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Q&A with Kazuki Hirata on Hiromu Takahashi, DDT Extreme Title + More!

9 months ago

Q&A with Kazuki Hirata on Hiromu Takahashi, DDT Extreme Title + More!

By: R. Faliani and Thom Fain

As an art, pro wrestling remains unbeatable. There’s not a single sport or medium that gets to showcase so many diverse individuals. And there’s not a single sport that gets to give them an opportunity. Of course, when talking about pro wrestlers many names come to our mind, as they reflect what people could perceive as “wrestlers” from a general point of view. But when you start studying the history of pro-wrestling since its humble beginnings you realize that these unique characters have been existing since the dawn of time.

One of the greatest heels of all time was Gorgeous George, and he existed in a time of black-and-white, pure and gritty wrestling. These pure wrestlers were what we could call “charisma vacuums” compared to George, and as pro wrestling evolves we’re starting to see this pattern again. From the American independent scene to some of the big companies in Japanese pro-wrestling, these kinds of gifted pro-wrestlers are what Minoru Suzuki described as a “perfectly smooth, grey lump of boring trash” and there are few wrestlers that can say they’re not good in doing some things. This ironic yet fascinating aspect of modern pro wrestling is what brought us to talk about Kazuki Hirata.

The former DDT Extreme Champion and DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion has been making a lot of buzz recently on his home promotion due to his dramatic antics. His title reign was a highlight of DDT throughout 2023, and as weird as it sounds, his resume last year was outstanding in his own right. Hirata defeated MAO and Yoshihiko in a 3-Way to win the title, and then he defended it successfully against HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi, Takeshi Masada, and MIKAMI, before losing his belt against Shunma Katsumata recently.

Hirata defeated all of these men in the most unique stipulations while dancing. The now 13-year veteran has made a career out of being himself, and during this last year, the “Tokyo Go!” dancer has proven his worth against some of the best wrestlers in DDT. Hirata stands out as a wrestler with this aspect, but he gets to do something that wrestlers like Kaito Kiyomiya struggle to do. Hirata connects with the crowd, and they love him. As Hirata prepares for a new year in DDT, now as a former Extreme Champion and wandering around factionless, we have found this chance to talk about what makes Hirata so great and needed in the industry.

Monthly Puroresu:
The first question is regarding DDT Big Bang 2023. In your double title match against Naruki Doi, your former partner in Disaster Box, Toru Owashi said you were not a wrestler, but a dancer. What do you think of this statement and how do you thrive in standing out as a dancer compared to perceived pro wrestlers?

Kazuki Hirata:
You know, for my dancing I need to wear my glasses for “Tokyo Go” to actually play. So I always try to find opportunities during the match to make sure I can get the chance to wear them, so I can dance all night long.

Monthly Puroresu:
In your EXTREME Title reign, you defeated the likes of HARASHIMA, Takeshi Masada, MIKAMI, Yukio Sakaguchi, and of course, Naruki Doi., All these victories that you had were with dramatic antics. Could these dramatic antics be done in another wrestling company or DDT is the perfect place for you as a performer?

Kazuki Hirata:
All right, the only way I could do all of this is because of the rules of the EXTREME title. The champion gets to choose whichever rule he likes. So of course, depending on who is the champion, they get to choose what kind of rule they have. So for me, I always look at my opponents and I don’t want fair fights I want to have an unfair fight so I can get an advantage whenever I have a fair chance to beat my opponents. The ultimate form of this expression is the EXTREME title, which can only be seen in DDT Pro Wrestling.

Monthly Puroresu:
DDT expands and pushes the boundaries of what pro wrestling can be. How much credit would you give to, you know, the talent and the people you’re fighting with versus the vision of those in the office and DDT President Sanshiro Takagi? Is the creativity a credit to this eclectic group of performers, or is there a strong vision in leadership, or is it a little bit of both?

