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Comedy and professional wrestling have traditionally gone hand-in-hand. One individual who's been at the forefront of bridging the gap between the two arts is AEW Superstar Michael Nakazawa.
Originally hailing from Japan, Nakazawa is also fluent in English, which makes him an invaluable part of the AEW backstage setup. Indian pro wrestler Baliyan Akki recently caught up with the Japanese legend and was kind enough to send us a transcript of their conversation.
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According to Nakazawa, he had believed that his career was over when his good friend Kenny Omega contacted him to return to the wrestling business. Omega and Nakazawa have been close friends for a long time:
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"We met when Kenny had just moved to Japan, I was the only person who could speak in English. And so, we used to talk and hang out a lot. But it wasn't just because I could speak in English. We used to get along right from the start. We still do, to this day."
Michael Nakazawa plays a very important role in AEW's backstage setup, because of his grasp of the English language:
"I'm a lot more involved in the backstage area than I am as a wrestler, assisting Kenny and helping the Japanese talent."
Pro wrestling has never been hotter than it is at the moment, especially on Wednesday nights, with both AEW and NXT running the same time slot on different Networks. When asked about this, Nakazawa offers the following answer:
"AEW has just begun and it is a very close and family-like place. Everyone is doing their absolute best to put on the best show. I think NXT is competition but everyone in the company is focused on AEW right now."
Michael Nakazawa firmly believes that there is a market for comedy wrestling. He spoke about how wrestling in the United States is something he always wanted to do:
"I was very happy, I could work in the US, which is what I always wanted to do, I could work with my friends, and help in any way to make a difference. I'm not Kenny Omega or Ibushi, but I do my best. I know those two wrestle at a different level."
As amazing as this journey sounds, Nakazawa didn't start out wanting to be a professional wrestler. In fact, he got into wrestling...for a girl! Luckily, this particular girl was wooed and is today his lovely wife:
"So, I didn’t actually like pro wrestling but the girl I liked in college loved it. So, I started wrestling for her, and just kept going. And the girl I liked is my wife now (laughs)."
What a hilarious note to end the interview on! We thank Michael Nakazawa for his time and wish him all the best for his AEW run.
