(NOAH) "I want to protect the GHC after fully drawing out the strength of Satoshi Kojima" Go Shiozaki's confidence for the GHC Championship, but "my lariat is not yet enough".

7th June 2022

ABEMA Times

Go Shiozaki, also known as "I am NOAH", has returned to the GHC Heavyweight Championship after winning the title in a contenders match against Kaito Kiyomiya. At the 12th June "CyberFight Festival 2022" (Saitama Super Arena), the first defense will be held against New Japan's Satoshi Kojima in the main event. This will be a battle between two men, who have both made the lariat their special move. 

How will Shiozaki meet the outsider called Satoshi Kojima, who has boarded from New Japan and is aiming to achieve the forth major single Grand Slam Championship in history? We heard his thoughts for an unbeatable battle. 

Q: Finally, the GHC Heavyweight title match on the 12th June at "CyberFight Festival 2022" with Satoshi Kojima is approaching, but how are you feeling? 

SHIOZAKI: After the title match was decided, I thought "I still have time", but in the blink of an eye it became June and I feel like, "It's finally time". Also this time, the challenger is Satoshi Kojima. I have seen the strength of the people known as "The Third Generation" for a long time, and among them Kojima is a wrestler with enough momentum to take you in a single blow. This is a title match with that person, and so my feelings are rising. 

Q: Kojima hasn't had a chance to fight a big title match in New Japan for the past few years, how have you felt his true power when fighting in the pre matches so far? 

SHIOZAKI: Honestly, Kojima started to come up to Noah, and after seeing that liveliness, that strength, and excitement after the title match was decided. In any case, when people feel better, their body follows. You are feeling that awesomeness right now. 

Q: It is kind of like you exploding what you have built up over the last few years? 

SHIOZAKI: I can't say, but if not, Kojima would not have been able to do this either. He couldn't have challenged to for the GHC otherwise. In addition, I think there are still parts to pull from the depths. People of that generation are scared of the power that comes out when cornered, and I have a strong desire to protect the GHC after fully drawing out Satoshi Kojima's strength. I want to win after fighting a match in which a Satoshi Kojima, who no one knows, appears. 

Q: In doing that you want to beat the "Strongest Satoshi Kojima ever"

SHIOZAKI: More than ten years ago, I fought a singles match with Kojima in a G1 Climax at New Japan. At that time, I experienced Kojima's strength, intensity, momentum and the fear, and because I experienced that I thought "it figures this is amazing". I think this is the GHC match that will bring back that momentum and the intensity of Kojima at that time, and I think that only I can do that. 

Q: Kojima won the 2010 G1 title match, so in other words you will win after reviving "the strength of the G1 Championship"

SHIOZAKI: That's right. I think that is the GHC battle. 

Q: Last year in the GHC title match at the 12th February Nippon Budokan, you created a chance for Keiji Mutoh to make a full comeback...

SHIOZAKI: By now, I don't need that kind of opportunity (forced smile) It's is meaningless not to win after making a comeback. However, I think it is my mission to fight against powerful people like Keiji Mutoh, Kazuyuki Fujita and Satoshi Kojima, people who you would not have dreamed of participating in Noah previously. By matching with myself, the fearsome strength of those people emerges, which means that they are opponents who make me angry.

Q: As your phrase "I am NOAH" states, you are a symbol of Noah, and it is probably because they are worthwhile opponents. 

SHIOZAKI: Based on that, after drawing out his strength and ability, I want to fight to exhaust each other. I think that truly, a GHC Heavyweight title match is something beyond more than a wrestlers ability, I think it's beyond an exhaustive fight. That is the case of the GHC, which I have been watching since my debut. Above all, I want to win after doing my best after each other fights with all our strength. 

Q: You want to show not only the result, but also the content of the match as "This is a GHC Heavyweight title match"

SHIOZAKI: If not, I am not the champion winning and putting on the GHC belt. I want to prove that I am the GHC champion, not only by the result but also by the content of the match. And by always defending with the feeling of the challenger, something may be born again. I want to improve by fighting more and more again. 

Q: Kojima, who is your opponent this time, has something in common with you in that the lariat is his finishing move. Are you particular about purposely fighting the match with the lariat? 

SHIOZAKI: As a wrestler who also uses a lariat, I want to be particular. There is a particularly thick wall, and I think that it can only be called a special move by breaking it. There is even a challenge there. 

Q: In the pre match in Ota Ward on May 21st, you took the pinfall from Kojima with the lariat, but there was also a scene where you fell in the exchange before that.

SHIOZAKI: It is still not enough, and my lariat is not yet enough. When I can overcome that, in truest sense I think I can say, "I beat Kojima". On the day of the match, I want to devote myself right until the last second, and polish my lariat. 

Q: As this match is also the main event of "CyberFight Festival 2022", do you feel a sense of responsibility for that?

SHIOZAKI: Yes. This time it is not just Noah, but it is also DDT, Tokyo Joshi and Ganbare ☆ Pro will be gathering and because of that I can never lose to other promotions in terms of content. I hear that the CyberFight Festival will be distributed to the world, so I want to show the world that "Noah is amazing" and that "Japanese pro wrestling is amazing". I want to make it a wonderful event by winning and closing. 

Translated from ABEMA Times

Picture credit: ABEMA Times