(NOAH) The Truth Exposed - Special 1st January Nippon Budokan interview with OZAWA.
1st January 2025 (Issue no 2334)
Q: Your first GHC Heavyweight Championship challenge has been confirmed for January 1st at the Nippon Budokan, and this is your first interview with Weekly Pro
OZAWA: Since I was on the cover recently, I'll talk about anything today as a special treat. You want to hear more about how evil Kiyomiya is, right?
Q: First of all, how do you feel about being on the cover without even having a triumphant return match after your overseas training?
OZAWA: If you look at the entire pro wrestling world right now, I'm the one stealing the show the most. In a way, it's only natural.
Q: Why are you so good at talking?
OZAWA: It's because I have so many thoughts about Kiyomiya. The words just come out naturally. I'm not being forced to say them by anyone, and they're my honest, unadulterated feelings.
Q: Your joining ALL REBELLION at Korakuen Hall on the 10th and 14th, followed by your betrayal on the 11th in Nagoya, was quite shocking.
OZAWA: I've been thinking about that since I returned to Japan. I've hated Kiyomiya ever since my trainee days, so the time has come.
Q: What do you dislike about him?
OZAWA: I've said this many times on the microphone; I was forced to practice, I got thrown around and cracked my ribs, my thumb got dislocated... For some reason, he would come to the dojo in the middle of the night, waking me up while I was sleeping at the training camp and saying, "I forgot the key to the dojo, please open it for me." I'm sure those kinds of small stresses piled up. He had complete control over my life and death.
Q: Tell me more about it.
OZAWA: In Japanese professional wrestling, whether a trainee can debut or not depends on the people above them. No matter how physically gifted they are or how good their defensive skills are, in the end, if the people above them don't like them, they won't get the green light to debut. In my case, whether I lived or died as a professional wrestler all depended on whether Kiyomiya liked me. That's why I always suppressed my emotions and did what he told me to do. I had to play the role of an obedient, cute junior in order to debut. While I hate Kiyomiya, I also feel that the trainee system in Japanese professional wrestling is strange. There are several people other than Kiyomiya that I would like to vent my anger at.
Q: Who?
OZAWA: Right now, I'm only talking about Kiyomiya. The reason there isn't a full crowd is because Kiyomiya is so weak.
Q: I see. So your anger towards Kiyomiya runs that deep?
Q: What exactly are the differences?
OZAWA: Kiyomiya has no will of his own. He's shallow. He's empty inside. He just accepts everything he's told by his seniors, and carries it out without any emotion. When things don't go his way, all he can do is complain. It may seem like Kiyomiya is leading Noah, but there's no way he can do that since he doesn't think about anything. He's worse than a puppet. He looks good and has great pro wrestling skills, so it may have been refreshing at first. But the thin veneer has now peeled off.
Q: Are you really going to say that...?
OZAWA: At present, Noah has the backing of ABEMA, and ideally the venue would be filled to overflowing with fans, creating an environment where he could reach even more people. Looking at his achievements and track record this year, it's not surprising to hear him called the top not only of Noah, but of the entire pro wrestling world, and Noah should be close to becoming number one in the industry. Despite this, there hasn't been much of an impact, and the reason there hasn't been a full crowd is because Kiyomiya is weak. Today's pro wrestling fans are smart, so they realize that Kiyomiya has no substance. This is no longer an era where matches alone can captivate. Kiyomiya himself has no appeal whatsoever, which is why neither he nor Noah have been able to break through. I'm not empty-headed like Kiyomiya, and I have a strong will as a pro wrestler. I'm going to take the lead and turn Noah around in one go.
Q: Thank you. From here, I'd like you to start by looking back on your overseas tour. What kind of activities have you been doing since the end of January?
OZAWA: I trained in the UK under a wrestler named Cara Noir. I competed mainly in Progress in the UK, but also in various promotions, big and small, in Germany, Italy, France, and other places.
