Satoshi Kojima Reveals How Stan Hansen Taught Him to Protect the Lariat Move

– NJPW1972.com recently conducted an interview with wrestler Satoshi Kojima. Below are some highlights:

Satoshi Kojima on the past legend who would be his dream opponent: “Stan Hansen. Gotta be. When I was in New Japan, he was in All Japan, so our paths never got to cross. I’d love to have wrestled him while he was running wild.”

Kojima on how Stan Hansen taught him how to protect the lariat: “That’s right! It was in 2002, after he retired. I was wrestling in the US and had the chance to meet him at the venue, and he taught me his lariat then. The impact is important, but there’s a psychology to it as well. What he taught me really changed the way I thought about my lariats. To be honest at first, I was just using those lariats left and right, but he taught me to protect that move, and only use it when everyone knew the end was near. I changed my form as well, really overhauled that move. I owe a lot to that session with Hansen.”

ON who else has the toughest lariat in New Japan: “Manabu Nakanishi had a crazy lariat. With the muscle he had, you might not have seen him as a speed guy, but his knockdown lariat hurt like hell. Kensuke Sasaki had a lot of speed to his as well, and Riki Choshu’s lariat was legendary. So I think those were the real models for my lariat.”