IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight ‘Double Champion‘ Tetsuya Naito recently sat down with the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) website to discuss the history of Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ). Naito didn’t restrain himself when asked about comments made by one-half of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions (w/Hiroshi Tanahashi), Kota Ibushi several weeks ago.
He did say that. And, hey, maybe he was right. But the fact is, he lost against Kazuchika Okada. So for him to say that after he lost two straight nights, that’s kinda uncool, right? It would be different if he’d have said that before Wrestle Kingdom.
Ibushi said it “wasn’t fair” for Naito to have taken part in the Double Gold Dash Tournament when he didn’t put anything at stake going in. Kazuchika Okada was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Jay White was the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and Kota Ibushi was the reigning G1 Climax winner. “He loses two straight, and then comes back and says ‘Naito wasn’t fair’. That just makes him look like a geek. Why not say that before the Tokyo Dome, with us all gathered there? He could have turned to me and said ‘hey, you don’t belong’, and that would have been cooler. Instead, it’s just him whining because he lost. Nothing more,” Naito continued.
“I just think when you look at the two of them, Tanahashi is carrying him, and that’s disappointing,” Naito later said about Ibushi regarding his IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship partnership with Hiroshi Tanahashi. “Well, I have given it thought, but it’s not for me to talk about wanting this or that. Right now, everything is about me holding both belts and heading toward next year at the Tokyo Dome,” Naito commented when asked if he’d have any interest in the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Naito would also respond to Okada stating that he’s only interested in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and that he wouldn’t have challenged for both titles if he had won the canceled New Japan Cup.
If every defense I have is going to be for both titles, then what’s the point of having two titles? Why not unify them at that point? Maybe that’s a conversation that we have, but for the time being there are two titles, so why not use them both? I think it should be fine to defend one title belt at a time.
“So, how about I win the G1, stand in the ring at Ryogoku and call Hiromu out to challenge me at the Tokyo Dome?” Naito’s comments regarding Hiromu came after a discussion about their canceled Anniversary Show match that was set to take place in early March. Naito’s rationale is that if Hiromu won Best of the Super Juniors and remained IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion then it would only make sense for him to defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom again his LIJ unit mate.
