(NOAH) "Enjoy the Noah Juniors, where various Indie All-Stars gather!" The Noah Junior's "Excitement Team" FULL THROTTLE, talk the Nippon Budokan at full power!
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While various events were canceled or postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of last year, Pro Wrestling Noah has continued to deliver pro wrestling to world, despite being behind closed doors.
The unit "FULL THROTTLE", which was born in the empty arena era, creates bright, fun and intense matches at full power, and continues to give smiles and energy to fans.
The current leader, Hajime Ohara, is from Toryumon. Seiki Yoshioka is from WrestleGate, and YO-HEY is from DRAGON GATE. Although their origins are different, they are now Noah Juniors, and they have become indispensable. What are their thoughts as they fight? I heard them before the Nippon Budokan on February 12th.
YO-HEY has a consistent character
YOSHIOKA: I debuted at WrestleGate, and Keiji Mutoh invited me to All Japan, and I left in two months and followed Mutoh...the promotion* vanished (laughs), and it was Noah who got in touch with me at that time.
Q: What where your original thoughts on Noah, where you interesting?
YOSHIOKA: Yes. I used to watch American wrestling a lot, so I wasn't really familiar with the situation in Japanese wrestling, but the three names that kept coming up were New Japan, All Japan and Noah**. I saw it in magazines, and even after I became a pro wrestler, I had the impression that it was a long established or big name promotion. I was very happy to hear from the promotion, which every pro wrestler knows. I made a quick decision and said, I'll go.
Q: How about Ohara?
OHARA: I decided to leave wrestling and do a normal job and I was working various things with SUWA. On the day of the Nippon Budokan event***, the job I was asked to do by SUWA was to run a barbecue, but it rained so I had nothing to do. So SUWA called me with something like "Come on, you have spare time", he had called me before like that, and I had gone to Korakuen several times. When SUWA was seriously injured at The Budokan, I was caring for him backstage he said, "What should I do? What should I do?", wondering what to do about Korakuen the next day. Shu Nishinaga (Referee) and Naomichi Marufuji were there, and Marufuji said, "You are here, stand in." I felt singled out and not very happy with it. But, it would have been wrong as a man to refuse to be a substitute for SUWA. I was stirring and it didn't make sense. The next day as a substitute for SUWA as Maybach Suwa Jnr, and that's how I started to go up to the Noah ring from "The Ark's New Chapter". So I am here because it was rewarding to have a match in Noah, and I felt that the fever of pro wrestling had returned.
Q: How about YO-HEY?
YO-HEY: Well, there were various things, and somehow...what was I doing? Well, for the time being I was in Dove, and was messing around as the GinGin Boys (YO-HEY & Kenshin Chikano). At that time with HAYATA, Tadasuke and other members it was free and easy, and we were like "lets have more fun pro wrestling, than aiming for the top". While I was doing that, I got a call from Noah. So, if HAYATA and Tadasuke could participate in it, and that if the two of them could go, and if they participated, then I had quite a light feeling of, "Well, then I want to go too". So, from the first time I got a call, I started to appear. So, as Yoshioka said earlier, I was only watching American wrestling, and I didn't really watch Japanese. I was aware of Noah, New Japan and All Japan all being major Japanese promotions. I had it when I was just 30. So, I think that was one turning point. If it is the case then I can do pro wrestling with Noah, it is not a re debut from the age of 30, but I have the feeling that I want to do it firmly again. Somehow, I am here.
Q: YO-HEY, you are also from the Funaki Dojo, is there a connection to the current situation?
YO-HEY: It doesn't have anything to do with Noah, but after leaving DRAGON GATE and becoming a freelance, I had a dream of doing pro wrestling in the United States. I was introduced to Funaki, and went to the USA, and my goal was to fight in WWE, but it didn't work out...So, there were various things, and Funaki connected me to Taijiri, and I was there with Ohara. But, what was it? I wanted to go to America, right? So, something something, that is why I am in Noah right now. I mean it honestly, "Noah is fun". That feeling is so strong that I have a stronger desire to liven up Noah, have fun in Noah, and grow both myself and the promotion. Even Funaki was very pleased when I told him that I belonged to Noah, "I don't have the words! Honestly, congratulations! You did it!" I feel like I have arrived (laughs).
Q: As YO-HEY mentioned, I think OHARA has been with you since the SMASH era. I don't have a lot of images at that time.
