-- Not allowing the 12/05 attacks to interfere with their training, the five first term graduates of the New FURY Gym -- with permission by Co-Principal Hiroaki Nakata allowed reporters and bloggers to sit in on a rather important training session. Leading up to their official debuts on 12/21, the five soon-to-be-rookies have begun developing their offensive arsenals.
While media were allowed access, the trainees focused their energies inside of the ring to best give reporters a true impression of what New FURY Gym's training entails. To start, all five were ordered to alternate between running laps around the ring and performing rigorous calisthenics. Possibly due to the increased pressure from the cameras, all five rookies showed nothing less than pure heart and courage in their exercises, prompting even Co-Principal Nakata to comment on their eagerness.
After proper warm ups were out of the way, Nakata briefly gave a lecture on the importance of grappling both offensive and defensively, in addition to the importance of manipulating the opponent's grip for both execution and escapes. This led to him ordering 12/21 partners Shuusaku Kaito and Masatoshi Aoyama to spar against one another. The two were more than happy to square off despite their match up together. Very early on, it was clear Kaito had the better of the exchange with superior reflexes and technique -- much to Aoyama's frustration. However, with encouragement from Co-Principal Nakata, Aoyama managed to catch Kaito unsuspectingly with a go-behind. During their struggle, Aoyama surprisingly managed to lock in a submission hold resembling a Buffalo Sleeper! While struggling to keep such an advanced hold applied, Aoyama would force his rival to submit -- ending the sparring exhibition! Some animosity could be felt between the two following getting back to their feet. However, any ill feelings were quickly squashed after Nakata forced the two to shake hands.
Despite falling short against Aoyama, Kaito would shine when faced off against Yohei Kanazaki, who had a hard time dealing with Kaito's speed and technique. While Kanazaki's strength would allow him to momentarily break Kaito's grip, Yohei would find himself subdued by a basic sleeper hold! After getting Kanazaki to a flattened position, Kaito shot the half to pin Kanazaki's shoulders to the mat! Despite his frustrations, Kanazaki was quick to congratulation Kaito, who tried to soften the blow by pointing out that it was just a sparring match.
Kazuya Itoi and Shogo Takeda had arguably the most exciting exchange of the training session. The speed and ferocity of their offensive attempts (which was continually thwarted by the other) was almost as good as some in-ring matches. The two eventually both tried to dropkick the other, only to hit each other's feet. The exchange earned even a round of applause from the media and Nakata, who joked about "never saying anything about throwing a dropkick."
The training session ended with something of a surprise for the five students, who were ordered to take their teacher on one-on-one!
Unleashing the full terror of the "Renaissance Fighter," Nakata first squared off with Kazuya Itoi, who came at his teacher very methodically. However, after making one mistake, Nakata cut him down with one sharp kick to the body. So hard was the blow that Itoi could not kick out of the three count rendered by deputy referee Kinta Nakahara. Shogo Takeda would fall similarly, despite actually landing a blow on Nakata. Yohei Kanazaki's size and power would prove to be a bit of a challenge for Nakata. However, after avoiding Kanazaki's wild flurry of attacks, Nakata would drop Kanazaki on the back of his head with a brutal Backdrop, putting him down long enough for a three count! Next was Masatoshi Aoyama, who actually managed to bring Nakata to the ground with a go-behind... However, Nakata's exceptional grappling allowed him to reverse positions. Despite all his best efforts, Aoyama found himself slowly sunken into Nakata's sleeper hold -- before eventually being forced to submit! This left only Shuusaku Kaito, who has been often compared to Nakata stylistically and physically. Unfortunately, for all of the comparisons, it did him little help. Holding nothing back against his pupil, Nakata viciously attacked Kaito with kicks, forcing the trainee into the corner where he would be forced to take even more shots! Kaito would have one small glimmer of hope after countering Nakata's Irish whip -- before following into the corner with a kneel kick much to the reporters surprise! However, as Kaito went for a follow-up, a now angry Hiroaki Nakata sprang into action -- countering Kaito's go-behind. And in one fell-swoop, Nakata positioned his arms under Kaito's -- before locking his fingers behind the neck... In an instant, Nakata unleashed hell on Kaito, folding him in half with Nakata's signature DRAGON SUPLEX! With Kaito's body momentarily going limp, deputy referee Kinta Nakahara promptly stopped the bout. Upon coming to, Kaito's only words were, "...Dragon Suplex...?"
To conclude the open training session, Nakata allowed the five to take part in a brief Q&A with bloggers. Kazuya Itoi stole the show with his deep knowledge of Pro-Wrestling history. He joked that when he retires, he will open the first Pro-Wrestling Historical Museum in his hometown of Suita -- going as far as to state that when asked what he will do with the prize money of any tournament he competes in, the answer would answer be "it will go towards the first Pro-Wrestling Historical Museum in my hometown of Suita." So please refrain from asking the question in the future for redundancy. We're all busy people with so little time available.
One of the more interesting questions came towards the end as the five were asked about the moves and techniques they would use as pro-wrestlers. Still reeling from Hiroaki Nakata's signature technique, Kaito declared to adopt a proficiency for the Dragon Suplex, noting that he had already developed a decent German Suplex hold. Nakata seconded Kaito's words, and said he was humbled to pass the secrets of the Dragon Suplex to him. This earned some eye rolls from the other students -- aside from Itoi, who nonchalantly pointed out that Keiji Takano had popularized the move in the early 2000's.
With his bicep pumped, Yohei Kanazaki said he would use his size and agility to surprise even the invincible Tetsuhisa NAKAI! While NAKAI may have one of the deadliest lariats, but Kanazaki will surprise even him with his! He even gave a name for it, promising to sink the unsinkable ship with the Big Bomber! The name earned some unintended laughs from the crowd, prompting Kanazaki to disappointingly ask if the name was bad... While momentarily shaken, Kanazaki barked out, "...Eh, what do any of you know!?" before folding his arms, lowering his head, and sinking into his seat...
Going to one of the moves he displayed against Kaito in their exhibition match, Masatoshi Aoyama voiced his appreciation for the Buffalo Sleeper, pointing out that few people even know about the technique. "Plus anything that beats even the 'great' Shuusaku Kaito is a must-have technique..." Aoyama coyly said -- much to Kaito's clear annoyance.
The most laid back and aloof of the five, Shogo Takeda said he wasn't quite sure what he would use in the ring, essentially saying he would "feel it out inside of the ring." He added however that he had an affinity for flashy attacks, and joked that he will probably injure himself against ATSUKA on 12/21. He desired to pull something off that nobody has ever seen before. Given the advance level of his opponent however, he conceded that he may have to stick to the basics.
Kazuya Itoi also expressed indecision, and literally began naming technique after technique after technique -- to the point that Hiroaki Nakata continually tried to cut him off. While the gathered crowd of reporters and bloggers were entertained by this, Co-Principal Nakata finally quietly concluded the press conference while Itoi continued to name off techniques...
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