A top NJPW star has revealed how close he feels to retirement ahead of his big title match at Wrestle Kingdom 18.
On January 4, SANADA will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the G1 Climax 33 winner, Tetsuya Naito.
This will be a battle of former stablemates as SANADA left Naito’s Los Ingobernables de Japon faction in 2023 to join Just 5 Guys, and then beating Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Naito went on to match SANADA’s accomplishment by defeating Okada to win the G1 Climax 33 tournament to earn his shot at the Tokyo Dome main event. Many fans believe this may be Naito’s final big match at the signature event.
In an interview on NJPW’s YouTube channel, the 41-year old star discussed his upcoming match against SANADA. Noting that he finds himself thinking about his age more these days, Naito said:
“I feel like compared to people around me, I find myself thinking about my age more.”
“That’s why I feel if I don’t make the most if this moment, I’ll live to regret it later. So I guess I’m a way, it’s my age that’s helped me realize what’s important. It’s not so bad.”
“Some days I feel l’m top of the seventh inning. Sometimes I feel I’m in the bottom of the ninth.”
“But sometimes you play extra innings too, so it might be a while yet. But the match is nearly [here]. Right now, I’m down 0-1. Drawing level, making a comeback, that excitement is still there, that’s for sure,”
Tetsuya Naito recently won the Tokyo Sports MVP award for 2023, which you can read at this link.
Transcription via Fightful
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