Monday, March 4, 2013

[News] Sean King Arrives in Japan! CEO Ishiyama responds to new promotion's comments

-- Responding to the alert sent out by @kjpw2013 yesterday, a small group of reporters met Seiji Ebisawa, Katsumi Gakusha, and Shino Hiriyama at the gates of Narita International Airport, where SPIRIT International was set to greet their imported American assassin, Sean King! King is a veteran of the Japanese scene, having competed in BSPW, CRIMSON, MAXIMUM JAPAN amongst others. He is a close associate/rival of Foreign Legend James Goodwin; father of James Goodwin Jr. and "BIG" Jon Goodwin.

Ebisawa spoke to reporters first hand as they arrived. He was very polite towards the media, thanking them for their support. He begrudgingly thanked KJPW as well for alerting the media; though wondering aloud if they could have done more besides sending a simple Tweet... He reminded reporters why they were here, noting that Sean King's flight had arrived, and he'd be here at any moment. To kill time, Ebisawa briefly stated that both he and Gakusha were training diligently for the EMPEROR'S CUP tournament. He noted that both he and Gakusha were no stranger to high-stakes championship situations. He noted Gakusha was a two time IFS Openweight Champion, in addition to himself, who captured CRIMSON's C-1 Heavyweight Title on three occasions. Ebisawa praised his first round opponent Masafuji Yoshida, saying that Yoshida is capable of being very cunning when he wants to be; and thus he would have to keep his guard high. However, Seiji confidently said "defeat was certain" for the Fake Ozeki. Katsumi Gakusha had little to say about his first round opponent Kenji Tanamura, other than vowing an overwhelmingly "Blessful" victory. He said that Tanamura's MMA background meant nothing to him, and that he would be in for a "BIG SHOCK." To finish, Ebisawa stated once and for all that SPIRIT International would completely dominate the EMPEROR'S CUP, with all three of them making it to the semi final rounds. "Surely," Ebisawa stated "The strongest of us three will emerge as Champion. The fourth semi finalist will be inconsequential."

On cue, American Sean King made his arrival. Referring to SPIRIT International as his "close friends," he thanked "Mr. Ebisawa" for extending this invitation to return to Japan. He said that some of his fondest memories are from his battles in Japan, and hopes to have many more to come in Kingdom of Japan. He thanked KJPW as well for his placement in the EMPEROR'S CUP tournament, saying it was nice to be acknowledged. He admitted to only seeing a few matches of  Kawamura, but vowed to "brutally crush his spirit." He also laughed at the "MONSTER HEAD DUO" team of Kawamura and Mamoru Sekishima. "You think that is MONSTER, Tetsuji! No! THIS is MONSTER!" King proceeded to unleash a gnarly maniacal laugh, which slowly seeped into a creepy grin. The reporters eagerly snapped shots of King, obviously posing for the photo-op. King said that his participation in the tournament felt fitting, given his name. He acknowledged that the battle field was a lot stricter than he was used to... However, he promised to push KJPW's stringent rule book to its absolute limits. He called out Kazuma Fujita as well, who King has actively pursued through out his career, and said Fujita wouldn't be able to retire until he faced him in a singles match. "I watched you in your wars with (James) Goodwin. Every time I wanted to fight you, I was told I wasn't in your league. Well, thanks to my friends here, I'm in your league now."

-- While leaving his offices today, KJPW CEO Shigesato Ishiyama was asked by reporters to respond to comments made by Akuma Toyota of Destination BATTLE GROUND, who vehemently shot down any possibility of cooperation between the two company's. along with referring to KJPW's wrestlers as "entertainers," and Kazuma Fujita as an "ego driven legend." Ishiyama actually praised the Akuma Toyota/Shoji Yoshinaka joint venture, saying they know how to garner attention for themselves. He welcomed the competition, saying that pro-wrestling thrives on it, and will only bring out the best in both company's. Ishiyama jokingly asked if their letter was lost in the mail, before figuring the invitation didn't apply to "entertainers." Getting serious, CEO Ishiyama said that merely saying you're the strongest doesn't mean anything; and in fact often is a sign of weakness. "Don't tell me you're strong, Toyota. Show me by running a card first."

As far as KJPW wrestlers being mere "entertainers," he laughed off the notion, saying that a few of the very same "entertainers" on KJPW's roster have selective victories over him, including Naoki Fukuda. Despite Toyota completely shooting down the possibility of the two company's working together, Ishiyama surprisingly said he would extend an open invitation to Toyota to appear in KJPW to test the strength of its "entertainers." Nothing Destination's 03/14 card at Korakuen hall, Ishiyama said he'd offer Toyota comped tickets for the first round of the EMPEROR'S CUP the day following, if it weren't for the fact that tickets have already sold out. In what one could argue to be something of a low blow, he asked, "Could you say the same for your card, Mr. Toyota? I hope Mr. Yoshinaka's faith, and finances are well-placed in you."

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