The Gates of Agony’s Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona officially made their debuts for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the World Tag League, and they recently appeared on the “Talk is Jericho” podcast to discuss the experience.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Kaun on their NJPW experience: “Long flight. For me, it was like 13 hours, I think eleven for [Toa]. I think the big daunting thing for me was 23 days, that’s a long time. That’s a long time being somewhere where you don’t know the language, you don’t even know anybody. We were hearing horror stories about how small these hotels were, but it was honestly probably want of the best trips of my life. The food was so good, it was cheap, the quality there is so great. The locker room was amazing. We kind of treated it like training camp, we woke up early everyday, went to the gym for a couple hours, got back, went to the venue, warmed up with the talent, and then had the match, like Groundhog Day every single day. But it was so much fun, to go to a new town everyday and just looking around and seeing and experiencing the culture, how clean it is, how respectful people are. I loved it over there.”
Liona on making their debut for the company: “Yeah, I’d say that the only thing I missed was family. Working over there, living over there for those 23 days — it could’ve been a lot worse. Yeah, the space was not the biggest, but we’re in those rooms just to sleep anyway, it’s not like we’re gonna party.”
Zack Sabre Jr. says he’s ready to carry New Japan Pro Wrestling into its new era.
Following Friday’s ‘New Beginning’ in Sapporo event, Sabre spoke about his plans to win the IWGP Championship this year. He said,
“Moving on, New Beginning. There’s not really that many new beginnings in this series, is there? Same old bollocks. But one thing that’s gonna be very new from next month, we’re gonna have ourselves a new challenger because I’m gonna win the New Japan Cup for the third time, for the third bloody time. Third time’s a charm. Who am I gonna be facing? Will it be SANADA, the most handsome man in New Japan Pro-Wrestling? A much more interesting, technically proficient and skilled wrestler? That will be much more exciting for me. But I’ll take immense satisfaction from taking the championship from Naito. I’ve beaten Naito more than he’s had dodgy haircuts. But I’ve never beaten him for an IWGP Championship, let alone the top championship in all of, not only Japanese professional wrestling, but all of professional wrestling.”
He continued, ”I don’t really care if it’s SANADA or Naito. The most important thing is, things are gonna bloody change. Ospreay, he’s out of here. Bye-bye, Okada. You’re gone this weekend. We’ve got a lot of young talented wrestlers, but they’re babies. They’re little puppies. They’re not fucking ready yet. Who’s ready? Zack Sabre Jr. This is my year. This is everything my career’s been building up to. I’m gonna become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and I’ll lead New Japan, not only into a new era, but new Strong Style.”
The Gates of Agony’s Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona recently made their debuts for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in the World Tag League. The duo appeared on the “Talk is Jericho” podcast to discuss their experience, highlighting the challenges and rewards of their time in Japan.
For Kaun, one of the most daunting aspects was the long flight, lasting around 13 hours for him and 11 hours for Toa. However, despite the initial concerns, their 23-day stay in Japan turned out to be one of the best trips of Kaun’s life. He mentioned that the food was delicious and affordable, and the overall quality of everything was exceptional. The locker room atmosphere was also amazing, and they treated their time in Japan like a training camp, waking up early every day to hit the gym before heading to the venue for their matches. Kaun expressed how much fun it was to explore new towns every day and immerse themselves in the Japanese culture, noting the cleanliness and respectfulness of the people.
Liona echoed Kaun’s sentiments, stating that the only thing he missed during their time in Japan was his family. Despite the limited space in their hotel rooms, he emphasized that they were there primarily for sleeping and not for partying.
In other NJPW news, Zack Sabre Jr. expressed his readiness to carry the promotion into a new era. After the ‘New Beginning’ in Sapporo event, Sabre shared his plans to win the IWGP Championship this year. He confidently stated that he would win the New Japan Cup for the third time and mentioned potential challengers like SANADA and Naito. Sabre expressed his satisfaction at the prospect of defeating Naito for the IWGP Championship, as he has previously beaten him multiple times but never for the top title in all of professional wrestling.
Sabre also took the opportunity to call out other top wrestlers in NJPW, stating that Ospreay and Okada would be gone soon. He acknowledged the presence of young talented wrestlers but believed that they were not yet ready to lead the promotion. Sabre declared that this year was his time to shine and that he would become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, leading New Japan into a new era of Strong Style.
The article also includes an embedded video featuring backstage footage from the ‘New Beginning in Sapporo’ event.
Overall, the article provides insights into the experiences of The Gates of Agony’s Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona in NJPW and highlights Zack Sabre Jr.’s ambitions to become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and lead the promotion into a new era.