OHARA: I didn't want to tag
Q: How was it trying to tag anew?
OHARA: He had the same image as now. My characters have changed from time to time, but YO-HEY has been consistently YO-HEY. Seriously orthodox...even if you look at SMASH from that time, and even when he came to Noah, he is still the YO-HEY that was consistent with RATELS and FULL THROTTLE. From my point of view he is the exact opposite to me. That is why he is amazing. He's done it consistently.
Q: By the way, which character is closest to your origin?
OHARA: Hmmm, what about it? I have an element of being asocial, maybe I don't like being around other people so much, but I don't really know as I do like to do it.
Q: Your latest admission song is slightly topical****
YO-HEY: Hahahaha (laughs)
YOSHIOKA: The one that was played on Twitter (laughs)
OHARA: I think it's definitely a culmination of my career right now (laughs)
Q: Then Ohara, the theme song is closest to your basics (laughs).
OHARA: I mean I have already entered to it in activities outside the ring (laughs), that is why I am building a character...there is a Showa anime song, it's hard to thing, but I think it is a system of explaining characters, and it would be the first time as an admission song. It's more like Lyger, but with a slightly different type of feeling.
"I thought Noah needed a unit to do pro wrestling to brighten a dark world"
OHARA: Isn't it different for all three?
YOSHIOKA: What do you do?
OHARA: I have been here the longest in Noah, and I have been putting on singles and tags, and in order to move on to the next step, I thought I shouldn't come to a halt by just saying that I had a belt again and was saying "I am a champion". It goes without saying that we are aiming for belts, but I think we have to create more added value, and that the unit called FULL THROTTLE can be said of "Speaking of Noah, there was FULL THROTTLE". I think it's important to create something that can be talked about ten or twenty years from now. I am thinking that it's not just about belts, but memories, I think it is important to remain active. It's difficult.
YOSHIOKA: It raises the spirit in a good way, when we come out we are a team that gets excited with revelry, each achieves, gets a belt, shows an intense fight each time we fight, enjoying entertaining. I don't know how to say it as I am not an "odd job man", but I think I am ready for such a team. If YO-HEY and I do what we want, Ohara will put the rest together (laughs). If you leave it to us, and we start going down the wrong path, he will probably correct us (laughs).
YO-HEY: Clean up the mess in the ring
YOSHIOKA: Ultimately
YO-HEY: Bow to a great man like Ohara
YOSHIOKA: But, I wonder if such a team is good
OHARA:... (Bitter smile)
Q: YO-HEY, what about you?
YO-HEY: FULL THROTTLE is fine, but for me personally, before that was RATELS. It was the first unit since I came to Noah, so it's okay, isn't it? It was exciting, and I think it was a team that inspired me to remember, and so I want to go beyond that. RATELS is not here, it's the same as The Leader said about FULL THROTTLE, it's best to be memorable, and it would be best to be remembered forever, but I don't want to engrave FULL THROTTLE into history, rather saying "Noah is FULL THROTTLE". I have a desire to make a team that is burnt into memory.
OHARA: Let me explain, FULL THROTTLE was formed during an empty arena match, in the midst of corona and when the first state of emergency was declared. The world really was at rock bottom...I have been wrestling for sixteen years, and it was the first time in the history of my career that I had a no spectators match. This is a unit that was created in such a situation, and I thought that Noah needed a unit that would wrestle to brighten a dark world. In Noah, saying "cool" or "strong" is too congested, and I thought it would be too chaotic to try and compete. I think I have to play an active role to lead Noah from the empty house to a different field. As a unit that will suit the current situation and the times, I think that everyone will come to the venue in search of the extraordinary, and watching through ABEMA or Wrestle Universe, anyway, they say "FULL THROTTLE makes me feel better!", "Brightened up", "I am glad I saw it", "I forgot about something I didn't like!" "From tomorrow I will do my best." I think we have to convey something positive like that. With that in mind, FULL THROTTLE is now the brightest, entertaining and exciting...in many ways, right? I think that is our mission to be a unit that can entertain our customers the most in all respects, whether it is in strength or in fun.
YO-HEY: I was thinking about that too. The leader said everything (laughs).
Q: Ohara, as the current leader, what are your thoughts on the former leader?
