Tetsuya Naito opens up about potential retirement.
The former multi-time world champion and 2023 G1 Climax winner spoke on this topic during a recent interview with the NJPW press. Naito compares his current physical state to other legends when they were his age and says that he is in much better condition than they ever were.
I said as much on the mic, but I hate the word ‘forever’. Time waits for no man, after all. I heard that talk when I watched the match back on World. But to give the flip side to that comment, I was at Ryogoku as a fan when Chono [Masahiro Chono] won his last (in 2005), and backstage when Tanahashi [Hiroshi Tanahashi] won his last (2018). I think if you put Chono at 41 against Tanahashi at 41 and me at 41, I’m better than them, and I have more in the tank.
That being said, Naito feels like retirement is coming up for him. He says that there is a lot left in the tank, but that his lingering injuries are already beginning to catch up with him.
Well, if you watch those other matches back, they’re a lot less mobile at that point than I am now, I reckon. I definitely feel I have a lot further to go yet. At the same time, I know my time is limited. I have knee troubles, eye troubles. The end of the line, that image of retirement that was so far away for so long is now coming into focus a little. But I think that’s just another reason to enjoy where I am as a wrestler and to live in the now, right now. I need to make the most of every moment. That’s not just in the ring, either. Being in the gym, it’s a big motivator for me to push harder, knowing I can’t afford to delay anything.
By winning the G1 Climax Naito will headline WrestleKingdom 18 and challenge for the IWGP World Championship, which is currently held by his old LIJ stablemate, SANADA.