Episode 102: The Power of Presentation
July 3, 2026
On a certain day. I sat down alongside Wolf to do an interview with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ). The video is already uploaded online, so please make sure to check it out.
The core of the discussion revolved around prompts like, "Please tell us about the ultimate allure of New Japan Pro-Wrestling," "The differences between Japan and overseas," and "Our outlook for the future." The flow of the session went from me speaking, to Wolf speaking, and finally opening up the floor to take questions directly from the journalists.
Even so, grasping the exact point of a question and formulating an accurate answer on the spot really forces your brain to operate at full throttle. Because I was being so meticulously selective with my words, I noticed that whenever my thoughts paused, I kept filling the silence with way too many "uhs" and "ahs" (sweat). Watching the video back later, I definitely had a moment of self-reflection.
On the other hand, look at Wolf! He was the absolute picture of composure—speaking in a beautifully smooth, resonant voice without a single stumble or hesitation. I mean, I know he has a mountain of experience performing on major world stages... but wait, I’m supposed to have plenty of experience with that too, right? Huh, that's weird.
Setting that aside, although the questions covered a massive range of topics, I managed to successfully convey everything I wanted to say. The simultaneous interpreter was just overwhelmingly brilliant. Thank you so much for your hard work.
As touched upon in the video, the number of international visitors coming to Japan has drastically increased, giving us more opportunities than ever to expose people to Japanese professional wrestling. At venues like Korakuen Hall, I constantly see the faces of overseas fans. If New Japan Pro-Wrestling has successfully become one of the primary reasons people choose to travel to Japan, there is truly nothing that could make me happier.
There were also questions regarding our global expansion strategy—essentially, the trajectory of New Japan moving forward. Back in 2019, being capable of running an event at Madison Square Garden (MSG) was a deeply gratifying achievement. After all, tickets for that show sold out in a staggering six minutes flat. It remains one of the proudest memories of my entire career.
However, looking back at the press conference, there are definitely things I reflect on. Of course there are.
Specifically, when I was listing the names of the heavyweight competitors who will be spearheading our future competition, I accidentally forgot to mention a few notable athletes. I promise there was absolutely no ulterior motive behind it! TAKESHITA, Oiwa, Callum... of course I have massive expectations for all of you (sincerely).
Ultimately, I’m glad I got my core message across. However, since this video was broadcasted on Nico Nico Douga, we could see everyone's comments popping up in real-time.
Want to know what kind of things the viewers were typing? Things like: "Tanahashi's belly is insane lolww," "Did Tanahashi's face change?" "When is Tanahashi finally going to lose weight?" and so on...
This is bad. The transformation in my physical appearance is completely distracting people from the actual message I'm trying to deliver! This is an issue I need to address with the utmost urgency.
So, allow me to take this moment to answer exactly one of those questions right here: "When is Tanahashi finally going to lose weight?"
"Why not right now?!"