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Tape Reviews
Kenji Mutoh and Kaz Hayashi Shoot Interview
Posted by Brandon Truitt on Apr 5, 2004, 19:28
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No intro this week.
I have no clue what the shoot will be next week, but I want to try and work through my last order of tapes, which includes a Ronnie Garvin shoot as well as new shoots with Justin Credible, Steve Corino, and Terry Funk.
Kenji Mutoh and Kaz Hayashi Shoot Interview (12/26/2003)
Kenji Mutoh- WARNING: This is a translation of Muta's pigeon English. This may not make sense or may include interpretations made by myself or by the interviewers.
Why did he want to be a pro wrestler? He's been doing this since he was about twenty years old when he started with New Japan wrestling. He was a New Japan fan of guys like Antonio Inoki and Tiger Mask when he was young.
Other guys he started out with- Some of the guys who started out with New Japan around that same time were Jushin "Thunder" Liger, Funaki, etc.
Training at the New Japan dojo- "It was stupid training" as they'd do like 2000 squats a day, which he gives as a reason why his knees are bad now.
Training under Hiro Matsuda in Florida- Hiro taught him more of how to handle himself outside the ring, while New Japan was more focused on in-ring training.
Did he ever want to quit while he was training? "Every day", but he never quit.
Memories of his first match- His first match was against Masa Chono and he feels it was a VERY bad match.
The atmosphere of the New Japan locker room- Japan had the Kempai-Sohai relationship system (I know I probably misspelled it, but I know it refers to a master-student style of mentoring system) and it was always about respect.
Was he there when Akira Maeda kicked Riki Choshu in the face and broke his cheekbone? He doesn't think so but figures it was probably a shoot.
Going to Puerto Rico- He feels that the styles of Puerto Rico and Japan are much closer than either of those styles and the style in the US.
Using the Super Ninja gimmick in Puerto Rico- It was his choice to use that gimmick, but wrestling in Puerto Rico was a big mistake. He had to have surgery on his knee in Japan before he went to Puerto Rico. He wasn't really able to wrestle but was booked anyway and he wasn't very good at the time as a result. He compares it to his wrestling these days where he can't do much because of his knees.
Working in Florida- He remembers wrestling Barry Windham for the Florida Title. He remembers that it wasn't a good match because Windham was a heel and he was a babyface but the crowd reacted to Windham as the face.
Did wrestling in the US help him when he wrestled in Japan? Yes it did, and he'd recommend that other young Japanese do the same if there was a company that they could work for.
World Class- He teamed up with Great Kabuki there. He got a good push there and even had a 1 on 4 handicap match there. He didn't like teaming up with Kabuki in the US although he liked teaming with him in Japan, which he says is a "generation thing."
Gary Hart- Good manager for him, he helped him out a lot.
Other territories he worked before he went to WCW in 1989- He just lists the order in which he worked all the territories, which is Japan, Florida, Japan, Puerto Rico, Texas, then finally WCW.
WCW compared to New Japan in wrestling style- WCW's style was TV-oriented, which made talking more important than wrestling.
Did his time in WCW make him want to go back to Japan or spend more time in the US? He likes the US and wants to go to the WWE some time down the road.
Being brought in as Kendo Nagasaki's son in WCW- He called Kendo before the angle happened to make sure that it was okay.
The Great Muta gimmick- Gary Hart came up with it. Great Kabuki had made Gary Hart a name as a manager, so it made sense that Hart would give him a similar gimmick. He liked it more than Super Ninja. He'd like to do it now but he doesn't have the hair anymore, which detracts from the gimmick.
Spraying the mist- It was another of Gary Hart's ideas.
His WCW program with Sting- Sting helped him a lot back then, although he doesn't remember their Great American Bash 1989 match (one of the only two Sting-Muta matches on PPV, with the other being a part of the Starcade 1989 Future Shock round-robin tournament.).
Being part of the J-Tex Corporation with Terry Funk- He liked teaming with Funk, especially their Halloween Havoc 1989 cage match, where they faced Ric Flair and Sting. One of his big memories was the "Thunderdome" cage starting a fire which special referee Bruno Sammartino had to put out.
Why didn't he and Funk feud after the cage match? The bookers didn't want to do it.
Why was his year-long winning streak snapped at Starrcade 1989 with three straight losses? It was done for a few reasons. One was that he was about to turn babyface. Another was that Gary Hart had just left the company and it wasn't on the best of terms. He returned to Japan shortly afterwards because Gary Hart was part of the reason he was in WCW to begin with.
(On the subject of Muta's win streak, Muta technically lost a TV match during that year against Eddie Gilbert, which I was in attendance for. It was a No DQ match and done in a style that Eddie later brought to ECW, with Gilbert pinning Hart for the win after a wild match that included Missy Hyatt and Eddie Gilbert getting green mist and Tommy Rich getting red mist. I really need to send someone a copy of that match so I can get an unbiased opinion of it, but I feel that the match is a good one that is forgotten by history because it was a regular TV match instead of a Clash match or PPV match. Gilbert and Muta were two of the best workers in the world at the time and worked a match that was very innovative for a national promotion back then.)
