Hiromu Takahashi talks nominating El Desperado… and other issues
Hiromu Takahashi was present for the second Wrestle Kingdom 18 card announcement press conference on November 6, requesting time to address his nomination of El Desperado to face him January 4 in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 18. Entering the press conference with both the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and DDT Iron Heavymetal Championships around his waist, Hiromu first offered MC Kiyono the opportunity to take the DDT title off him, before settling in with comments on his defence one night before at Power Struggle.
I never beat Ishimori to take the title in that four way on January 4. So to finally beat him, that was the first time for me to actually wear this belt around my waist in ten months.’ Reminded that this would be the first time he heads into a Wrestle Kingdom as champion, a surprised Hiromu stated ‘Yesterday was actually my seventh anniversary since I returned from excursion. Over the last seven years, except one when I hurt my neck,. I’ve been in the junior heavyweight mix at Wrestle Kingdom, but now I’m here as champion. And my opponent is Desperado? Well, I should know that since I named him.’
There then followed a lengthy debate about the syntax of ‘challenge’ or ‘nominate’ before the champion addressed El Desperado’s need to take eye surgery before Wrestle Kingdom. ‘It is what it is. He wants that surgery now so that he can be 100% to face Hiromu at the Tokyo Dome, I think’ he would state. ‘If he makes sure he comes back in perfect shape, I don’t have any issues. But he needs to let everyone where he is. I want daily updates, “today I’m at 80%, 90%, 100%!’ Like that.
After suggesting every single customer who had brought tickets so far for Wrestle Kingdom be directly telephoned to let them know about the change in show time, Hiromu was asked to expand on his choice of El Desperado. Takahashi explained that after Master Wato had won Best of the Super Junior, he had turned away his challenge, and defended now against Ishimori as well, but that now he needed to beat the fourth member of the Wrestle Kingdom 17 four way. Asked about how he views El Desperado’s activities in several different promotions this year, Takahashi commented ‘it looks like he’s having a ton of fun,’ and that ‘I can see that he’s wrestling as he’s thinking of NJPW as a whole’.
Seemingly intent on making the press conference last 30 minutes, Hiromu would pressure reporters for questions and then slowly dodge answering on what he thought of his match in DDT next week against Kazuki Hirata and what he was into lately. Continuing his mini filibuster, Hiromu credited the junior heavyweights for their advances while stating that he was irritated at not having been in Super Junior Tag League, harangued Tokyo SPorts for not making a junior heavyweight win MVP since Tiger Mask in 1982, before very abruptly bringing the conference to a close right at the half hour mark.
