(NOAH) Pro Wrestling Showmaker: Narihiro Takeda

SPOAL.JP

11th October 2022

NINOMIYA (Toshiro): Keiji Mutoh was personally interested in deciding which venue he would choose for his final match. Since the Nippon Budokan was done in the first stage, so I expected Ryogoku Kokugikan or Saitama Super Arena, but surprisingly it was the Tokyo Dome. If you ask me, it is the most suitable.

TAKEDA (Narihiro): In addition to company staff, I also interviewed Mutoh's fans. There were many people who said, "It's The Tokyo Dome", but of course there were also negative opinions such as "How will you fill the Tokyo Dome?" It is true that in this age of Corona, it is hard to fill The Dome with people, but even so I decided that The Tokyo Dome would be suitable for Mutoh.

NINOMIYA: Speaking of Mutoh, I have a strong image of him in October 1995, when he beat Nobuhiko Takeda in the main fight against UWF Inter. "The Legendary Battle" was held at The Tokyo Dome, so that image is strong. 

TAKEDA: When I told the person in charge of Tokyo Dome about this, I was told "The Tokyo Dome is the perfect venue for Muto-san's retirement match". 

NINOMIYA: What was Mutoh's reaction? 

TAKEDA: Until we talked about the Tokyo Dome, there were various ideas such as a large venue with no audience and a pay-per-view. However, but where and how will Mutoh do it? It's not silent pressure, but I felt that if I made one small proposal, then Mutoh's motivation would be lowered. With that in mind, I decided on the Tokyo Dome, and when I told Mutoh he said, "It would be nice if I could do it there". You see, The Tokyo Dome was on my mind, and I had actually been waiting for that answer. 

NINOMIYA: The event will be held on Tuesday February 21st next year. You were able to obtain the Tokyo Dome well. 

TAKEDA: Yes, I had heard that the concerts that had been rescheduled due to Corona, were all going to be in 2023, so I was prepared for it to be difficult, but somehow...

NINOMIYA: How much capacity are you thinking of? 

TAKEDA: About 40,000 people.

NINOMIYA: I think it's true that it's hard to attract customers. Even so, the 100,000 yen royal seat that was sold in advance for Noah's fan club sold out on the first day, and the 500,000 yen VIP seat sold out on the second day. That's a great reaction.

TAKEDA: To be honest, it's more than I expected (laughs).

NINOMIYA: By the way, what are the VIP seats? 

TAKEDA: You will enter through a special entrance gate, and receive benefits for the retirement match. A seat will be prepared at ringside behind the steel barrier. The 100,000 yen royal seat will be in the front row, but there won't be a barrier. 

NINOMIYA: If you can buy the ticket in advance, isn't there a lot of new members joining Noah's fan club? 

TAKEDA: It's 150% higher. I think there are many people who have entered for the purpose of getting a ticket for Mutoh, but for example, even if the seats are the same at 30,000 yen, the fan club members will be given priority.

NINOMIYA: I'm curious about Mutoh's card

TAKEDA: I have already left that to Mutoh, because it's not what we are talking about now. 

NINOMIYA: For example, Genichiro Tenryu chose Kazuchika Okada, an active top wrestler from New Japan as his final opponent and Riki Choshu went for a five man format in his first retirement match. There are various patterns, but what are Mutoh's thoughts? 

TAKEDA: Well, that depends on Mutoh's sensibilities. All I can say is that it will be the best card that Mutoh believes.

Q: Is it likely that the cards will be announced in the future? 

TAKEDA: It may be early next year. 

NINOMIYA: Due to Mutoh's retirement, Noah itself is also attracting attention. I feel like Kaito Kiyomiya, Kenoh and others have been getting more media exposure. 

TAKEDA: First of all, the partnership with "A-Sketch", which is mainly involved in the music label/management business, is a big deal. I feel that leaving it to the professionals in that field, has produced good results. Another thing is that Noah wrestlers are trying to make good use of Mutoh's name, because the current ones have to lead Noah without Mutoh. I think there will be people who see Noah for the first time because of Mutoh, so I hope that we will be able to turn those people around. As for Noah, Mutoh's "Final Countdown" series will be held at big venues, but at the same time, I would like to attract people to regular shows, including Korakuen Hall. The number of Wrestle Universe members is certainly growing, but

we have to do our best in both distribution and attracting customers and once Coronavirus is over, I would like to put more effort into attracting them. 

NINOMIYA: That is why the 21st February Tokyo Dome event is important, isn't it? This is Mutoh's finale, but at the same time, it's also the start of a new Noah stage. 

TAKEDA: Yes, that is why I want 40,000 people to come. 

NIYOMIYA: What is the schedule for ticket sales? 

TAKEDA: Pre registration for ticket agency will start from October 5th for e-plus, and from October 20th for other ticket agencies. At the venue, it will be pre sold from the Ariake Arena event on October 30th. The general sale will start on November 19th. Worrying about whether or not it will be filled properly gives me a headache. 

NINOMIYA: Promotional activities are also important. 

TAKEDA: Exactly. Even when movies are promoted, the leading actors appear in various media to advertise. I would like Mutoh to do various things, but he is quite lazy (laughs). 

NINOMIYA: It means he is not very much devoted to his work (laughs). What kind of finale will Keiji Mutoh show? I am looking forward to February 21st. 

Translated from Spoal.jp

Picture credit: Spoal.jp