(NOAH) Shinsuke Nakamura asks Ulka Sasaki at the 1st January Noah Nippon Budokan, "Are you going to step on the gas or just go with the flow?"
Q: Since moving to SMACKDOWN this spring, you haven't participated in any TV matches. How are you feeling about house shows right now?
NAKAMURA: Nowadays, house shows are only held about twice a month in the US.
Q: They are also held in countries around the world.
NAKAMURA: Well, for example, I did a European tour in August, and there was a UK tour in October, and one in November too, which I didn't go on. The situation is changing quite a bit now, and people are saying that there will be more house shows overseas. Until now I've been doing it in America every week, but it feels like the schedule has suddenly changed.
Q: Does it feel like the WWE schedule itself is changing?
NAKAMURA: Well, it changes all the time, and it's changed quite a bit in the eight years I've been here. Nowadays, there are fewer matches, so I think a lot of wrestlers have fewer opportunities to compete.
Q: What do you think about not being able to appear on TV?
NAKAMURA: Well, there is a reason for it, so I am concentrating on what I can do now, like training and maintenance.
Q: Now that the fight against Ulka Sasaki has been confirmed for Noah on the 1st January at the Nippon Budokan, for me personally it coincides with Nakamura vs Yoshihiro Takayama in June 2003.
NAKAMURA: Yeah, me too (laughs). At that time, Yoshihiro Takayama was truly the emperor of pro wrestling, and I think he was the only opponent I could go head-on against. I was only twenty-three years old, and was overreaching myself to the point of breaking. I had no choice but to use the weapons I had at hand. When I say pro wrestling technique, I mean, I practiced, but I wasn't on the same level as the other guys, so I had no choice but to fight using the techniques I had cultivated over the years... the techniques I thought were genuine. And to put it bluntly, I had to put my whole body and soul into it, or give my life for it. I don't know if it's okay to express it like that in this day and age, but that was the only way Shinsuke Nakamura could fight.
Q: Ulka has decided to stop using the sleeper hold that he was good at when he was a mixed martial artist, because he relied too much on it. What do you think about that decision?
NAKAMURA: I don't know anything about that. That's his story, so I don't care. Don't ask me about that.
Q: Early in your career, did you have any conflicts about your technique?
NAKAMURA: I still do. There were times when I thought I should increase the number of techniques, and times when I gradually cut them down. There were also times when I thought I needed to make some changes within myself, or spice it up, and so I added some or tried out some new things. It's not something I do consistently, but I still think about it now.
Q: You always keep the current situation in mind, and express it in the ring.
NAKAMURA: Especially when I can get in the ring consistently. I think Japanese promotions are probably the only ones in the world that have over one hundred matches a year these days, and as I said earlier, the number of matches in WWE has decreased, so there are fewer opportunities to discover new things while wrestling. I used to be the type of person who would suddenly come up with ideas during matches, so this time I think I'll have to do the opposite and draw from a different angle.
NAKAMURA: Could it be a hindrance?
Q: For example, he decided to stop using his signature move, the sleeper hold.
NAKAMURA: That's really up to the wrestler, or rather how he perceives it. If he wants to do it, and it's going to be burdensome, then I think it's his problem.
Q: During the first or second year of your career, you competed in both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. How did you switch between the two?
NAKAMURA: What I am saying is that a fight is a fight, and there is commonality in the sense that you show a fight, but outside of that the techniques are different. In Mixed Martial Arts, punches are thrown compactly, while in pro wrestling, punches are thrown with a swing that can be seen by the audience even at the back of the venue. There are small differences like that. What do I want to embody and express through wrestling, through my fights, including winning and losing? Singing, dancing and fighting can be found in any culture. I think that these are fundamentally the art forms that humanity seeks. When it comes to showing my fight, I've always been conscious of these commonalities, and have been doing so since I was young.
Q: Ulka is also famous for the Shining Triangle.
