(NOAH) "I want to show the result of sticking to the letters "MA-SA", no hesitation in attacking Mutoh's knees, GHC Heavyweight Challenger Masa Kitamiya interview.
Noah.co.jp
Masa Kitamiya will challenge Keiji Mutoh for the GHC Heavyweight Championship on the 29th April in Nagoya.
Although he has stood out from early on, for the past few years he has been unable to achieve results and couldn't break through. Daily not getting results continued. Even so, he continued to carry the "Soul of Masa", inherited from his teacher, Masa Saito. Kitamiya broke through on the 7th March Budokan event, with a prison lock on Takashi Sugiura. He seized the GHC Tag Team Championship and this momentum drove him to hit Mutoh with a challenge. Until now, he has had no contact with Mutoh, however they have something in common, Masa Saito. For Mutoh, Saito has been a respected teacher since he trained in America. It was Mutoh who read the eulogy at Saito's funeral. Kitamiya, however, is the last trainee of Saito, and even if he does not get the results, he continues to stick to the spirit of Saito's motto "GO FOR BROKE". Mutoh, who has the scent of Saito, now stands on the stage of the GHC Heavyweight Championship. He talked to Kitamiya, who is heading for a crucial match in a strange situation.
INTERVIEW WITH MASA KITAMIYA
Q: You announced your challenge to Mutoh at the 14th March at the Hakata event, and decided to take the challenge on the 29th April in Nagoya. First of all, what are your frank thoughts?
KITAMIYA: As I have said for a long time about The Sugiura Army, the current situation is that the belts are being taken by old men and the middle aged. If we don't break this, there will be no future for the promotion. First of I started to find a way to rise and took a tag belt and started from there.
Q: The situation of "one step further" has continued for a while, did you get a break through response?
KITAMIYA: Yeah, because of the tag belt, I was able to get a clear result. Moreover, in the title match I was able to break through Takashi Sugiura, who I have been struggling with all the time recently, directly. I think taking the win from Takashi Sugiura was a harvest that was comparable to taking the belt.
Q: Although Mutoh has become the GHC champion and is drawing attention, is Noah's sense of crisis about "aging" stronger than that?
KITAMIYA: Last year, Go Shiozaki defended the belt with full blown injuries, I thought he was hostage to his natural stubbornness and presence, and such a side is really crazy or tedious. It is true that Keiji Mutoh has become the champion and has become big news, so I think there is a problem if there is someone in Noah who is happy from the bottom of his heart about it and saying, "That was exciting Noah! Hooray!"
Q: What is your impression of Keiji Mutoh again?
KITAMIYA: Is he an absolute super narcissist as he has fame? "I haven't seen anything other than myself", I mean when we faced each other in the ring the other day I felt this acutely. There are some mysteries where I don't know what to think, but there is no pathetic feeling. I might be wary, but I am different because I don't feel scared.
Q: It is sometimes described as a magical power that draws in everything.
KITAMIYA: Sure, but of course there is a lot of weakness because he is beaten up so much. However, there is something like an indescribable skill that drags you into his pace, so you have to be addicted to "being hooked".
Q: How can you not be drawn into the world of Mutoh...
KITAMIYA: Well, the title match is something that makes me feel like I am standing in the ring with a special feeling. I have reflected on it myself in the past and in that sense if I don't devote myself to wrestling more than usual, it would be crazy.
Q: You and Mutoh also have Masa Saito in common.
KITAMIYA: He spend time in the United States with Masa Saito and then us standing in the ring together...this is an experience that I never could have had, so I am honestly envious. I think that what you can actually feel and learn by fighting together or standing side by side in the ring is irreplaceable. I only knew Masa Saito after he went to the ring, so if there is a part called "Masa Saito that lives in Keiji Mutoh", I think I should sense that and take something away.
Q: What kind of match do you want to show to Masa Saito?
KITAMIYA: Umm, well...(after a while)...what ever the answer, I think I have to wrestle a match that I am going to win. The results are everything, and devoted to the match. In any situation, no matter what, whatever hand I use I want to show my tenacity.
Q: Is it to show the appearance of winning, more than the details?
KITAMIYA: Yeah, the content of the match depends on the opponents attitude.
Q: Although you defeated Sugiura with the Prison Lock, it is a well known fact that Mutoh also has bad knees. "Attacking the knees" seems to be a key point too?
KITAMIYA: Each has a decisive skill about the ankle, but there are various ways and types in attacking the foot. If you don't have something solid to connect it to, then you won't win. There is the Prison Lock and the Figure Four, but I think the process of how you get there is the most important. So, I think I have to think about that when I head into the title match.
Q: It feels taboo to attack Keiji Mutoh's knees, who now has artificial joints...
KITAMIYA: This is the world of competition, I don't care about that. Everyone knows this who has stood in the ring with him, I have had no contact with him in my career and I don't think that any emotional attachment will interfere.
Q: The GHC Heavyweight Crown is a long cherished wish, even for Kongoh.
KITAMIYA: As Kongoh there is a feeling that as the National Belt has disappeared, we have stepped back, and so I have a feeling that I want to take the belt and revive it. But, as far as this is concerned, the feeling of fighting as an individual, Masa Kitamiya, is stronger. Of course, Kongoh has a strong bond, but even if its a unit or part of a tag team, in the end it is "myself" in the ring, especially if it is a single title match.
Q: It has been more than two years since you challenged for the GHC Heavyweight, what has evolved during this period?
KITAMIYA: It may not be visible to the eye, but there are things that have been accumulated day by day. I think that was the reason why I was able to catch the tag belt, and I think it was because of that evolutionary response that I was able to challenge for the single.
Q: More than two years ago, you were constantly involved with the GHC Heavyweight Championship, but the stagnation period after that ended was a long one.
KITAMIYA: Yeah. Far from being able to break through with one step, I went down one and stagnated, and went up and down again. Repeatedly. I was internally conflicted about not being able to get involved with the GHC Heavyweight. However, when I make little progress, I often change my style. I think there are people who grope for it in the dark when changing their appearance, but for me I thought that when it all boiled down to it, I needed a "strong belief" to stick to. Skills can be increased easily, and it may have been possible if I wanted to change my look easily if I wanted to do that kind of thing. But, because I have received Masa Saito's, "Masa", I can't do anything stupid. I can't do anything without thinking, so I have to endure whatever happens. I have had that pride for a long time. In Nagoya, I am concentrating on two letters "MA-SA", and I want to show him the results I have continued to push through.
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