Tama Tonga On How Pro Wrestling Handled The Pandemic Differently In Japan And The US

NJPW star Tama Tonga spoke with Sports Illustrated about the differences between how wrestling promotions handled the cornavirus pandemic differently in the U.S. and in Japan.

"There is a different sense of unity in Japan," explained Tonga, who grew up in America and is a veteran of the United States Air Force, but has spent the majority of his pro wrestling career in Japan. "Here in America, the show must go on. Money needs to come in, so the wrestlers are still wrestling. New Japan stopped holding shows. That's not just for the safety of the fans, but it's also for the health of the wrestlers."

Tonga noted it's simply a different mentality between the two countries when it comes to the importance of putting on shows ? no matter the circumstance.

"It's a different culture in Japan, a lot different from 'The show must go on' mindset," Tonga stated. "The majority of our income comes from live shows, which has been cut out, but the company has held onto the staff and reassured us that no one will be let go. The company is more of a family in Japan.

"New Japan does its best to look out for the entire wrestling scene in Japan. Even Tanahashi going in front of government, that may surprise people in wrestling, but it doesn't surprise us. He really is our leader. You can see that unity in our roster, too. Our guys go from young to old. This isn't a factory of young guys that get chopped up and spit out. The mindset around wrestling is different in Japan."

WWE will be airing its shows on a closed set at the WWE Performance Center for the foreseeable future. WWE also recently cancelled its Australian tour in early August.

NJPW has cancelled events up through Wrestling Dontaku on May 4. Best of the Super Juniors 27 was originally scheduled to begin on May 12, but no word yet on if NJPW is going forward with those shows.