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Q&A with Daga on the GHC Jr. Title, Dragon Gate, NOAH in Mexico + More!

8 months ago

Q&A with Daga on the GHC Jr. Title, Dragon Gate, NOAH in Mexico + More!

By: R. Faliani

Pro Wrestling NOAH is a company born from All Japan Pro Wrestling’s best. The philosophy of the company and its values inherited from Giant Baba still live on in Puroresu as a whole, but specifically in NOAH, due to its connection. All Japan was a company that saw the potential of great Luchadores in the past, such as Mil Mascaras. That philosophy transcended time and moved on to the Ark, with figures like Super Crazy and Ricky Marvin who had historic tenures in the Japanese company, being one of their most prominent Junior wrestlers.

Now, as NOAH welcomes a new year, its roster is filled with Hispanic wrestlers looking to make a name for themselves in Japan. In this list lie many names such as Los Golpeadores (Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf), and Extreme Tiger. But the two that are undoubtedly the biggest Hispanic stars today in NOAH are the GHC Heavyweight Champion Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr, and of course, the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion Daga.

With 16 years of experience in the wrestling business, Daga proves that the tradition of Lucha Libre and the respect for the craft still lives in NOAH, as more Mexican wrestlers are treated with respect, contrary to other big companies who treat Lucha Libre like a special attraction. We had the chance to talk with the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion, and he had a lot to say.

Monthly Puroresu:
Well, good morning, good night, good afternoon. We’re here with the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion Daga, who is going to defend his championship this Saturday if I remember correctly. How are you?

Daga:
Thank you very much. Thank you very much for the interview. Thank you very much for everything and yes, you are correct. This Saturday I will defend my belt.

Monthly Puroresu:
Against Tadasuke, right?

Daga:
Yes, it is against Tadasuke. See, it’s been difficult for me to get these challenges. It’s like there are not many challengers in the junior division who dare to face me and it has cost me a little because I would like to defend it every show, I would like to defend it there very continuously so it would be easier for me to reach of making history with that title.

Monthly Puroresu:
I also saw you’re one of the first Mexicans to have it, because if I remember correctly, neither Ricky Marvin had it, and Ricky Marvin is a legend.

Daga:
Yes. Ricky you could say he had it, but he didn’t defend it. It was like he didn’t want to win it the way he did, so I could say that I am practically not the first Mexican to have it, but I am the first Mexican who has defended it, and the first Mexican who has lasted with this title. The first Mexican who had a reign for more than a day. Because it seems to me that Ricky had it one day, I think he won it and I don’t know if he defended it against Nakajima and he beat him or something like that.

Monthly Puroresu:
Yes, I think it was around the time of the Latin American tournament they held in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.

Daga:
It seems to be that.

Monthly Puroresu:
They had given it to him only for that/

Daga:
Yes, it was something like that, but like I told you, the only thing I want is to make history as a Mexican, as a Latino, as a representative of Lucha Libre. And personally, I think it is a great achievement in my career. And as I say, we have to defend it this Saturday and as many times as possible.

Monthly Puroresu:
Of course. But well, now that we are just talking about your career, we can start with the questions and we are going to start from the beginning of your career. At the start of your career, in the independent scene of Mexico, and as you made your first steps in AAA, you called yourself “El Rey del Strong Style”. How do you feel about seeing that now from your current position and how would you react if you had your 2015 self in front of you seeing you as GHC Jr. Champion?

Daga:
Look, first of all. This nickname, they gave it to me because, and probably some of the readers and people here that are familiar with wrestling know that I started wrestling there at the beginning of the 2000s in Mexico, and there was a very big epidemic of Rey Mysterios, and I say Rey Mysterios because many people in my generation began to use pupils and masks, and everyone wanted to be like Mysterio or Mistico.

Everyone wanted to be like that and when I started training, I remember a lot that I trained Lucha Libre, because well that is from my country, It is a part of my culture, and it is so great that it was my main style you can say, but I remember a lot when I went home after training from Monday to Friday, and at that time I got DVDs of NOAH, DVDs of New Japan Pro Wrestling and DVDs of Zero-1.

