Hiroshi Tanahashi was appointed as the new president of NJPW on December 22.
On their official NJPW website, a published transcription of the press conference where Tanahashi spoke about his new role was made official.
Tanahashi issued a statement, where he said he was happy to be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of being both the president of NJPW and a wrestler. He also highlighted some goals of his, such as wanting to sell out the Tokyo Dome.
“I always carried a dream and ambition to be President as well as an active wrestler. I’m happy to be able to make that happen, and I’m grateful for all the kind words of support that I’ve gotten since my appointment. That’s also given me a lot of expectations that I have to live up to [from] here on out. I have some key goals that I would like to meet in my time as the President. First of all, I want to sell out the Tokyo Dome. This has always been the goal for me. For a wrestler to walk down the ramp in front of a sold-out Tokyo Dome crowd is something to be proud of forever, and something that will live with you for the rest of your career, as well as something the fans themselves will carry with them for a long time to come,” Tanahashi said.
Tanahashi made it clear that he wants to increase the work with sponsors. He stated that there is a lot he wants to do in his new role and that he still has plenty to learn.
“I also plan on having more title matches outside of major cities. In the 2000s when I worked with out promotion and sales staff, the goal at first was to put 500 people in the buildings, and then 1000 and then on and on. I feel that selling out the Tokyo Dome only becomes possible when the towns all around Japan are sold out as well. I want to unite all of Japan’s wrestling fans in their passion and carry that to the Tokyo Dome. I also want to further increase our work with sponsors. Our sponsors are the best tag partners that we have, and as an active wrestler as well as President, I’m in a completely unique position to strengthen that relationship. There is a lot that I want to do in this role, as well as a lot I know I still need to learn. I look forward to your support,” he said.
When asked to name the goals that he had in mind, this is what Tanahashi had to say.
“It’s tough, but I think the key thing is to consider how the fans want to experience NJPW. I remember as a fan going to shows and having dinner or sitting with a couple of beers after just wanting to talk about the show I’d seen and how exciting things were. Those conversations are some of my favorite memories. So I think the key is how we create those memories and how we have fans leaving the buildings happy,” Tanahashi said.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 will air live on New Japan World on January 4.
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