Hiroshi Tanahashi on NJPW’s Transition of Ownership From Yuke’s to Bushiroad

– In the latest installment of the Ace’s HIGH interview series on NJPW1972.com, NJPW wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi discussed game developer Yuke’s relationship with New Japan. Yuke’s used to be a partial owner of NJPW from 2005 to 2012 and also developed the NJPW Toukon Retsuden games. Tanahashi also discussed the transition to Bushiroad as the new owner of NJPW. Below are some highlights.

On the first press conference after New Japan was bought out by the Bushiroad Group: “I found out about it at the same time as the rest of the boys actually. I think I would have said something at the announcement, being the champion, but I can’t quite remember. To be honest, like a lot of people in the company, I was worried about just what would happen to NJPW, but talking to Takaaki Kidani afterward I really understood that the guy was passionate about pro-wrestling and devoted to making this work. The things we’ve been able to do since, like wrapping the trains on the Yamanote Line with Tokyo Dome ads, it was the sort of stuff we hadn’t done before. I’d been steadily working away doing promotion, and he was taking everything to a whole new scale. I’m definitely grateful to him.”

Hiroshi Tanahashi on being grateful to Yuke’s: “I’m really grateful for Yuke’s as well. Back at this press conference [Bushiroad purchasing NJPW press conference] I remember saying to their Chairman, Taniguchi-san ‘Thank you for rescuing our company. I hope I can repay that debt someday’. I’m sad we haven’t been able to do that yet, but I hope that sometime we can have a full on collaboration again, like having the old Tokon Retsuden video games.”

On New Beginning in Osaka with Bushiroad as the new company owners: “It’s interesting to watch this match back. Okada’s match structure was very different then; there would be more llave, and he would use his dropkick much earlier in the match. He had some great counters in this one, it was an exciting match… even though he beat me with the Rainmaker.”