NJPW - News, Results & Sonstiges

Naito: "Only one chair here? Bushi wants an interview ... Did you not took notes yesterday? Bushi said he wanted to give an interview. I told you that. I never said *I* wanted to give an interview - this is Bushi's Pk. I'm just tagging along. That is what I figured it was."

BUSHI: "First of all, when I saw the NJPW Twitter .. it said this was a Naito PK. I thought: 'huh, why isn't my name here?'. I took the IWGP Jr. title in the main event of a big card in Ota and you don't get a PK ready for me? A champion expects better treatment. I thought and worked hard to challenge for this belt and won it. It was my second challenge but the first time winning. Of course I'm very happy. This last series, the representatives of main NJ-juniors were Taguchi & KUSHIDA .. that's it. So Kushida might deserves a rematch. Is there nobody else who wants this belt? Maybe nobody wants to fight me .. but if Kushida is the only one to throw his hat in the ring then it leaves me with very few options. I think when Kushida was the champion, he overlooked me as a challenger. So I really want to choose a worthy challenger. There are a lot of people I have in mind, a lot of great juniors. There was a lot of great talent in the "Super-J Cup" just recently. If out of all them, only Kushida steps forward, that is a real shame. Nobody wants to wrestle me. .. There is also no Junior title match at KOPW - I have to think of the stature of the belt. (Bushi fragt nach einem Titelregentschaftslimit - max. ein halbes Jahr .. danach ist er vakant) Before then it's on my say so. I'm not saying I'll wait that long but I'll take as long as I need to think of a good challenger. This belt was a goal of mine, so I want to wear it, for now."

Naito: "Before Kobe happened I knew what the result would be. So I formed a plan. What next, what about next year, what about the dome. But this is Bushi's PK. If you want to hear my thoughts, you have more than enough opportunity. .. We will talk, but for now, it's as I said in the ring."

"I never said I wanted this belt. But when I looked at the list of prior champions .. La Sombra's name leapt out and I thought: 'ah he had this before, huh'. One year ago at Kobe, that was the first time I ever said the word 'pareja' and there was nos LIdJ, just me. Lots can happen in one year. Do you know what it means when we raise our fists, Tokyo Sports? It means we might be separated by promotion or country, but we are united in heart as Los Ingobernables. I see that in the belt, the connection to La Sombra. Gratitude to my teammates."

Naito: "Well there's lots of people out there .. but it reminds me, when I was heavyweight champion, the company never listened to my requests. So we're all the company's toys. They'll just prepare a challenger for us. But there is nobody more in the zone than me right now. So anybody willing to try me, it'll be great. Not that I have any say at all. Anyone! Kanemitsu - he'd be fine. i never wanted the belt, all I said is belts on LIdJ look cool. But it is not like I actively don't want it. It called to me, I took it, that is fine. If EVIL or SANADA said they wanted this, then I'd be delighted to fight them for it. It'd be fresh. I'm not saying I want a LIdJ civil war, but for a sense of pride .. maybe that's not right. But look, Bushi wanted that belt and now he has that sence of accomplishment. But for him. like me, he probably has new goals now. What am I going to do about Tokyo Dome? There's is no card announced for WK yet. So there is no need to go talking about some kind of vote. But there is no rule that says you have to defend your title at the Dome. I don't necessarily have to. Should there be a fan vote or not? Should there even be a title match or not? If there were who would the oppenent be? Speculate, have fun. I will answer you, the time will come. But before then? .. Tranquilo .. Assen na yo!"

Naito: "This is EVIL's press conference, right? EVIL's the new champ, so I brought him with me. Listen to him."

EVIL: "In Osaka, I welcomed The Wrestler Shibata to the kingdom of darkness. The belt is with me. Everything is Evil. That's it "

Naito: "No, this is EVIL's press conference. He was great right? That's enough. .. What do I think about EVIL? Everything is Evil!"

Tanahashi: "One year ago in October, EVIL debuted. I had the number one contender, Naito challenged me. Things have changed now. I fought Okada so many times, and lost once and now everything's different. When we were younger I always wanted Naito to get into my level and for us to fight it out on the big stage. That's this year. His style is different but throwing the belt, stepping on the belt, that's beyond the pail. My grandmother taught me about throwing things at a young age. You respect things, respect the belt, love the belt. I cannot lose to Naito. I have to win, and I have to make 2017 Tanahashi's year again."

Naito: "No point in hiding, I am Tanahashi's goal. From joining NJPW I had my eyes boring into Tanahashi's back. But at WK10 he lost to Okada. He isn't too anymore. Why did he come down at Osaka? He wasn't who I wanted. He was who I expected. He felt if he wanted to be in a main event at the dome, he needed me. But there's another meaning to all this. Remember? That fan vote. I don't know whose idea it was, but it meant the IC belt.. was less important than IWGP. Maybe they didn't like me. But I always wanted the IWGP belt. I still do, but the IC belt came here. You think I'm here to announce a fan vote? No. I don't want one. The main event needs to be the IWGP title. I want the semi. Call it a double main. Put us first second, third, whatever but the main event is IWGP. .. but I said in 2015, when Tanahashi says jump, we jump, right? So let's see. If Tana really wants to main event, we'll see."

Tanahashi: "If all you say is true..I have nothing to say to you. I have to say the babyface thing? Being on the 7th main running is good. .. but if I have to main event the show two years from now, I'll count that as my seventh consecutive main."

Naito: "I couldn't be Tanahashi in the end. But I took a different path. I'm glad I'm not him. Tana isn't the heart of new Japan any more. LIJ is. He can't touch this level. He was finished after WK 10. What did Tanahashi do this year? What did he make happen? I know he pulled the company. I *saw* that. But that's done"

Tanahashi: "There's a risk that if I lose, I really am done.But fighting in this ring is what I live for. So just like every year, I will. I can reinvigorate this belt. No throwing, no stepping. I can turn it my colour."

Naito: "There's nothing I want from this match, nothing that motivates me.. except pushing the final nail in Tanahashi's career."

Tanahashi: "That fan vote, all I remember was thinking it was because it was me and Nakamura, such a dream match."

Naito: "If there is a fan vote that's what we do, but I don't care what wins, any of that. All I'll know is if that happens.. then what I said is true, what Tanahashi says goes. Just stop the naming BS. Double main, triple main? Then why not have every match be a main event?"

Tanahashi: "Every year a different partner, maybe I'm jinxed as a tag wrestler, but Juice is great, it's a good JP/foreigner babyface team."

Naito: "January 4 is the biggest thing in Japanese wrestling. But we still have WTL. To skip over that, that's rude. So, why X? I want people to be excited. I want people to think 'Is it him? Or him?' That's my gift to the fans. This is the thing. You decide the WK main event this early and now wrestlers, fans don't care about WTL. So let me tell you this. I will bring X, I will win #njwtl, and I will have the main event at New Beginning be for the tag belts."

Tanahashi: "That's... a really good idea. Well said."