Q: Did you notice any differences between the Japanese and English wrestling?
OZAWA: There are many different promotions and promoters, but they all say, "Get the crowd excited today." All you have to do is get the crowd excited.
Q: Your fighting style has also changed drastically since your rookie days in Japan.
OZAWA: I thought of my rookie days as a time to solidify my foundation. So I actively tried to build my matches around basic wrestling, striking, and minimal techniques. I thought I had developed the basics of being a professional wrestler in Japan, so while traveling overseas, I tried out more advanced techniques in actual matches and researched what would be my weapon of choice. That's how I arrived at fighting centered around high-flyers. I think I'd already developed a style that felt right for me.
Q: Were you able to do the Phoenix Splash from the start?
OZAWA: Yes, techniques that are perfected through extensive practice have an extremely low success rate in actual matches. Techniques that can be mastered without much practice are easier to use in a match and have more power. As for the Phoenix, when I actually tried it in the ring, I was able to do it in no time.
Q: There aren't many heavyweight wrestlers who can perform a Phoenix with such high perfection.
OZAWA: I've always loved Hayabusa, so while I was traveling overseas I would watch every single Hayabusa video I could find on the internet, studying his movements and techniques and making them my own. My Thunderfire Powerbomb and Whirlwind Kick were also inspired by Hayabusa.
Q: Did traveling overseas suit you?
OZAWA: I think it was a good fit for me. When it comes to matches, all you have to do is simple things like put on a great performance in the ring and get the crowd excited. In the end, regardless of the size of the promotion, good wrestlers are evaluated and get used at higher levels. It's a completely meritocratic society. Someone with no substance like Kiyomiya will definitely get lost in the crowd.
Q: I heard that you were very well received in the UK and Germany.
OZAWA: You know me well. I've been in title matches many times, and if Kiyomiya hadn't ordered me to return to Japan, I'm sure I would have won a belt. I'm confident I can thrill the crowd, even at a venue as big as the Nippon Budokan. A revelation that will shock the Japanese pro wrestling world...
Q: This is your first challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, two years and four months after your debut.
OZAWA: If I win and become champion, I'll break Kiyomiya's record of three years and zero months since his debut. I'm looking forward to it.
Q: After returning to Japan and joining All Rebellion in mid-October, you were forced to miss a match due to a fractured cuboid in your left foot just before your triumphant return.
OZAWA: The truth is, I wanted to return from my overseas tour and compete in Japan, so I was really disappointed with the injury. But I had no choice but to accept reality, so I thought of every possible way to heal quickly. So I tried the latest technology called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and I recovered so quickly that even I was surprised.
Q: There are rumors that you actually broke your left leg while walking...
OZAWA: I posted a photo of my broken left leg on X. The injury itself is real. For a normal person, it would probably take about three months to fully heal, meaning I definitely wouldn't make it to the Nippon Budokan on January 1st. It's a miracle that I recovered so quickly. I think my desire to quickly clear my long-held grudge against Kiyomiya helped me recover so quickly. In a way, that's also my talent.
Q: Why did you betray Kiyomiya on November 17th in Nagoya?
OZAWA: Firstly, the fact that my left leg is recovering smoothly, and that it will be fully recovered in time for January 1st at the Nippon Budokan is a major factor. The only way to take the GHC Heavyweight belt from the wicked Kiyomiya and bring him down, is through Noah's biggest annual match,
Q: Moreover, your methods were extreme.
OZAWA: Like I said before, I was just venting anger from my trainee days.
Q: Why did you reveal such private information?
OZAWA: Even if I were to tell you about the way Kiyomiya treated me and the violence he showed to the trainees, there's a good chance no one would believe me. But if I were to release photos of him smoking and hanging out at a cabaret club, it would show how much of his public image is different from his private life.
Q: It became quite a hot topic.
