichi Ozawa, who was one of the young wrestlers of Noah, who was expected to have a bright future, but after an overseas tour, he was absent due to an injury during training. However, at the Aichi event in November 2024, he suddenly attacked Kaito Kiyomiya, who was the GHC Heavyweight Champion at the time and the leader of his unit, from behind with crutches, making a shocking heel turn. After becoming OZAWA, he expressed dissatisfaction with the corruption within Pro Wrestling Noah and exposed the vivid details of Kiyomiya's private life.

But how much was real, and how much was fiction? 

The wrestling world was shaken by OZAWA'S words and actions, which were so thrilling they crossed the line. Then in his comeback match, which was a sudden title match at the main event of the Nippon Budokan, OZAWA left an impact on the history of professional wrestling, smashing the champion Kiyomiya with a number of techniques embodied by his incredible physical abilities, and mocking moves such as sudden breakdancing. Furthermore, his finishing move, Real Rebel (a one-step method Phoenix Splash), sealed the OZAWA revolution. Since then, the OZAWA phenomenon has taken over Pro Wrestling Noah, causing a rapid increase in attendance numbers. So who is OZAWA, the dark hero with the potential to transcend genres?

Rolling Stone Japan takes a closer look.

Q: You won the GHC Heavyweight Championship in the shortest time ever, just two years and four months since your debut, in the main event of Noah's Nippon Budokan event held on New Year's Day. The match left a lasting impact in the history of pro wrestling. I was watching on ABEMA PPV and I was so shocked that I fell asleep for about fifteen hours afterwards, and when I woke up, my family got mad at me (laughs).

OZAWA: That's too much sleep

Q: I know (laughs). Noah's attendance figures are also on the rise, with Korakuen Hall recently selling out for three consecutive shows. How do you feel about this "OZAWA phenomenon"?

OZAWA: Well, I'm not really interested in what people around me say anymore. So far, I've just done what I wanted to do, so I really don't care if people say good things or bad things. Well, the reason why I ended up in this situation is because I've been treated badly by Noah ever since I joined the promotion, and when I finally vented my frustrations through wrestling, I realized that other people out there were feeling the exact same way. I think that's where the connection came from and I gained sympathy.  

Q: I totally agree with that. I think we live in an age where dark heroes who can shatter and reset the harmony of every genre are needed.

 You are a perfect example of that.

OZAWA: There is that aspect to it. 

Q: Also, there is something endearing about your dark heroism. You seem to have an intelligent sense of humor.

OZAWA: Well, I don't think I'm particularly smart, but the other Noah wrestlers are just too stupid (laughs). So maybe that makes me look intelligent in comparison, because they're all really dumb.

Q: (Laughs) Where did you develop that sense of humor? 

OZAWA: Well, I've always thought about girls, so I never thought I was the type to compete with my looks, and I always wanted to compete with what's inside. I guess it's what's inside that makes a man.

Q: That being said, you must be incredibly popular now, right?

OZAWA: I can't sleep at night anymore.

Q: You must be getting tons of DMs, right?

OZAWA: I get DM's every day expecting a reaction, if a girl is cute I might respond, but I mainly just ignore them.

Q: Your matches also feature a variety of techniques backed by outstanding physical ability, but what is added is quite tricky, with sudden squats and deliberate suicide attacks.

OZAWA: Anything goes in wrestling, so I think you should do what you want. Wrestling is free, so there's no need to be bound by conventions. But when I look at the wrestlers around me, they're doing more and more unfree wrestling. It's a shame.

Q: Even though you are a member of the group TEAM 2000X, which is a heel unit, your strong appeal means that there aren't many boos.

OZAWA: They do things that are generally disliked, you know, like interfering in matches and using weapons, but because TEAM2000X is so amazing, people can't help but cheer them. I'm troubled by that phenomenon too.

Q: I think that's also a modern thing. At the recent Korakuen Hall event, people called out for YOSHI-TATSU, who doesn't usually wrestle at all.  

