Thank you for letting me follow pro-wrestling again ~Hiroshi Tanahashi's retirement and the start of the next New Japan Pro-Wrestling~

Well, it's been quite a while, but it's time for a fun retrospective. This article will mainly cover the New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling events I watched on January 4th.

*Postscript

On today's SmackDown (I think it airs tonight in Japan on Abema), Shinsuke Nakamura hit a series of Dragon Screws followed by a Half Boston Crab, a move that once caused Shinsuke Nakamura himself suffering—Hiroshi Tanahashi's Boma Ye-sealing move. To me, this is even more heart-pounding than the Sling Blade or the High Fly Flow.
There are probably fans among the current NJPW audience who have never seen Shinsuke Nakamura (or have only seen him in WWE).
If you want to know about Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura as quickly as possible, I definitely recommend the Intercontinental Championship match between the two held at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Invasion Attack 2014 at Ryogoku Kokugikan on April 6, 2014Intercontinental Championship match.
It's a match packed with everything the two were at that time, and you can see Hiroshi Tanahashi in his black costume, acting as the 'Evil Tanahashi' without any regard for his image, going out to destroy the knees. In a match where the moon and the sun seem to reverse, Shinsuke Nakamura just performed the very move Hiroshi Tanahashi once showed in WWE. Naturally, while this is a message to Hiroshi Tanahashi, it also serves to seal Carmelo's high-fly moves, which is the true essence of pro-wrestling where the past connects to the future. I hope he keeps using it...
I've written about it a lot, but after this match, when he came out of the venue dragging his leg, I shouted, 'Nakamura-senshu, you were the best!' and even though he doesn't usually do fan service, he pointed his finger at me and did the 'YeahOh!' just for that day, so it's a match that is personally very memorable to me, and I'm sure it was a heated match for him too. For those who don't know their drama deeply yet, I definitely want you to watch it.

■ Advance Information

Well, honestly, I wanted to go to NOAH on New Year's Day. It's almost become a regular event, it was luxurious, and the Toyama tournament I saw just before that was a lot of fun. That said, this is a personal matter, but I am unemployed lol. I'm living at my parents' house, right in the middle of being a 'kodooji' (adult child living with parents). My childhood room has become my mother's sewing room, so I'm in a different room now.

Because of that, it wasn't a New Year's where I could really go wild, so I gave up on a lot of things and thought, 'Maybe I'll go to the Big Pro-Wrestling Festival on the 3rd or DDT,' but the tickets for the Big Pro-Wrestling Festival sold out immediately, so I couldn't buy them, so I quietly settled for just the 4th.

■ Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling

So, on the 4th, there was not only New Japan Pro-Wrestling but also Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling at Korakuen Hall. Last year I watched it standing, but this time I had a friend who was cosplaying as Chono get me tickets, so I watched it from a seat quite close to the front.

So, I received the paper tape before the match, but it just kept increasing. I had heard about it, but I was like, 'What am I supposed to do with all this?'

