(NOAH) "Take the belt and stand in the same position as Kiyomiya!" - interview with Yoshiki Inamura before his challenge for the GHC National Championship.

19th November 2022

Noah.co.jp

We interviewed Yoshiki Inamura, who has decided to challenge El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr for the GHC National Championship at the Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium event on the 23rd November. I wonder what Yoshiki Inamura thinks about this sudden big fight in his first event challenging for the single belt, and the milestone of turning 30 years old. 

Q: You announced your challenge for the GHC National belt this time, but please tell us the reason again. 

INAMURA: I have been fighting seeking strength, and so I have always wanted a result. I announced a challenge here because I wanted to do something big by the end of the year.  

Q: This is your first time challenging for the singles belt?   

INAMURA: Yes, this is the first singles belt challenge. 

Q: Now that the challenge has been decided, please tell us your honest feelings. 

INAMURA: I'm grateful to Wagner for accepting the challenge, and to all the fans who supported me on that occasion. Also, I'm a little nervous now that the challenge has been announced, and the title match has been decided. 

Q: What do you think of the image Wagner has? 

INAMURA: When Wagner first appeared (August 18th 2019) we had a match in Nagoya, and I lost. He is one of the most famous in Mexico, isn't he? Even though he is from a prestigious pro wrestling family, he's a wrestler who works hard and does not rest. From the first time we had a match until now, for example seeing how many wrestlers he fought against in this years N-1, simply put I think he's a really great wrestler. 

Q: Why did you decide to challenge for the National belt? 

INAMURA: Compared to the GHC Heavyweight, this belt has a shorter history, but I think it is a belt that has seen a lot of fierce matches. To test my strength, I want to challenge Wagner, who won the belt from strong Funaki. When both of those feelings emerged and I had a chance to express my challenge, I came out at Korakuen. 

Q: Kiyomiya, the GHC Heavyweight Champion, is a senior, but he is a younger wrestler. Do you have a sense of what Kiyomiya is doing now? 

INAMURA: He has been active since before I even entered or debuted. Well, I don't think it is much to do with being older or younger in this industry, but it's just that I entered the ring late (debuted at 25) and Kiyomiya joined immediately after graduating from High School. I have been watching him since his debut, so I have been watching him wrestle for a long time. Kiyomiya has a completely different type and style of fighting, and so while I can't become Kiyomiya, I have the sense that I have to become a wrestler who is active in the same position as quickly as possible. 

Q: Is that different from feeling jealous? 

INAMURA: It's not jealousy. I'm not jealous of Kiyomiya's success, but it may be that I haven't reached the point of jealousy yet. However, I think that if I win the National belt at this timing, I will be one step closer to Kiyomiya's stage. Kiyomiya has always been talking about wanting to show the power of the new Noah in our generation, so while I think that is not just me, my strength is definitely needed to do that. I want to challenge for this belt, win it, and get to a position that is as close as possible to Kiyomiya, and in the same generation, raise Noah. Kiyomiya says, "Come see me", but I also have the same urge to say that. What's more, this time I am going to be challenging for the belt in Yoyogi's main. I think there will be fans who will come to see me to see me fight, so I want to fight with confidence. 

Q: Do you want to focus on results now? 

INAMURA: Yes. There is also the fact that I want to accumulate any kind of wins from producing results. However, I think that the highest victory is the belt, so my strength is to challenge and to win here this time. This is my best chance to show my presence. 

Q: The 18th was your birthday, and so the Yoyogi event will be your first event at 30. 

INAMURA: It feels like fate

Q: What is it like looking back on your 20s?

INAMURA: The biggest thing in my 20s was becoming a pro wrestler. So that was about at 25? My early 20s are hazy. After graduating from University I wanted to become a pro wrestler, but I couldn't. There were days when I practiced by myself as I was working part time, but I was getting older. At that time I think I was the most impatient, and I was really annoyed that I was nobody. I knew I wanted to do something, but there was a part of me that couldn't do anything, so in my early twenties I was very confused until I joined Noah. 

Q: I don't think it has been an easy road, even after entering with those kinds of feelings. 

INAMURA: Yes. But I wanted to do it. There aren't many people who can do what they wanted to do when they grow up. Just by being able to do that, I'm...well, it was painful, and even though it was painful because of my lack of ability in practice, I endured all of those things as part of what I wanted to do. 

Q: Now that you have turned 30, your thoughts on this first challenge may be something a little different. 

INAMURA: That's right. Moreover, Wagner is also of the same generation, with one difference. He has had a career of more than ten years, hasn't he? His experience is different from mine, but I have gained a lot of experience in Noah, and I have gained experience in other promotions besides Noah. I have accumulated a lot of experience, and although in terms of years I am half as long as Wagner, I have experienced a lot of memorable things, and in this title match we will clash with each others experiences, and so I would strongly like to show which is better in the main event at Yoyogi. 

Yoshiki Inamura has steadily improved his skills after a career of five years, and there is no doubt that he has been active in other promotions. He has almost always been selected and recognized by opponents who fought against him in matches labeled as rivalries. The time is now ripe. Oddly enough, the champion is Wagner, who is of the same generation. Kaito Kiyomiya is not the only one who supports Noah's future, and I want this fight to show you the spectacle of the new era of Noah.

Translated from Noah.co.jp

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp