{"id":37884,"date":"2017-01-21T15:46:10","date_gmt":"2017-01-21T21:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=37884"},"modified":"2017-01-21T15:46:10","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T21:46:10","slug":"documentary-review-njpw-origins-tetsuya-naito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/21\/documentary-review-njpw-origins-tetsuya-naito\/","title":{"rendered":"DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: NJPW Origins: Tetsuya Naito"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2205624220\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>After initially having my interest in pro wrestling stoked by NJPW on AXS, I foolishly stepped away to give WWE a chance.\u00a0 I mentioned in a previous review how quickly I lost interest in WWE, which left me once again pining for NJPW to keep my interest in rediscovering pro wrestling a fruitful one.\u00a0 In return for my allegiance, I was welcomed back to the cool kid\u2019s table with open arms, receiving a bounty of stellar matches on AXS to show me that I should have never left.<\/p>\n<p>When I began my second tour only a few months ago, I had a preconceived notion of who were the top guys in the company.\u00a0 Okada, KUSHIDA, Shibata, Tanahashi, and Omega.\u00a0 Those were the names that I knew, and those were the names that I was going to lean on to keep me hooked.\u00a0 It was that preconceived notion that was shattered in spectacular fashion one night when AXS replayed Kazuchika Okada defending his title against a man I knew nothing of at the time.\u00a0 That man was remarkable in the ring.\u00a0 That man\u2019s swagger and coolness were unlike anything I had ever seen before.\u00a0 That man was Tetsuya Naito.<\/p>\n<p>NJPW World keeps giving and giving, generously asking for only the price of a medium quality six-pack per month in return.\u00a0 So far I\u2019ve discovered gem after gem bursting from the seam of the log-in screen.\u00a0 It has been an enriching experience to say the least.\u00a0 The fact that I am ahead of my beloved AXS show is even better, though I oftentimes wonder how J.R. and Barnett are getting along.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get back to those two rascals in due time, but after getting to watch New Year\u2019s Dash and with the anticipation of New Beginning in February, I decided to keep extending my scope without them holding my hand.<\/p>\n<p>Without barely even scratching the surface of all The World beholds, I came across a series of mini-documentaries called NJPW Origins &#8211; a series that aims at scratching surfaces of their own.\u00a0 With names SUCH AS\u00a0Okada, Tanahashi, and Makabe to choose from, yet again a name stuck out.\u00a0 It was a documentary on Tetsuya Naito &#8211; a man who can not only shatter preconceived notions, but a man setting a new standard for the cool kid\u2019s table.<\/p>\n<p>The documentary opens with a dramatic score as Naito is shown dressed comfortably in a maroon zip-up sweatshirt, black scarf, and worn-in blue jeans.\u00a0 Snippets of his in-ring skills are shown to match the soundtrack that welcomes the viewer.\u00a0 Naito is 32 years old when this documentary was filmed in early 2015.\u00a0 The moment in time is captured before he became the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, referred to at this point as Stardust Genius.<\/p>\n<p>After the music lowers and the screen fades to black, a peppier tune ques up as a camera captures Naito\u2019s side profile as he sits behind the wheel, his eyes focused on the road as he races past a concrete wall outside the driver\u2019s side window striped in Tarheel blue.\u00a0 He is asked about his best match from 2014, a question that Naito ponders as his eyes remain focused.\u00a0 After a moment of reflection, Naito picks his match \u2013 a NEVER Openweight title match against Ishii in Osaka.\u00a0 What he remembers most of that match was the atmosphere, one in which he calls amazing due to the crowd\u2019s overwhelming booing for him.<\/p>\n<p>Naito is asked about the responses he received in Sendai compared to Osaka in the space of three days.\u00a0 The question is met by a chuckle, which is a sight to behold.\u00a0 Naito\u2019s chuckle is reserved, almost as if he is uncomfortable with how his mouth contorts to let the emotion slip out.\u00a0 The interviewer remarks that his response was the same as Tanahashi between 2008 and 2009.<\/p>\n<p>It is revealed that two years have passed since Naito had major knee surgery.\u00a0 Naito admits that after two surgeries on his knee, the next one will carry severe consequences.\u00a0 He is nervous about it, a feeling that has prevented him from going all out in the ring.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1693821471\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>We are taken to an overcast skyline where Naito stands outside of a gym emblazoned with the NJPW logo.\u00a0 It is the Noge Gymnasium &#8211; the place where Naito began his training.\u00a0 His first impression upon being back is that the building is far nicer than it was when he was there.