Episode 40: Taiwan Star

March 18, 2026

The last New Japan Pro-Wrestling Taiwan show was in April 2024. I felt like I had been here so many times, but two years have already passed since then.

This time, with the cooperation of DAISO, both shows were held at LaLaport.

For the regular customers who just came for some shopping, seeing a wrestling ring inside the store must have felt a bit surreal and interesting. Since the event was free, many people stopped in their tracks to take a look.

For this Taiwan tour, the local promotion "Puzzle" helped with the ring setup and also competed in matches.

This group, Puzzle, actually has its own dojo. All the members have day jobs and gather to train in the evenings.

While I found myself thinking, "I’d like to see them put on a bit more muscle mass," their passion and hard work were incredibly evident. Perhaps it’s because they all have such "determined looks" on their faces.

I actually spotted a tall, promising athlete in this promotion.

I thought to myself, "He really should be training at the NJPW Dojo," so I struck up a conversation and went into full "Head of Scouting" mode.

During these matches, I also ran into my contemporary from the NJPW Dojo, Kenzo Suzuki, as well as Ryota Chikuzen from Kyushu Pro-Wrestling, whom I battled many times in the past. Our nostalgic stories really started to flow.

Seeing athletes who are still active and pushing themselves truly gives me a fresh spark of inspiration.

Through this work in Taiwan, I’ve managed to build many new connections. I think I’ll have a great report for Chairman Sugabayashi, the mastermind behind NJPW's Taiwan expansion.

More than anything, I was struck by the sudden urge to say, "I want to show off the NJPW roster here!" As soon as I get back to Japan, I’m going to start consultations immediately.