English translation
Rising HAYATO interview, "The Accomplice of Summer"
Weekly Pro-Wrestling
No.2365, 2025/7/30 issue, p.68ーp.70
The evening of the hottest day of the year in Tokyo. Rising HAYATO is in a different world. He has a fresh excitement that's different from usual. "Zennichi Jr. Festival 2025" starts soon.
What does HAYATO think of the AJPW junior battles of the summer?
"Atsuki and I have the most history, right?"
☆It looks like this is Tokyo's hottest day of the year.
HAYATO:
To be honest, I really hate summer. I hate getting suntanned, too, so I'm only outside for as long as it takes me to get to the bar.
☆Are you making any preparations for the junior league matches this summer?
HAYATO:
Like, not drinking beer and stuff? I'll only drink one beer instead of my usual two beers.
☆So, you're cutting down on your drinking?
HAYATO:
I'm drinking lots of highballs, though. Gaining weight directly affects your stamina. I'm really going through it, but it's so good for my condition. When I don't have matches, I can completely heal from any damage, so I can be in my best condition. On the other hand, I can't make any excuses.
☆Your opponent in the openers (on July 17th at Korakuen Hall) is World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
HAYATO:
To be honest, I'm not feeling so good about it. I'm a junior who focuses on speed, and so is (Seiki) Yoshioka. I think we're pretty evenly matched when it comes to high-flying moves, but I think he's about 1.5 times faster than me. When we had that All Asia Tag Match before, I thought, "I didn't know there was someone this fast in the wrestling business". I'm confident with my own speed, but I thought, "He's so fast!". That being said, I don't think Yoshioka's going at top gear. I think he's just warming up, but he's so fast already.
☆You need to pay attention to his speed.
HAYATO:
But, I think the thing you most need to be aware of is his craziness. You've seen his Quebrada, right? He does them even though the barrier fences are so close to the ring, and he goes flying over them, and ends up hanging off them like laundry. There's a chance you could break your ribs doing something like that (wry smile). He does that every time without hesitation, so he must be crazy.
☆But, you're pretty crazy yourself, aren't you?
HAYATO:
Everyone in AJPW is sane. Outside of the ring, nowadays things are regulated but you can do what you want. We're not criminals or anything. I won't lose to Yoshioka's craziness or his high -flying techniques, but I know he's faster than me. So, I have to beat him in everything but his speed.
☆Which areas (do you have to beat him in)?
HAYATO:
I wonder... I wonder how I can win. This first match seems like the biggest obstacle... Yoshioka's faster than me, so I'll definitely take a lot of damage. But, an unexpected attack is strong. Can't do much about that... Yoshioka has a lot going for him, so I'll have to win with my toughness. No matter how much I'm hit, I can hit back, and that'll be the turning point of the match.
☆Which participant stands out the most to you?
HAYATO:
It's gotta be Atsuki (Aoyagi). It'd be ideal to meet him in the finals and beat him there. Atsuki and I have the most history, right? When I joined AJPW, the first person to charge at me was Atsuki, and I was like, "Who the hell is this guy?", and we had a bit of back and forth, and then the two of us joined NEXTREAM and stuff. We fought with the World Junior Heavyweight Championship on the line. A few years ago in the Oudou Tournament, when I injured my leg and I couldn't walk, it was at Shinjuku FACE, and Atsuki lent me his shoulder and took me all the way back to the dojo.
☆Just like a three-legged race.
HAYATO:
Haha. That's what I thought, too.
☆He took the All Asia Tag belts from you recently.
HAYATO:
Of course I've got to get him back for that, but I've already decided to make it to the finals, so I'm thinking about watching all the B Block matches, too.
☆You're focusing on the Junior Heavyweights series, but there's also the Triple Crown and the World Tag titles. In AJPW, the heavyweights are indispensable.
HAYATO:
It makes me kinda anxious. Wondering if we can attract enough of an audience. Up until now, AJPW's been dependent on their heavyweights. So, the Champion Carnival is held every year, but this is the first junior league we've had in two years. The heavyweights do really well, and there are lots of stars, such as the Saito Brothers and Yuma Anzai, as well as Kento Miyahara and the others. These stars have a track record of getting an audience. Now the juniors have been given an opportunity.
☆Maybe AJPW doesn't have so much faith in their juniors...
HAYATO:
Maybe. If AJPW is going to overcome their tendency to rely on their heavyweights, I think it all depends on this junior league. Depending on the kinds of matches the juniors can do, the position of the juniors
will change, and maybe I'll start to feel bad for the heavyweights.
☆Meaning?
HAYATO:
I mean, there's generally more of a burden on the heavyweights. But, I always want what I don't have. When I don't have a title match, I'm like, "I want a title match", and when I have a lot of title matches and I'm getting more and more beat up, I think, "This is tough".
☆So, the Triple Crown Champion must be an amazing person.
HAYATO:
Yeah. The junior league was announced, and the heavyweights had been going all in, so I guess they thought they could take a little break. But, if the juniors can't win them over, then we'll just have to go for the Triple Crown and the World Tag titles. If we can make the Junior Fes a success this time, maybe from next year we can be like, "The heavyweights are taking a break", and it'd be great to be able to take the Junior Fes all over the country.
Written by Kenji Takao for Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine (Japanese).
Translated into English by Michelle @puroresueikaiwa
Please do not use without permission and credit.