\u00a0 As it is, the fa\u00e7ade of the building looks more like a warehouse, its foundation walled by the type of silver corrugated sheets you\u2019d find nailed to a roof.\u00a0 Reflecting on his first day at the gym, Naito talks about one of the personnel from NJPW driving him to the gym.\u00a0 Before he even stepped foot inside, he was met by Mr. Yoshitatsu, or Mr. Yamamoto as he was known at the time.\u00a0 Yoshitatsu was his dorm leader, which Naito reenacts his first impression with a sheepish grin and a shudder of excitement.<\/p>\n<p>The next person that he met was \u201cMr. Makabe,\u201d who upon introduction asked Naito, \u201cWhat is with your hair?\u201d\u00a0 Naito states that his hair was as long back then as it is today.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Makabe got angry, and thirty seconds after coming in I thought about quitting.\u201d\u00a0 He says this with a much more vibrant laugh, mentioning that there weren\u2019t any rules so he was convinced that someone was going to shave his head.\u00a0 Afterwards, we cut to a shot of Naito standing at a street corner holding a clear umbrella while patiently waiting for the light of a crosswalk to beckon his footsteps towards the next stop.\u00a0 That stop is riverside, to a separate facility where most of their training occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Overlooking the facility, the interviewer asks Naito to expound on his feelings of getting to wear an NJPW shirt for the first time.\u00a0 Naito says that it was the first time he felt like a member.\u00a0 He tells of getting to go to the stadium via NJPW bus.\u00a0 It was at the stadium that he and the other trainees were corralled into a fenced area away from the ring where they were to watch.\u00a0 Although he could only watch from a fence, to him that fence meant something to him.\u00a0 It meant that he was a member.<\/p>\n<p>As far as the camp went, he never found it tough.\u00a0 When asked if he ever thought about quitting, Naito allows himself to smile widely before joking that the only time the thought popped in his head was after his first encounter with Makabe.\u00a0 He had a motivating factor while training &#8211; the knowledge of the plan for his debut.\u00a0 Over the course of his time in training, Naito says that he would just repeat to himself, \u201cSoon.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An image of Okada pops on the screen.\u00a0 It is a familiar one, as The Rainmaker spreads his arms wide and looks to the sky.\u00a0 The interviewer asks Naito about his first impression of Okada when he joined the training dorm.\u00a0 Naito grins, admitting that Okada\u2019s presence upset him at the time.\u00a0 When the two first met Okada was still a young teenager, his presence getting on Naito\u2019s nerves because the tall teen didn\u2019t have to take the entrance test to get in.\u00a0 He comments on Okada\u2019s early training sessions where Okada showed off some wrestling skill, but overall lacked any type of strength to keep up with the others when it came to squats and pushups.\u00a0 Over time Okada earned Naito\u2019s friendship due to him gritting it out through the training and how much he improved.\u00a0 \u201cBut I really couldn\u2019t stand him at first,\u201d remarked Naito.<\/p>\n<p>An acoustic guitar plucks up-tempo notes that accompanies Naito as he travels through a compact street lined with townhomes.\u00a0 His destination is the Animal Hamaguchi Gym \u2013 the genesis of his journey to becoming a pro wrestler.\u00a0 What we find inside the building is a cramped gym littered with yellow weight machines and a dumbbell rack positioned dead center of the floor.\u00a0 The amount of machines create a dense forest of iron that Naito &#8211; now wearing a red Stardust Genius t-shirt and pair of white shorts &#8211; has to turn his body just to maneuver his athletic frame throughout.<\/p>\n<p>He has a singular focus in his search, finally coming across an old friend that he looks excited to be reacquainted with.\u00a0 It is a leg press machine positioned by a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the street, its padding reinforced by a patterned cushion snugly affixed to it.\u00a0 Naito lowers his body onto it and smiles.\u00a0 The smile is from memories; memories of dozing off in the warm afternoons in the exact same position that he mimics with arms folded and head tilted low.\u00a0 He smiles even wider, betraying once again the normally stoic expression that is typically etched across his face.<\/p>\n<p>He hoists his body off the cushion, explaining that his job was to help others exercise when no one else was there.\u00a0 He explains his role while navigating towards the front desk, where he takes a seat on a stool and shows the interviewer how he\u2019d eat his lunch before folding his arms once more and lowering them atop the desk so he could bury his head down for another nap.\u00a0 Naito\u2019s attention turns to the window behind the desk where he would just stare out of unless he was reading pro wrestling magazines as opposed to working.