Episode 88: The Current Location of The Ace
June 12, 2026
On a certain day. A press conference to announce the full match card for the June 14th Osaka-jo Hall event—the absolute climax of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's first half of the year—was just around the corner. It is an incredibly crucial mission to take the blazing heat generated at Ota City General Gymnasium and carry it straight into Osaka-jo Hall.
However, there is another towering wall standing in my way. It’s a flaw that I’m sure every single one of you fans is well aware of: my "enunciation" problem.
Ever since the old days, I have been truly terrible with the "S-line" and "T-line" Japanese syllables. Back when I had the privilege of acting in a movie, my acting coach even tore me apart, saying, "Your 'R-line' and voiced consonants are completely hopeless too." To overcome this, I practiced the traditional theatrical elocution piece, Uirou Uri (The Medicine Seller), over and over again.
And right now, here is the exact phrase I am running drills on...↓
"Ootaku taikai no kekka wo ukete, Oosakajou hooru no taisen kaado ga kettei itashimashita."
(Following the results of the Ota City event, the match cards for Osaka-jo Hall have been finalized.)
In particular, the consecutive "T-line" sounds in "kettei itashimashita," and the transition from "ta" to "se" in "taisen kaado" bring a massive amount of tension. I have to announce these monumental match cards in the absolute silence of the press conference room. My facial expression has to remain perfectly sharp, too...
Unlike the shifting environment inside the ring, a press conference is a battleground where you compete purely with the "power of words." If I stutter or trip over my lines, the value of the matches that the wrestlers literally risked their lives for might... Ah, just thinking about it makes me tighten my posture under the immense weight of the responsibility I carry.
Years ago, my mother once told me, "Just speak carefully." It’s not about whether your enunciation is perfect or flawed; the most important thing is the "desire to convey your message" and the "sheer passion to be understood."
To deliver this announcement with that full passion at today's conference. And above all, for every single wrestler fighting in that ring.
My solitary battle in the office continues again today.