I was desperate before every match. But when I looked to the side, someone with a huge single-lens reflex camera was snapping photos the moment they threw the paper tape; it was such a craft that I was captivated lol.
As for the content, being part of the DDT family, the balance between silliness and pro-wrestling is amazing, or rather, especially regarding the horse-wrestler match? I was already full lol. There must be some crazy people behind the scenes in a good way. Like, what are you making these young ladies do?
Even among that, the two singles championship matches were outstandingly amazing pro-wrestling. MIRAI, who was the challenger for the International Princess Championship, is formerly from Stardom, so I've seen her a few times, but honestly, in Donna del Mondo or God's Eye, the others were so intense that she didn't leave a very strong impression on me. I remember her smile, though lol.
Then, before I knew it, she had gone from Marigold to Michinoku Pro-Wrestling, and I was wondering what would happen, but this time she was appearing in TJPW for the first time in a while. Of course, I didn't know about that time, so I watched it without knowing about her history with Arisu Endo, but I was surprised at how she had transformed into a wrestler I didn't even recognize. The scary Manjimaru and Ken45° from Michinoku were there as seconds, and they really had scary faces the whole time, but it makes sense that she'd become like that after being trained by people like them. Her speed and power, of course, but her physical strength and core were amazing, and she could show off any movement solidly. It would be difficult, but I want to see a match between the current MIRAI and Syuri.
And the main event, Miu Watanabe vs. Suzume. Suzume has speed and flair, but honestly, I wondered what she would do against a physical monster of that size, but her facebuster using her speed and her finisher 'Ring a Bell,' which is the same type as an RKO, were very effective. It's what you call persuasiveness. She made me think until the very end that she might win. On the other hand, Miu's power fight (which makes you wonder where she left her 'cuteness'?) was so amazing that I was just going 'whoa' the whole time. In between such good matches, they kept inserting matches that were meant to destroy your abs, so my stamina was quite drained before the main event at the Dome.
By the way, on this day, I traveled from Kanazawa Station in my hometown of Ishikawa Prefecture to Tokyo, but I was worried about the snow (because even if it's not snowing, the roads might be frozen in the morning), so I woke up at 4:30, went to the station slowly by car, and took the 6:00 Shinkansen to Tokyo, so when TJPW started at 11:00, it felt like 6:00 AM and I was dazed. I remembered that the sky was blue when I arrived in Tokyo lol. No, it's like this every year, but really, during this time, Hokuriku and Tokyo are different worlds.

■ The Sold-Out Dome

The reason I took such an early Shinkansen was partly because there were no seats left, but I also had business before TJPW. There is usually a New Japan Pro-Wrestling fan club exclusive merchandise distribution every year, and this time it was a poster and an original ticket with a mount, so I definitely wanted to secure that. But they said it was sold out this time, and it might not be left after TJPW. So, since distribution started at 9:30, I thought I'd just go and get it before anyone else arrived, so I arrived at Suidobashi right around 9:15 after arriving at Tokyo Station.
No, there was already a line. A line had already formed. I mean, what are you all doing coming here this early and what are you going to do after this?
Moreover, I thought I'd go to the bathroom after that, but there were lines everywhere. I don't think I've seen anything like this in the last few years, or even before COVID. And I realized that when there are too many people, you don't get stopped even if you're in cosplay lol. No, I thought everyone was tired of seeing it already. I thought, 'I came dressed up to match WK8, when Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura last fought at the Dome!' But maybe it's just because I was walking quickly to find a bathroom.

■ I didn't love you~

Of course, January 4th is something I can't miss no matter what, and on top of that, Hiroshi Tanahashi is retiring this year. There's no way I wouldn't go. I mean, I'm probably the man who shouted 'I love you' the most last year (outside of NJPW venues), for sure.

But you know, I didn't go to the photo session with Tana held in my hometown, and well, there were various circumstances, but I figured there would be another opportunity, yet that opportunity never came. But I think I've received more than the average person. So, while telling myself I'm already full, by the way, I said it to the official camera after 1.4 ended and I left the Dome, but I
hated Hiroshi Tanahashi. Because even before I started cosplaying, I was a Shinsuke Nakamura fan, and if that's the case, he's the arch-rival who is always standing across from him, destroying his knees with a Dragon Screw and coming to stop the Boma Ye with a Sling Blade. And he's pandering to women and children, that flashy guy! That's why he got stabbed... is what I thought. But, at one tournament, I was in a seat right next to the entrance ramp. I don't remember which tournament it was or who the opponent was (I thought, 'Well, he services women and children, but he'll probably just walk past an old guy like me'), but I tried reaching out anyway. Of course, this was before I started cosplaying (I started cosplaying after Shinsuke Nakamura left New Japan).
He grabbed my hand with a 'GRAB!'

