(NOAH) Noah Renaissance: "I just have to go for it" ~ Takeshi Rikio interview
19th September 2000 (Issue 995)
On August 15th at Ariake, many young wrestlers joined the Akiyama faction to "improve themselves", but Rikio chose to fight against Kobashi in order to "improve his career". He said his choice was the shortest route to improving himself. He abandoned the position he had built in sumo, and started again from scratch in professional wrestling.
Q: To start with, since this is your first interview with Weekly Pro, I'd like to ask you about when you retired from sumo and entered professional wrestling?
RIKIO: Well, I quit sumo for a number of reasons, but it wasn't because of an injury or anything like that. I had always liked professional wrestling since I was a child, so it was one of the options I had after quitting sumo.
Q: Did everyone like wrestling?
RIKIO: Yes, but after I quit sumo, the backlash was so intense as people thought that I would just jump into wrestling, and didn't want people to think I was doing pro wrestling because I quit sumo, and I thought that would be disrespectful to the pro wrestlers. So I needed to be prepared before I entered, so I thought I'd wait until the heat had died down a bit.
Q: So there was a gap of about two years?
RIKIO: Yes. Ever since I quit, I had wanted to do professional wrestling. However, I had been doing sumo for so long that I felt like I needed to take a break.
Q: Its called the recharging period.
RIKIO: I wanted to refresh myself a bit, but it ended up being quite long (laugh)
Q: And so after just a few matches, you moved to another promotion, weren't you worried?
RIKIO: I wasn't that worried. Even with my style, I haven't had enough matches to be able to think, "This is how I've been until now, but I'll do it this way from now on." However, I do feel like I want to give it my all, even if it's just a little at a time, with the desire that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow is better than today.
Q: In your second match of the launch, you were defeated by Akiyama. How did you feel at that time?
RIKIO: At the time, the biggest thing was that I was frustrated that Kobashi had lost. Ever since I joined the dojo, Kobashi had been watching my practice and even staying with me in the evening. So Akiyama-san didn't let up, even after the match was done, so I jumped in without really understanding what was going on. I was completely absorbed in it.
Q: What did you think after you did it?
RIKIO: I think there's no point in doing what I've always done (laugh). You can't undo what you've done. Well, at the time, it didn't matter if it was Akiyama or anyone else, but if Kobashi had ended up in that state, I think I would have leapt in.
Q: You're teaming up with Kobashi, a wrestler you admire so much. How much pressure do you feel?
RIKIO: I felt a lot of pressure, and my emotions were complicated. First I was happy, but then I wondered what to do next (laughs). I was happy, but I also had some anxiety about what to do next. But I thought that if I worked hard and was accepted, it would be my chance to become Kobashi's permanent partner. Like I said before, I had no choice but to go for it.
Q: What was it like experiencing a top-class fight in Ariake on August 19th?
RIKIO: I thought the people at the top were amazing, their presence and the weight of each of their punches, but I was also competing, so I felt like saying, "You bastards." Right now I just want to give it my all, but I can't keep saying that forever. I'm teamed with Kobashi, after all. I don't think it's good to be satisfied with just giving it my all forever. Regardless of whether I have a career or not, I want to pursue results.
Q: After actually teaming up with Kobashi, was there anything you were able to learn from him in the match?
RIKIO: It's scary to watch his passion and determination. I feel like I'm just going all out, but Kobashi is always going at it with passion, and there are also times when he's very calm. I'm always in combat mode and can only see straight ahead (strained laugh)
Q: After the match on the 19th August, many of the young wrestlers sided with Akiyama?
RIKIO: Well, I'm not in a position to criticize people like that, so I think everyone should just do what they want to do according to their own ideas.
Q: I think *Hashi and Morishima were jealous that their junior, you, had gotten the chance first.
RIKIO: I feel like I haven't seized my chance yet, but even if I had, I wouldn't want to think of it that way. I want to climb the steps to the top.
Q: Morishima says, "I'll never lose to Rikio," but are you aware of that?
RIKIO: It's not that I'm uninterested, but it's not like I entered pro wrestling just to beat Morishima, but I don't want to lose to anyone.
Q: Would that feeling change even if your opponent was Akiyama?
RIKIO: Of course. People might see me as a new apprentice, but that doesn't matter if we don't face each other in a match. If I can fight in a match, it means I have the right to beat someone. I believe I can win no matter who I face.
Q: The argument of the wrestlers who sided with Akiyama was, "Knock down the old guard to elevate yourself." If we apply that argument, then you would be on the side of the old guard.
RIKIO: That depends on the person, right? Takayama-san and others might think I'm old-fashioned, but I don't see it that way. They might see me as that, but I hope I can be of some help to Kobashi-san. By teaming up with Kobashi-san, I'll be able to absorb a lot of things, and by doing that, I might be able to, for example, do something that would take an hour, in thirty minutes.
Q: Other wrestlers did things like that as a way to move up, but you chose to team up with Kobashi as a way to move up.
Q: But did you expect to receive so much attention just three months after your debut?
RIKIO: No, no, I never even thought about it. I'm happy that my matches are getting attention, but I think most fans are watching it thinking, "Is Rikio okay?" (laughs). So in that sense, I have to work hard so that everyone will say, "Rikio was great."
Q: Isn't it rewarding?
RIKIO: Well, I don't know if I'm getting attention or being pressured (laughs). But for me, I'm feeling very fulfilled right now. I'm practicing with a sense of purpose, so in that sense I think it's been a positive thing for me.
Q: You've added new moves, haven't you?
RIKIO: I'm definitely thinking about it, but I don't know what to call them.
Q: Q: So you're focusing on brute force?
RIKIO: Well, I wouldn't say I'm focusing on brute force, but right now I only have strength (laughs). It'd be a problem if you asked me for a speed technique wry smile). Of course, I'd like to continue practicing and improving my technique and speed, but for now, my body is my greatest weapon, so I'd like to be able to use it to attack. I just have to keep going.
Notes
Hashi: Makoto. Jun Akiyama's long suffering trainee.
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