OZAWA: That was the aim. It had an impact because the Kaito Kiyomiya that the public knows, is so different from the real Kaito Kiyomiya. If that message is conveyed clearly, the violence towards the trainees, including myself, will become more real, and people will understand just how shallow Kiyomiya is.
Q: Looking at Noah's history, or even the world of professional wrestling as a whole, such extreme methods have never been seen before.
OZAWA: The world is changing every day. If you're stuck in the past, you'll miss out on how rapidly the world is changing. If you look at genres outside of the sphere of professional wrestling, you'll see what's currently catching the attention of many people in the world. I still have some shocking revelations for Japanese wrestling, so maybe I'll reveal them someday. The more topics that are talked about on social media, the better.
Q: What are they?
OZAWA: I won't say it now, but please don't misunderstand, I didn't make those revelations to be extreme. It was all to challenge Kiyomiya for the GHC Heavyweight Championship at the Nippon Budokan on January 1st. Time and shows were limited, and my broken left leg wouldn't be fully healed until January 1st. Within that, I had to create a big buzz and get both Kiyomiya and the company to agree to the title match. There has simply never been a wrestler in Noah's history who so calculated and able to act.
Q: I see.
OZAWA: Since we're talking about Noah's history, let me say this: back when I was training in England, everyone knew of the Japanese pro wrestling promotion called Noah. But no one knew of Kaito Kiyomiya. Naomichi Marufuji, Mitsuharu Misawa, and Kenta Kobashi always come up. I'm happy that Noah's name is known, but I also feel frustrated that their current fights aren't reaching anyone. To put it bluntly, Noah's presence overseas stopped ten years ago. We shouldn't turn a blind eye to the current situation. I'll reform Noah in terms of creating buzz, and make it a pro wrestling promotion that resonates more around the world.
Q: That's very convincing coming from you
OZAWA: The posts about Kiyomiya smoking or at cabaret clubs on X, have generated over 500,000 impressions, with comments and quoted reposts also impressive. No one else in Noah has been able to generate such a big buzz. Entertainment in the world is partly about competing in these areas. There was certainly some reaction, but it's still within the realm of pro wrestling. The sky's the limit in the world of social media. If you're going to post something, the more of a topic it becomes, the better. The revelations are just a starting point, and the match content is what increases the fanbase.
Q: In martial arts, the UFC World Flyweight Championship bout between Kai Asakura and Alexandre Pantoja on December 8th generated a lot of buzz, and boxer Naoya Inoue attracts attention with every one of his matches.
OZAWA: I would like professional wrestling matches to reach the public to that extent. However, no matter how much excitement there is from exposure, it is only a starting point and has no future. Ultimately, the only way to increase fan base is through the content of professional wrestling matches.
Q: Why did you join TEAM2000X?
OZAWA: Because the right unit was there at the right time. I respect Jack Morris and Daga* as professionals.
Q: Your first challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Championship has been decided for the second match of the double main event at the Nippon Budokan on January 1st.
Q: A match was proposed between Kiyomiya and Yoshi Tatsu on December 19th at Korakuen Hall...
OZAWA: No, no, what are you talking about? My left leg won't be healed until January 1st. Kiyomiya wanted to have a singles match, so we're just letting him have it with Yoshi Tatsu.
Q: Will you be attending the Korakuen Hall show on December 19th?
OZAWA: Maybe, maybe not. There's also a press conference on December 27th, right?
Q: Yes. Scheduled to attend are GHC Heavyweight Championship champion Kiyomiya, challenger OZAWA, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Ulka Sasaki
OZAWA: Look forward to that too.
Q: Going forward, what do you want to do with Noah?
OZAWA: It's about invigorating NOAH with the young energy that Kiyomiya has always advocated. Everyone's starting to realize by now that Kiyomiya can't embody that even if he's at the top. If I'm at the top, I can definitely make it happen. From 2025, I'll revolutionize Noah. Everything is for Noah!
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