A UNIQUE BROTHERHOOD:
HIROMU TAKAHASHI AND TETSUYA NAITO
By Jasmine Olan
In the world of professional wrestling, close friendships are a very common thing. Given the amount of time they spend working together and the fact that so many of them also run in the same social circles, wrestlers often become like family to each other. Some of those friendships go on to last a lifetime. Those relationships often at the heart of some of the industry’s best storylines. Los Ingobernables de Japan’s Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi are a prime example of this. From the very beginning, Naito has served as a mentor and brother to the younger Hiromu. This March tradition will now have those two long time friends on a collision course with each other.
Every year at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s big anniversary show the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion must face the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in a special singles match. With this year’s champions being Naito and Hiromu, NJPW fans are in store for a true dream match with a great story to tell. At the core of that story is a friendship that dates back to Hiromu’s time as a young lion. In the beginning the future Ticking Time Bomb struggled quite a bit in the ring. Noticing this when he first saw him, the future LIJ leader volunteered to take the young rookie under his wing and assist with his training.
That help would prove invaluable as Hiromu would go on to find huge success even while still on learning excursion. His feud with then CMLL star, Dragon Lee became a massive hit, and has since carried over in New Japan. Upon his return from Mexico, Hiromu would re debut as part of Los Ingobernables de Japon and become one of its most popular members after leader, Tetsuya Naito. Along the way Naito would provide a guiding hand to his younger stablemate.
What sets LIJ apart from NJPW’s other is how closely knit the group is and how connected everyone is to each other. When Hiromu suffered a career threatening neck injury, his LIJ brothers found little ways to let him know they missed him and were thinking of him. His long awaited return at KING OF PRO WRESTLING was met with a thunderous ovation from NJPW fans the world. From there it was time to revisit two of his biggest rivals Will Ospreay and Dragon (Ryu) Lee. At WRESTLE KINGDOM 14, Hiromu became the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion when he unseated then Champion Will Ospreay.
During Hiromu’s absence, Naito was working on his goal of becoming New Japan’s first ever dual champion. That dream came true when he won the historic Double Gold Dash at WRESTLE KINGDOM 14. During the annual NEW BEGINNING tour, Naito and Hiromu would successfully defend their titles. With the 48th anniversary show right corner, the big big question is whether their bond of solidarity will be able to withstand the war they are about to put each other through.
Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito are an interesting example of the senpai/kouhai dynamic unique to the Japanese culture. They’ve stuck together through every test their bond has faced. Both are now ready for the biggest test of all. This match will easily be a match of the year candidate, and help set both men up for a truly amazing year. It will be their chance to create a new chapter in the story of the incredibly unique brotherhood that has made Los Ingobernables de Japon one of the greatest factions of pro wrestling’s modern era.