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1548701758\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>One of the instructors, an older squatty gentleman named Syuichi Segawa, hollers \u201cHe worked harder than he is making out, but he didn\u2019t like having to assist members very much!\u201d\u00a0 Naito laughs at the comment, admitting that he wanted to sit as much as he could.\u00a0 Segawa tells the interviewer that Naito was a hard worker who even helped them out when he was recovering from his knee operation.\u00a0 He also mentions that the owner, Mr. Hamaguchi, saw talent in Naito at a young age, though thought he was bland unless sparring.<\/p>\n<p>Naito finds an old brochure from his time at the gym.\u00a0 He points to a shaggy-haired young man flanked by a cartoon speech bubble.\u00a0 That young man is himself, which Naito displays to the camera to show that he hasn\u2019t changed much.\u00a0 He finds his application form, explaining that everyone had to fill one out, even guys who went on to become pros.\u00a0 Naito grins slyly, telling the interviewer that he would read through all of them just to see what others wrote down.\u00a0 On his application, written at 18 years old when he was in his third year of high school, states his purpose for wanting to train.\u00a0 The purpose is of a singular objective \u2013 to be in NJPW.\u00a0 \u201cFantastic,\u201d he gushes to himself.<\/p>\n<p>The screen flips to a title stating \u201cHis dream has continued on, unchanged since that day.\u201d\u00a0 It is at this moment that we get shots of a young Naito dressed in a kaleidoscope of colors with dragon scales stitched along the sleeves of his jacket.\u00a0 While they show clips of him, the soundtrack switches to an instrumental track that is so gorgeous that I could close my eyes and get lost in 64-bit memories of traversing the plains of Hyrule.\u00a0 The camera cuts back to Naito in another section of the gym, his eyes scanning a ceiling beam tattooed in black Sharpie letters.\u00a0 The cameraman sweeps across this offshoot section of the gym, finding a tapestry of letters covering up nearly every section of the white backdrop.<\/p>\n<p>Naito is asked about his reasoning for choosing the Animal Hamaguchi Gym to train.\u00a0 His response is simple.\u00a0 The gym was near his house.\u00a0 Naito explains that his earliest training consisted of weight lifting multiple times a week, followed by physical workouts consisting of squats and push-ups.\u00a0 He takes us through what a typical session would look like, standing in the middle of the large room overlooking a foam green floor.\u00a0 He explains that his class would form a row, with the lineup counting loudly as they churned out numerous variations of the traditional Hindu Squat.\u00a0 The lineup would have to climb a short rope dangled from the ceiling, each guy tasked with having to climb it twice without touching the floor on the first trip down.\u00a0 Next were perpendicular bars that they\u2019d have to shimmy across before doing ten pull-ups at the end.\u00a0 The workout would last upwards of two hours before they broke off for grappling sessions.<\/p>\n<p>Naito mentions the owner of the gym, Mr. Hamaguchi.\u00a0 Hamaguchi would appoint a captain to oversee the training while he sat and watched silently from a chair.\u00a0 Since he was a man of very little words, Naito would make sure to listen intently when he spoke, soaking in whatever his ears could take in during their intense training sessions.\u00a0 As the camera pans around the ceiling and walls, we are informed that the words written throughout belong to Hamaguchi, each one used to impart passion within whoever set their eyes on them while in his gym.\u00a0 \u201cPeople cry in torment, cry in infliction, and cry again feeling emptiness in what they are doing,\u201d Naito reads aloud from a section of the wall.\u00a0 \u201cAnd for a moment of joy, people cry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The focus switches to shots of Naito interacting with kids in the crowd of a show he is wrestling on before switching to Naito back in his civvies and behind the wheel en route to the next location.\u00a0 The interviewer riding shotgun asks him why he values younger fans.\u00a0 Naito once again imparts his own wisdom, explaining that a lot of time children are brought to the venues by their parents.\u00a0 He wants them to enjoy wrestling because the future of pro wrestling depends on the kids who like it.\u00a0 His hope is that one day kids will say, \u201cI\u2019d like to be like Naito.\u201d\u00a0 He says that wrestling is hard and painful, but in the next life he wants to come back as a wrestler.<\/p>\n<p>The final stop on Naito\u2019s trip is to the back room of a restaurant where he is shown picking through a fruit cup while waiting for his guest to join him.\u00a0 While waiting, he reminisces about seeing wrestling in Sapporo in July of 1999 where he watched Kojima vs. Muto for the IWGP Heavyweight title.