OHARA: The great thing about him is that he has wonderful trial and error. As a pro wrestler, I really care about the evaluation of the customers, I mean I hate being criticized, but he can do things like become a heavyweight and return to the juniors. Normally, people don't do that, everyone is scared, but he challenges himself and thinks, "Oh, this is different", and he changes direction and does various things. It's been ridiculed that the unit changes from time to time, but to put it another way around, I am trying various things. I'm taking a shot and aiming for my best. Looking at that positive aspect, he is amazing. However, I thought that Kotoge's approach to taking on new challenges was amazing, so he became the leader of FULL THROTTLE, and did new things. I was hoping thay we could create a new outlook, so what I put on him was very heavy. But he crushed me...it's ruined.
Q: I believe you used to fight the "Peach Youth" of Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada
OHARA: I was doing it excessively. There was a time when Momo No Seishun and Kenohara (Hajime Ohara & Kenoh), were quite typical Noah junior matches. At that time, I had a lot of matches and I felt that the customers were pleased with it. I felt that I was pleased with the matches of only the genuine Noah members during the dark time when the Suzuki Army came, so I think it's very valuable. I don't like Kotoge's returning to that value. We relied on what we already had. Do you understand that? "Peach Youth is back!" or "Teaming up with Harada again! Yay!" You can see that, when he went to do that I was frustrated, I thought he was different. So do it well. I want to do something new.
Q: Do you think that we will see new new members etc or something in FULL THROTTLE the future?
OHARA: At the moment I can't think of anything like "let's bring this person in" right now, first of all, the three of us are making many shapes. First of all, while fostering the feeling, it seems like "I think it will be more interesting to add a new member soon". Even in Anime, there are new members in about 30 episodes. I wonder if we have even reached episode 30 yet. It's like Morning Musume, if you don't have proper early members in episodes 8 and 10, you won't be surprised when Maki Goto enters. By the way, when a new child comes in during the 2nd or 3rd term and says "I don't even remember all the members of the first time", it is not loved. So, when this member clicks, it must become such a development that he enters the second term, and invites repercussions like this.
YOSHIOKA: It's unlucky when a new member comes (laughs). When a new member comes, The Leader leaves! Ohara, please do not leave, even if new people enter!
OHARA: A new member will come in and play a Leader decision match, which will put a heavy burden on is (laughs). I wonder if its too many matches more than everyone else? Customs and culture (laughs), but I think that's one weapon. The great thing about FULL THROTTLE, is that I am glad that I was able to build a story with the inner circle, without the focal point of other units or rivals. I think it's attractive now, at first I thought "What are you talking about?"
Q: What are you aiming for as FULL THROTTLE, something different than a belt?
OHARA: Belts are the norm. It's natural for wrestlers to aim for them.
YOSHIOKA: It would be interesting to have a six person tag belt
OHARA: Yeah, that kind of thing
YOSHIOKA: If there is, I want it to take place in FULL THROTTLE
YO-HEY: If the worst comes to the worst, we make a belt (laughs)
Q: So, if you did create it, would it be indiscriminate without rules?
YO-HEY: That's right. Open it to the full.
OHARA: Judgement of the customers
YOSHIOKA: Ah, that's good
OHARA: It feels like M-1 (laughs)
Q: In that sense, it may become a belt that excites the viewers while watching ABEMA
YO-HEY: That's right. Viewer voting or something like.
OHARA: If you win the match, you get 20 points! I don't know, it could be the new pro wrestling where, "You can't win just by winning the match" (laughs).
YO-HEY: Certainly
OHARA: I am aiming to be a pioneer in Noah, and in the world Pro Wrestling, and in FULL THROTTLE, in many different ways.
Q: Recently, the Noah Juniors have been disturbed by NOSAWA Rongai, many wrestlers from outside, such as Ikuto Hidaka are participating. There was a comment from NOSAWA that the, "Noah Juniors are no longer there". How does FULL THROTTLE see this situation?
YOSHIOKA: There aren't many pure NOAH teams out there, but in the olden days, the Noah Junior who knew the Nippon Budokan, is really only Ogawa?
YO-HEY: He's a freelancer, but there is Kotaro?
YOSHIOKA: Pure Noah Juniors may be fading, but I think it's a tradition which has been passed down. The people who come in from outside don't have the GHC genes, but I think through fighting in Noah, they inherit them little by little.
