English translation
Yuma Anzai's "Promise To Me" (part 51)
"What about pro-wrestlers and injuries?"
Weekly Pro-Wrestling No.2424, 2026/9/2 issue, p.78
" "I think I can do it" or "It'll probably be OK" isn't a good way to think about it"
☆For pro-wrestlers, injuries are inevitable. Currently in AJPW, Atsuki Aoyagi and Ryo Inoue are both out with major injuries.
Anzai:
I've never been out for a long time due to an injury. I was out in July and August last year, but I was out for a predetermined amount of time, and I was able to work.
☆You were in "Bachelorette Japan season 4.
Anzai:
But, other people's long-term absences were unforeseen. To a certain extent, they say they will recover completely, but as the days pass by, there's no guarantee that they'll be able to return to how they were previously. Right now, AJPW has a lot of new fans who are watching wrestling for the first time, so there's a possibilty of them not knowing what to do with wrestlers they don't know. So, they might feel isolated, but even if they're impatient, it doesn't mean anything...
☆Even so, they'll want to get back ASAP.
Anzai:
Of course! But, if those two are going to be out for about a year, that's enough time for them to confront everything they've done since they debuted. Plus, AJPW is lacking something right now. So, they'll be thinking about how they'll draw attention when they get back, and they'll have time to plan while they're out. If they can't do that, they'll just
get welcomed back, but without a way forward.
☆They could try revamping their image and stuff.
Anzai:
Exactly! Even if they just grow their hair longer, it'll make an impact, won't it? There's all kinds of things they can do if they just put their mind to it. I think it's difficult to be positive in such a situation, especially Atsuki, since he's out for a second time within such a short amount of time, right?
☆He came back from about a ten month absence in the new year in 2024.
Anzai:
The timing was really bad, too, because it was right around the start of the JuniFes. He must be feeling really down about it.
☆Have you talked to him about it?
Anzai:
No, I haven't... It’s not as if I’m the kind of wrestler who’s in a position to worry about others yet. I mean, just standing by someone’s side and patting them on the back isn't everything. I'm sure the fans will say how they feel about them.
☆That's the best thing they can do for them.
Anzai:
Yeah. It's a huge thing for them to have fans who say they'll wait for them to come back. If they're worried, even the smallest comment can give them the motivation to keep trying. All they have to do is give those people a taste of the All Japan Pro Wrestling era they missed out on when they return.
☆There are also people who say that one thing that makes someone a good wrestler is not taking time off for injuries. Miyahara didn't take time off, did he?
Anzai:
It's amazing. Although I think there are different ways to think about it, but of course, it's best not to get injured. Like, if I got injured, I'm the type of person who'd think about "that moment" it happened.
I don't know how Kento Miyahara feels about that sort of thing, but he says he'll wrestle for another ten or twenty years, and I don't think about it like that. I think he's incredible, but I can't just imitate him. His own body seems low on his list of priorities.
☆(Wrestlers) keep going even when they're hurt.
Anzai:
Yeah. When you're in a match, the adrenaline's flowing, and you can't help thinking, "I think I can do this". You think, "It'll probably be OK". Maybe it's not a good way to think, but if I don't do that, I can't feel satisfied with what I do, and that's not doing justice to the fans who come to see me.
☆That might be a dangerous way of thinking.
Anzai:
Minor injuries don't really count as injuries. Like, if you break a finger, you just tape it up and get on with it, and it's up to you to decide whether to work or not. If it's an injury you can't work with, you have to take a lot of time off to recover, and when that happens, you think about how the fans are going to react... Saying that, I think the fans would be very kind to me if I had to be out for an extended amount of time, heheh.
☆You're taking precautions, huh.
Anzai:
Hahahaha!
Translated into English by Michelle @puroresueikaiwa
Please do not use without permission and credit.
