Suzuki reflects on the moment.
Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan was home to the benefit show for Yoshihiro Takayama. Funds from the show are going to his medical expenses, as Takayama is paralyzed from the neck down.
The likes of Meiko Satomura, Minoru Suzuki, Katsuyori Shibata, Jun Akiyama, Chihiro Hashimoto and Naomichi Marufuji competed on the show. After the main event between Suzuki and Shibata, Takayama was brought out to the ring in his wheelchair. It was in the ring that Suzuki shared a moment with him that caused Suzuki to get emotional.
Suzuki reflected on that while speaking to KAKUTOLOG. He did not plan on bringing out that emotion or getting the audience to react how they did. Suzuki wanted Takayama to remember what it felt like to be in the ring again.
To put it bluntly, I didn’t think about anything. I don’t think at all about bringing out this kind of effect or showing this kind of thing to the audience. The most important thing was to get him (Yoshihiro Takayama) in the ring and have him remember the feeling he had when he was fighting.
It just happened to succeed. I happened to be accepted. It just so happened that everyone supported me, and that’s why it turned out the way it did, but even if everything else failed, I would still be doing it. I will take full responsibility and do this.
It was not a gut feeling, but a conviction (that something was going to happen post-match). Because we are both wrestlers. What he’s missing is the ring, being in front of the crowd, and the voices of the crowd. You can’t experience that in a sterile wrestling environment like in a video.
After the show, Shibata expressed interest in tagging with Suzuki. Suzuki stated that he has no thoughts about that.
No, I don’t (have any thoughts about Katsuyori Shibata being interested in teaming with me). I’m doing things according to my feelings at the time. I don’t think about the future at all. I don’t live my life thinking that far ahead. That is something that will happen only after I live my life to the fullest. The first step is to live life to the fullest. I don’t want to become that kind of calculated adult that I hate.
Shibata and Suzuki crossed paths in All Elite Wrestling. At the Blood & Guts edition of Dynamite, Suzuki was being jumped by Chris Jericho, Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Shibata made the save.
Their match at TAKAYAMANIA was their first singles match since the 2017 New Japan Cup tournament.
