(NOAH) "Misawa's story continues within me" ~ Naomichi Marufuji

28th May 2021

Noah.co.jp

※ This is an excerpt on the new book about Mitsuharu Misawa, "Inheriting Misawaism", from the interview with Naomichi Marufuji.

The successor to Mitsuharu Misawa. 

There are many voices who call Naomichi Marufuji that. Soon after entering pro wrestling as an attendant, his personality oozed as he wrestled twice in title matches and experienced the greatness of wrestler, Mitsuharu Misawa. Not only just as an individual wrestler, he is determined to protect the Noah created by Misawa, no matter what rough seas may come. I think there are many overlaps with the late leader of the The Ark. 

Infact, Marufuji's behavior often reminds me of Misawa. For example, at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium event on March 18th 2012, initially it was meant to be a GHC Heavyweight Championship match between Champion Takeshi Morishima and challenger Takashi Sugiura which was scheduled to be held. However, Sugiura was suffering from a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, and regretfully the doctor had to stop the match. In such a big match on the card and to resolve the emergency, it was Marufujo who undertook to be the substitute. Shortly after recovering from a cervical spine injury, it wouldn't have been easy to fight in a title match, and against a champion who was about 50kg heavier than him. Even so, Marufuji went to the ring with the thought of the absent Sugiura for the promotion and the fans. 

This action reminded me of the All Japan Nippon Budokan event on the 4th September 1999. At the event, five major single matches were to be held, but there was no Triple Crown match. Misawa was due to have a singles match against Yoshihiro Takayama, but Toshiaki Kawada, who had been scheduled to wrestle Vader was injured. With one of the featured single matches to be cancelled, Misawa became the substitute for both matches and fought two powerful wrestlers, Takayama and Vader, in just a few hours. 

On July 17th 2013, at ZERO1's Korakuen Hall event, a match was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Naohiro Hoshikawa's debut. Marufuji and Hoshikawa had fought fiercely in the first match of ZERO-1's debut show on March 2nd 2001. In 2004, Hoshikawa was confined to a wheelchair due to an accident sustained during a match, and in a big moment, Marufuji came to the ring in the costume of the rival who now could not stand in the ring, and against whom he once fought an intense match. At the end, he took Hoshikawa's hands, and lay on his back to hear the count of three. I was impressed by the action of giving the utmost respect to his opponent. 

Immediately after Hiromichi Fuyuki, Misawa's trainee, announced his retirement due to colorectal cancer. Misawa used his authority over Differ Ariake and hurriedly prepared the stage for his retirement match. No matter what happens, he thought of his friends and did his best for them. Marufuji inherited this attitude from Misawa. He is the successor to Mitsuharu Misawa. 

Translated from Noah.co.jp 

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp