Robbie Eagles talks Hiromu, TAMASHII and more
At Sakura Genesis on April 8, Robbie Eagles will be gunning for his second IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship when he faces Hiromu Takahashi. yet with a shift to TMDK to CHAOS, questions are circling about more than just his chances of getting his second win in as many title matches over the Time Bomb. We spoke to Robbie ahead of Saturday about titles, TMDK and TAMASHII.
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There’s no ill will with CHAOS
–So, Robbie, on March 21 we saw a video that had you challenging for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship April 8 at Sakura Genesis. I think that more surprising to a lot of fans wasn’t the challenge, but that you did so as part of TMDK. Before we talk about ‘why TMDK’, I think the first question should be, why leave CHAOS?
Robbie: I would say the opposite- it wasn’t about leaving CHAOS so much as the opportunity presented to me in TMDK. I’ve been open online about some things that have been strange from time to time in CHAOS-
–You weren’t happy about Lio Rush getting his championship opportunity at the New Japan Cup final when you had already made a challenge after TAMASHII recently.
Robbie: -but there’s no ill will with CHAOS. Mikey (Nicholls) shared the same sentiments after he and Shane Haste challenged Bishamon. It’s the same for me, there’s no heat there, but I joined TMDK to be the main junior heavyweight in TMDK in NJPW, and that would give me a pretty much guaranteed chance to challenge for the junior heavyweight championship.
–So it was all timing.
Robbie: Like a couple of years ago when I sent a video message to El Desperado at the time, this was the best way for me to skip to the head of the line.
–Last time TAMASHII went to Sydney, you threw out an invite for the CHAOS members to come to Australia, and Hirooki Goto answered that call to come over in April. So, no uncomfortable reunions?
Robbie: No, not at all. Obviously things changed pretty quickly after that invitation, but the invitation still stands. We’ll be in separate locker rooms, but if we cross paths it’s not like we won’t shake hands or anything like that. That’s how I feel anyway, I don’t know how CHAOS feel since I got shut out the group chat (laughs).
TMDK members are all over the world and right at the top as top guys
–You and TMDK both mean a lot to Australian wrestling. For the unfamiliar, can you explain what TMDK means to the Australian scene?
Robbie: I think the best way to put it is, there have been so many members of this group, starting with Shane (Haste) and Mikey (Nicholls). Now it’s gone worldwide with guys like Bad Dude Tito, and Zack of course, but it’s been a primarily Australian group, and it was always seen as the best of the best of all Australia, no state lines holding people back.
–You mention, ‘state lines,’ can Australian wrestling be divided into cliques depending on state? Are Sydney (New South Wales) crowds and promoters hostile to Melbourne (Victoria), say?
Robbie: It might still be a little cliquey. Thinking about it, I’m the first TMDK member from new South Wales, for one thing. So in the past TMDK wouldn’t get the reactions in Sydney they would get elsewhere, because they were from these different parts of Australia.
–And that’s really important to the Aussie fans?
Robbie: I think we love sports as a country, and we’re huge into local sports teams. So if you’re from out of town, we hate you. That’s just how it worked.
–And TMDK are more of a unifying force.
Robbie: It was back in 2012, 2013 I think when Shane and Mikey won the GHC Tag Championships that everyone was looking to them for inspiration in this country. They had DIY’d everything, but here they were getting the recognition they deserved in the world, and that we had known they’d deserved for years and years. Then JONAH would break those walls down, getting huge adulation across the country and representing TMDK through and through.
–It’s easy for Australia to follow along with Japanese wrestling with the time difference.
Robbie: Exactly, so those guys succeeding was a real indication that it was more than just America when it came to opportunities for Australian wrestlers. TMDK really embodied this vision of us being just as good, if not better than anywhere in the world; TMDK members are all over the world now, and right at the top as top guys as well.
Zack was the guy that reached out during the pandemic
–It’s easy to connect you to TMDK because of the Australia connection, but you’re very similar in style to Zack Sabre Jr. as well, albeit in different weight classes. Have you had much interaction before this?
Robbie: Yeah, we’ve had singles matches in Australia, and we’re 1-1. There’s no beef there, but in 2017 and 2018 we’ve had a bit of a rivalry. Joining TMDK is more behind the curtain.
–How so?
Robbie: A lot goes back to how things were during the pandemic. The CHAOS guys have always been great to me backstage and on the road, but when I was spending six months away from home, and dealing with everything during the pandemic, Zack was a guy that reached out.
–Even as part of Suzuki-Gun at the time?
Robbie: It was one of those things, not as a member of CHAOS or Suzuki-Gun or what have you, just separate from the business. We’d go for dinner or something like that and he’d check in with how I was doing. It was a bit of foreigner camaraderie, just taking our minds away from work and being there for one another on a human level. That made this decision to join TMDK so much easier.
–So it was a personal decision as well as professional.
Robbie: There is definitely the in ring side as well, we are so similar. He may not take to the skies like I do, but if you take the ground work and the striking aspect you see those similarities. I’ve looked up to him for a long time, and I think I can pick up more than a few new tricks teaming with him.
I had to weigh up both sides with TMDK and United Empire
–You also have had a connection to Will Ospreay in the past. You wrestled Kyle Fletcher at TAMASHII recently, and TJP at a World Series Wrestling event in Australia, with TJP offering you a United Empire armband afterward. A lot of people thought you might be headed for United Empire…
Robbie: I think it was on the table, obviously, and people saw and reported on that thing with TJP. It was just kind of a surprise to me, because I thought if that invite was going to come, it would come from Will himself, but it seemed to come from everyone but him.
–Will didn’t approach you directly?
Robbie: We ran into one another in Texas in 2021, and he said ‘let’s chat’, but it never really became anything. It is what it is. You know it’s a lot like how I came into Japan in the first place- Will had invited me to CHAOS, but then I had the chance to join BULLET CLUB, so I had to weigh up the opportunities on each side.
–And here you thought TMDK would be the better fit?
Robbie: United Empire- they’ve got a lot of guys already. TMDK is still going as far as NJPW is concerned. I do find it funny that all of a sudden, as soon as I join TMDK, United Empire have found a new junior in the UK (laughs).
–Dan Moloney joined the group at a RPW event.
Robbie: I think they were a little burned by me not taking that offer. I think that’s fine, I hope they bring that anger when I face them in the ring. I hope they are a little bit spiteful and a little bit pissed off.
–The junior heavyweight landscape is so crowded with talent at the moment, in NJPW, and then with All Star Junior Festival recently, and another coming in the US sometime soon. Do you feel the pinch somewhat, or do you see this move as a chance to show what makes you stand out?
Robbie: It’s definitely a way to set myself apart. With Kosei Fujita perhaps as a second, I’m the only junior heavyweight in TMDK. In United Empire, they have three now, CHAOS, if you count Rocky, that’s three as well. There’s a lot of juniors in the other units, so I think I can set myself apart by being the only junior member in my group. That’s good for me, and that’s good for TMDK. And, it’s good you brought up the All Star Jr. Festival, because I felt slighted not being invited in for that. That’s another issue I have with Hiromu Takahashi- I want to talk about how he can propose and produce this junior festival and not include one of the top stars in junior heavyweight wrestling.
I’ll have my own pocket of fans pulling for me
–Let’s talk more about Hiromu in particular. You’re 1-2 against him, but your win is in a title match from Metlife Dome in 2021. Is that a confidence boost, knowing you can beat him in a big match setting?
Robbie: Both of Hiromu’s wins he has over me are in Best of Super Jr., and that’s still important, but I beat him when the title was on the line, on a big show, like Ryogoku will be, in the semi main event, like it will be in Ryogoku. I feel in a big arena setting, I’ll have the exact same confidence I had then, and I’ll tap him out again. If he wants to challenge himself, he should try and submit me, see how that works out.
–If you want Hiromu to try and submit you, will you be looking to pin him?
Robbie: You never know; I’ve been working on a lot of new stuff since Japan has seen me last, and the guys in TMDK have been giving me some new things to come up with already as well. He won’t see the offense coming.
–This will be your fourth singles match but the first in front of a cheering crowd. Do you think that might be a factor to Hiromu’s benefit perhaps?
Robbie: I’ve been studying a lot of matches recently- I have a nice study area with my screen right next to the jacuzzi hot tub I have at home (laughs). And I’ve been watching a lot of his title matches in the years before the pandemic. You’re right, in those matches and the match with Lio Rush, the fans were really behind him. But I think I’ll have my own pocket of fans pulling for me as well.
–You think it won’t just be a 100% Hiromu crowd.
Robbie: Even if it is; remember when Hiromu came back from his neck injury? That tag match in Korakuen Hall? That whole place was screaming for him that night, but it was me getting the pin on him. I can beat him without cheers, and I think it’s another day in the office when it comes to beating him with cheers.
–Sakura Genesis tends to be a very short tour, and you only have a few preview tags with Hiromu before the title match.
Robbie: Right.
–YOH and Lio Rush both had longer tours before their title matches, and both got quite a few successes, but came up short in the title match. Do you think the shorter tour benefits you?
Robbie: I think it definitely benefits me. The less opportunity you have to face someone, the less chance you have to scout your opponent, but the less chance you have to give something away. Even if you might think as a challenger to keep something off the table in a preview match to keep it for the last match of the tour, it doesn’t always work out that way when the adrenaline is going, and before you know it, you’ve given away a secret weapon. So I’m more than happy to have this short tour, fewer chances for Hiromu to see what I’ve been working on in Australia for example.
I think TAMASHII has exceeded expectations
–Let’s talk a little bit about TAMASHII. The brand launched about six months ago now, and as a wrestler, and a coach and a promoter yourself, I think you’re in a good spot to assess how the brand has gone. What is your honest appraisal?
Robbie: I think it’s exceeded expectations. I don’t think people expected us to be touring Australia this frequently already.
–You think people were expecting shows less often?
Robbie: I think so, and I think on the other hand maybe they might have expected more Japanese talent, or more familiar names perhaps. The thing with that is, as NJPW expands, and there’s dates in the US, but there’s a chance to do something with Japanese wrestlers who aren’t in the US, then that’s what you get with Shingo Takagi and Hirooki Goto coming this April.
–The Next TAMASHII run is April 14-16, at the same time as Capital Collision in Washington DC and Collision in Philadelphia.
Robbie: There’s two sets of NJPW shows happening at the same time in two different countries, neither of which are Japan. That’s an incredible feat for New Japan as a brand in general, in my opinion. And you have great representations for the NJPW roster in TAMASHII. Shingo, Goto, myself, then we’ve had Henare in the past, Kyle Fletcher, Fale and his Rogue Army now.
–The easiest comparison to make with TAMASHII has been to liken it to what NJPW STRONG was in the US.
Robbie: It’s very much what STRONG would have been if they didn’t start in the pandemic, I think. With STRONG at the start they couldn’t fly in or fly out many people, and they couldn’t start in front of a live audience. We’ve had that from the start, and that’s a big help.
–Do you think fans are catching on with what to expect from the brand?
Robbie: I think people are catching on that it’s predominantly a showcase for wrestlers in the Australasian area, with some Japanese talent sprinkled in, but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be that way. I think when schedules allow, you’ll see more of those Japanese talent freed up and competing in TAMASHII. You have the Oceania Cup coming up later this year as well, and that’s going to be a massive series of events for TAMASHII and NJPW in general.
–TAMASHII has let fans get exposed to talent like the Velocities, or Lyrebird Luchi for example. With TAMASHII currently running events every other month or so, is there any advice you’ve given to these Australian wrestlers to make sure they don’t fall off the radar between these cards?
Robbie: I think if you’re a casual fan, and somebody on these TAMASHII cards catches your eye, you’ll want to Google them, find out more about them and see where they wrestle regularly. I think that’s where fans will usually get connected on social media, and that’s where they’ll maybe want to buy a ticket to see them again.
So what I have suggested to the talent on TAMASHII is to stay vocal on social media, and one bit of advice I was given in Japan was to let people know your aspirations and your goals. Any opportunity you have to tell people who you want to fight, the titles you want to hold, if you keep saying that, then people will want that for you, too. So we want these guys to stay out there and not just fall off the radar in between TAMASHII cards.
–And fans should be watching TAMASHII on NJPW World as well.
Robbie: I think even if people check it out half an hour at a time here and there rather than watching the whole shows all at once, they’re great shows.
–You had a great match with Kyle Fletcher in Melbourne on the last series.
Robbie: It’s one of those matches where you didn’t know you wanted to see it until it was there, and then it’s like ‘OK, I’m interested’. Then you have Fale and this Rogue Army business…
–Bad Luck Fale started a BULLET CLUB splinter group with Jack Bonza, Lyrebird Luchi and now Caveman Ugg.
Robbie: BULLET CLUB isn’t my scene at all, but you don’t know what’s going to happen next with that. There’s four of them now, so who’s going to oppose them? I have a bunch of friends in TMDK for one thing that would be happy to start a fight with them, so there’s a lot to look forward to in the future.
–Is there a wrestler in particular that you’d like fans to check out more of from TAMASHII?
Robbie: There’s so many, but one I’d especially like to point out now I am in TMDK is Slex. Watching him in Melbourne is always a treat, and now there’s definitely an opportunity for the Sniper and the Business to team up and show Australia what junior heavyweight tag teams can do.
Mick Moretti is always someone I think is incredibly talented, and you saw that in the match he had with Taiji Ishimori back in November. He held his own with one of the best in the world, and he’s a psychopath, so the in betweens, you just don’t know what to expect with him.
As for tag teams, the Natural Classics from Melbourne, as well as the Velocities.
–Jude London and Paris De Silva.
Robbie: I’ve worked a lot with their development, and it’s been great to see them now touring the US, getting to wrestle AEW’s Top Flight. They’re capable of great things, and I think they’d be fantastic in a Super Junior Tag League, for example. If they can get that shot from working TAMASHII, just like fans have been asking for talent to come to Japan from watching them on STRONG, it’s the same here. A cross over for NJPW STRONG and NJPW TAMASHII would be great to have one day as well!
–The last event we had in Sydney started with Charlie Evans versus Jessica Troy. We’re obviously seeing more women’s matches at NJPW events around the world; do you think it’s important for TAMASHII to shine a light on Australian women?
Robbie: Yeah, I was so happy that Jess and Charlie got that opportunity, it was a great way to start the Sydney card. They’re both incredibly talented, and I’m proud of what they’ve done. But there’s a lot of great female talent in Australia. Where I’m based in PWA alone, there’s a multitude of great women that could easily slot into STARDOM, or wrestle for the IWGP Women’s Championship at any point and it would be a banger. Women’s wrestling in Australia is easily equal to, or better than what the men do. They hit hard, do stuff you wouldn’t expect from them, and are really ready to make a mark. They know that a lot of the attention can easily go to the US, or UK, or Japan, and Australia can be overlooked, so they really put all their heart into every opportunity they get.
–Just to bring it back round to Hiromu Takahashi as we finish up, final thoughts for Hiromu heading into Sakura Genesis in one week?
Robbie: I haven’t locked up with Hiromu for a few months now, so I’m looking forward to getting the feel for him. I’ve said I want to be his personal bomb squad- this time, I’m cutting all the wires. If it blows up in my face, that’s fine, but I’ll keep fighting until the very end, and do everything in my power to come out with the title, and show that The Mighty Don’t Kneel.
