(NOAH) ARK EDITION: OUR ERA ~ KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA (March 23, 2016 issue of Weekly Pro Wrestling (No. 1839)

Translated by Dino (@purodino)

"For us to rise, it's now or never. Shiozaki, Taniguchi, Kitamiya, aren't you going to bite!?"

He challenged Takashi Sugiura for the GHC heavyweight title at NOAH's March 19 Korakuen show. An interview with Katsuhiko Nakajima.

Nakajima decided to challenge Takashi Sugiura for the GHC heavyweight title at Korakuen on March 19. This time, before the big stage, he's heralding the theme of generational change. As expected, Nakajima is asking himself where he wants to go with NOAH. Holding that up as a banner, the "our generation" movement that broke out in New Japan of the late 80s rises to the surface. (Photos by Saito, interview by Inoue).

— On February 24 at Korakuen, you crushed Minoru Suzuki in a singles match. Suzuki was just defeated by Naomichi Marufuji in December of last year, so it was the second time he'd lost in NOAH.

Nakajima: He really only lost that fight -- in Yokohoma on January 31, Shiozaki didn't beat him. Being able to break through right then, I thought that was a pretty big deal, and, personally, that big waves were being made in NOAH.

— And it was a pure one-on-one, without the interference of corner-men. What do you think about that?

Nakajima: It's a rare thing, isn't it. It didn't make sense to me either. I was smiling after the match, right?

— Yes. Backstage, you had a bold smile on your face.

Nakajima: Maybe something about him brought that on, I'm not sure. I don't know what will happen after this. To be able to truly wrestle with Minoru Suzuki, somehow it means something. But I think a door has just opened up inside me, and I've only just taken the first step through it.

— Since your debut, you've fought with Suzuki in almost all the same promotions — New Japan, All Japan.

Nakajima: I don't have that many memories from the time in New Japan; I remember competing with him in the "Champion Carnival" in All Japan. (Translator's note: In 2006, Nakajima became the youngest person to compete in the Champion Carnival at the age of 18). But I didn't really have particular feelings about him. Today's Minoru Suzuki certainly isn't the Minoru Suzuki I knew.

— You crushed him for the first time after four singles matches. Up to that point, what do you think went wrong?

Nakajima: It's because the era hadn't summoned me, isn't it? That I won over Suzuki, who came into NOAH from the outside, I think the era was pushing me along.

— When you officially joined NOAH (TN: in January 2016), did you feel like you were getting a fresh start?

Nakajima: I did. But it wasn't just how I felt, because the era did call to me. Even in the preliminary matches and such leading up to this fight with Minoru Suzuki, it was the cheering and thoughts of the fans that made amazing matches, it came across keenly.

— What do you think of the champion, Takashi Sugiura, who joined Suzuki-gun?

Nakajima: Honestly, I don't know whether I think much of anything about him, but thinking about him in particular, his behavior, for one thing, comes to mind. I don't think it's worth talking about him yet.

 — Was he harder to wrestle before or after he joined Suzuki-gun?

Nakajima: It's harder now.

— Their influence is rubbing off on him, you could say. Every time he fights he's come with fierce elbows and kicks.

Nakajima: But he's resistant to genuinely just wrestling for ten minutes, even though it's said that's the symbol of NOAH's strength. With bad elements increasing it's gotten harder to wrestle.

— And you want a good hard fight, face to face?

Nakajima: That's my style, you see. And when it comes to this next GHC fight, I want to be able to do it like that. Well, and he's probably good at that, too.

— When Sugiura took the belt from Marufuji on January 31 in Yokohama, Suzuki also interfered. Naturally, some interference is expected this time. Do you have a plan to counter it?

Nakajima: I'm not bothered about it. Even in the opponent's ring, I'm going to stick to my wrestling. Rather than just me, I'll have a group of cornermen, my friends will be there for me with that in mind. But personally, I frankly don't feel like I want to have that kind of match. I want to wrestle the way the fans want to see wrestling, and if I win on top of that, that's the best, isn't it?

— You first challenged for the GHC heavyweight title in July 2014. One year and 8 months later, it's been a while.

Nakajima: It's been a really long time. Up to now there's been a lot going on. I left Kensuke Office to go independent, joined NOAH, challenged for the GHC tag title, beat Minoru Suzuki... looking back, the days were full.

— But last year was a frustrating year for you.

Nakajima: In part, things didn't line up to produce results, I wasn't able to return the favor to the people who supported me. But at the end of the year, I won over (Shelton X) Benjamin, so I was able to return the favor one time. With that momentum, it would have been good to take back the GHC tag title, but I wasn't able to. That's why winning this fight with Minoru Suzuki meant a great deal to me. I'm thinking the way things are now has to stop. Those feelings of frustration from last year, I'm going to make them explode now.

— Joining NOAH was a pretty big decision, how specifically did you come to it?

Nakajima: Because I love it. Because I realized I'd grown to love it, and I have friends here too.

— Personally I thought it was impressive, how at KENTA's NOAH farewell match (TN: where KENTA and Marufuji defeated Nakajima and Sugiura), after being violently beaten, you said "You can't have this kind of amazing match elsewhere."

Nakajima: NOAH wrestling is the best. And I think, though we've now been invaded by Suzuki-gun, from now on we have to build NOAH wrestling, or we won't have a future.

— This fight with Takashi Sugiura is also imprinted with the theme of generational change.

Nakajima: I don't think that Marufuji or Sugiura are the ones steering NOAH anymore. NOAH's wrestling, from now on... I don't know about the pro wrestling world on the whole, but fresh blood needs to take the helm, or we won't link up with the future. With that in mind, I'm the only way for NOAH. And it's pointless to just wait for it, I have to go and take it myself. Though I know it's not that easy to stand at the top, I'm going to go and take it on my own, I want to make a stronger NOAH, a NOAH you can enjoy.

— The contemporaries you're thinking of, whereabouts are they?

Nakajima: In other promotions, careerwise, All Japan's Suwama, Dragon Gate's Shingo Takagi, Kota Ibushi, who now belongs to Ibushi Pro Wrestling Research Institute; in terms of age, New Japan's Kazuchika Okada, All Japan's Kento Miyahara, in NOAH's heavyweight division, Go Shiozaki, Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (TN: this was before Kitamiya took the ring name Masa Kitamiya as a tribute to Masa Saito), Maybach Taniguchi are all in there, I think. Even if it's not just me, I want to rise now with the wrestlers of around the same generation, career span and age. Even if you look at the card for March 19 at Korakuen, where I'll challenge for the GHC heavyweight title in the main event -- (Taiji) Ishimori is challenging for the GHC junior title, (Atsushi) Kotoge and (Daisuke) Harada are defending the GHC tag title. This generation has to lead NOAH, doesn't it?

— Perhaps March 19 at Korakuen will become the anniversary of NOAH’s generational shift.

Nakjima: The time when we have to do it is coming, isn’t it.

— You’ve been coming up in NOAH since 2008, so in terms of experience in NOAH you’re really somewhat of a veteran.

Nakajima: Oh yeah (laughs). We can’t repenish NOAH internally only to be invaded again by the likes of Suzuki-gun. Maybe I came because I thought that Suzuki-gun would be able to take total control of NOAH, the way it was at that time. Coming up with an idea and following this plan, the four big GHC titles flowed out. But this year is different. With me officially in the company, this year will be a year of rebirth for NOAH.

— What do you want to go on to do in NOAH?

Nakajima: I want to aim for a period of the tough, enjoyable, heated pro wrestling that's typical of NOAH. I think NOAH has to be like that. If I take the belt, I want to initiate some matches. First of all, build up NOAH internally, after that it would be good to wrestle with some other promotions. I'd like to gradually start doing the stuff of dreams.

— And specifically?

Nakajima: I'd like to clearly differentiate between the generations. I'd like to define the fight between the generation that's been supporting NOAH up to now and the young generation in a way that's easy to understand. Right now there's no choice but for us to rise up. Like, Shiozaki, Taniguchi, Kitamiya, aren't you going to bite!?

— It sounds like the first master Riki Choshu's "Our generation."

Nakajima: Right now, the state NOAH's in, it's really that kind of time. If the generational war can happen, I think we can have substantial matches without Suzuki-gun. That's my unauthorized opinion, though.

— Right now in the industry, New Japan is in good shape, but up until a few years ago, Noah and New Japan were promotions on the same level.

Nakajima: It's okay. Because from now on, NOAH will just keep rising. Maybe this is a bad way of saying it, but I'm thinking, haven't we already sunk to the point we're going to sink? Painful thoughts beyond that, I'm not having any of those. But last year, even up to the Suzuki-gun invasion, it was good to have lots of fans who supported us. I think if I can't make those people smile in the true sense of the word, there won't be a future for NOAH. Right now, though pro wrestling itself is having a boom, everyone is struggling. Though promotions elsewhere are also aiming for it, I want to put NOAH at the top of the industry.

— As far as I'm concerned, that's possible.

Nakajima: We won't stop. If we've come this far, there's nothing else to do. Toppling Minoru Suzuki was just the first step, and there's nothing to do but keep going.

— Lately there's been talk of "declaring a new Ace."

Nakajima: There has. Well, if it's someone who asks if we're going to rise, it's got to be me. I want to take the helm of NOAH, and what's more, I want to spread NOAH's kind of pro wrestling.

— You came in contact with NOAH's founder, Mitsuharu Misawa.

Nakajima: I wrestled singles matches with him twice in 2008.

— The number of wrestlers who never met Misawa directly has grown in NOAH; after passing down Misawa's wrestling, you've gone on to become greater too.

Nakajima: Misawa's wrestling was vast, you know. The aesthetics and strength of his defense, his strength as a wrestler, his intensity, through the whole match he single-handedly taught me a lot. In a singles match, after being hit with all of my skills, he dropped me to the mat. Because I could sense Misawa's full power and love for wrestling, in that sense, the wrestling that belongs to the NOAH Misawa made, I think I have to make it stronger.

— You have the power of persuasion of someone who experienced it firsthand.

Nakajima: I got hit with Misawa's elbow, and it sent my memories flying (laughs). I don't know if I'm the one who can definitively say what NOAH wrestling is, but from now on there are things I want to be able to say with confidence.

— Because pro wrestling fans care a lot about remembering the past.

Nakajima: As far as I'm concerned, the present and what comes after this are important, but I think we need to make the best use of the past as an asset. When fans watch matches, we bring out various emotions, and the wrestlers themselves remember. Because with wrestling, to be able to share emotions like that has great appeal. In any case, from now on a new wave is going to emerge, and I'm going to take NOAH to a magnificent place it's never seen.