As part of our coverage of the NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco, CA, Saturday night, Wrestling Observer founder and publisher Dave Meltzer sat down with former IWGP Champion and New Japan Pro Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Recorded on Friday morning, this 45-minute interview discusses where Tanahashi is at in this point of his career, his legendary run in New Japan, Saturday’s show at the Cow Palace, and more.
This is part of four different interviews Dave did with various NJPW talents we’ll be running over the next two days.
Timestamps
Start – 4:30: The decline and resurgence of New Japan
4:30 – 6:19: Starting out in pro wrestling, rising as a top star
6:19 – 7:50: His goals for the next few years
7:50 – 10:52: Thoughts on when preparing for a big match
10:52 – 13:00: The origin of the air guitar
13:00 – 13:48: Thoughts about his legacy
13:48 – 15:52: His feud with Okada
15:52 – 18:08: Interest in going to WWE
18:08 – 20:57: Giving advice to younger wrestlers
20:57 – 23:05: Favorite matches, people he’d like to face
23:05 – 25:30: More on his thoughts on Okada
25:20 – 29:56: His upcoming movie
29:56 – 32:58: Injuries, exercise regimens
32:58 – 35:22: Travelling
35:22 – 35:53: Choosing New Japan over All Japan
35:53 – 38:19: Minoru Suzuki, different styles of wrestling
38:19 – 40:39: His appearances for DDT
40:39 – end: Learning English
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