4 New Japan Stories YOU NEED TO KNOW Before New Beginning In Sapporo

Minoru Suzuki Is Very, Very Mad

 

It’s becoming something of a trend that wrestling’s elder statesmen are tearing up rings in Japan of late. Chris Jericho’s return to the Orient at Wrestle Kingdom was an inarguable triumph, but there are several others throughout the country rolling back the years with consistently excellent performances.

Alongside the likes of Dragon Gate’s Masaaki Mochizuki (48) and All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Shuji Ishikawa (42) is the phenomenal Minoru Suzuki. The terrifying Suzuki-gun leader had a wonderful year in 2017; we ranked him at #40 in the world in the first annual WrestleTalk 100, which is not bad going at all for a man fast-approaching 50 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb0Zg7B_6PE

Recently, following his defeat to Hirooki Goto in their hair versus hair barnstormer at Wrestle Kingdom, Suzuki has undergone something of a personality shift. The man who was already nicknamed Sekaiichi Seikaku no Warui Otoko (the man with the worst personality in the world) has seen his disdain for humanity grow to near uncontrollable levels after being forced to shave his head bald at the Tokyo Dome.

At New Year’s Dash the following evening, Suzuki took out his anger on IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi during an eight-man tag bout. Suzuki spent the majority of the match intent on destroying Tanahashi’s already-injured knee, zoning in on the damaged appendage with a laser-like focus.

Suzuki’s determination to destroy Tanahashi is perhaps exacerbated by the beautiful mane of flowing locks that the champ possess atop his head. Tana’ has the most impressive hairstyle in New Japan, which might sound trivial, but for a deranged pressure-cooker like Suzuki, it’s more than enough justification to deliver a vicious beating. Well, that, or he just really wants to be the IC champ.

Yeah, on second thoughts, it’s probably the title thing . . .

• New Beginning in Sapporo
• SANADA
• Switchblade
• Tetsuya Naito
• Bullet Club
• Hiromu Takahashi
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Jay White
• Juice Robinson
• Katsuya Kitamura
• Kazuchika Okada
• Michael Elgin
• Minoru Suzuki
• New Japan
• NJPW
• Will Ospreay
• Kenny Omega

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