Katsuyori Shibata will return to the ring on January 5th at Wrestle Kingdom 16, where he will face a mystery opponent in a “Grappling Rules match”. To promote the bout, he was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated.
Shibata admits that he finds the art of wrestling to be a bit lost on nowadays’ style, which is more focused on big moves: “I think a lot of today’s wrestlers are very focused on big, flashy moves, and modern wrestling has gotten away from the fundamentals. Those fundamentals and that base are what is most important to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and that is what I am constantly looking to further.”
“The Wrestler” also pointed out that ironically, without him being forced to retire in 2017 he would have never have had the opportunity to teach his ideas to the students of the LA Dojo: “If I had not been injured, the L.A. Dojo would not have come about, I was not able to have a match, but I was wrestling in spirit with all the L.A. Dojo boys. That kept me strong, and it will bring new opportunities for so many who love New Japan Pro-Wrestling. So a lot of good has come from this.”
H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
