Episode 54: Press Conference Thrills

April 8, 2026

Today, we held the press conference for the upcoming series, "WRESTLING DONTAKU 2026."

During the last press conference, I tripped over my words, made mistakes, read things in the wrong order, and then tripped over my words again... I ended up having to do so many retakes.

Up until last year, Chairman Sugabayashi was the one usually announcing the cards at these conferences. I’m sure many of you felt a sense of "professionalism" in the cool, detached way he’d read through the list, right?

Both last time and today, the conference was pre-recorded, so if I stumble or get tongue-tied, we can redo it. Since the pressure is different compared to a "one-shot" live broadcast, I can go in feeling somewhat relaxed.

However, because there were so many retakes last time, I reflected on that and thought, "I’ll get it right this time!" and "Practice makes perfect!" I went into a separate room an hour before the start and read the script over and over again. Then, I headed to the set, fully prepared.

The result? Only one stumble. Only one retake!

I breathed a huge sigh of relief (barely a passing grade). I hope you’ll check out how it went on NJPW World or YouTube.

Looking back on my day, I realized: "Today’s highlight was definitely that press conference announcement at the office."

Whether or not you can identify the task that will require the most energy in your daily schedule—right from the moment you wake up—is crucial. First, make time in the morning to visualize the flow of your day. By doing that, you’ll naturally understand how to distribute your "thermal energy" (enthusiasm) to match that schedule.

In my case, the press conference was the job that required the most energy today. Making that assessment early on paid off, and the recording finished quickly and smoothly. Compared to last time, it was a remarkable evolution (praising myself).

So, what am I trying to say? "Identify the Main Event of your day!"

The starting line is completely different for those who can prepare like this versus those who can't. You could say that people who are "good at their jobs" are actually people who are "good at distributing their energy."

Well, then again, in my case, I always end up doing everything at 100%... that’s just how I’ve lived my life...

Next time, I’ll work hard to carry myself even better during the conference. Just try to overlook my slightly clumsy pronunciation (laughs).