NAKAMURA: That brings back memories (laughs)
Q: What do you think as the founder?
NAKAMURA: Ah, I see
Q: Ulka was a junior at Wajutsu Keishukai*, but was there any difference between him and the other juniors?
NAKAMURA: He was a bit excitable. I thought he probably liked being in the spotlight, and he might be a good fit, so I reached out to him. I'm the type of person who can be pretty irresponsible, and will say things like, "Why don't you become a pro wrestler?" I think Ulka took that seriously.
Q: That one comment became a grand narrative, and changed Ulka's life.
NAKAMURA: From here on, or rather, he's always been a winner, but will he step on the gas, or just go with the flow? Things can go either way.
Q: When did you think it was time to step on the gas?
NAKAMURA: I guess it was just the need to do it, or rather, I had no choice but to do it. I had no choice. Step on the gas. Pushing myself. Risking my life. That was the first half of my wrestling career. Looking back, I feel like I wasn't very good at wrestling back then. But still, there were fans who were attracted to me, and there are people who still support me to this day. So, I think one answer is, what was it that I was able to reach?
Q: Even if you don't have that experience or a career, there is definitely something you can show in the ring.
NAKAMURA: Yes indeed, but it must be the real deal.
Q: What do you think about the importance of gaining experience and a career in professional wrestling?
NAKAMURA: I think there are important matches, or matches that give you new realizations. No matter how big or small it is, or what stage it is on, once you step into the ring, there is a risk to your life, a risk of injury. It's like your senses are on edge more than in your everyday life. In those situations, you realize things, have experiences, feel pain. Those experiences are important.
Q: Is there a match that comes to mind that gave you that realization?
NAKAMURA: There have been so many. I was wrestling with the mindset that I didn't care if I died. Each time I got through a match, I thought, "I survived another day". I can remember most of the matches so vividly. I remember what it was like at that time, how it hurt, how my nose was cracked, and so on. There were times when I heard the voices from the crowd. There are also times when it became slow motion, or when I just got what I wanted.
Q: Ulka has had a string of big matches since his debut, but what is it about him that has allowed his destiny to be so strong?
NAKAMURA: I don't know, I don't see Ulka Sasaki in that way, so I don't know. He has his own life, and I don't know exactly what kind of light he is emitting in Noah as ABEMA is not available in America, and Weekly Pro is not available in bookstores here. So I don't know. But what light is he emitting? What does he want to become? Is it just an appearance? Is he on board with that or not? How does he make up for that? What are his thoughts when he wrestles? There are probably a lot of things. I don't know if it enhances or draws fate, but I am sure there are many ideals of what he wants to become. But, reality is harsh. How do you change that into the form you want, or resist it? That's how it feels.
Q: Although Ulka made his professional wrestling debut at the age of 34, he is said to be a supernova.
NAKAMURA: Yoshiaki Yatsu or Hiroshi Wajima's Golden Arm Bomber?
Q: Yatsu was twenty-four, Wajima was thirty-eight.
NAKAMURA: I think for someone who has given their all to martial arts, it would piss them off to be asked about it as if it were a hindrance. I've put my whole life into this, so how can I sublimate that into the way I'm living my life now? That's one of the themes, and I'm sure you have your own ideals, but it's also realistic, and you have to actually reconcile your imagination with reality.
Q: Finally, you will be coming to Japan at the same time that Tanahashi announced his retirement. Are you aware of that?
NAKAMURA: On the same day that my participation in Noah was announced, Tanahashi told me he was starting on his retirement road. To be honest, his physical condition didn't look very good, so I thought, "Oh, so that's the decision he made." He's also the president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so I'm sure he has some thoughts about that. There was a time when Shinsuke Nakamura existed because of Tanahashi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi existed because of Nakamura, so I have mixed feelings about it, but I'm not sure if I should say anything or not... I've been in contact with him personally though.
Notes
Wajutsu Keishukai: Martial Arts dojo
Picture credits: Weekly Pro
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