Ninja Mack recently spoke with Wrestling Inc. about working alongside the legendary Keiji Mutoh (Great Muta), as well as his thoughts on competing for Pro Wrestling NOAH and what the backstage atmosphere is currently like for the promotion. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Talks the atmosphere of NOAH:
For them to welcome me with all arms, it’s been a great opportunity and a great pleasure, especially to be able to work with some of the very best pro wrestlers and talent in the world, and then even to attend this last run of Muta and his shows and see what he does in a ring. I literally got to see it firsthand, being able to tag with him … His presence is so commanding. So it’s been a very great honor to be at NOAH. I’m very thankful for them to allow me to join them and learn from the best there is in the business right now. And I mean, they’re buzzing. NOAH’s buzzing everywhere. The junior division, the heavyweight division, they got connections with AEW, WWE, they just invested in themselves. All the walkout arenas look so good. The lights look so good. Man, NOAH’s turning up.
Reveals some key things he learned working next to the Great Muta:
Just his presence. I believe every person, every wrestler has a certain aura to them, certain energy level. And to walk in a room with him and just to feel the energy change because he’s in the room, people are on their toes. I mean that’s one of the best ever of all time to sit there and listen to talk to, for him to even listen. Everyone shuts up. I mean, it’s words of wisdom. So the presence he had is the biggest thing I noticed. The guy in the ring can still go … He’s a little hurt on his knees and his hips, but he is still going out there and hitting Shining Wizards, teaching Kiyomiya to be the next champ and the next great one for NOAH. The guy’s put in so much work, and he still continues to put in so much work. So I just — to share a ring with him, I’m glad I was able to get that opportunity before he does retire.
On when and where he decides to wrestle in a mask:
For NOAH, I’ve been fully masked. I’ve been going no mask off when I come back to America. I was de-masked a little bit, but when I first started wrestling as Ninja Mack, when I would wrestle luchadors, I would take the mask off, more of a proper respect of them … I wear a mask because I’m a ninja. But also at the same time, when I would wrestle American wrestlers, I’d keep the mask on, more of an intimidation process. And then just as I involved with the black and the red, with the two different colors and the gambling scheme, I mean the whole, “Wanna make a bet” … since I’ve done two different colors, I’ve kept the mask on. Except there was one time for Blood Sport that I took my mask off. But I feel like in that fight tradition, that fight world, that MMA feel, it wouldn’t be fair to wear a mask, or maybe it could be a disadvantage to wear my mask in a fight feel, so out of respect, I took it off for that match.