. Honestly, I was surprised, like, 'Huh?' And it was a big hand, but with shark-like skin
that was super rough. I had heard that pro-wrestlers' hands get ruined by rope work, so I realized (What 'flashy guy'! These are hands that someone who loves Nausicaa would absolutely adore because he practices so much!)—a bit late, right? I realized that my arch-rival was nothing but a worthy opponent, and by the time there were fan meet-and-greets at Korakuen Hall, I had even had Tana shake my hand while he was still drenched in sweat after the main event. And then, after Shinsuke Nakamura left the company and I started cosplaying, when I was in a front-row seat, Tana would climb the corner and look over the audience, right? If he noticed me in my Nakamura cosplay, he would do that Shinsuke Nakamura pose. This happened a few times, but you don't get that kind of service, right? lol. And since I would respond to that by doing the pose too, I don't have a photo of it, but there is a photo from when Tana, who was doing commentary after the match at Ryogoku, noticed me leaving and my friend Kittaka-san, who looks just like Tana.

The reason he recognized me so well is that there was an even more intense experience in 2018. That year, Shinsuke Nakamura had a title match against AJ Styles at WWE's WrestleMania, and I went to the US too, but WrestleMania week isn't just WWE; organizations and wrestlers from all over the world gather in the same city, and it's literally a week full of pro-wrestling, so New Japan was participating in that too, and Tana was also participating in WrestleCon, a signing and photo session that gathered pro-wrestlers other than WWE at that time.

I received truly divine service. And it doesn't end there. I got carried away and went to WrestleMania the following year too, but while I was standing in the entrance line, I suddenly looked to the side.

Tanaaaa!? Is such a coincidence possible? I thought. But it was his private time, so I was hesitant, but since other New Japan fans there (I don't think they are very conscious of Japanese people, but American pro-wrestling fans watch a lot of Japanese pro-wrestling) were asking for photos together, I got carried away and had him take one with me too. Uh, and it doesn't end there; for some reason, Tana came to a campaign speech when Hiroshi Hase was running for governor in my hometown of Ishikawa Prefecture, and I had him take a photo with me there too. Well, that's the story of how I've always thought I've probably received too much. If I didn't love him after all this, I'd be worried about myself.

■ I want to say something to the people who wanted Shinsuke Nakamura to come

And the best New Japan Pro-Wrestling match in my mind has always been the Intercontinental Championship match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura held at Ryogoku Kokugikan on April 6, 2014. I think it remains in many people's memories from the interview after the NC final leading up to that, but in that match, I had no hatred, even if I had regrets, toward Tana, who went through with being the 'Evil Tanahashi' and went to destroy his knees. If anything, I only had gratitude for the drama he created, which led to the right Boma Ye coming out. The two who have been called the sun and the moon. For me, who has followed Shinsuke Nakamura, the one who shines brilliantly on the diagonal is, after all, Hiroshi Tanahashi. For me, it was natural to think that

the opponent for his retirement match should be Shinsuke Nakamura
, ever since Tana made his 'I've decided on the goal' statement. However, since I am also a WWE fan, I had the thought that it would be difficult. By the way, even before January 4th, but also after it ended, I'm sorry, but from the writings of people on social media saying 'I wanted Shinsuke Nakamura to come,' I can only feel that you guys aren't following Shinsuke Nakamura at all
. I feel like saying, don't say it so lightly, you jerks. Ufu-fu~.

Regarding that, I wrote about it in last year's reflection meeting. I had given up from the beginning, but actually, Shinsuke Nakamura himself was moving quite early on and trying to have a match with Tana. That's probably already in an article somewhere, but
true Shinsuke Nakamura fans, including me, had known for a long time.

On the day at the Dome, there were people who said to me, 'I thought you might come today,' but I knew he was watching World at a hotel in America. He tweeted that himself, though.