Kazuki Hirata:
A long time ago DDT used to have an evening night show, and it was an all-night wrestling event where I had the chance to dance. Takagi-san told me “Hey Hirata, you should go and try to dance at this show!” and I was like “Ok, yeah!”. I said it in a chill tone, and I didn’t mean to be serious. When I did it, it became really popular and I told Owashi. The evolution of that was due to my self-produce. You could also say that it was thanks to the production of the company from the beginning, but it was more of my self-production in the long term.

Monthly Puroresu:
The next question will be regarding DDT Ultimate Party. When the Junior Ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling Hiromu Takahashi decided to participate in a DDT show and had a match with you out of all people, why do you think Hiromu chose you? Do you think he saw something special in you that he didn’t see in other wrestlers?

Kazuki Hirata:
Originally, many, many years back when Hiromu was a junior, the very first match he won against was me back in one very, very small show. I’m not sure which one. His very first victory was against me. So of course, many years passed and we’ve been spreading DDT far and wide. After coming back he decided he’s been always interested in me in a sense. So, why not have that rematch after we found who we are and now that we’ve been able to establish ourselves as wrestlers? That’s why this match finally happened last year at Ryogoku.

Monthly Puroresu:
And it was so special that it got to Chris Jericho. He reacted to the match on Twitter.

Kazuki Hirata:
We never expected Chris Jericho out of all people to have watched our match. We were very surprised. Even in the press conference the day after the show, Jericho mentioned that match in particular.

Monthly Puroresu:
We think that match made it beyond Chris Jericho. I saw a lot of Western wrestling personalities on social media commenting on that. Did you expect that? Was DDT happy with the fact that the match helped show what DDT is and can be to audiences that may be unfamiliar?

Kazuki Hirata:
The company probably had no idea this match would receive that kind of reaction from the West. It was mostly my idea and you know, it turned out to be really good.

Monthly Puroresu:
The next question will be a little bit of a memory trip. We know there was another wrestler famous for using “Tokyo Go” as his entrance theme called Magnum Tokyo back in the ages of Toryumon. Do you think that you’re following his legacy as a holder of the “Tokyo Go” entrance theme?

Kazuki Hirata:
If you watch the style in which Magnum Tokyo wrestles and the style I wrestle they’re very different. I was actually a fan of Magnum Tokyo growing up, so I learned the dance by myself. So I do the same dance to respect Magnum Tokyo, but if you compare his status and the way we fight it’s absolutely different.

Monthly Puroresu:
Have you ever had the chance to meet Magnum Tokyo? Did he ever react to some of your videos online?

Kazuki Hirata:
So a friend of mine told me that I do the same dance that Magnum Tokyo does, but whether as we have met before, we did on a HUSTLE show many years before I debuted. I actually seconded Magnum Tokyo, but I’m sure that he does not remember the fact that I was seconding him during the match.

Monthly Puroresu:
That’s a piece of history right there because there are a lot of comparisons in social media between you and Magnum Tokyo. So it’s great to know that you had the chance to meet at least once. The next question will be more advice to younger wrestlers than anything because we know that you’re a 13-year veteran and you have been able to find yourself in the wrestling ring. Do you have any advice for young wrestlers that are currently struggling with that?

Kazuki Hirata:
So coming from me, an advice that I would give to an upcoming wrestler, considering I’m like the furthest thing to that is to work hard, just keep working hard, and have a proper debut. Do your matches, and do your reps, but add a little something to your wrestling so that you can stand out from the rest. Add a little bit of extra spice to your cooking so that it becomes a little bit more different and more unique as you go forward. Of course, work hard and add a little bit extra to your matches. Go from Extra, then to Plus, Alpha, and then do Extra Plus Alpha to make your matches more than just the “junior guys.”

Monthly Puroresu:
We had a funny visual of a kid, he is like 15 years old and he is training to wrestle and he sees Will Ospreay and he clicks off, changes the channel, then he clicks to another channel and he sees you and he is like, oh, that’s my role model. I just think it’s a funny visual to see but it’s legitimate. We covered NOAH shows, TJPW shows, and DDT shows all in about four weeks last month and there were a lot of kids in the audience. A lot of people just had so much fun. There’s a lot more noise. I feel like there’s a lot of wind in the sails of DDT right now versus some of the others. So I think it’s very plausible actually. So many people are excited about DDT right now.

