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TAKEMURA: THE NEW HEEL OF NJPW
You've came back from your over seas training in Mexico CMLL and now are working your way up in NJPW Jr. Heavyweight division. You started your carrier in MUGA (Tatsumi Fujinami's organization), can you tell us about MUGA first?
MUGA was created by Mr. Fujinami (Current president of NJPW) because he wanted to bring back the original form of professional wrestling. He was not happy with the modern pro wrestling organizaitions or wrestlers depending on big moves after big moves to build up a match. He was opposed to the idea and attitude of a wrestler to apply the big moves just to please the crowd. Also, Mr. Fujinami thought it wasn't possible for the wrestler's to maintain a good condition in every match if they kept on using big moves everyday because there are more than 120 matches a year. Any wrestler will get hurt if they constantly used big flashy moves daily, so it wasn't atural for him. For Mr. Fujinami, the best wrestling idea was to go back in time. That was to use the classic style of ground work and grappling.
He used Lancashire Style, Catch as Catch Can as a base?
Exactly. He used it as a template to create MUGA style. I agreed to that, there were many wrestling organizations, and all of them used big moves repetitively, and I wanted to go the opposite direction. My interest was in the idea of catching the audience's attention just by grabbing the arm, taking the leg, controlling, and using all these
subtle inside moves. We would use big moves too, but it would happen naturally through the flow of the bout.
How long have you been in MUGA and in NJPW?
I started in MUGA and wrestled there for five years. Then, switched to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and this is be my second year in NJPW.
I believe there was a big gap between the MUGA style and NJPW style. How did you do?
Yes there was a very big gap... When I joined NJPW, they said, "you got no moves!" From my point of view, I had German Suplex, but they didn't accept me. I tried many things to be accepted, for example, I gained weight. I was 18kg heavier than now, but that also didn't work out because I lost mobility. I came up with many ideas, but finally I decided to cut down on my weight and aim for the Jr. Heavyweight division because NJPW Heavyweight wrestlers' bodies are big.
Did the company tell you or you decided on your own?
All on my own. I told Liger many times during my training period that I would go Jr. and I constantly appealed to the company to let me train at Mexico because that was where all the famous NJPW Jr. stars went to train when they were starting. NJPW gave me the opportunity when this INOKI DOJO had the opening ceremony. Shibata, Inoue, and I all went outside of Japan to train. Shibata and Inoue went back in two weeks, and I stayed in Mexico for over a year.
You did very well in Mexico CMLL. Through cable network, your main event matchs were seen in the US too. Do fans still consider you as YOUNG LION (young NJPW pro wrestler) in Japan?
Well, I was a YOUNG LION before I went to Mexico. Now, I have to say that I'm not because of my age (laugh).... NJPW put me in as a freshman in the professional wrestling business even if I was 28 at that time and had the prior experience in MUGA. Shibata, Inoue, Kenzo Suzuki, and Tanahashi were my colleagues.
Currently you are the biggest heal in the NJPW Jr. division and fought against Tiger Mask IV for the IWGP Jr. title. Through your actions, you can be the new generation "TORA HUNTER" (Tiger Hunter: Kuniaki Kobayashi's nick name when he had a feud against the original Tiger Mask in the 80's).
I didn't mean to become the "TORA HUNTER," but it really just happened. When I returned to Japan, Tiger Mask IV was the champ, so it was natural for me to attack and challenge him. Also I'm targeting the IWGP Jr. Tagteam champions Liger and Kanemoto. Focusing on getting the champion belt is my main goal right now.
Can you give us your impression of the Jr. Heavyweight champion.
"IS THIS IT??? Is that all, what a NJPW Jr. champion can do???" That's my honest impression. The champion belt is right there, there's no problem for me to get it anytime. Before I went to Mexico, I was really worried if I could survive in the NJPW pro wrestling world with many tough wrestlers. Now, abosolutely no problem.
I understand that Mexico has definitely changed you, but isn't NJPW training tougher? Can you give us specific examples of what made you so strong mentally and physically?
Yes, I believe NJPW wrestlers go through the toughest daily group training in the world, both mentally and physically. In Mexico, they don't have that, wrestlers laugh and enjoy their training, but each individual wrestler's physical potential is very high. They are able to do many things at a high level and accomplish it. Of course, the
leader will yell at you if you can't do it.
Who's that leader?
Shocker is one of the leader that leads the training. Satanico is pretty old, about 50, but has his own pro wrestling class. The other top class lucha wrestlers train individually.
Your look has changed too. You got bigger and cut, did you also have a bodybuilding instructor in Mexico?
No. I used to work at a training center as an instructor before I joined NJPW. I made my own diet and work out menu and followed that in Mexico to dramatically change. It wasn't a normal clean menu, mine was extreme, so regular people should never follow it.
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