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Gabe’s *New* New Japan: Gabe Kidd interviewed Kidd reflects on Tokyo Dome On January 5, Gabe Kidd wrestled the biggest match of his career against Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome, and while he lost the bout, he also picked up the biggest long term victory of his career in the process. Gaining rather than losing momentum, Kidd now looks to Osaka on February 11, and a chance to capture the IWGP Global Heavyweight title from Yota Tsuji. We spoke to Gabe over adult beverages about his Wrestle Dynasty epic. Watch New Beginning in Osaka LIVE in English on NJPW World! F**k the rules, I’ll do what’s right for NJPW — We’re a couple of weeks removed from the Tokyo Dome now. How are you feeling physically and mentally? Gabe: It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling physically. I’m going to keep going regardless. It doesn’t matter that I wrestled 31 minutes in the Tokyo Dome and then six days later wrestled another 30 in San Jose with one of the hardest men in wrestling Tomohiro Ishii. That doesn’t matter because mentally I feel better than ever. I did what I always said I would do. — You proved yourself to a worldwide audience. Gabe: Kenny won that match in the Tokyo Dome, but I won the war. ‘War Ready’ for a reason. It’s a loss in my column, and I only want to get wins from here- if I was 100% I would have battered Ishii in San Jose in ten minutes- but the answer to your question is I feel great. — Kenny had been away from wrestling for over a year, and obviously had health concerns going in. How was Omega in the ring? Gabe: I’ll give him credit. He isn’t the phony I thought he was, or that I said he was before. He is the best of the best and that’s who I deserve to be in the ring with. He got me, but I do want round two. — You want a rematch? Gabe: When the time is right, I do. And you know, it’ll be harder a second time. Tokyo Dome was his first match back, his first step back into the wrestling ring. A second time and he’ll be more confident, he’ll have been wrestling consistently. There’s no doubt, I could feel and you can see watching the match back that he was nervous in there. It’s a credit to him as a wrestler that he was able to beat me, because I was 100%. It’s given me things to work on, and that’s what I’m doing with my coaches, so next time we face off I’ll be 100% better than the 100% I was then. — From your entrance gear to you using a version of the Cobra Twist in the middle of the match, there were a lot of points where it felt clearly that you were representing NJPW against AEW, as well as or even above it being you versus Kenny. Was that conscious on your part? Gabe: 100 percent. In my head, this was NJPW vs AEW. That company has more money than us, it has stars there that used to be stars for us. So in my mind I wanted to put New Japan back on the map. New Japan is the best wrestling company in the world, and it has been for a long time, so I wanted to represent, and I wanted to prove this company is the best. maybe it’s to my detriment, but I wanted to win that match with simple moves. I wanted to beat Kenny with what I learned in the Dojo. Maybe I should have pushed the boat out a little bit further, but I wanted to win for me. I wanted to beat him in a simple way that people have seen thousands of times. When you’re in the ring you’re rolling with the punches and some of that thought goes out the window, but was it conscious? Absolutely. — The fans definitely feel that ‘NJPW love’ from you. Gabe: Look, this is the place I’ve chosen to dedicate my life to. I don’t like the word ‘sacrifice’, because I made the choice to do this. I had the choice to go home when COVID hit, and I made the choice to stay. It’s not a sacrifice, it’s a choice. I dedicated my life to here, and I do feel like I’m the man that’s going to put us back on top. — There was a very prominent image that a lot of people left with of Hiroshi Tanahashi crying on camera after the match. There’s a lot of history between the two of you- what did you think seeing that moment back afterward? Gabe: He knows what I’ve been through. I was Facetiming him from a psychiatric hospital. I would Facetime with him, and he gave me an hour of his time every day when he knew I was going crazy. So there is a deeper relationship there. We’ve had our differences, enough that back in April I said I was going to stab him, but in that moment in the Tokyo Dome, he understood who was going to carry this company forward. He understood what the moment meant to me, and he knows what the company means to him. He dedicated his life to this place, too. So it was a realization, and an overhwelmingly emotional one. I’m not one to cry on camera, but I know what emotion he was feeling, and Tokon, fighting spirit, it’s built on that emotion. He saw that his company is about to be on the up and I’m sure there was some pride in there as well. — On your entrance there was a message played that said you weren’t a babyface or a heel, but one of one. Did you feel a different connection with the people during that match? Gabe: I’ve felt like, for a while now, I’m not going to let some pro-wrestling role dictate how I react. I’m not going to tell the people to ‘f**k off’ when they are showing more love to me than anyone has in my life. They understand the pride I have, so how could I turn my back when they have chosen me? You can’t replicate the energy in the room