OZAWA: YOSHI-TATSU is in a position where he is often scorned, but he was a superstar during his time in WWE, so now he is at our level. A superstar like YOSHI-TATSU doesn't need to have a match, he just needs to be there.  

Q: You always play Pachinko when you don't have matches, right?  

OZAWA: Yeah, there's nothing more fun in the world that slots. So, I play Real Rebel for free to take advantage to hit the slots (rough).

Q: To earn money for slots (laughs) Are slots more interesting than wrestling?

OZAWA: Wrestling is fun, but slots get the juices flowing. You have to put your life on the line in wrestling to get the juices flowing, but slots give you instant dopamine without having to do that. I actually want to go play slots right now, and I don't have time to answer this interview. 

Q: Sorry (laughs). I'll try not to ask stupid questions, so please bear with me for a little longer. What led you to join Noah, OZAWA? 

OZAWA: I've always loved Keirin*, and wanted to become a Keirin racer, but I failed the exam, so I thought I'd try to get into pro wrestling and before I knew it, I was in.

Q: What was it about pro wrestling that attracted you? 

OZAWA: The first wrestler I liked was Mistico. I didn't really know what Mexican Lucha Libre was. I just watched Mistico's acrobatic moves.

Q: So you didn't have any desire to go to Mexico and learn Lucha in earnest?

OZAWA: Nope.

Q: Your size (181cm, 93kg) seems bigger than your published stats, and I think it's amazing that you can jump so high, but is it talent?

OZAWA: I think I've always had talent. I just wanted to be able to do difficult moves, so once I got to a certain level of doing the moves I wanted to do, I started reading manga. 

Q: Did the people around you get angry? 

OZAWA: I've always rebelled against people who have put pressure on me. I just resist and do what I want to do. Even if they put more pressure on me, if I don't give in, most people will give up. 

Q: This may be a hint for living resiliently in the modern world  

OZAWA: The important thing is never to give up, and to stick to what you want to do. 

Q: And then there's breakdancing. One of the reasons you made such a big impact at the Nippon Budokan on New Year's Day was your spontaneous breakdancing moves. Breakdancing is basically dancing to breakbeats that originate from hip-hop, right? Did you develop an interest in music from that?

OZAWA: For me, I just loved the fun of getting into the rhythm and the fun of landing moves, so music itself was never my thing.

Q: But the sense of rhythm you developed has definitely been useful in pro wrestling, which is a genre that requires an incredible sense of rhythm.

OZAWA: A sense of rhythm is definitely important. I think that people who are bad at pro wrestling, have a bad sense of rhythm.

Q: The big driving force behind your transformation from your real name, Taichi Ozawa, was the strict hierarchical relationship at the dojo and the unfair treatment you received after your debut. If that hadn't happened, would you have become the OZAWA you are today?

OZAWA: It definitely wouldn't have happened if Pro Wrestling Noah hadn't been such an idiotic promotion. I would have enjoyed my career as Taichi Ozawa. This OZAWA is a monster created by Pro Wrestling Noah. It's a negative legacy. 

Q: This is the first time I've met someone who calls himself a "negative legacy" (laughs) But it does feel like it is going to swallow everything*

OZAWA: It's like OZAWA was born when all the nasty parts of Pro Wrestling Noah were solidified. Like Hedorah* in Godzilla. I'm crying deep inside. But if I don't do it, who will? No one can change Pro Wrestling Noah, right? That's why people call me a heel, but I'm a real hero. 

Q: On the other hand, I think you could say that you love Noah more than anyone else. You turned the group on its head, and pushed it up in a way that no one had ever done before. I think that's at the core of the fans' expectations.

OZAWA: Well, the fact remains that Noah made me a professional wrestler, but its rotten to the core. The grudges from my younger days will never go away, and I want to go all out against the wrestlers that personally annoy me. Normally I'd just be a super baby face, but if I keep acting like a super baby face, I can't just go around annoying people, so I guess this is what happens when you live honestly. 

