(NOAH) Champ Talk: Masa Kitamiya
From the April 11, 2018 (No. 1950) issue of Weekly Pro Wrestling
Translated by Dino
GHC Tag Champion (42nd / Partner = Katsuhiko Nakajima)
Profile: Masa Kitamiya / Real Name: Mitsuhiro Kitamiya.
Born October 27, 1988, in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture. 172 cm, 105 kg.
Debuted September 25, 2011, with Kensuke Office in Toyama.
Transferred to NOAH in 2014. Rose to prominence with a shot at the GHC heavyweight title in fall 2016. In January of [2017], took the GHC tag belt for the first time with Kenoh as his partner. Before the first defense, Kenoh turned on him.
Special skills: Saito suplex, prison hold.
In December of the year before last [2016], after NOAH was reborn, the war over the tag title has been turbulent. From then until March 11 [2018] in Yokohama, the title changed hands six times; no one had more than two defenses to their reign. Kitamiya wants to clinch this tag war and bring an end to this confusion, and build an era with The Aggression.
Like I said in Yokohoma on March 11 when we took the belts, perhaps we're finally off to a start as a tag team. Since we formed The Aggression 3 years ago.
Nakajima and I have been through a lot together, so it's heartening to have him as a partner. He's watched me practice in the dojo since the time I joined the business, through good times and bad times.
His good points are probably the qualities I don't have. He rarely wants to put things off for later, he has a lot of energy. It's nice now... I haven't thought like this since I was a rookie (wry laugh). And the bad points, I certainly can't talk about them here.
We belonged to the same dojo when we were trainees, Nakajima and (All Japan's Kento) Miyahara had that senpai-kohai relationship with me in the industry, just those two. Of course, with other people I don't have the same bond.
The first time we challenged was actually over two years ago, Naomichi Marufuji and Toru Yano were the champion team. After that, we challenged one more time and failed, and even in the tag league, we couldn't get a big result. But without weakening and without giving up, we kept on going like we were obsessed, even in NOAH I think we're the strong ones.
Other teams change up partners in quick succession, don't they? But staying the course, we took the belt... Well, I've taken the GHC tag title with partners other than Nakajima though. He hasn't done that (wry laugh). [Translator's note: Kitamiya held the tag titles with Kenoh in early 2017. In December 2018, Nakajima took the tag belts without Kitamiya for the first time, teaming with Go Shiozaki.]
That said, it that was my first title win as a wrestler [TN: when he won with Kenoh, who betrayed him for Sugiura a month later]. Leaving out what came after, I was able to know where I stood, to show I could win a title match. That meant a great deal to me.
The champion team has changed at a dizzying rate around here recently, hasn't it? While we're both also aiming for singles matches, we've been racking up a number of tag defenses, like we're building an era.
Because it feels like, more than any others, as a tag team we've got a degree of completion and we're heating up, we're aiming to keep on reigning for a long time. It's wrong for us both to give up. But I think it's precisely because we have a firm belief in ourselves that we hold the belts.
Though "Global Tag League 2018" is starting now, as champions we can't lose, whatever the opponent. Up to now, we've got two matches behind us, and certainly we're not losing, but we're also not winning. [TN: They had a time limit draw against Atsushi Kotoge and Naomichi Marufuji, and a double count out against Maybach Taniguchi and Mitsuya Nagai.]
We've had a double count out, and won with one point. 3 points lost? And one we didn't let get away.
We have to think of a plan to break out of the present situation, a way of getting beyond it. First of all, we can't give in. Not only is it wrong for us to give up, I think precisely because we've been driven to this point, we can show what we're really made of. We won't let the wind go out of the tag league's sails because they're just a bunch of ruffians.
The match with the former champion team (Mohamed Yone and Quiet Storm) is on April 7 in Osaka? We won that title match in Yokohama, so they're probably out for revenge. My junior, Kiyomiya, also entered the tournament. When you look at the level he's at in his career versus how long it's been, he's been building it steadily, I think it should be significant. But it's a fact that there are also some weak links. It was also like that in singles matches, we won't be defeated easily. Now, if I'm defeated by that guy here, it's over for me. The match with Shiozaki and Kiyomiya is at Korakuen on March 31? [TN: Shiozaki and Kiyomiya would defeat the Aggression on the 31st]
First, we win Global Tag League, then we have to defend the title against the team we tied with and the team we ended on a double count-out with. Then there'll be no doubt that The Aggression is NOAH's champion team. I want it to reach the point where, when you talk about the NOAH tag title, you're talking about The Aggression.
