(NOAH) GHC National Match Signing: Funaki "I want to beat myself of 15 years ago", Sakuraba "Tohoku number one deciding match at the same time"

27th October 2022

Pro Wrestling DX

SAKURABA: Hello, I'm Sakuraba. I would like to fight a match like no other, so please look forward to it. 

FUNAKI: I have a bit of a special feeling for Sakuraba. When I was fifteen years old and entered New Japan, Sakuraba was a year younger than me, but we where the same age. We didn't know each other, but Sakuraba looked at himself and after graduating Junior High, thought he would get into pro wrestling soon. When I consulted with my parents, they told me to go after graduating from school. Had my parents allowed me at that time, I might have become a wrestler at the same time. I guess I started first, and Sakuraba did it after he finished college. Enter UWF Inter. At that time, he was Pancrase. What was the form of that year? I thought I would be a junior in the industry for about seven years, and from there on, I suddenly felt that we were the same age. I had a head start, but suddenly, it was like he got in a sports car and passed me from behind. I had that kind of image. Especially when he fought against Royce Gracie for about an hour and a half. I don't think I am very jealous of people, but it's amazing that Royce threw the towel in. For the first time I thought I am envious of being a junior in the same generation, he is amazing, but what should I do? A few months later, the match against Rickson was decided, and I remember being driven into thinking that I had to win as well. I don't know if I lost because I pushed myself, but I remember feeling a lot of pressure. He has always been somewhere in my head, and in 2007 at Dynamite!! Just when I had retired, I was in the USA doing commentary, and I watched Sakuraba who was fighting with Royce in the right right in front of me, and I wondered why I was sitting here. I wanted to return. It is one of the factors attached that sparked my desire. So, when I was active for the first time, we didn't have a match together, but when I returned fifteen years ago, it was just right. The person who became my opponent was Sakuraba. At that time he was completely ahead of me. Far ahead. I had taken a break for seven years, so he was completely ahead of the curve, but even so he still came down and fought, but I was completely incapable. To be honest, after the match, I went to the waiting room and cried. It was really frustrating. I couldn't do anything. I remember it like it was last year. So, fifteen years later, I don't know how far I have caught up, but I want to fight Sakuraba now and win with the feeling that I want to beat myself of fifteen years ago. This time, however, I want to challenge myself as challenger. 

Q: Funaki talked about his feelings, but what kind of feelings do you have for Funaki? 

SAKURABA: Funaki was always strong in Pancrase, and so I have an image of him that I look up to. But, I remember that we are from Aomori and Akita, at the same time, I want this to be the number one Tohoku deciding match.

FUNAKI: Certainly. Also there is a Niigata Koshihikari rice that I got the other day. 

SAKURABA: Thank you very much

Q: Yuji Shimada* is refereeing? 

SAKURABA: Shimada-san will do it properly (laughs)

FUNAKI: I had him when I had a match once with Tamura. That's it. He judges the matches of all kinds of people, so I think he is a veteran. 

Q: This will be Noah's first martial arts rule, but what did you think about the double bout rule in Fukuoka?

FUNAKI: For my part, I did it as a form on research on what Sakuraba is like now, so I was able to understand what he is like. 

SAKURABA: There is no 3 count, right? So you can attack from below, so I can do it like I did with QUINTET, so I think that's great. But while that was the case last time, there was one time when I almost reached the limit, but I didn't expect Funaki to come with the Ninja Choke. I lost to it once in QUINTET, as Suzuki was straight in, but I feel I need to be careful of it.

Translated from Pro Wrestling DX

Picture credit: Pro Wrestling DX

Notes

Yuji Shimada was the referee in their original match fifteen years ago