By the way, Dave Meltzer, known as an American pro-wrestling insider?, must have been tweeting misguided guesses the whole time, and that probably became the common perception in the US. Saying things like, if anything, AEW is getting in the way. Or that WWE is at fault. Well, that's true to an extent, but those who know, know the root of all evil and more fundamental things. It doesn't matter now, though.
Either way, both AEW and WWE will likely carry the stigma of having tarnished pro-wrestling history for the sake of their own company's profits for the rest of their lives, I don't know.
However, in terms of AEW, I also think that by sending not just Okada-san, but Kenny, Ospreay, and even Jay and Shibata-san, they have to some extentatoned for their sins, maybe lol
Those who follow WWE, and the 'Na-gumi' (Nakamura fans), know much more deeply and in near real-time how Shinsuke Nakamura has faced Hiroshi Tanahashi's retirement as a human being. Even so, that man (my sister says it's because he's pretentious lol) doesn't say things very directly, and he's the type to say 'you didn't have to go to the trouble' when Tana did the Bomaye, but if Hiroshi Tanahashi is a rival to me, for him, that weight is over a million times greater. For Shinsuke Nakamura to stand in the Dome that day, he would have had to quit WWE, but even so, there is a resolve in that man that he cannot quit. There are things about his current treatment in WWE that make me want to look away, but even so, he chose the path of having to watch Tana's retirement match in America, via broadcast.
Well, what I want to say isI only want people who have bitten their lips in frustration while keeping all that in mind to say the words 'I wanted you to come'.
By the way, I also know that the couple Take-chan, a.k.a. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, and Yuka-cchi, a.k.a. Yuka Sakazaki, came to Japan after leaving their beloved dog with the Nakamura family, but I didn't know that the return for that was wearing a red armband.

Just before last year's Tokyo Comic Con, when I was hunting for cosplay costumes, there were various designs for armbands, but I couldn't find one with the New Japan specification, so the one my mom remade for me was exactly the same red ribbon type. When I first had her make this, what troubled my mom was that even if you just fold the cloth and wrap it, it wouldn't become that pointed shape at the end. In the end, like the real one, it seems you have no choice but to sew it in that shape, so that's why just by seeing it on Take-chan's arm, I realized, 'Ah, that can only be Shinsuke Nakamura's own' (if it wasn't, Take-chan would be way too well-prepared).

■ Do you know why?

Well, however, looking back, I think maybe it was good that it was Okada-san. After all, the 'I have never been tired' thing started when Kazuchika Okada returned as Okada Kazuchika and said 'I have never been tired' to the words 'Tanahashi-san, thank you for your hard work,' and then he was defeated by the returning Okada and ended up quitting saying 'I'm tired.' This is the same asJohn Cena, who had upheld 'Never Give Up,' giving up in his final match, it's a beautiful piece of foreshadowing. While some Meltzer somewhere said that Cena and Tana should have won and ended it, and I thought I'll probably never understand this old man for the rest of my life.

Since I am a Shinsuke Nakamura fan, I was also a CHAOS fan at the same time, so naturally, I've watched Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada singles matches so much that it's like I've watched almost all of them live. I've watched them so much that I could reproduce every interval, like the way Okada pushes him into the ropes from a lock-up and does that 'pon-pon' thing.

And whenever I put my fake belt in my suitcase, I always wrap it in an Okada Dollar towel. It's super fluffy and gives me a sense of security. I've been using it for a long time, but it's still fluffy and I feel like it's on a different level, but I think there were other patterns of Okada Dollar towels, and I thought it was great that Gedo-san wore it over his shoulder at the Dome this time just like in the old days, same as the one I have, and that he takes good care of his things lol. I wish Gedo-san had done a mic segment at the end too.
In the Cream Nantara quiz, Natsupoi and Anou-chan got the answer 'It's on a different level,' but I love Gedo-san's mic work to the level where I think he should have properly said 'Konoyaro' (you bastard) too.