\u00a0 Though his memory is hazy on who he watched on the second night, he says that it was \u201cmaybe Chono, Akira, and Onita.\u201d\u00a0 He talks about possibly seeing \u201cMr. Tanahashi\u2019s\u201d first match.\u00a0 During that match, Naito says that he was seated in the third row, a position that was caught on camera and shown on TV for the first time.\u00a0 \u201cAny fan would get excited if he finds himself on TV.\u201d\u00a0 Naito explains that his father was into professional wrestling and would take him to Korakuen Hall.\u00a0 When asked if his father is an NJPW fan, Naito looks up from his meal and responds that his father told him to prefix Mr. to Inoki, \u201cSo he\u2019s a NJPW fan.\u201d\u00a0 He says this with a smile beaming wide across his face.<\/p>\n<p>Naito\u2019s guest arrives, which is his father, Mr. Kenichi Naito.\u00a0 Mr. Naito is a slender, handsome man &#8211; tailor-fit in a black suit and dark grey dress shirt underneath unbuttoned at the top.\u00a0 He has a debonair quality to him, his movements as smooth and fluid as his sons as he reaches for a large glass filled to the brim with the frothy foam of beer.\u00a0 Before taking his first sip, he tells the interviewer of a conversation he had with a young Tetsuya where he told him to be on his own at the age of twenty.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean goodbye of course,\u201d he speaks while waving his hand about.\u00a0 \u201cBut I had supported myself relatively early.\u00a0 Do everything by yourself, as it\u2019s your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Naito\u2019s father says that he never was opposed to Tetsuya\u2019s wish of being a pro wrestler, but was surprised by the decision.\u00a0 He points to his son and says, \u201cHis arms were so thin, just like mine.\u201d\u00a0 Mr. Naito says that he was not a big fan of NJPW until 1980, when he became glued to Tiger Mask.\u00a0 He bought the most expensive Hi-Fi VCR he could find and recorded wrestling on the same tape, watching it with Tetsuya over and over.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about ever seeing his son wrestle, Mr. Naito points and says that he saw his first match at Soka, where he brought his own cheering section from work with him.\u00a0 He breaks into laughter, leaning toward to Tetsuya to remark, \u201cYou were booed a lot in Osaka, weren\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 The question makes Tetsuya laugh as his father says, \u201cIt was extraordinary.\u201d\u00a0 The topic turns to his son\u2019s reception in Sendai, which Mr. Naito replies with, \u201cIn Sendai, he must be welcomed\u201d, before giving Tetsuya a soft smack on the shoulder and telling him \u201cI\u2019m watching you, Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked who Mr. Naito is paying attention to recently, he responds with \u201cIn addition to Tetsuya Naito, I like Kota Ibushi.\u201d\u00a0 Tetsuya scoffs at the answer and they break into laughter.<\/p>\n<p>That striking 64-bit tone hits once more as a display on the screen states that both father and son have the same goal.\u00a0 Mr. Naito says that the goal is the IWGP Heavyweight title.\u00a0 As a father, he wants to tell his son to not get hurt and be well, but he wants to see the heavyweight title belt.\u00a0 Tetsuya says that every time he got a belt he would take it to his father, who he says looked so happy to wear it.\u00a0 Mr. Naito has only worn a tag-team title and the NEVER Openweight title.\u00a0 Tetsuya says that he became a pro wrestler influenced by his father, \u201cSo if he wants to see the belt, I will win and show it proudly to him!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the camera pans down from the ceiling to show father and son laughing together, words are branded onto the screen reading: \u201cThe origin of Tetsuya Naito: an image of his father who loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT MORE NEW JAPAN FEATURES <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/category\/tvshowsandevents\/njpw-on-axs\/\">HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1584554979\"><div id=\"pwtor-818053485\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>After initially having my interest in pro wrestling stoked by NJPW on AXS, I foolishly stepped away to give WWE a chance.\u00a0 I mentioned in a previous review how quickly I lost interest in WWE, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/21\/documentary-review-njpw-origins-tetsuya-naito\/\" title=\"DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: NJPW Origins: Tetsuya Naito\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,4345],"tags":[4015],"class_list":["post-37884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tvshowsandevents","category-njpw-on-axs","tag-tetsuya-naito"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/01\/NaitoTetsuya_NJPW_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37886,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37884\/revisions\/37886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}