Tetsuya Naito Says He Would Have Accepted If He Was Offered Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Final Match, Backstage Update on Kazuchika Okada Being Chosen

As noted before, this past Saturday’s New Japan Road in Anjo event in Anjo, Japan featured Kazuchika Okada making a surprise return appearance to NJPW and being revealed as the mystery opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 20.

Thor of Note held a recent interview with former NJPW talent Tetsuya Naito. One of the topics discussed included Naito’s thoughts about Okada being Tanahashi’s final opponent for Tananashi’s wrestling career.

“Maybe the real best was another wrestler, but I think Okada was one of the best possible candidates, comparable to that. However, although I wasn’t able to serve as Tanahashi Hiroshi’s opponent in his debut match, there was a possibility that I could have served as his opponent in his retirement match. There hadn’t even been a match billed as his final singles match between Tanahashi Hiroshi and Naito Tetsuya, so I felt happy if I was nominated, as it meant that I had something left undone. I was nominated as the opponent in the retirement match of Muto Keiji, the wrestler who got me started watching pro wrestling, and even after Muto left, I continued to watch New Japan Pro-Wrestling and joined New Japan because of Tanahashi Hiroshi. I think it would have been an incredible honor to have served as the opponent in those two’s retirement matches. So, I’m disappointed that I wasn’t chosen, but I’m sure there were many people who thought it would be Nakamura, Okada, or Naito, and one of them was chosen as the opponent, so I think it was good for the fans as well. However, all three of the candidates are no longer with New Japan. The current New Japan wrestlers must be frustrated that none of their wrestlers were there.”

Naito also gave his thoughts about if he was interested in being Tanahashi’s opponent if the opportunity had been available.

“If I had been offered, I would have accepted it. I left New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but if I were to return to New Japan, it would probably be when I was involved with Hiroshi Tanahashi. A big part of my motivation for returning was wanting to wrestle with Hiroshi Tanahashi. In that sense, not being chosen as my opponent for my retirement match this time meant that my essential reason for returning to New Japan was gone. That, too, is a bit sad. I’ll leave aside the question of whether I’ll explore (the possibility of a match) in the two months left until my retirement, but for me, it was the last thing I wanted to do. If that feeling grows, I might take action, but at this point, I have no intention of taking any action myself. What do you want to say to Tanahashi now? Retirement is a big decision, not just for wrestlers, and I think he’s retiring because he has no doubts about it, so I want him to retire at the Tokyo Dome after giving it his all, without any regrets. But…I just want to say, are there really any things left undone? Do you have any regrets?”

In regards to the decision for Okada being chosen as Tanahashi’s final opponent, the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that his sources stated NJPW officials did have a talk with Naito about the possibility of him being the final opponent. Naito reportedly was willing to do it but NJPW officials ended up choosing Okada instead.

In regards to Shinsuke Nakamura, Meltzer reported that the only thing currently known is that Nakamura was also interested in being Tanahashi’s final opponent.