■ If you're tired, you should rest

However, I want to say here that a new piece of foreshadowing was born here.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is retiring because he is tired. But, humans rest when they are tired, right?. Then, what if you rest and your fatigue is gone?
Aren't we already used to pro-wrestlers retracting their retirements? So, if that person ever retires, by that time, won't his fatigue be healed? Well, as for his knees, that's a bit...
He was dragging his leg a lot at the press conference on the 6th.
Probably in the Dome match, or rather, it must have been like that for a long time before that, he's probably getting anesthesia shots in his knees before the match. That's why in the final match, his knees weren't moving properly in the beginning, and from the middle of the match, maybe due to the effect of adrenaline, he was climbing the corner with speed like in his prime, and I was cheering while thinking (Ah, he responds when you call out, but the more he responds, the more damage remains in his knees). So seeing that on the 6th, it stung. But, even so, you know.

■ What is in the future of New Japan Pro-Wrestling?

Regarding that press conference on the 6th, they were rehashing the belt thing again.

It's been 5 years since then. In the end, Ibushi-senshu had a series of injuries since then and left New Japan. It looked like he was crushed by the burden he was made to carry, and while I had mixed feelings about seeing such a person rush to the retirement of the person who made him carry it, pushing through his injuries lol, my eyes got hot, but then this two days later? President~ that's the kind of thing I mean. Kenny and Jay also had various things, you know.
As written in the article above, for me, the funeral for the Intercontinental title is long over, so I'm surprised that there are still people saying 'I wanted them to revive the Intercontinental title too.' There was someone writing again, 'I don't understand the meaning of adding 'World' when there is a 'W' in IWGP,' and I felt like, what are you talking about lol.
Seeing the official camera interviewing people outside the Dome after the retirement match, I was dressed in a complicated way, but I went up to them myself andgot interviewed. I let them say three things. I think. Probably. I talked about various things, though.
One of them was Tsuji-kun's statement, which I
hadn't liked at allsince before the tournament, 'I want to regain the value of the belt.' I was furious at this, so I did say, 'Don't say regain! You're the one who creates it!' Well, I don't think it will be used, but I felt refreshed lol.And before this double title match, they went out of their way to air Shinsuke Nakamura's words, but hey, New Japan, which side are you on as a company, I thought.
The reason why I get furious is that the Shinsuke Nakamura I was thrilled by was expected to win the IWGP Intercontinental and seal it, but he said he would
take it above the value of the IWGP Heavyweight.

I don't know if it's above or not, but he created an image of the Intercontinental that remains in everyone's memory, didn't he? And at WK8, the Intercontinental title, through a fan vote that also became Naito-san's nightmare, suppressed the Heavyweight title and decorated the main event of the Dome.
I think I wrote it in the article above, but the value of a belt is something the champion who holds it creates or raises. What do you mean by regaining it? I never thought that statement would come from someone who should have been watching New Japan's history up close.
I am disappointedbecause I had expectationsfor Tsuji-kun. I feel bad for the people who are excited, butI don't know about that stuff. I hope he makes me change my mind.
Did he end up in the same unit (Unbound Co is totally bound by the curse of the Heavyweight, isn't it) as mydisappointing Tsuji-kun? Right now, isn't the center of attentionYuto-Ice?

As a high school junior of Hiroshi Tanahashi, he's been dropping super hot mic promos since last year, but this one on 1.5 gave me chills and made me cry. Honestly, I had lost the motivation to go to next year's January 4th show. I felt like my youth within New Japan Pro-Wrestling had ended. After all, the wrestlers who are going to be active from now on are at an age where they could be my own children. But after hearing this mic promo, I felt like even an old guy like me has no choice but to follow the backs of these young ones.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling doesn't actually assign mic performance training to its wrestlers as an organization. I think they are vastly inferior to other promotions in that regard (which is why people who come from elsewhere like KENTA and Ishimori stand out). In that environment, I think Ice is a genius mic performer, on par with CM Punk, John Cena, or The Rock from WWE. I thought he was amazing since last year, but I was genuinely stunned by his torrent of words on this day. I'm sure people will start going to the venue just to hear this guy's mic work.
And when Ice talks about doing it for the money, isn't that the "Rainmaker"? When he says he's going to get High, isn't that "getting fired up"? And isn't it the "Thank you for encountering pro-wrestling" that was displayed in Tanahashi's own handwriting at the Dome at the end, which means that both I and all of you are lucky to have encountered pro-wrestling? This guy is the one showing the resolve to carry the history of New Japan and leave it behind.
He says he holds the tag titles, but he's going to use them to enjoy New Japan and make it interesting, lol.
The backstage comments after this were also incredible, covering the New Japan Pro-Wrestling relationship map with tremendous momentum and saying it's going to get even more interesting. This is the face of the company! He's doing the job that the face of the organization should be doing! He's truly doing the work of an Ace with love, lol.

