(NOAH) "Follow me you bastards!" Kenoh's "Weekly Pro" column
Weekly Pro
Q: Noah referee Akihiko Fukuda will retire in Takasaki on the 3rd April
KENOH: Okay, this time will we talk about referees?
Q: What is your impression of Referee Fukuda?
KENOH: He's a bus driver. Leaving the venue is even slower than Orange* because of taking down the ring. After that...
Q: Kenoh!!
KENOH: What? A passionate story about a referee? I forgot about it!!
Q: Please.
KENOH: Fukuda-san is a great veteran, with a 35 year career. Credited with the second highest place in referee history after Kyohei Wada of All Japan, he has rendered distinguished service and put enthusiasm into Noah as founding member.
Q: Before that he had been working as ring-staff for five years, so he has been in the industry for 40 years.
KENOH: I think he's a walking encyclopedia of the world of pro wrestling. I haven't talked much personally.
Q: How about as a referee?
KENOH: A characteristic count I wonder? The hearing of 1 and 2 is longer than other referees, "Wow, one". There are so many fucking assholes voices that I hear in meats counting the count slowly. For some reason it's easy to be tampered with by wrestlers and staff, so I wonder if this is the individuality of Fukuda-san.
Q: Wrestling is different from other sports, the referee has their own personality.
KENOH: Referees are part of the match for pro wrestlers, they are very important. Rope breaks, fouls, kick outs at 2, still not tapped...the referee plays a role in effectively communicating various "information" of the match to the audience by voice and gestures. So to speak, the referee is a bridge between wrestlers and spectators. Depending on the referee, the match may be interesting or boring, so therefore the referees personality has a lot to do with the success of the match.
Q: Kenoh, what is your ideal kind of referee?
KENOH: It would be a referee who can read the atmosphere of the venue, and is not too noticeable.
Q: What do you mean?
KENOH: As with wrestlers, it is important to read the atmosphere of the venue. And as you build your career as a referee, you will get an aura, and some will be more prominent than wrestlers. There times when refereeing breaks the match itself, so I hate it.
Q: Who for example?
KENOH: Shiro Okamura to "Mecha Japan Women's Wrestling". That guy is the worst.
Q: Nostalgic! But, Ninety-nine's Takashi Okamura appeared on a variety show as the corrupt referee Abe Shiro of All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling.
KENOH: Shiro Okamura for example, made me laugh a lot. Ultimately it is the 3 counts that decides victory or defeat, 5 counts for fouls, and a count of 20 when outside the ring, it is all the knack of the referee. I was laughing as pro wrestling is interesting when the rules are grey.
Q: Right
KENOH: But, Shiro Okumura was more prominent than the wrestlers. The referee is an unsung hero. He keeps the spectators consciousness focused on the wrestlers while casually bringing the match to the climax. It's important to do that on intuition, which is why for me, Fukuda-san is one of the easier to deal with referees.
Q: What other referees are easy to deal with? Noah has referees Shinichi Nakayama, Shuichi Nishinaga and Keisuke Tsukagoshi.
KENOH: Nakayama, the main referee of Noah, is indispensable. The match against Katsuhiko Nakajima in November last year and the match against Go Shiozaki in August last year, which where both fought to a sixty minute time out draw twice, both where with Nakayama as referee. He also refereed the "Best Bout" in last years Pro Wrestling Award, Go Shiozaki vs Keiji Mutoh. I used to think that Referee Nishinaga was the best referee in the world, but Referee Nishinaga may definitely be in that area.
Q: What aspects are good?
KENOH: Both Nakayama and Nishinaga referees will never interfere with the match. They are so adaptable, you never have to worry about confusion and their superb refereeing interactions, bring out the strength in the wrestlers. In a situation where I am forced into a disadvantage, when I am asked "Can you still go?", "Stand Up!" and when they call out "Go!", I feel like I am being cheered on. Also, it's nice they get frenetic when matches heat up. Noah has good referees, and so I hope that young Tsukagoshi will follow suit.
Q: Referee Tsukagoshi is 25 years old.
KENOH: The industry will not be activated unless the referees are metabolized. While some referees want to continue in the spotlight, I personally think that Fukuda-san chose the path of voluntarily retirement for Noah and for the future of pro wrestling. Let's continue to excite Noah together as ring staff and bus driver. Thank you very much for 35 years!
*Orange (or Orange-san, Mr Orange) is Noah's bus driver. He's been drawn into Kendo Kashin's schemes to scare Kenoh in the past.
*Comedy duo
Translated from Weekly Pro
Picture credit: Weekly Pro
Many thanks to Jen J for sending me the article.
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