NJPW will hold its Dominion event on Monday morning. The main event will be Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi for the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Takagi spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote the match. Here are the highlights:
Getting the chance:
“I have worked very hard, physically and mentally, to get to this match,” said Takagi, speaking through a translator. “This is the opportunity of my career, my chance to make this moment real and win the championship.”
His focus on the prize:
“I am focused on being champion,” said Takagi. “Honestly, I have a bit of an inferiority complex. I’m smaller as a heavyweight, so I need to be different than other heavyweights. I am thick and fit, but I can also move faster. I need to be mobile. For this upcoming match, I thought about how I felt after the Ospreay match. I was genuinely sad to come so close but not win. I have worked a long time to reach this point, and this is now my chance.”
“My fingers are clinging onto the cliff, but I can climb to the top only if I defeat Okada,” said Takagi. “This is must-win. I don’t know what will happen to me if I lose. Maybe no more title matches, maybe it prevents from competing in the G1 later this year. I need some luck, and I have been praying. This is my opportunity to become the top of New Japan.”