OHARA: It was about eight years ago when I first came to Noah, but going up to the ring means that no matter where you have come from, you may have a match with Marufuji, Saito, Ogawa or Sugiura, so it is natural to fight the person who made the history of Noah. In addition to that, there is a part when other wrestlers such as us, who have different origins, naturally become Noah. After all, we who are fighting in Noah's ring, are so to speak, Noah. That is why the ones who come here are proud, and have pride in being a Noah Junior. When it comes to a denial of that because I come from somewhere else, I say "That is not the case." That is why I challenged Harada the other day. By showing Harada the fight for the GHC Junior, who has been walking the same history for a long time, I wanted you to feel that you wanted to review the value of the Noah juniors once again.
YO-HEY: I believe I am a Noah Junior, regardless of whether I am a Noah born or not. I am confident as, "The Noah Junior's YO-HEY". I said "Huh" to NOSAWA'S statement. The current Noah has a lot of people, and a lot of units, right? I think there are various appearances for units, and so I think what is missing is insignificant from the perspective of the person doing it. Somewhere here, by far we have something we want to tell to the customers. I am hoping that it will be felt, but I don't know what it is yet. I want to change that kind of image.
Q: The Nippon Budokan event is coming up next month, but Ohara may be the only one out of the three of you, that has had match experience there.
OHARA: I don't have it. It's often surprising to say, but there is no Budokan. However, it was at the Budokan when I saw Noah for the first time, and when Misawa and Johnny Ace had a Triple Crown Title match (February 28th 1998), I saw it on TV. Originally, pro wrestling came from a game, so I recorded it to video with the feeling that, "Pro Wrestling is just a game, isn't it?". When I saw it, people really were doing something in a world of a game live, and I was shocked and from there on I started to investigate pro wrestling, and I wanted to do it, so I entered the Takada Dojo. Honestly for me, The Budokan was the catalyst for professional wrestling, and The Budokan was the catalyst for joining Noah. There is a real connection to The Budokan. That is why it has a special feeling.
Q: YO-HEY, do you have a passion for The Budokan?
YO-HEY: Eric Clapton and Eikichi Yazawa concerts. That's about it. That is why when I talk about The Budokan, it is a world that I don't know at all. I have never even been to the venue, and I don't really know. I have only ever seen the Budokan on film and old Noah video's and thought "amazing". So, on February 12th this will be my first experience to see what it is like at the Nippon Budokan. I am looking forward to it as an individual. This is why it will be the start of the complete YO-HEY at The Budokan, so I want to work hard. Still, there is a seal on the Budokan, and I am looking forward to what kind of impressions will be created when I break it for the first time.
Q: Do you have a card to break the seal with yourself?
YO-HEY: My card or Ohara's hasn't been decided on yet, so no matter what kind of card it is, we will break the seal. I want it to follow it's natural course, and break that seal in that state. I haven't broken it yet, and I want to break it.
Q: Ohara, do you have a seal you want to break?
OHARA: I had just lost a title match. However, right after the match, Yoshioka made his challenge. I was stunned when I lost, and to be honest I couldn't react so much because I was too depressed, but Yoshioka said on the microphone "I watched the match and caught fire". I was moved by his saying "I'm going to go", and I was really happy. Recently in the Noah Juniors, trespassing into matches happens, it's conspicuous, and because the heavyweight matches are all about great games, you can hear customers say that the juniors are all about betrayal and intrusion. I'm curious about that. I had a pride in that it wasn't so, and I wrestled against Harada for that, but the result was I lost. But the fact that Yoshioka spoke up throughout the match, meant I felt that the meaning of my fight was connected. I glad I did it, because I took action and fought, the match generated new heat, which led to the Budokan and my will was inherited. All Yoshioka has to do is to connect it.
Q: Yoshioka, your title match will take place at The Budokan, but what do you think when you hear the words of the current Leader?
YOSHIOKA: The Budokan in time of need. To tell the truth, Harada also said after the match, "The leader is strong". Really, the match was intense when I was watching as a second, I was screaming a lot. When I came to Noah I challenged for both the GHC Junior and the tags, but I couldn't take them. Recently, I've been in many matches first on the card, and I have become accustomed to it. When I became aware of the excitement and realizing I was detached from the belt, I was motivated to see such an intense match and I thought, "I want to get the belt." Thank you Ohara (laughs)
OHARA: It was good! Rewarding! (laughs)
YO-HEY: I got hot too, and I was saying softly that I would have gone, and to be honest I really felt like "I'm gonna go". I was really looking forward to it. But "I can't! Shit!" To be honest, I was disappointed, moreover the appointment was Daisuke Harada. "I want him to win". He is strong. "Wow! It's been done! Oh!" I said that out loud at that time. Then it was like "Please, do your best" when looking at Yoshioka's stance, rather than regrets. So, as it's his turn, I thought I would be a diva (laughs).
