Sports Illustrated recently spoke with GHC Heavyweight champion Go Shiozaki and Japanese wrestling legend Keiji Mutoh ahead of their title showdown at the upcoming Pro Wrestling NOAH event from the legendary Budokan Hall. Highlights from the interview are below.
Shiozaki says WWE’s Daniel Bryan continues to motivate him:
When I wrestled Bryan, he was amazing. When I now see Bryan while I watch WWE, he is still amazing. When I see him doing so great, that motivates me.
Great Muta hypes his title matchup with Shiozaki an hopes to continue to inspire much like the other legends of his generation:
Shiozaki is a great opponent. He has power, speed and stamina. I see Misawa’s mind and Kobashi’s style in Shiozaki, and he is a distinguished champion, but I have a lot to prove here. Wrestlers in my generation, such as [Manabu] Nakanishi and [Jushin] Liger, made their retirement last year, so it looks like the mandatory retirement is around 50 years old. I say the hell with that. I hope to be the one to inspire and give energy to the world that is feeling down right now, and I will do my best and beat the champion.