And that was what I liked to see. I also watched ECW, WCW, and ROH, but I remember that I was very fascinated when I saw the first match in one of the New Japan DVDs between Dynamite Kid & Tiger Mask, and I said, I said “Wow, this is fast like the wrestling that we know in Mexico, but a little rougher. Like, harder. I like this.” and eventually I started looking out for more. From Kenta Kobashi to Mitsuharu Misawa. I met Misawa when he was Tiger Mask II. I started to see all of this and was fascinated. I was enthralled by Satoshi Kojima too. So in my fighting style, I started to work like that, right?

That was why the media in Mexico started calling me “the Mexican Strong Style” because when everyone wanted to do high-flying I was the one who was there doing forearms, and chops and kicks, and that’s where it came from. And see, I always liked the style, I have always said that, and now that you mention me, what would perhaps the Daga of 2015 think of the Daga of today? I think he would be super proud because I have always done it “sin pelos en la lengua” as we say in Mexico. When I started my goal was never CMLL or AAA, or WWE, or AEW because it didn’t exist then. We had TNA, but my goal was always to work in Japan. It was always that. I wanted to work in Japan anywhere. But I really wanted to work in NOAH, because that was one of the companies that I saw the most when they had the green mat.

I think I would only tell myself to continue on the path I was walking then. The only thing I would give me would be a pat on the back and say “Keep doing your thing” because I believe that in life things happen as they should happen and at the time they should happen. Despite not being that old, I can say I’m like a veteran because I have been in this for a long time. But I remember a lot that one of my teachers also told me “This is not a sprint, this is a marathon, so the longer you last and the more constant you are the more things will eventually come.” And you have to last a long time when said things arrive. It’s not a matter of you arriving. How many people arrive at the top and then they go down? So yeah, I think that would be the only thing that I would do, give me a pat on the back and tell me to continue doing it like that because I’m doing it well.

Monthly Puroresu:
And on top of that, what you say is what led you to Japan, because your experience in the country does not begin with NOAH and it does not even begin with Dragon Gate. It begins with a AAA event at Korakuen Hall.

Daga:
Yes, yes, this was in 2016, and it was something that motivated me even more, right? People who know about wrestling know that this is the Korakuen Hall, an iconic venue. It is the best thing that can happen to you as a wrestler. How many times, as I just mentioned, have I watched videos of Dynamite Kid, and Tiger Mask in Korakuen? Or Misawa, or KENTA, right? Every guy who has been here in Japan. And my journey starts there. That was I think the first trip I did. And also, I have always been a fan of the country. The technology and everything.

The only thing that I found hard is the language because is very, very complicated. English and Spanish are not hard to learn because they’re not that different from each other, right? But Japanese is a different beast. And as you say, I started in Dragon Gate, another company that I watched on DVDs and that I knew about because I participated in 2 Toryumon shows when Ultimo Dragon was running some shows in Mexico. I had the opportunity to participate, and the first company that opened its doors to me was Dragon Gate.

Monthly Puroresu:
And it opens the door for you with R.E.D, which was at that time the most important faction in the company, and had PAC in the lineup.

Daga:
Yes. Well, I had somebody close to me there. Because Eita and I met in Mexico. 2010, 2011, when we brought him to Perros del Mal. I was close to him there and the invitation was extended to me and obviously, when they extended the invitation I said, “Let’s go, I’ll grab the suitcases, and let’s go now.” And when I arrived at R.E.D. it was incredible. Look, it was easy for me in terms of wrestling. After all, Dragon Gate has a lot of Lucha Libre, because many of the original members of Dragon Gate went to Mexico and fought there for a long time, like CIMA, SAITO, Masato Yoshino, and Genki Horiguchi. All of them fought in Mexico and trained in Mexico.

So in that matter, it was easy and as you say, I had the opportunity to team up with Eita, whom I already met in time, I met people like Kazma Sakamoto, and I clicked very well with him. Ben-K, Big R Shimizu too. I think R.E.D. was a great group. PAC and I, connected very well because I think we are both a little grumpy. We connected very well. There is a funny story with him. PAC is super disciplined, right? I’m super disciplined too with food and everything, but it took me 3 months to take him to McDonald’s with me to eat a hamburger, hahaha. But it was very interesting and I learned a lot, especially in Japan. I was able to share the ring with all of these Japanese talents and also with PAC and Eita, due to us having a style that is a little more similar in certain aspects.