Also, even though he gives off a Yankee or gangster vibe, I think Ice is like the Showa-era delinquent that exists inside us old guys. He doesn't shake people down. He fights strong guys. He's loyal to his friends. He's tough, stubborn, but pure-hearted. You can't help but like that.
And even though he said he couldn't be the sun, just like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura were, by clashing with Ice, Oiwa shone as if he had exploded. I was worried that since Umino and Uemura weren't quite hitting the mark and Tanahashi was gone, Kosei was the only one I could have expectations for in New Japan, but now I have expectations that Ice will make them shine.
Someone somewhere is obsessed with the name and shape of the belt, but I think that's irrelevant; Ice reminded me of what I was looking for in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
There is fighting in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This is it. Calling yourself Ice, you're super hot, man!

By the way, I remember watching him when he was a Young Lion and thinking he had hair like broccoli, but his peers were Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita, and one of them, either Oiwa-kun or Kosei (I'll talk about why I drop the honorifics another time), should have done the Nakamura pose for me, but I only have memories of Yuto Nakajima glaring at me lol.

■ Digression

By the way, I haven't written anything about the crucial 1.4 show, but as usual, when I was wandering around the concourse, I saw Chris Brookes, who should have been in a match, walking around normally and went "Huh?", and after it was over, when I went to get my luggage from the coin locker, I ran into Jay White doing fan service in front of Korakuen Hall. In terms of matches, I still think the Stardom match times are short. It makes me think the Tokyo Joshi Pro matches were more impressive. Also, Wolf Aron's popularity is amazing. When I asked a friend why he's so popular, they said, "Well, he's a gold medalist," but I said, "My hometown has produced two gold medalists." And when I said, "We also produced a Yokozuna," it turned out that Yokozuna had come to watch as a guest of Taichi. It seems Wolf Aron also turned to pro-wrestling after doing everything he could in judo, so my prediction is that Onosato, who won the title young, might have a chance too. If that happens, my rural hometown might end up producing two gold medalists, a Yokozuna, and an IWGP champion, which is exciting.

■ What is a collaboration?

By the way, or rather, after January 4th, I went to a karaoke place that was collaborating with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Stardom. I could only get a reservation from 11 PM, and I made my friend tag along until that late hour.

When I said I wanted to project World onto the monitor and rewatch the matches, inexplicably, they lend out cables to project smartphones onto the monitor, but you can't do that in the collaboration room lol.
And there's a collaboration menu, but there's nothing else to the collaboration as a karaoke place. It's true there aren't many songs with lyrics, but couldn't they have prepared a menu that highlights them?
And I once pulled off a stunt at Tokyo Comic Con karaoke, and for some reason, Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance theme from his New Japan days, "Subconscious," is in the karaoke machine, so I played it, but the video was "flowers" lol. If you don't understand what that means, please experience it at JOYSOUND lol. Other pro-wrestling related songs were also "flowers" for some reason lol.
Also, JOYSOUND, please add "Shitsuren Mosh" already. Seriously. Otherwise, my only go-to song is "Macho Dragon".
Since I had no choice, I had my friends enjoy the original music videos of Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai.
Uh, should I file a complaint with the New Japan Pro-Wrestling sales department about this?