Kazuki Hirata:
Oh, are they going to be like me? If that’s the case and they copy my style, I will destroy them.

Monthly Puroresu:
Now that we’re on that topic we wanted to ask you if you can give young wrestlers advice in connecting with the crowd as you have done. What’s the key factor to connect with the crowd on a personal level? In wrestling specifically, we see a lot of wrestlers that are struggling with that and then I see you and it’s just like *boom* and the crowd loves you. It’s an interesting aspect of your character that no one discusses. The way you’re connected with the crowd. And we’re sure that’s something Chris Jericho took note of as well. There’s a lot of noise and there’s a lot of organic connection between DDT’s crowd and Hirata, such as New Japan’s crowd and Hiromu.

Kazuki Hirata:
You know, I’m a wrestler but I was also a fan of wrestling before becoming a wrestler. So if I’m enjoying myself in the ring, that equates to me as a fan of wrestling enjoying myself. If I enjoy myself in the ring, the fans will enjoy themselves watching me enjoy myself. If I find something that’s interesting, as a fan of wrestling I will probably think that thing it’s interesting as well. That’s probably like the secret sauce. If I enjoy what I’m doing as a fan, I’m sure everybody else will love it too.

Monthly Puroresu:
That’s great. The next question is regarding your EXTREME title reign. As we know the EXTREME Title has a prestigious lineage. Kenny Omega, Yuko Miyamoto, HARASHIMA, all these wrestlers. Did you ever feel the pressure of following up with those reigns from those wrestlers or did you thrive in making your reign different from the rest?

Kazuki Hirata:
I don’t feel that pressure. I wanted to become a champion because I wanted to create a universe of my own when I won the belt. So as you know, the first title defense is different than the second title defense. And you could feel that the excitement or the pressure is different every single time. So, you know, I don’t feel any pressure trying to follow in the footsteps of those who have paved the way because I always wanted to live in my world.

Monthly Puroresu:
Great. The next question concerns DDT’s philosophy. When Pheromones retired from DDT, they were considered a key factor in DDT’s comedy. Then you rose the ranks and became that guy who represents DDT’s identity in the wrestling business. How does it feel now that you’re carrying the flag for DDT’s comedy and its true identity in the wrestling industry? Do you feel that you have that responsibility now?

Kazuki Hirata:
So I don’t feel like I have a responsibility to carry that flag but if you watch most of the DDT shows nowadays, in recent times at least, a lot it’s more like strong style in a sense. It’s more straight proper wrestling. So if that’s the case, you know, that key aspect of DDT is kind of thinning compared to what it was before. So I feel like I have to do my best to make sure I can fulfill that identity or that flavor that people are lacking right now, in what I feel is an evolution of DDT.

Monthly Puroresu:
Yeah, DDT has positioned itself in the wrestling industry as a real competitor, but despite that, it may have sacrificed some of his identity that you retain.

Kazuki Hirata:
So originally my older style was very intense and very hard-hitting. But I enjoyed the comedy aspect of DDT. So somehow throughout the years I kind of slowly evolved into what I’m now.

Monthly Puroresu:
All right, for now for our last question. You have been a highlight of DDT for the past year, but since going back to America years ago, you haven’t had the chance to show people in the West this hidden gem in DDT programming. What are your expectations for DDT in Philadelphia this year? And might you give Chris Jericho a phone call and say that you can show him a little bit more of what you can do? Are you looking forward to doing anything fun? Have you ever tried a Philly cheese steak?

Kazuki Hirata:
I’m not planning to show an all-out fight. I want to do the least from that. I want to show my all-out dancing style and, you know, I hate fighting with humans. So ideally if you could find a non-living thing or something like Yoshihiko, that would be great. In terms of going to America, the schedule’s kind of very strict with DDT this time. So if I can, I would like to go to all the major tourist spots, like the Rocky Steps. Chris Brookes told me about the stuff there. So he’ll bring me there. Shota recommended the little cheese sticks. So I would like to have some of those as well.

Date:

February 23, 2024

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