Q: What kind of scenery do you want to see with the GHC Heavyweight belt around your waist?

OZAWA: Well, basically I'm just going to do what I want and if people agree with me then they should, but if Noah could reach higher heights and pro wrestling itself became a more mainstream genre, I think I'd have more motivation to work and get my juices flowing.

Q: And the slot machine funds will increase too.

OZAWA: It all ties in with that. In the end, it's all for my own sake.

Q: Don't you ever want to fight wrestlers from other promotions?

OZAWA: Not really.

Q: WWE is being broadcast on ABEMA now, and wrestlers go back and forth between WWE and Noah, so there is a close relationship. For example, what if WWE was attracted to your appeal and made you an offer? If you suddenly appeared in the Royal Rumble, it would really get our juices flowing. 

OZAWA: Well, I'd just be participating as a one off, so I would probably make a decent amount of money, so it would be fine to go out. But living in America is out of the question. There are no slots.

Q: You know, they do have slot machines in Las Vegas.

OZAWA: Yeah, but the quality of Japanese slots is completely different. Japanese slots are amazing. Las Vegas and casino slots are always hit or miss. Japanese slots are also hit or miss, but the process leading up to the hit is really fun. It's like, "What? Is it a hit or a miss?" That's what gets the juices flowing.

Q: It's like the game of love.

OZAWA: Yeah, it's more fun to have a little bit hidden, than to have everything visible*. It's like surrealism.

Q: 0-100 is boring, and that's exactly how you enjoy pro wrestling.

OZAWA: Damn right 0-100 is boring. If you win once, it's like "Boom! The medal drops!" and it's not very tasteful. The important thing is aesthetics.

Q: Sorry if this is a stupid question, but you say you're not interested in music, but what would you do if someone asked you to debut as a singer?

OZAWA: That might be interesting

Q: Oh?

OZAWA: I'm not completely uninterested, but I'm basically tone deaf, so maybe that's what makes it interesting. The song "Which One?" by the Saito Brothers (All Japan Pro Wrestling) is funny. I think it's one of the best songs you'll see these days.

Q: It's interesting that you'd mention the Saito Brothers, who are extremely popular in All Japan. I'd like to see them at ALL TOGETHER one day. 

OZAWA: Well, I think it would be interesting to get involved with those appealing guys.

Q: Lastly, your ongoing battle is with KENTA, who rejoined Noah after about eleven years away with New Japan and WWE. There will be a no-DQ tag match (a hardcore match with weapons allowed) at Korakuen Hall on April 14th, and then at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 3rd, you will face KENTA for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Do you have anything to say on that?

OZAWA: Well, the title match at Ryogoku has already been decided, but the match on April 14th at Korakuen Hall will actually be KENTA's retirement match, so if he can survive Korakuen, then I'll give him a title match at Ryogoku as a reward. That's all it is. A reward. His body is covered in wounds and injuries. He can't win the GHC in his condition. He probably stepped up because he couldn't back out, but I can hear what KENTA is thinking: "Just end it for me. I really want to retire." He says, "I came back to Noah to live", but he's just being stubborn. The fans who knew KENTA in his prime would be thinking, "this is turning into a sad wrestling match", which is why I will end it for you. It's a kindness on my part.  

Q: By the way, are you going to go and play the slots now?

OZAWA: Yeah, I'm off. 

Notes

Keirin: A form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start

Swallow everything: The original phrase used was "pitch black light", there is no equivalent in English and it does not translate.

Hedorah: Spawned out of pollution

Hidden/Visible: This reminded me of the Tayu. They were the original courtesans and entertainers of their day, long replaced by the Geisha, there are a few re-creators who perform the traditional dances. What made the Tayu so erotic, was the sight of their bare feet under their heavy clothing.

Translated from/picture credits to: Rolling Stone Japan