Naito addresses President Tanahashi.
Closing out NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 was Tetsuya Naito besting SANADA to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Earlier in the night, NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi became the company’s World Television Champion.
Naito spoke to NJPW1972.com about Tanahashi continuing to wrestle while maintaining an executive role. He stated that Tanahashi has not been ‘setting the world on fire’ recently in the ring. Naito thinks he is past his peak and added that he would not mind being Tanahashi’s final opponent.
I’ve never been a CEO. But I’d imagine it’s a pretty tough job. I have been a wrestler, and I know for sure it’s a tough job, and being a top flight guy is a really tough job. NJPW isn’t some place you can get in the ring and phone it in. I think that (Hiroshi) Tanahashi realizes he’s past his peak, and he’s putting his feet in both waters for now, but I think that as a wrestler, he’s done.
If he can be a player-manager and do it well then that’s great. But he hasn’t been setting the world on fire as a dedicated wrestler recently, so I think in (the) future, that dual role will be even harder. As a Tanahashi fan back in the day, it is a little sad.
I was inspired by Tanahashi when I became a wrestler. I can’t go back in time and be his first opponent, but I can be his last. I was Keiji Muto’s last opponent, officially anyway. Retiring the guy that got me into wrestling as a fan, and retiring the guy that inspired me to work to be a wrestler myself, not many people can say that. In the end, who knows what happens from here on out, but it’s something to keep in mind as I head into this year… cabrón.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Naito shared his thoughts about Shota Umino. He thinks he has too much ‘Tanahashi’ on him and it’s almost to the point that Umino is ripping him off. Naito said Umino is getting more eyes on himself but eventually, he’ll hit a wall if he continues to trend in the direction he’s going.
The IWGP World Champion says too much of Umino’s makeup is taken from elsewhere, but said he’s speaking from experience because his struggles led him to Los Ingobernables de Japon.
He (Shota Umino) just has too much of that (Hiroshi) Tanahashi smell on him. Almost to the point I feel he’s ripping him off. Now, he’s steadily getting more and more eyes on him, but eventually I think he’s going to hit a brick wall doing what he’s doing. For him, the question is what he does when he hits that wall, so I want for him to run into it as soon as possible.
When I wrestled him, I did see a bit of myself in him, but he’s more Tanahashi.
So if I quit the business, is he suddenly going to be a megastar? No, he’d be a Naito tribute act. It’s the same with him doing the Jon Moxley entrance. There’s a lot, too much of him that’s taken from somewhere else, and you are only going to get over to a certain extent that way.
I’m speaking from experience. And at the time, even though I said different, I think I knew it too. But struggling like I did is what led me to Los Ingobernables, so that’s why I’m interested in what Umino does.
NJPW’s The New Beginning tour is underway and at the conclusion of the tour, Naito and SANADA will have a rematch for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title.
The stipulation was proposed by Naito that if SANADA loses, he cannot enter the 2024 New Japan Cup and that is to prevent a third consecutive title between them.
