The man who inherited All Japan's genes: Naomichi Marufuji prepares for Noah's reconstruction

3rd November 2015
Bunshun.JP

He has never regretted having "regrets" since he became a professional wrestler.
He does not think it was supposed to be like this, but he does not want to think about it.

The acknowledged genius, Pro wrestling Noah's Naomichi Marufuji decided to become a professional wrestler in middle school. The youngest of four brothers, he wanted to be a professional wrestler since seeing the Road Warriors when he was in second grade thanks to the influence of one of his brothers. As a matter of fact he wanted to become a wrestler immediately after graduating from junior high, but his parents advised him "please do it when you leave High School" and as a compromise sent him to the prestigious wrestling Saitama Ryori High School. He joined the wrestling team and prepared to become a professional wrestler. High school so to speak was for Marufuji, pro-wrestling preparatory school.
However, the wrestling department was too Greek to call it a prepatory school. Frequently spoken in the world of wrestling, he had already experienced both the quantity and quality of practice in high school, and like Sparta the department was strict about wrestling.
There were only a few days when there was no practice during the year, once was on New Year and then three days of Obon. The hierachial relationships were also severe, "you have to be strong in this world". Originally the purpose was "to become a professional wrestler and lay foundations", the sense of this flew away somewhere and there was no way he could afford to think about anything else other than becoming strong in wrestling.

When he was in High School, he recieved an introductory try out for "Kingdom", a professional wrestling organization that belonged to Kazushi Sakuraba who was active later on in MMA. Since he was doing Greek-style wrestling every day, he passed up, but when he graduated from High School, "Kingdom" itself had disappeared.  So the director of the wrestling department spoke to Mitsuharu Misawa, who was the star of All Japan Pro Wrestling and he was told, "you may go for a week after entering the training camp if you can withstand the practice and the chores".Afterwards he was called for an exceptional introductory test. It was a short but hard trial, and Marufuji, who was a pro-wrestling boy in the first place felt pleasure in practicing and training with the people he had bee watching on TV.

"THE ORIGIN OF THE TITLE "GIANT BABA'S LAST DISCIPLE"

Marufuji has often been called "Giant Baba's Last Disciple" because he was the last person to debut while Baba was alive. He has a variety of tales about Baba.
First of all he was practicing as a trainee when Baba noticed his shoes and scolded him, "What is that? Is that what you want to wear in professional wrestling?" and he was given a pair of black leather ring shoes. In the joint exercises before the event, Baba would always stand at ringside and give advice. The feeling of being an "wrestler originally from All Japan", remains remarkably in Marufuji, is the touch of Giant Baba.

DNA OF MISAWA, KAWADA, KOBASHI, OGAWA, AKIYAMA ET AL.

From Mitsuharu Misawa, whose attendant he had been, he was influenced by. Toshiaki Kawada he learned to fear as a professional wrestler, he learned about practice at the dojo from Kenta Kobashi, from Yoshinari Ogawa and Jun Akiyama he learned about fine wrestling techniques respectively. From Akira Taue...he cannot remember much.
In other words, Marufuji breathed the air of the heyday of Giant Baba and the four pillars of professional wrestling. He has never regretted becoming a pro wrestler, because he learned wrestling from such great seniors and was influenced by them. Therefore he feels confidence in his performance, and believes that it is rude to have no pride in it.

MINORU SUZUKI HAS "A PRESENCE LIKE THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS"

Currently, as vice president of Pro Wrestling Noah, Marufuji is devoting his full effort to Noah's "reconstruction".

Suzuki Minoru has led the Suzuki Army against Noah, and he has noticed that Suzuki has a presence like the four pillars and now like the four pillars, we have an intense match to impress our guests? Despite being inferior and confronting the Suzuki army, he could see the present situation by a birds eye view.

Beyond the conflict with the Suzuki army and putting them one side, there is the question of Noah's reconstruction and future.
"There is no limit in pro-wrestling"

All pictures and texts from http://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/824461?page=3