Q: Compared to other units, I think FULL THROTTLE is the the unit where the friendliness of the members stands out.
OHARA: That's true. Look at Momo No Seishun, it's like going to a Wake isn't it (laughs)
YO-HEY: Momo No Seishun with Mikan? (*Junta Miyawaki in a mandarin orange costume) Momo and Mikan? I wonder if those three are a team, and I think that it looks like that from everyone's perspective. Team? They are like a unit. We are "FULL THROTTLE surprise surprise!!" I think the three of us are strong, and our kind of team is strong. I want to make use of that more and more.
Q: I think there are fans who started watching after you entered Noah, and there were fans who were watching before you did. There were requests such as "I want to see you here in Noah" and "Can be seen now in Noah, enjoying themselves".
YO-HEY: In my case it was often said when I first went to Noah, but I think people who watch the Indies have the image that Noah is famously "stuffy". I had it myself, and it seems that the customers watching also had an image of it being said. I went far away from, "I wish to go to Noah". I think there are many people who do that due to selfish prejudice, but for the time being I myself am exactly the same. I haven't changed at all. I want you to understand more about the fact that this style is done through Noah. If you see it only once then you will see that "YO-HEY is the same as he used to be", and the prejudice that "He is in Noah" will disappear, so please watch it once! It feels like...and if you think I will say something serious, more and more will come out (laughs) It's like that (laughs).
YOSHIOKA: Unlike YO-HEY, I think that by going up to Noah, I am absorbing the good image of the GHC and Noah, after all, the foundation is to some extent the wrestlers that have come to Noah, so I don't think there will be any change to what was originally built with the Indies. The Noah gene will be further integrated there. But for Noah, we add color from various places, and I want you to see something more sophisticated by adding it. I think each of us have our own style, and we influence each other to create something new.
YO-HEY: If you like Indie wrestling, I think there is something like "Noah = Mainstream". Like a young comedian, who hasn't appeared on TV yet, it is like "I will nurture it". I think Noah also has a feeling like, "Ah, that is my child who has left" when that person becomes famous. However, I think most of the wrestlers who are in Noah currently are from the Indies, especially those in the Noah juniors. Those people are making the current Noah Junior's, so you get the sense of "Watch it, it's interesting". There is no such thing as repudiating the Indies. The Indies are the Indies, and they are very interesting, but Noah is Noah and is incredibly so. I want to say, "Well, just take a look!"
OHARA: As YO-HEY just said, what is the Noah Juniors now? The Noah Juniors have a lot of people from various sources who made their debut outside of Noah, New Japan and All Japan, are gathering together. Speaking of which, I am also a rare person from CMLL, and I was in Arena Mexico in around 1 year and 3 months of my career. There are also such rare cases as people from WRESTLE-1 (Yoshioka), KAI-EN-TAI Dojo (Nioh), and Osaka Pro (Harada & Tadasuke), and so on. I think it's interesting if you think of it as a general indie trading company, with a wide variety of indie products. It covers everything! I think I can also see it as an Indie All-Star! If anyone cares about our origins, then well, we will be new trainees once more and make out debuts again. It was the same when I was in Toryumon, and I went to the majors and started as a trainee. Didn't you go by that pattern (laughs)
YOSHIOKA: That was me! I did it like that! (Laughs) (Note: Yoshioka entered All Japan as a trainee from WrestleGate, and then re-debuted after transferring to WRESTLE-1 as a trainee).
OHARA: Do you want to do it? (Laughs) I don't think it is the time to discuss that now, so I think it is really just one way of thinking. I think Noah has a rigid image, and actually there are many people who say it is difficult to approach, but there is no doubt it is a ring made by attractive people, and I hope you will enjoy the Noah Junior's, a gathering of such varied Indie All-Stars.
*Wrestle-1
**Once known as "The Big Three"
***2013
**** "Muy Bien", which is also Hajime Ohara's catchphrase.
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