Arn Anderson- He lost the NWA TV Title to him, but it didn't bother him because he respects Arn heavily.
How did New Japan change when he came back? Everything was the same as when he left.
Thoughts of teaming with Chono to beat Masa Saito and Shinya Hashimoto and for the IWGP Tag Titles? He thinks it was a good match. He was worried at that time about his style being to Americanized for Japan, as the UWF style (a shoot-like style) was very big at that time in Japan. He felt the UWF style was too boring but many fans disrespected the US style. It took a while for everyone to really like his new style.
Losing the belts to Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki- He thinks it was an okay match.
Did New Japan like the Great Muta gimmick? He thinks the company didn't like the Muta gimmick but it made a lot of money for the company, so they put up with it.
Did the Japanese fans like the Gaijin wrestlers like the Steiner Brothers? They like them a bit because they were guests, but they liked the Japanese wrestlers more. However, guys who spent a good portion of their careers in Japan such as Abdullah the Butcher, Terry Funk, and Stan Hansen are some of the most popular wrestlers in Japan.
Did he like teaming with Sting in Japan? Sting helped him a lot in the US, so that's why he wanted to help Sting in Japan. It was difficult to do, though, because of Sting's wrestling style.
Did he think his style would be bad on his knees? Yes, and he changed it up a little as a result. He also finds it a bit strange that no one in the US used a style like his before he was in WCW but, now, EVERYONE does stuff like him such as moonsaults.
Title belts- They don't matter too much to him personally, but the title belts mean more money for him because they put him in a better position in the company.
His knee injury in 1996- He considered retirement but came back anyway.
Winning the IWGP title from Scott Norton- He liked Norton and thought the match was okay. The reason Norton got a big push in Japan but not in the US was that US stars want more money when they work in Japan, so they built one of their own who was cheaper but had what they were looking for.
What happened with his WCW run in 1999? He had a deal set up through JJ Dillon but it was while Eric Bischoff was in charge. The reason they wanted him was that they intended to get away from the current promo-heavy style and go back to a more wrestling-oriented style. However, Bischoff was fired and Vince Russo became the new boss, which screwed him over because Russo didn't like him.
Teaming with Vamprio- He liked teaming with him because Russo liked Vampiro, which meant he got a push he wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
Winning the WCW Tag Titles from Kronik- Kronik helped him, as they'd refused to drop the belt to the Mexicans (I'm not sure what this means but Juventud Guerrera's name pops up in a second), so he and Vampiro got the belts instead.
Going back to Japan- His contract was done with WCW. The WWE called him up and wanted to sign him, but his WCW contract had a 6-month no-compete clause. Since he couldn't go to the WWE, he went back to Japan.
The shoot-style in New Japan- He hates shoot-style wrestling matches.
Inoki as booker- Bad booker.
When did he think about jumping to All Japan? When New Japan went to shoot-style and shooting, he started thinking about getting out. His style is a pro-wrestling style and, besides that, he's getting older.
Who did he give notice to in New Japan when he left? Fujinami, who was pissed about him leaving. Kojima and some other wrestlers left at the same time.
What promises did All Japan make to him? Mrs. Baba offered him the company if he would jump to All Japan.
Did all the wrestlers leaving New Japan hurt the business? Yes, all the new companies formed by all the stars leaving New Japan is why business is bad now.
The booking of All Japan- He doesn't have anything to do with the booking of the company.
Is it true that Zero-One gave All Japan money? If they did, it�s news to him.
What does he think about Zero-One? It�s very well booked. Zero-One�s problem is that Hashimoto is their only big star.
Teaming with Bill Goldberg- It was good in the ring but too expensive for him.
Is anyone jealous of him? He doesn�t say who in particular but says that jealousy is good for a company because it makes people do better.
Is his style of All Japan too different from what the traditional All Japan fans liked? It�s different but those All Japan fans started following NOAH when it opened instead of All Japan, so they�ve had to build a new fanbase.
Are there too many cross-promotional storylines? Yes, and the only one he really sees as a potential draw would be All Japan and NOAH because of the backstory between the two groups.
What does he look for in US talent? Cheap and good workers.
What does he think about The Wall (Jerry Tuite, Malice, Gigantes) and his recent death? It depressed him. He actually went to Wall�s house today.
Is he shocked at how over Bob Sapp is in Japan? He learned a lot about cutting promos at WCW�s Power Plant, he�s smart, he does shoot-fighting, and he has a LOT of TV coverage.
Kaz Hayashi-
Was he a wrestling fan growing up? Yes, when he was about 10 years old he started watching the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama.
