Originally published in 2016
By Ciaran James@TheCiaranJames
Kotaro Suzuki is a former GHC Tag Team & Junior Heavyweight, he has wrestled for NOAH, AJPW and currently he works for Wrestle-1 where he is Cruiserweight Champion. Last week he appeared at 4FW Global Takeover where he faced Mark Haskins, a few days after the event I caught up with him to talk all things wrestling.
For the readers who don’t follow Japanese wrestling please introduce and tell us about yourself I am Kotaro Suzuki. I was born on 18th June 1978. I am 37 years old. I have been wrestling professionally for 14.5 years. As you can see from my gear, I am a big fan of “Mobile Suit Gundam”, the Japanese animation series.
You were trained by Mitsuhara Misawa and the Pro Wrestling Noah Dojo, can you describe the experience you went through to be a pro wrestler? I was one of the first trainees in NOAH. I trained there for eight months before debuting. I joined NOAH with three other trainees but they all left within the first two months because the training was very, very tough.
Tell us about your debut and how you felt before stepping into the ring for your first competitive match? My mind was completely blank. I was so nervous that I stomped with my left leg, which was a silly mistake.
Tell us about your time working for Pro Wrestling Noah? I wrestled in NOAH for 11 years. I learned all the basics there and I grew up as a pro-wrestler there. I improved significantly with the help and influence of Ricky Marvin.
In 2005 you adopted the gimmick Mushiking Terry, What was it like to have a change of character It was tough to wrestle as Mushiking Terry because, on the one hand, I had to meet people’s expectation as a superhero for children and, on the other hand, I had to have good matches as a pro-wrestler. I felt a lot of pressure.
In January 2007 you along with Ricky Marvin defeated the Briscoe Brothers for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles at First Navigation. How did it feel to win a major championship for the first time? NOAH’s Junior Heavyweight roster then was very strong. It was a night when I felt that I finally managed to accomplish something there after six years. I was satisfied with the result and the match itself too.
Only a few months later you captured NOAH’s Junior Heavyweight Title, you defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa. Tell us how it felt to win your first major singles title? I won the match but I wasn’t satisfied with it. I can’t express what it was but that match made me realise that wrestling is not easy because win/loss is only small part of it.
Your second Tag reign in NOAH lasted an astonishing 553 days, you teamed then with Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Was it a tough task holding onto the titles for such a long period? It was very tough as we had to show something new in every match, not just to defend the title. We used our brains a lot. It was very helpful to have Kanemaru as a tag team partner.
Mitsuharu Misawa sadly passed away in 2009, how did that affect you both emotionally and professionally? This kind of accident should never happen again. It took a long time for me to accept his death. Misawa died at 46. I train hard so that I can wrestle longer than he could. I couldn’t do anything to return his favour and kindness. Perhaps the only way that I can repay him is to wrestle longer than he could.
In January 2013 you along with Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru all signed for AJPW and formed the faction ‘Burning Stable’. How did it feel signing for a new promotion and what was your first year like in All Japan? We tried to satisfy All Japan fans by showing the style of wrestling that we had believed in. It was a year when we had to put a lot of effort in what we do, and overall I felt it was a great success.
In 2014 you captured the Gaora TV Championship & World Junior Championship in 2015, how did it feel to capture the Titles? Each time I felt that the victory of the belt was only my starting point. My goal was to make the belts more glorious by having great title matches.
In 2015 you decided to leave AJPW, you have since worked as a freelancer and most recently worked for @4FW Wrestling at their Global Takeover event. What was it like working for 4FW? I can’t emphasise enough how great the crowd were. I was really cheered up by the fans and it was exciting to wrestle in such a great atmosphere.
At the 4FW event you defended your Wrestle-1 Cruiserweight Championship against the UK’s Mark Haskins, how did you feel the match went and what was your opinion of Mark Haskins? I wrestled him in Farringdon in 2006 when NOAH had two UK shows. My tag team partner was Misawa and his tag team partner was Bison Smith. It’s sad that they are both gone. Mark has grown into a great wrestler! I think he will be a top star in this business in the near future.
So what is next for Kotaro Suzuki and will you be returning to the UK again? My current goal is to become an icon of Jr. Heavyweight wrestling! I want to be someone who represents all Jr. Heavyweight wrestlers. And, yes! I will definitely come back to the UK. I LOVE THE UK!!
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You can follow Kotaro Suzuki @suzuki_kotaro_
