Another goal of Akira’s is to bring NJPW to Italy.
At the age of 23, Francesco Akira is a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside his partner TJP. Prior to venturing into New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Akira regularly competed for All Japan and held the company’s World Junior Heavyweight Title.
Akira hails from Italy and as he was being interviewed by Straight Talk Wrestling (via Sunday Night’s Main Event), he told the outlet that he wants NJPW to come to Italy. Akira added that another goal of his is to open a wrestling school in his home country.
I think (one of my goals), of course would be like, make New Japan come to Italy. Make New Japan even bigger in Italy but one of my personal goals would be opening a big school in Italy. Like where I can train or I can train guys to train and then there could be a good facility because I started without a ring, I started only on the mat so I want something that the Italian people don’t have now.
As the conversation moved along, Akira expressed that he’d be interested in competing for AEW and Ring of Honor. He mentioned WWE and said he grew up watching the product. Akira closed by expressing that he’s happy where he is in New Japan.
I would like to try Ring of Honor and AEW too, because I have some friends there and I think AEW’s doing (a) good job… But then WWE too of course is WrestleMania and what I grew up with, you know? So, we will see but I like New Japan now, I love New Japan. I like Japan, I love (it) there so, happy where I am.
Following up on that, he was asked about the possibility of competing for IMPACT Wrestling. He thinks the company is great and would like to go to the X Division if he were to wrestle there.
I mean, yeah, I think IMPACT is great and they have a lot of nice talent like ‘Speedball’ (Mike Bailey), Trey (Miguel) or Lio (Rush). I think X Division is a very good division at the time. That’s where I would like to go. Not the other division but X Division I think is very cool so yeah, I might think about it.
In late August, Akira was a part of NJPW x IMPACT Multiverse United 2. Him and TJP picked up a win over T.M.D.K.’s Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita on the pre-show.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the original source with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