when the camera showed I had the Lion Mark on my gear. It’s all about showing my team in New Japan is the best. — It was a cross promotional event at Wrestle Dynasty. Do you feel NJPW was able to set itself on a higher standard than the other companies that night on the whole? Gabe: To be honest, not enough in my opinion. They were coming onto our turf at the end of the day. We’ve gone to theirs and looked like fools at times. I think more people needed to feel like ‘f**k those guys, let’s beat the s**t out of them’. That’s how I felt anyway, and some other guys felt the same way. But I think we need to be more vocal about that and if that means I am that voice, then I’m happy to be in that position. Japanese people, as much as I respect them, they respect the rules too much sometimes. I say f**k the rules, I want us to be number one, simple as that. I’ll make sure that happens, but it isn’t going to happen if I keep my mouth shut. I’ll do what I set out to do, and do what’s right for NJPW. The energy in the room at Wrestle Dynasty- that’s world changing. — After New year Dash, you talked about NJPW being ‘your company’. Both nights at the Tokyo Dome saw a lot of changes in New Japan- if you feel like this is your company, what do you want to see from New Japan in 2025? Gabe: I want to see people stepping up this year. No lazy sh*t. We have a crazy crop of talent coming up, when you look at the Dojo classes these last few years it’s pretty mad. I don’t like 90% of them, but the top three, Gabe Kidd Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney. That’s mad right away. Then you’ve got Shota Umino, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, Narita, Oiwa, Fujita. I want to see people step up. You want to be here, you have to turn it up. Ospreay, Ricochet, Okada, Naito, that time is done. This is the Reiwa era, so let’s make it one to remember, the best it’s ever been. I know my boys will. I know Clark and Dan will. The rest of yous, step the f**k up. — The young talent have to take over fully in your view. Gabe: Tanahashi’s almost done, and how much longer do you think Naito will go? That’s not even a diss, that’s being realistic. That time is done, they can’t keep up, I can. But you have to shout out to Takagi, and to Ishii, he’s pushing 50 and they’re putting in more work than the young kids! You can’t let 50 year olds show us up. I was in the ring with Ishii in America, he’s one of the hardest MFers on the planet. The Reiwa era has to step up. — Shota Umino lost in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 19, albeit following with a win over Claudio Castagnoli the next night. Do you feel he stepped up enough? Gabe: Not at all. He was given the biggest chance of his life and he f***ing flopped it, bad. You think you’re going to come out and kiss a baby and people will believe in you? You can’t replicate something you’ve seen other people do and expect it to work without understanding why they did it. Okada wasn’t a huge star because of moves he did, he got reactions because of his presence, because of that he was putting of himself out into the world. Umino doesn’t have a clue. No clue and no heart. — So now that the Tokyo Dome is behind you, what do you want to make of 2025? Gabe: Everybody always says ‘this is my year’ and I hate that because 90 percent of the time it isn’t. But truly, this is the year that everyone sees that I’m not just saying stuff, I’m saying my truth. Everything I say, I do. It’s pretty simple. I’m looking at being in there with the best this year, I’ll fight everyone, go drinking after and wake up to fight another one. I want to be tested. — The Japanese promotion for the weekend said that it was two days that would change the world. Do you think that happened? Gabe: Listen, they said the first day was about 24000 people and the second was about 16. I can tell you, and everyone in that building can tell you that didn’t feel like 16,000 people. That energy filled the whole room. So what happens when I bring NJPW back into the big time, and there’s 30,000 people, then 40,000, then 60,000, because I make this place the best it’s ever been? 16,000 was the worst Dome attendance since the COVID era, and I was there both times then, it was the worst it had ever been. The energy when I showed the Lion Mark, when I had that Cobra Twist on? That’s world changing. That’s what’s only going to grow even more from here. Me and Tsuji will be the main event in the Tokyo Dome next year — February 11 you wrestle Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. It’s off the back of the biggest match of your career with Kenny Omega, as well as the biggest result of Yota Tsuji’s career, having beaten David Finlay for the IWGP Global Championship. Gabe: This is a very important match for bringing that title back to the Dogs, but at the end of the day, me and Tsuji, we are the top two of this company right now. Me and him are at the top of NJPW. Nobody’s prouder than us, nobody stronger willed about representing NJPW to the fullest. This isn’t about the future of New Japan, it’s about the now, it’s about the match that I believe will be the Tokyo Dome main event next year. — The January 4 2026 main event? Gabe: By then I will be the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and he’s the only viable challenger. Right now though, it’s going to be fireworks when I take that Global title in Osaka. Osaka is Gabe Kidd country, it’s War Dogs country. — You’re