Episode 146: The Bridge Builder Role

September 4, 2026

Set the schedule. Book the venues. Prepare. Communicate. Transport. Move. Assemble the ring. The matches. Tear down. Move again.

...In every single process, staff members are involved. No matter how passionate the battle inside the ring may be, if there's no one to deliver it, it will never reach the fans.

Conversely, no matter how flawlessly the preparations are arranged, if there are no wrestlers burning their very souls in the ring, it's just an empty space.

You could say it's a relationship like the front and rear wheels of a car. With only the front wheels, you can't steer direction properly; with only the rear wheels, power won't be transmitted. Only when both mesh together can New Japan Pro-Wrestling move forward.

I love the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and in that story as well, kingdoms with both wise strategists and ferocious generals were the strongest. You can't conquer the realm through intellect alone, nor through raw bravery alone.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling is the exact same way—the ferocious generals fighting in the ring and the wise strategists supporting them behind the scenes. If either side is missing, it just won't work.

And there's one more crucial element: the presence that connects the two sides.

How do staff members realize what the wrestlers say "we want to do this"? How do staff convey to the wrestlers what they think "would make things even better if done this way"? Different positions mean different viewpoints. Yet, precisely because of those differences, an organization can grow stronger.

I myself am now completely a "person on the staff side." The scenery I once viewed from inside the ring, I now view as President.

That's precisely why... because I understand both the wrestlers' feelings and the staff's feelings, I might just be able to make the right decisions. Here it comes!

I believe a President is ultimately a "bridge builder" (hashi-watashi) who connects those two wheels.

Passing the wrestlers' passion to the staff, and passing the staff's wisdom to the wrestlers. And then, conveying the charm of New Japan Pro-Wrestling to the fans waiting beyond them.

Or maybe I should rename myself "Tanahashi Watarushi" (Tanahashi Bridge-Passing-Hiroshi) (laughs).

That would obviously confuse the company, so I'll stick to devoting myself strictly to being the "bridge/passing" role in spirit.

Front wheels and rear wheels, wise strategists and ferocious generals, wrestlers and staff. When everything meshes together, New Japan Pro-Wrestling moves forward in its strongest form possible.

Pro wrestling exists not just inside the ring, but outside of it as well. Connecting all of it and carrying it into the future—perhaps that is my job right now.

As a side note, I'm actually not very good at driving cars (a cause for concern), but I'm gonna gun it and speed ahead anyway.

VrooOOOOOOm!!