(NOAH) Soya towards the GHC challenge, "Show the way of life". He has "complicated feelings" about forming a tag team with Fujinami

15th November 2023 

Pro Wrestling DX

Manabu Soya will challenge Kenoh for the GHC Heavyweight Championship at the 2nd January Ariake Arena tournament next year. After three years in Noah, he will finally challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Furthermore, his opponent is Kenoh, who is a "special presence", and the stage is one of the first big matches of the year. He is facing the biggest fight of his life as a wrestler. 

When Kongoh disbanded this spring, he shed a lot of tears, but since then he has been reborn and continues to make strides. Although he missed out on advancing to the championship match in this summers N-1, he made the main event on the final day of the tournament with calls for Soya, and in the fall he joined forces with Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba to continue the momentum. In his private life, he has announced his marriage and started a YouTube channel enriching the timing in both his public and private life. We asked Soya, who is currently in the midst of pre matches with Kenoh and is approaching the turning point in his career as a wrestler, about his current state of mind. 

Interview with Manabu Soya

Q: First of all, what are your honest thoughts regarding the GHC Heavyweight challenge? 

SOYA: I was going to challenge whoever won the title match between Kenoh and Jake, but Kenoh ended up winning and taking the belt, and that was a big motivation factor for me. 

Q: In any case, is Kenoh a special presence?

SOYA: I believe that we are like minded people, who have been heading in the same direction since coming to Noah. However, now that Kongoh has disbanded, my desire to be the best has become stronger. 

Q: Was the dissolution of Kongoh a big opportunity for you to change your mindset? 

SOYA: Yes, that's right. From "Kongoh's Manabu Soya" to Manabu Soya, since I came to Noah, I want to be the best and my desire to reach the top has become even stronger. 

Q: With that in mind, you approached the N-1, defeating Katsuhiko Nakajima in the first round of the pre match RUMBLE, and were involved in the fight for the championship until the very end...your accomplishments have stood out.

SOYA: I felt frustrated regarding last year's N-1. It is a high level league where only a limited number of members can participate. I think the frustration of not being able to enter last year also became the driving force behind my explosion.

Q: In the match against Go Shiozaki to decide who would advance to the championship, even though you lost, the venue was filled with Soya calls, showing the growing support from fans. 

SOYA: I'm grateful. That gave me more strength than anything, but it means I couldn't go to the finals. Even though I received so much support, I was more disappointed than happy. To be honest, I thought, "Oh, I should have gone to the finals". 

Q: However, the momentum continued even after the N-1, and this time you took action to form a united front with Daiki Inaba and Masa Kitamiya. 

SOYA: Although we are not a unit, I felt the same will also from Kitamiya and Inaba, "I want to climb out of this position I'm in. I want to get out of this position", that's why I shook hands with them. I want to move up, and I think that we are the three members of Noah who feel the strongest about this right now. 

Q: What kind of changes would the three of you like to bring to Noah? 

SOYA: If we don't show something different than before, Noah will not evolve. There is no point in us teaming up unless the three of us leave a solid image, and become a presence that is recognised by the audience. So I think it depends on us whether or not Noah will rise in the future. 

Q: And finally, after three years of participating in Noah, this will be your first GHC Heavyweight title challenge. 

SOYA: After all, it is Noah's highest belt, and so in order to challenge for it, you must have a proven track record, popularity, ability, and drive. But I felt confident, I thought "Maybe I can go if I am the way I am now" and with that confident I thought, "I have to go now". 

Q: It is also a belt worn by famous wrestlers

SOYA: It is a belt worn by our seniors, who have created Noah. I may not be even able to reach that level yet, but someday I will get there, and surpass it. I feel that very strongly.

Q: Also, the stage for this first challenge is the 2nd January Ariake Arena, one of the biggest stages of the year.

SOYA: The champion said "January 2nd" himself, so rather than just a stage, I can fight Kenoh for the GHC Heavyweight. For me, that is more important than anything else. It's true that the stage is big, but when I think about it, I get nervous, but that's just my personality. I just want to think about my desire to wear that GHC belt that Kenoh has. 

Q: This will be the first match of 2024. 

SOYA: Yeah. If I can win the GHC Heavyweight against Kenoh here, then I can start 2024 as my year...the year of Manabu Soya.

Q: However, there is still time until the Ariake Arena, and there are many pre matches. 

SOYA: I think the battle has already begun, and my opponent is Kenoh. He is good at setting up gimmicks for title matches, and that is something that I would like to compete with as well. On top of that, no matter how much you pay attention to the results and talk about it, it won't be convincing unless there are results. 

Q: At December 2nd at the Yokohama Budokan, it has been decided that you will team up with Fujinami (Tatsumi) and take on the team of Kenoh & Jinsei (Shinzaki) in a grand pre match tag between master and student. 

SOYA: I have a little bit of mixed feelings about it. I would like to thank Mr. Fujinami for agreeing to this card, as I have some regrets about the trouble I caused when I entered this industry. I would like to thank Mr. Fujinami for giving me the OK.

Q: Although you made your debut with Muga*, you suddenly transferred to All Japan when you were young. 

SOYA: Actually, after that act of ingratitude, this is my first time meeting him in the ring. However, it's been fifteen years since then, so I wish to show you, I am not who I was at that time. Mr Fujinami is the one who brought me into professional wrestling, and I will never forget that feeling of gratitude.

Q: You also announced your marriage and became a parent? 

SOYA: I personally think that I have developed a sense of responsibility, not only in my personal life, but also in the ring. In everything. I guess that is why I have to go with all my might in the ring, and I think that was a good motivation for me. 

Q: It has been a year of fair winds blowing in both your public and your private life. 

SOYA: But in my mind, there is no point unless I give it another whirl. In fact, I think it will only end when I am satisfied with the current situation and now all I think about each day is Ariake on January 2nd. I want to do my best in everything. 

Q: New Japan's SANADA, who won this years one on one match, is running as the IWGP champion, and title matches for each promotion are scheduled for New Year's Eve and January 4th, so some people may draw comparisons. 

SOYA: Big title matches during the same year end and New Year Holidays. It's true that I may not have great technique, talent, or amazing kicks, but I can show you how to live. 

I'll give everything in me out in the ring, including my emotions, and I'll make you think that the GHC fight was the best. 

Translated from Pro Wrestling DX

Picture credit: Pro Wrestling DX

Notes

Muga: A promotion started by Tatsumi Fujinami