Attachments area
Translated by Dino
GHC Tag Champion (42nd / Partner = Katsuhiko Nakajima)
Born October 27, 1988, in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture. 172 cm, 105 kg.
Debuted September 25, 2011, with Kensuke Office in Toyama.
Transferred to NOAH in 2014. Rose to prominence with a shot at the GHC heavyweight title in fall 2016. In January of [2017], took the GHC tag belt for the first time with Kenoh as his partner. Before the first defense, Kenoh turned on him.
Special skills: Saito suplex, prison hold.
In December of the year before last [2016], after NOAH was reborn, the war over the tag title has been turbulent. From then until March 11 [2018] in Yokohama, the title changed hands six times; no one had more than two defenses to their reign. Kitamiya wants to clinch this tag war and bring an end to this confusion, and build an era with The Aggression.
Like I said in Yokohoma on March 11 when we took the belts, perhaps we're finally off to a start as a tag team. Since we formed The Aggression 3 years ago.
Nakajima and I have been through a lot together, so it's heartening to have him as a partner. He's watched me practice in the dojo since the time I joined the business, through good times and bad times.
His good points are probably the qualities I don't have. He rarely wants to put things off for later, he has a lot of energy. It's nice now... I haven't thought like this since I was a rookie (wry laugh). And the bad points, I certainly can't talk about them here.
We belonged to the same dojo when we were trainees, Nakajima and (All Japan's Kento) Miyahara had that senpai-kohai relationship with me in the industry, just those two. Of course, with other people I don't have the same bond.
The first time we challenged was actually over two years ago, Naomichi Marufuji and Toru Yano were the champion team. After that, we challenged one more time and failed, and even in the tag league, we couldn't get a big result. But without weakening and without giving up, we kept on going like we were obsessed, even in NOAH I think we're the strong ones.
Other teams change up partners in quick succession, don't they? But staying the course, we took the belt... Well, I've taken the GHC tag title with partners other than Nakajima though. He hasn't done that (wry laugh). [Translator's note: Kitamiya held the tag titles with Kenoh in early 2017. In December 2018, Nakajima took the tag belts without Kitamiya for the first time, teaming with Go Shiozaki.]
That said, it that was my first title win as a wrestler [TN: when he won with Kenoh, who betrayed him for Sugiura a month later]. Leaving out what came after, I was able to know where I stood, to show I could win a title match. That meant a great deal to me.
The champion team has changed at a dizzying rate around here recently, hasn't it? While we're both also aiming for singles matches, we've been racking up a number of tag defenses, like we're building an era.
Because it feels like, more than any others, as a tag team we've got a degree of completion and we're heating up, we're aiming to keep on reigning for a long time. It's wrong for us both to give up. But I think it's precisely because we have a firm belief in ourselves that we hold the belts.
Though "Global Tag League 2018" is starting now, as champions we can't lose, whatever the opponent. Up to now, we've got two matches behind us, and certainly we're not losing, but we're also not winning. [TN: They had a time limit draw against Atsushi Kotoge and Naomichi Marufuji, and a double count out against Maybach Taniguchi and Mitsuya Nagai.]
We've had a double count out, and won with one point. 3 points lost? And one we didn't let get away.
We have to think of a plan to break out of the present situation, a way of getting beyond it. First of all, we can't give in. Not only is it wrong for us to give up, I think precisely because we've been driven to this point, we can show what we're really made of. We won't let the wind go out of the tag league's sails because they're just a bunch of ruffians.
The match with the former champion team (Mohamed Yone and Quiet Storm) is on April 7 in Osaka? We won that title match in Yokohama, so they're probably out for revenge. My junior, Kiyomiya, also entered the tournament. When you look at the level he's at in his career versus how long it's been, he's been building it steadily, I think it should be significant. But it's a fact that there are also some weak links. It was also like that in singles matches, we won't be defeated easily. Now, if I'm defeated by that guy here, it's over for me. The match with Shiozaki and Kiyomiya is at Korakuen on March 31? [TN: Shiozaki and Kiyomiya would defeat the Aggression on the 31st]
First, we win Global Tag League, then we have to defend the title against the team we tied with and the team we ended on a double count-out with. Then there'll be no doubt that The Aggression is NOAH's champion team. I want it to reach the point where, when you talk about the NOAH tag title, you're talking about The Aggression.
Attachments area
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