both very proud of representing New Japan, while being away from Hontai. With Tsuji being part of Los Ingobernables de Japon and you representing War Dogs, where do your factioons lie in the NJPW landscape right now? Gabe: I don’t care about the other factions, and I don’t think they know what they are. We killed the United Empire, that’s a dead faction. LIJ, they’re having an identity crisis right now. And Hontai? I don’t see one guy there that’s proud of New Japan. I tell a lie- Desperado, in San Jose saying ‘New Japan Ichiban’, that’s different. But War Dogs- if we didn’t think that NJPW was where the roughest and toughest competition was; if we didn’t think that this was the highest pressure environment that we can put ourselves in, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be spending so much time away from our families. — So you’re proud of that competition. Gabe: I spend more time in Japan than anywhere. Most of my time is here putting this company on the map. Tsuji represents New Japan in a certain LIJ way, fine. I don’t care about that. I know I represent in my way and this is a battle of who is going to be the one. Let’s see. It might not be settled really until we main event the Tokyo Dome, but let’s see in Osaka. — Yota Tsuji has remarked on the similarities of the IWGP Global Championship to the old Intercontinental title. Certainly David Finlay has done a lot to make that championship known. What do you see that title as representing? Gabe: It’s the workhorse title. If you watched the past year you’ll see why. David Finlay is one of the best. He might be my favourite wrestler right now. David Finlay whoops Brody King, powerbombed a, what, 300 pound plus man. That’s the spirit that he had in all the matches when he was champion. He was a workhorse, and that’s a workhorse title. — And that suits Gabe Kidd. Gabe: I work hard, I play hard. I’m a modern day Terry Gordy. I’m everything you want in a perfect gaikokujin wrestler. That’s me. I am a workhorse, and I will make Tsuji work, make him tired because he’s full of too many Marlowe puddings and I will pin him and take the title. — Fans who perhaps have just started wrestling might not know the history between you and Tsuji, especially during the pandemic. you, Tsuji and Yuya Uemura wrestled a lot during the G1 Climax 30 tour- Gabe: Let me stop you there. Before you say anything else, the Reiwa Musketeers, if you want to use that title, and I know Tsuji said he didn’t want to be a part of it, I don’t give a sh*t. The Reiwa musketeers are Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura. We are the three. Not what the company wants to throw down people’s throats. That’s the test now. Out of us three, who will become the one. That’s not a question though because I know in my heart it’s gonna be me. — After your Korakuen Hall match in World Tag League, Yota Tsuji offered some words of support when it came to facing Kenny Omega and AEW. It seems there is some support between you, or respect? Gabe: When you spend nights, some country town in Tochigi at 2AM and you don’t know where you are. When there’s the three of you in a launderette, in the Dojo, waiting for everyone to get on the bus, loading people’s bags. There’s a bond that comes with that. That’s why the LA Dojo boys are so close and always will be. You’ve had a shared experience, and there’s a bond that comes with that. Of course, there’s a level of respect. But the more important thing thart they have to respect is that it’s me. Not them. If they agree to that, that’s all good. If they want to challenge that, then even better, because I’m about that competition. — Yota Tsuji said before the Tokyo Dome that 2025 is about showing what lies ahead in the new era. He has his own ideas, but.. Gabe: OK, what does Tsuji want to do then? — Well, he talked about the global stage being more than just America. Would you agree there’s a lot more that can be done, especially as a global champion? Gabe: He’s right. it doesn’t have to be like that. Why would we accept being at a certain level? We are the best professional wrestling company in the world, and there’s no reason why we can’t be at the top worldwide if we all work hard. That’s why I chose to be here. I don’t like many people here, but you can’t find a harder working roster in the world. There’s no reason why we can’t break these imaginary barriers. Let’s show we’re number one. — You said at the Tokyo Dome that Zack and Ricochet was on last, but you and Kenny was the main event. Here in Osaka, you and Yota Tsuji are second from the top underneath Zack Sabre Jr. again. Do you feel you’re competing with ZSJ perhaps, especially as two British wrestlers? Gabe: If I was Zack Sabre Jr, I’d be pissed off at me. I’d be calling me out as the champ. First foreigner to double main event in the Tokyo Dome. And who was on the Weekly Pro-Wresting cover? Gabe Kidd. I’d be pissed if I was him. I don’t put too much thought into that though. Wherever I am on the bill, I’ll go out and fight someone. Me and Tsuji is where people will have their eyes on. I’m not focused on the main event, I’m focused on becoming the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. * * * Gabe’s *New* New Japan: Gabe Kidd interviewed was originally published in NJPW Global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story. https://news.njpw1972.com/gabes-new-new-japan-gabe-kidd-interviewed-44a38d48ff97?source=rss----f4af8f9b2efe---4