Minoru Suzuki On What's Wrong With The Newer Generation Of Pro Wrestlers
Minoru Suzuki is a hard-hitting veteran of Japanese wrestling. The 50-year-old pro wrestler recently opened up on what he thinks is wrong the younger talent in Japanese wrestling.
The former IWGP Intercontinental Championship referred to modern Japanese wrestlers like fanboys who flock to trainers for prestige. He does what he does for the money and the modern-day talent don't like to speak of this subject. To Suzuki, it's all about the money because pro wrestling is a business.
"There is one thing about Japanese wrestling lately that so many wrestlers were just fans first," Suzuki said. "You don't get what I'm saying, do you? They're making money because of who they learned from. That shouldn't matter.
"They say they can because they learned it. But that's not it. It comes from work. They say they learned this move from their master. That's not it. It came from practice. They don't get it. They're just wrestling fans, every single one of them.
"And they never talk about money. What's interesting about wrestling done by wrestling fans? Why don't you just play at home? I do this to make money and more of it and I will step on your head to get it. "
Suzuki's tough presentation is a fact about his real-life character as he explained how fun it is to beat people up. He addressed commercialism and the need to get over in pro wrestling in order to make more money. This is a concept that he says is lost on the newer crop of Japanese wrestlers.
"It's fun to beat people up that's honestly why I do this for decades. They do it for the chants, when they lose there's always tomorrow. What are you talking about? That's how I see it."
"If I lose, if I'm not popular, if my merchandise doesn't sell then I have no commercial value. If I didn't have commercial value then I wouldn't be standing here right now. But I've always been here so that proves my worth."
He continued to address the perception he sometimes gives off to people that he's dirty. He said it's all about the money and those who say it's not simply don't have any. Suzuki doesn't even want to see the newer generation perform because they're fans before they are wrestlers.
"People say I'm dirty, pro wrestling fans don't like to talk about money. The way I see it you can't talk about money if you've never made any. People who make the least always say it's not about money. That's total BS. Then go ahead, take it from here, do it for free. That's how I see it. They're fans first then wrestlers.
"I don't even want to see them wrestle in front of me. Ultimately, I don't want them to stand in the same ring I do. And they still think the money comes from the owner... I run a business, I have employees, but the money doesn't come from me. It comes from the customers. If they don't get that money comes from fans and not the company then they are not wrestlers."
If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Wrestling Inc for the transcription