(NOAH) "The top wrestlers, the young people and the trainees are united" - Naomichi Marufuji discusses the decision for the 2022's New Years Day Nippon Budokan event
ABEMA TV TIMES
It has been revealed that Pro Wrestling Noah's "New Big Announcement", will be that they will hold an event at The Nippon Budokan on January 1st 2022. Noah last ran the Nippon Budokan on February 12th this year, which was the first time in about eleven years, but this will be the first big event on New Year's Day in puroresu. We asked Naomichi Marufuji, the current GHC Heavyweight Champion and Vice President of CyberFight Co Ltd, to explain the meaning of this special event.
Q: When you heard that the Nippon Budokan event was going to be held in New Year 2022, what where your honest thoughts?
MARUFUJI: Genuinely I thought, "it's amazing!". Truly, running the Nippon Budokan event on New Year's Day is something that was not born only by the efforts of the wrestlers alone, but came from everyone around us working hard.
Q: It's not easy to obtain that kind of schedule at the Nippon Budokan
MARUFUJI: That is why each wrestler must think very hard about the meaning of having a Budokan event on New Year's Day. They have to properly understand how blessed this is before 1st January, otherwise I think it would be disrespectful to everyone.
Q: How do you see the differences between the New Year's Day Budokan event and the 12th February Budokan event?
MARUFUJI: On the 12th February, I think it had a celebratory meaning that "We can finally go to The Budokan". But this time let me say something big, establishing the image of "Nippon Budokan = Noah" has to be one of the triggers.
Q: Do you have a desire to make the New Year's Day Budokan event an annual one, rather than just doing it once?
MARUFUJI: Of course. For example, New Japan's 4th January Tokyo Dome event has been going on for over 20 years, and fans are looking forward to seeing it each New Year. I think that entertainment companies and pro wrestling promotions need such things. In that sense, I think the New Year's Day Nippon Budokan event is the best time and place to impress customers, so I definitely want to establish it.
Q: I think that the Budokan event on New Year's Day might be seen as an "entertainment war" with New Japan's 4th January Tokyo Dome show. What are your thoughts on that?
MARUFUJI: I think that it's not only the Tokyo Dome event, but various other entertainments of pro wrestling companies will be held during the New Year holiday season. When that happens, the competitive spirit will be ignited, and I think it will be natural for to think, "I don't want to lose to others" and "Let's do it." I think it will have a positive effect on the entire pro wrestling world.
Q: If the principle of competition works, each promotion will introduce better cards.
MARUFUJI: Regarding cards, I would like to invite big name foreign wrestlers from overseas for the event, but it is quite difficult because of the problem of visas being issued due to Corona. This is why I think that what Noah needs now is to raise the rank and the quality of each wrestler individually, during the months leading up to January 1st next year, each wrestler must be aware of this and think hard so that we have something that makes customers excited.
Q: Each wrestler has to raise the expectations of the 1st January Budokan
MARUFUJI: As I have often said, Noah has been having a hard time for a long time and now we are finally beginning to see a bright future. If we miss this opportunity, then we won't have that chance anymore. With that in mind I want to see the top the wrestlers, the young people and the trainees all come together to celebrate New Year's Day next year.
Q: Last time at the Budokan on the 12th February, you teamed with Jun Akiyama to bring up young Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura. Do you naturally want to grace the main event of the Budokan as the GHC Heavyweight Champion?
MARUFUJI: I want to win and grace the end of The Budokan. It was during the main there where I won the title for the first time in 2006 after beating Akiyama.
Q: There have been other things that you have done at The Budokan, but this was the only time when you have had a title victory in the main.
MARUFUJI: I want to see that scenery again. That is why I want to win the main event at the Budokan event on New Year's Day and start a bright year.
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