Champions and Challengers show Sapporo Soul
New Japan Soul presser in Hokkaido
Ahead of the first evcent on the New Japan Soul tour June 16, IWGP Global and Junior Heavyweight champions and challengers faced off in Hokkaido in a special public press conference.
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The IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship was first on the agenda. Speaking as challenger SANADA stated that the title had ‘not been coloured by anyone,’ and that it was lacking in history, ‘but that’s a good thing. A former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion taking that belt will instantly colour it and make it worthwhile’.
David Finlay responded that while he and SANADA both took the head of their respective factions, ‘but what change did SANADA bring?’. Finlay acknowledged that SANADA beat him in the 2023 New Japan Cup and won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but that he ‘cut his hair, shaved his beard and got designer suits to make himself more marketable,’ while Finlay and the War Dogs ‘embraced the filth.’ Stating that he felt wrestling ‘has hid from its roots for far too long, behind pretty boys and fancy suits.’ Stating that he ‘loves what we are because I’m king of who we are. I’m here to lead the savages’
That led El Desperado and SHO to give final comments before their steel cage main event Sunday. Desperado remarked about how the champion and challenger roles had been reversed since the last time NJPW was in Hokkaido. He went on to explain his philosophy, saying that ‘in pro-wrestling there are rules, but the great thing about it is there are a lot of grey zones’. He spoke of enjoying being in the spaces between crossing the line a little and crossing it too far. ‘All sorts happen, a bit of blood here and there, too. Everybody wants something different from their wrestling, and for me I want to have an incredible match with everyone and then try and win. That’s the key behind IWGP’. Desperado said that all the same the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title was a singles one, and that in the singles environment, he wanted to win the title and defend it against a challenger he already had in mind.
SHO, perhaps with usual boistrous confidence slightly muted, introduced himself as ‘the grandest champion in IWGP history, and the man who was supposed to win Best of the Super Jr. 30 and 31’. SHO promised to take on the challenger Desperado had in mind, and anyone else to come. Increasingly rattled as he was asked about the choice of rules for the bout, SHO said ‘as champion I take any rules on, I’m not scared of anything!’. Repeating that he was on ‘a different level’ to his challenger, SHO demanded that after his victory Desperado should hand over his BOSJ trophy to boot. With the final claim that his pro-wrestling was ‘completely virgin white and clean’ unlike the ‘grey’ Desperado had spoken of, the last pre match photos were taken.
