(NOAH) "What are you doing these days?" Naomichi Marufuji and Eddie Edwards talk

Naomichi Marufuji and Eddie Edwards had a half an hour talk on Noah's official YouTube on the 19th May 2020 in the midst of COVID-19 shutting down the majority of wrestling and what wrestling there is, being held empty arena. This was a chance for the fans (and Marufuji) to catch up with Eddie. I have omitted the part when Edwards talks about his family, as I have a personal policy to try not to talk about personal lives unless I have to. 

(Picture credit: Kenoh)

Prior to the broadcast, Kenoh (who hates Marufuji and everything about Marufuji, but seems to have a grudging toleration for Edwards), said that he didn't want to see Marufuji's face, and so he covered his face up in the picture of the event with a hand. During the broadcast he said he covered Marufuji's face, so it looked like Edwards was talking to himself. I wonder if Kenoh heard Marufuji's repeated "Kenoh, are you watching?" or "Kenoh, please watch".

Marufuji welcomes us to the chat (done via ZOOM which Edwards says he uses to speak to family), and the conversation starts in Japanese to begin with, i.e. "How are you" etc. The majority of their talk is done in a mixture of both Japanese and English, which they both get by in well (Edwards says in response to a fan question that he doesn't think it is very good), although at times Noah's interpreter has to join in. Edwards sounds like he either has hayfever or a bit of a cold as he is sniffing, concerned Marufuji asks if he is okay, but he's fine.

Marufuji comments on Edward's beard, Edwards says in Japanese that it has grown long (he says that since the quarantine its the longest it has ever been, he hasn't had a haircut either and he used to be what he described as "baby-faced"). As far as Noah is concerned, he hasn't been there since last November, but he is still in contact with Marufuji, Yoshinari Ogawa and Noah's interpreter. Like Marufuji he is training at home because the gyms are shut, however, unlike Marufuji he does not have a dojo to go to. His exercises include using kettlebells and sandbags. He watches Noah on YouTube and Daily Motion.

So, what teams are there in Noah? Edwards recalls there are STINGER (who he jokes he would like to join), Kenoh's team "Kongoh" (he doesn't remember the name at first), and RATELS (who Marufuji counts although they have broken up). In the heavyweights there is AXIZ and The Sugiura Army. Regarding Takashi Sugiura, he recalls fighting him in a singles match once (it was in 2011). He knows that Nakajima is the current GHC National Champion, which he won from Sugiura. He would like to have another match with Nakajima and also Kiyomiya, and as for Marufuji, "maybe one more tag match".  Edwards also touches on Okada and Inamura (Noah's latest debuts), and says that he is impressed by Inamura's heavyweight style.

Gif credit: NOAH GHC official YouTube

Marufuji asks about IMPACT, and wants to know who the current champion is. Edwards tells him that for the first time in IMPACT history, it's a woman; Tessa Blanchard. He says he thinks she is a "cool champion", and explains how she won it. Marufuji asks if he knows who the current GHC Heavyweight champion is, Edwards says it is old dojo friend, Go Shiozaki. The famous "Team Chop" (when he and Shiozaki teamed up) is bought up, and along with Marufuji they were a "three way Team Chop". From IMPACT Edwards says he would like to bring The North, Moose and Tessa Blanchard to Japan. Tessa would be interesting, as this would be the first time a woman has ever had a match in a Noah ring. Edwards has an ambition to hold Noah vs IMPACT, both in the USA and in Japan; for America he would like to bring over Naomichi Marufuji, Go Shiozaki, Takashi Sugiura, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh and Yoshinari Ogawa.
Fans say "yes please" to Noah vs Impact.

So, when is Marufuji coming back to the USA? Marufuji says that at the moment it is no good. Edwards says that in America currently the indies have stopped, and it is only really WWE, IMPACT and AEW that are running shows and all empty arena.


"Do you know another Marufuji?"
"Another Marufuji?"
"You know, the painting, the mist"

Edwards gets what he means and mentions Marufuji's demonic alter ego, "Magical Immortality", he says he likes him, thinks he is very good, but "very sneaky". Marufuji says, "Like Sami Callihan!".

Fan question time

How is Moose?
Edwards said he is an idiot!

Fans say they want Eddie to come back to Japan, and when he does, what is his favorite Japanese food? Edwards said that he loves everything about Japanese food, especially Natto (fermented soybeans which are usually eaten for breakfast), and kimchi chanko.

When asked about Marufuji and what he thinks of him, Edwards said that Marufuji has always been very kind to him, and that he emulates him in the ring. He is asked about why he chose to come to Noah, and he said that he had grown up watching gaijin in Japan (in particular Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero), and he wanted to learn not only the Japanese style, but specifically, the Noah style. Ryu Nakata (at that time Noah's general manager, but that's a different story), gave him his intro and he spent six months training in the dojo at Differ. The training style was different and he found it hard in the beginning, endless squats, bumps, sit ups, but the memories are good of going out for drinks, cleaning the dojo, eating chanko and being in the dojo with Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Ippei Ota, and Genba Hirayanagi (Marufuji laughs). Marufuji and Edwards are both of the Misawa generation, and Edwards said the first thing he said to him was to thank him for giving him this chance in Noah. Watching the training (and indeed no one passes through the Noah dojo without him) was Yoshinari Ogawa, who Edwards considers "a kind friend".

When asked what match he was most impressed by (watching), Edwards said it was Kenta Kobashi's return from cancer, but a match that he was in that was most memorable was the tag match which he first used his "Die Hard" finisher. He was inspired by Misawa, Kobashi, and was inspired by Marufuji's style, especially his sidekicks, which he has incorporated into his own style. 

All things must come to an end, and Marufuji tells us that they are out of time. Edwards addresses the fans by thanking them for their support, and says he hopes to return to Noah soon, and to everyone to keep supporting Noah.

You can watch the whole interview at Noah's official YouTube channel