Monthly Puroresu:
And precisely the key word there is learning because, with your career, you have surely put something of what you learned in Japan into your reign as GHC Junior Champion.

Daga:
Yes, of course. I have always been a person who likes to learn all styles. I remember a lot of them and I adapt said styles. I remember that in Mexico I learned Lucha Libre, of course, but when I had the opportunity to work for TNA, I dedicated a lot to trying to learn the American style and I think that helped me a lot. I implemented it in my fighting style today, and it has helped me to be able to overcome all my defenses as GHC Jr. Champion.

I think that many times, being Mexican, people expect me to be just a high flyer, right, because I am a Luchador. But people have not realized that I can adapt to the Japanese style, just as I can adapt this to different styles, right? So learning has helped me a lot. I fused everything from Dragon Gate and Mexico and it has helped me a lot in overcoming these three defenses and I am confident that it will help me get one more.

Monthly Puroresu:
And precisely of all these companies in which you were in, which one was the company in which you had your biggest challenges? Without counting those in Japan of course.

Daga:
Challenges…in Mexico, I think I have achieved a lot. The truth is that I am very happy and very satisfied with my career in Mexico because I am AAA Cruiserweight Champion and Latin American champion. I think the only major AAA title that I have yet to obtain is the Mega Championship. But I already had both. I think the biggest challenge I had was in TNA learning the American style and the TV style, as they call it. I think that was a little complicated there, but like I told you, I like to learn.

So I focused a lot on working the American style, which I think was a little bit…I think it’s a little different from the Japanese and Mexican styles because as I said, Dragon Gate was similar to Lucha Libre with a bit of the Japanese style. So that had already helped me in having a little bit of ideas and knowledge about the Japanese style, but the American style I think it’s a little bit slower, a little bit more different. So yeah, I think that was the biggest challenge, but I worked on it and I think I did well. I think that has been the biggest challenge, I think it was a little more complicated than adapting to the Japanese style.

Monthly Puroresu:
This adaptation to the Japanese style is what has taken multiple Mexican wrestlers who had appeared in NOAH and have won the crowd’s support. What do you think of this group of Luchadores who are coming to NOAH and are making a name for themselves in the Ark?

Daga:
I am very, very happy as a Mexican to see them. Los Golpeadores, they have been here for a long time. Wagner Jr. has also been here. Wagner helped me a lot, to understand specifically NOAH’s style, because it is even a little different from what we see in New Japan or what we see in Dragon Gate. But yeah, I think it is very good for us. And see this is very curious because me, Los Golpeadores, and Wagner Jr, we have exposure in our country. We have some media that cover what we do, but it’s not like, and sometimes it hurts to say it, but it’s not something important for the media in Mexico that people like Wagner Jr, like me, like Los Golpeadores and Violento Jack in Freedoms are representing our country and doing things well. Nonetheless, I am super happy, I want Wagner’s reign to last a long time, because that is good for all Mexicans, and I want Los Golpeadores to continue growing because they are very young too.

So I think we are doing well. I think we are doing a good job and we have adapted very well, especially for us. Super Crazy too. I think he is someone that we see as motivation, for so much he has done in the world. Even though he missed a lot of time in Mexico, he was doing many things in the world. We see him as someone we can observe and learn from right? We are doing things well.

Monthly Puroresu:
Absolutely. Doing things well implies that people are becoming familiar with the Rudo-Tecnico dynamics of the Mexican style. Do you feel that there is a wrestler that complements your style as a Rudo in NOAH or does that not exist yet?

Daga:
Look, this is something that when I got here I realized. But I think that since Mexico I have always been a good Rudo because I wanted to be a Rudo, I wanted the dynamic to be there because I believe that’s what people want to see. Don’t we all love or hate the bad guy? No, that’s a good one. So I think this adds another touch to wrestling even in Japan. And who better, right? There’s somebody out there that it’s really over, but I think he’s a fantastic Rudo and is Yoshinari Ogawa, right? I have enjoyed learning from him, especially because of all the respect he has from the people in Japan, and the great mind he has to wrestle. I think that’s why we complement each other too, right? People have realized that STINGER is the only Rudo group within NOAH and it is the only group that does not care how we win, but we will win, and I think that people are familiar with that.

