(NOAH) Pro Wrestling Noah will run the Nippon Budokan for the first time in eleven years! Shiozaki and Marufuji talk a turbulent 2020 and future prospects.
10th February 2021
"When you speak of the Nippon Budokan, you speak of Noah."
Interview with Go Shiozaki
Q: What kind of year was last year for Noah?
SHIOZAKI: It was a difficult time due to the spread of the coronavirus, but I don't think many things would have been possible without working together with CyberAgent. Even if the event was empty arena, not stopping Noah gave me confidence, and I was strongly convinced of Noah's potential.
Q: What was your most memorable time?
SHIOZAKI: It wasn't only Noah, these were the first empty arena matches in puroresu. The wrestlers and the staff in the uncertainty, felt the desire to show the best matches to the fans. The reason for holding the autograph sessions and selling merchandise online, was to make the fans feel like are at the venue. More than ever, I was able to feel the importance of the surroundings including the fans, the wrestlers, the staff, and the company.
Q: How are you feeling now before the Nippon Budokan event?
SHIOZAKI: The Nippon Budokan for the first time in eleven years...we can finally return to The Budokan. I am looking forward to it. This is not a goal, but a restart, and I think we must have both the feeling and the momentum to hold the Budokan event every year, and make it successful. I would like to take on new challenges and improve the event and Noah.
Q: What is the part of the Nippon Budokan that you have a particularly strong feeling for?
SHIOZAKI: Speaking of Noah, it is the Nippon Budokan. It was natural to say, "When you speak of the Nippon Budokan, you speak of Noah." However, it's been eleven years since events were held at The Nippon Budokan. During that time, the fans who were looking forward to the event said, "The Nippon Budokan is Noah". I want them to feel it." Even with the passage of time, and even if there are new developments and challenges, Noah's focal point is "When you speak of the Nippon Budokan, you speak of Noah." I would like to strengthen everyone's feelings.
Q: For new fans and future fans, how should they enjoy Noah?
SHIOZAKI: First of all, I hope you can see the fight in the ring even just once. From there, you get to know the nature of the wrestlers, the relationships between them, and a bond is created when feelings are born. People who see pro wrestling for the first time, may say "Why can't you avoid that move" and "If that hurts, why take the move?"...for example, Marufuji and I are good at chopping, if I receive a good chop, will I lose to Marufuji? I will fire back with that in mind (Laughs). That kind of exchange is born out of the bond between wrestlers. It would be great for those who see it for the first time could see the intensity, strength and the depth of the ties in Noah's ring. For each fan, Noah has tens and thousands of way to have fun.
Q: As you lead Noah as Ace, please give us your enthusiasm for the future!
SHIOZAKI: I want to be able to express all my thoughts at the Nippon Budokan. It is easy to say "for the first time in 11 years", but there have been many things for Noah and for myself. The declaration "I am Noah" said in the ring is the strong feeling I have or Noah, and my love for Noah is second to none. From now, I would like to strongly connect the thoughts of the fans, the wrestlers and the staff to the future of The Budokan.
"Noah's wrestling has a fun feel of entwined human relationships"
Interview with Naomichi Marufuji
Q: What kind of year was last year for Noah?
MARUFUJI: It was the first year in the history of 20 years of Noah, when there were things that we couldn't do because of Corona, so we had to find out what we could do. We experienced the process of connecting it to results, and professionality was asked of our wrestlers. I don't think there was anything we could have done with just the wrestlers and Noah's staff, and I strongly feel it was a year of activity as it was possible because of CyberAgent.
Q: What as your most memorable time?
MARUFUJI: The empty arena matches. I had never experienced it before, so I was worried that I wouldn't know what would happen unless I tried standing in the ring. But when I did try it, I was able to concentrate without worrying about the lack of audience. In a normal match in a ring with four sides, there are parts where it is easy for customers for see, and parts which are hard to see. Some people will notice the occasional mistake, but in empty arena matches, they are shot from all angles and you can't make mistakes and because of that I was able to concentrate more, and have a match with a sense of tension in a good way.
Q: How did you feel when it was decided to hold the Nippon Budokan event?
MARUFUJI: When I heard, I was happy, surprised and naturally I smiled. I have been in five main events at the Nippon Budokan, so I felt it was natural at the time. But, it's been eleven years since then. During that time, I sometimes thought that it would be difficult to have a match at The Nippon Budokan. However, it is thanks to everyone around me that I have been able to return for the first time in eleven years. It was really good to have stayed in Noah.
Q: "ABEMA PPV ONLINE LIVE" was incorporated at the end of last year's event, and the Nippon Budokan event. What is the story of that?
MARUFUJI: ABEMA suggested that we do things that weren't really Noah, but by successfully interacting with them, new initiatives were born, one of them being the "ABEMA PPV ONLINE LIVE". From this point onward, when Noah wants to do something like this, I want to convey it and strengthen the link (rough).
Q: How should new fans and future fans enjoy Noah's professional wrestling?
MARUFUJI: By coming to Noah's venue, I think you can "have emotions like never before". I think that just like becoming an adult, you have first feelings and experiences, and I would like you to experience such things with Noah, and you will want to know more about it. Some people say that pro wrestling is only a show, but Noah's wrestling is not just that, you can also enjoy realistic entwined human relationships.
Q: Tell us about the future outlook for Noah and CyberFight.
MARUFUJI: Although CyberFight has Noah and DDT, it is not a simple matter of just combining two into one. If two groups of completely different styles can cause a chemical reaction, I think that it will be number one in the Japanese pro wrestling industry, so I want to aim for that. To that end, I think that both promotions should first lay foundations. For Noah, I want to create a future where every venue is full, the number of viewers of ABEMA has increased, and people all over the city know Noah.
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