Tetsuya Naito is letting potential challengers come to him ahead of Forbidden Door, the AEW/NJPW supershow Tony Khan recently announced.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Naito made it clear that rather than issuing a challenge or calling someone out, he’ll wait and see who steps up and says they want to face him. The veteran expressed his confidence that it’s only a matter of time before someone throws down the gauntlet.
“There is no wrestler I want to call out,” Naito said through a translator. “The reason is simple. Wrestlers in AEW will all gather and shout, ‘I want to wrestle Tetsuya Naito!’ and ‘I want to fight Los Ingobernables de Japon!’ It isn’t hard to see this happening. It won’t take long before it does.”
One potential crossover could come in the form of AEW star Andrade El Idolo. Andrade used to lead Naito’s Los Ingobernables stable. When asked about the possibility, Naito didn’t exactly turn it down.
“Do people want that?” Naito said. “Are they interested in me teaming with Andrade? Are they excited? My answer to that, of course, is, ‘Tranquillo.’”
Naito has been a mainstay in NJPW for a long time, but with companies increasingly working together, it’s fair to wonder whether he’d venture to the United States for a string of shows. The three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion stated that if he did make such a trip, he’d want it to be a substantial one.
“I love New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so I don’t want to take a break from the game,” said Naito. “But if I ever go abroad, I want to go for a long time. I want to wrestle in the USA, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Palau. I want to show Los Ingobernables de Japon to the world.”
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