And I think that this is good because you have to give people different things, right? I think I see it as a story of good and evil. It is always attractive, right? So I have always tried to put my job as a Rudo and I am going to continue being a Rudo, right? I started wrestling 17 years ago, I was Tecnico for one year, and from there I was Rudo until today, so this is how I plan to continue. And it’s good that people are starting to know it because I check SNS and everything and I like that people are saying stuff like that. Just yesterday I was reading one about “I can’t like Daga because of what he does” So that means that I’m doing my job well, right?

Monthly Puroresu:
With every hero, there has to be a good villain.

Daga:
Of course, the villain is the one who builds the hero.

Monthly Puroresu:
Exactly. If not, you wouldn’t have someone like Spider-Man.

Daga:
Exactly, It is as easy as that. You just brought that, right? If we think of Batman, we think of the Joker, so that’s how it has to be and it’s good that people are starting to see it that way.

Monthly Puroresu:
And do you think that Eita is your Joker in NOAH considering your title defense against him last year?

Daga:
No, I think it’s more like I’m Eita’s Joker because they love him so much. I think people are still waiting for Eita and me to have another match, whether it’s for the championship or something else. I have an idea of someday wrestling against him in a “Cabellera vs. Cabellera” in Japan, it wouldn’t be bad. Imagine putting both in a cage and wrestling for our Cabelleras. It wouldn’t be so bad to put an end to our rivalry. Because I still believe that there is something unresolved.

Monthly Puroresu:
Yeah, and in 2021, NOAH did experiment with that stipulation. In the Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Masa Kitamiya cage match it went very well because what the cage does is that it highlights the brutality of the fight between the competitors. I’m sure both you and Eita can achieve that.

Daga:
Yes, I believe Nakajima and Kitamiya did it, but you know, and people know that Mexicans are more brutal, right? And Eita knows and he knows the style of Mexico, so now he knows what we were like. I learned a lot from legends like Psicosis and Konnan, and all of them. You know that those were people who didn’t care about anything. So I think we can do something, I don’t know if the crowd is ready, but it could be something brutal, right?

Monthly Puroresu:
Yes, obviously. And this would help expand the perspective of the Mexican style. Unfortunately, many people think that Mexican wrestling is what is exposed in AEW and the independent scene with wrestlers who do “brincos” as you usually say.

Daga:
Yeah, and see, I have always said that. And that was my personal opinion. Because I had the opportunity to work in the American Indies. I had the opportunity to work for TNA. I had the opportunity last year to go to work with Ring of Honor, with AEW. And I don’t like it. I don’t like that things are how you say it. I’ve always told it like it is. I don’t like that they see us as “Los Luchadores”. Like the circus match, right? “You know what, release the Luchadores so that people get excited” and there are few who have a main story, and not these types of things.

Few people are doing it like Legado in WWE. Because in AEW you know it. They have Hijo del Vikingo, they have Komander, but it’s like they fight among themselves so that the crowd gets excited. And it’s like when you go to the circus. And I don’t like it, and I like that they give us something more serious, because we are not just Luchadores, many of us can adapt. And if I’m going to AEW and you make me wrestle Chris Jericho I can wrestle his style, if you make me go alongside Wagner Jr. against the Young Bucks we can adapt to their style. And not exclusively the Young Bucks, but any other tag team, we can do it, they don’t necessarily have to carry us like Mexicans and put ourselves to be an attraction. Let us show you that we can do any style you put us in and that’s what we’re doing here.

We are combining Lucha Libre with the Japanese style and I believe that what you see is the result of it. That’s why Wagner is a champion, that’s why I am a champion, that’s why Los Golpeadores were champions and are now in the Tag League to wrestle for another title. So that’s what we are trying to do, to give Lucha Libre the respect it deserves. And for them not to see us as clowns.

Monthly Puroresu:
And also, Lucha Libre has a very rich history of Luchadores in bloody fights like Negro Casas or the great Atlantis vs. Villano III that ends with, I think Villano III where he’s all bloody. And it is a gruesome visual, but it builds the atmosphere of the match.