How did he get into wrestling? He started out with Universal Pro Wrestling for a few matches as Shiru. He wanted to wear a mask because he�d been a big Tiger Mask fan.
Great Sasuke- Good wrestler, not sure about him as a boss.
Did he like the Kaientai gimmick? Sometimes he liked it, sometimes he wanted to be more serious. He wanted to learn different styles.
Promo Azteka- He liked working there, but that was around the time that Konnan, Rey Misterio Jr., and everyone else left for WCW.
Did he like taking off his mask when he went to WCW? He didn�t need to wear it by then, but he missed it by then because he�d worn it for about 6 years of his career and was used to it.
Did he ever consider wrestling as Shiru in WCW? No, he never did.
Did the big guys like Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan tried to keep the Mexican and Japanese workers down? Yes, but they got over as a group thanks to guys like Rey Misterio and Juventud Guerrera.
Did he like wrestling in the US? Yes, because he feels his best style is the US style of wrestling because it�s a mix of different wrestling style.
His Jung Dragons teammates Jimmy Yang and Jamie Noble- He got along with them, as everyone liked them.
Who took care of them in the WCW locker room? Jimmy Yang and, before that, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko.
Did he understand WCW was about to go out of business? Yes, because he could see the crowds getting smaller each time they went to a new arena. He liked his spot in the company at the time, as he and the rest of the Jung Dragons were feuding with Three Count (Shane Helms (Hurricane), Evan Karagias, Shannon Moore).
Did he think that the WWF was going to pick up his contract? Yes he did and he wasn�t surprised to be sent to HWA instead of the main roster.
What was his reaction when Muta left New Japan for All Japan? Very surprised. Muta called him up afterwards and asked him to come into All Japan.
The cruiser division in All Japan- He feels the best cruiser division he was ever in was WCW in 1999 when Eddy Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera were there. The one in All Japan could get there some day but they need more crusierweight talent.
If All Japan hadn�t called him up, would he still be in the WWF or in New Japan or Michinoku Pro instead? He figures that he�d have stayed here.
If the WWF called him today, would he go back there? No, because he�s back in Japan now after four years of living in the US. He�d rather make a WWE in Japan than go back to the real WWE.
Name association-
Psicosis- He preferred working with him in WCW to working with him in Mexico.
Jushin �Thunder� Liger- Likes him.
Ohtani and Tanaka- They don�t wrestle his style.
The success of Tajiri- He�s happy for him. He thinks that others may try to go to the US like he did.
What does he think of business in Japan right now? There are too many companies. Also, he thinks it�s unnecessary for companies like New Japan to start doing shoot-fighting because they�re wrestlers and not shoot-fighters.
What company did he like best besides All Japan? WCW in 1999 and 2000, and his best matches were with Juventud Guerrera and Rey Misterio Jr.
What were his favorite matches in Michinoku Pro and All Japan? His favorite M-Pro match was with TAKA Michinoku.
What would be his dream match? Him against Juventud Guerrera again. As for someone he�d never wrestled before, he has trouble thinking of one.
What does he think the future of pro wrestling is? He hopes it�s All Japan.
Kenji Mutoh and Jinzei Shiznaki vs. Great Sasuke and ???- The unknown Michinoku guy is wearing half-white half-red tights, has blonde hair, and a weird white mask that looks like something La Parka rejected. Mutoh picks up the win with a modified camel clutch on Sasuke at 22:28.
Arashi and Kenji Mutoh vs. Shinjiro Otani and Shinya Hashimoto- This is from Zero-One in 2003 and THANK GOD they believe in using graphics with both Kanji and English names on them. Hashimoto picks up the win with an armbar on Arashi. There�s a big brawl afterwards in which the locker room empties into the ring and everyone from Steve Corino to Predator (former WWE developmental talent Sly Scraper (NCAA wrestler Sylvester Terkay)) hits the ring.
Hashimoto and ? vs. ? and Kenji Mutoh- Mutoh�s partner is the same guy who tagged with Sasuke in the first match. Hashimoto�s partner is a Japanese guy in all black wearing black fighting gloves and has �S.T.O.� on his tights. The match appears to go to a no-contest at 18 minutes in.
Kenji Mutoh and Arashi and ? vs. three guys I don�t know-Mutoh wins with the Shining Wizard or, as someone else has referred to it, the �faggot knee to the head.�
Tom Howard and Josh Daniels vs. Low Ki and Kokusimusou- It�s too damn weird to see Low Ki covered in black Kanji writing. Low Ki pins Josh Daniels for the win after hitting him with the Shining Wizard.
Thoughts:
This was a seriously underwhelming shoot, but I blame that on the language barrier more than anything. It�s hard to get someone to say more than yes or no when they�re having a lot of trouble expressing themselves to the interviewer.
Strong recommendation to avoid.
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