(BIG JAPAN) Sometimes the pain and the happiness of trainee life is witnessed by reporters, but there is no resolution for it...

28th January 2020

"EYE COLUMN"

It can be trying being a trainee. 

There are trainees in every genre, but there is no guarantee that they will make their debut just because they have entered, and there are quite a few people who quit even before reaching the ring. There are frequent opportunities to meet with trainees daily at interview sites such as venues and dojos, but personally I do not have many opportunities to talk with them. I don't think there are too many trainees who can speak skillfully. The reason for this is that basically it is a time of desperation being a trainee, and even if the trainee knows that "that person is a reporter", he or she does not speak to them very animatedly, at least this is the case in DDT which is the yardstick in Japan. Naturally behind the scenes, "I will be interviewed only after my debut", and I always thought that listening to the story would make me make a judgement on the trainee. I stopped after an experience that led me to think I had had an "misconception". I was so surprised, it was a simple matter to simply judge people based on their appearance, but simply put "do not judge people on their appearance." So naturally when Takuya Nomura joined Big Japan as a trainee, I am sorry to think about it now, but I thought "he's probably going to quit". He seemed to be as quiet and gentle as can be, wearing glasses. I couldn't see the person who would become a professional wrestler and stand in the ring, he looked as if he had a paperback book that he had borrowed from a library  and wound up at the Kamoi dojo after getting lost. I said hello but he was silent. I didn't witness any scenes of him talking to other wrestler or staff, which adds to the image of a life in which the sound of silence is steady. Even if it is exaggerated a little, you get the feeling that he couldn't help standing out that was packed. It made an impression as Nomura became a wrestler who remembered his appearance as a trainee, because he used a technique of changing direction from this when he stood in the ring (rough) as he became a wrestler who had a big impact that I will never forget. After that, as far as I can tell, Nomura did not advertise the fact that he looked as if he got into Pro Wrestling after getting lost going to return a library book, so I presume that he is self produced for what is around him. 

Nomura taught me that "you shouldn't judge a trainee visually". In the first place, people who have the desire to survive in the pro wrestling world and who have passed the entry test are all trainees, and at that point everyone is full of ambition. It's an interesting world, because the people are formidable. However, it is a pity that a lot of people who chase their dreams do get frustrated and leave, I want to say to them that "I know that Pro Wrestling is an extremely demanding world which abuses the body" and with this knowledge I would like to say, "you should not quit". 

People get used to what is essentially good and bad, but before they get used to it, that stage is "tough". With personal relationships its different as you are worried about your own problems, but I am also of the personal opinion that it is better not to take the "escape" option, while "tough" can be processed. The hard things may not be solved by tomorrow, but a week later, a solution may be found. I think that is the way of the world.

Article translated from "Weekly Pro" 

Picture credit "Weekly Pro"