Daga:
Yes, of course. We are trained for everything and we have always had our style. We are warriors, we are natural fighters. There’s Perro Aguayo Sr. for you, and there’s Perro Aguayo Jr, who I had the opportunity to be with for a long time. Things are like this, we are ready for everyone. And they were Luchadores like Canek who fought with all these international figures. They weren’t bouncing Luchadores, they were Luchadores that liked fighting and having high-impact matches, so that’s what we’re trying to do here.

Monthly Puroresu:
And you just mentioned Wagner Jr. and his GHC Heavyweight Championship. See, when we see you fighting in NOAH, we see what we saw with Shingo Takagi in Dragon Gate, who was a junior but who could perhaps be a heavyweight. Do you have any of those plans in the future? Rise through the ranks of the division and perhaps, if he is still champion, challenge Wagner Jr.?

Daga:
Of course. I arrived here as a Junior, because they considered my height and my weight and the fact that I have been Cruiserweight Champion, and I have competed in TNA’s X-Division, but I feel that despite that I feel like a strong wrestler. I feel like a wrestler who is capable of going against Wagner, or against Jack Morris, or Timothy Thatcher, right? So yes, it is in my sight and I believe that the biggest dream of all wrestlers is to be a Heavyweight champion, right?

And as I tell you, step by step can the things come because we saw it with Eddie Guerrero, we saw it with Rey Mysterio, we saw it with these types of Luchadores and now that Wagner has it, it is in my mind at some point to jump from division to division, I also have other goals. I would like to be the only Mexican to obtain all the NOAH titles. I have won the Junior Tag Title, and now I am the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion. There is the national one, there are the heavyweight tag team championships  and there is the GHC Heavyweight title too. I would like to make history in some way or another here but see, Wagner and I have never faced each other. We train together and everything, but I think it would be a good match for the Japanese fans.

Monthly Puroresu:
And right now we are talking about making history with this crop of Mexican Luchadores like Xtreme Tiger, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr, Los Golpeadores, or you. I think y’all have sparked an interest in the audience to see more of you. Do you think that a NOAH event could be organized in the future in Mexico to expose everything you are doing?

Daga:
I don’t see it far from happening. I don’t see it as impossible, I think it could be done. Now we are seeing it with New Japan in the USA. They have New Japan STRONG, and they do shows from time to time. I think it would also be very good for people from the American continent to be more in touch with NOAH because many of us know it, but many don’t. Many people live in a bubble that says “United States. WWE, Japan, NJPW, Mexico, AAA” but there are so many colors and flavors for people in this continent to choose from. Give them the chance to watch NOAH and be fascinated like me.

Because this company has fascinated me for many years. And I think that we have to expose it. Hopefully, this is the case. If we don’t do a full show, perhaps some wrestlers can go there, or we can have an exhibition of our talent, like Eita, or even HAYATA, who I found to be a great wrestler who may be able to adapt to the Mexican style. We have people like YO-HEY and Tadasuke. I think they are also in that realm. The entire GLG faction. Having somebody like Ogawa there. I have a fantasy match because my only Mexican idol has been Negro Casas, right? For it’ll be great seeing Negro Casas against Ogawa in a singles match. I think it doesn’t sound so crazy. If you can’t do a show, at least one tour of some talents would be super good.

Monthly Puroresu:
And well, now we want to see that match between Ogawa and Negro Casas.

Daga:
I put it in your mind, right? That would be fantastic.

Monthly Puroresu:
For our last question, what can NOAH fans expect for Daga in the future?

Daga:
Look, what you can expect is to see me here as far as I can go. I’m living my dream as I already mentioned. I want to make history in different ways. I want to break the title defenses record, I want to break the record for the longest reign with the Junior Title or with whatever championship it is. And I am going to continue doing my job, I am going to continue bringing my 100% because that’s the way I was taught. I started wrestling for 10 people and with those 10 people, I gave my 100%. So now, living my dream, I have the duty of giving my 120% every match and that is what you can expect, to see me here and see me conquer all the championships in this company.

Monthly Puroresu
We think that’s great, we hope to see that and we look forward to the future. Maybe what we put in the table happens which is Wagner Jr. vs Daga for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.

Daga
It would be super good.

Monthly Puroresu
Is there anything you want to say to our readers?

Daga
Thank you and thanks to the people at Monthly Puroresu for the time and for the support of talents like me, who may be new to the Japanese crowds. I’m grateful.

Date:

March 1, 2024

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