Hiroyoshi Tenzan Says He Tried To Convince Satoshi Kojima To Not Leave NJPW For AJPW In 2002

Hiroyoshi Tenzan wanted his partner to stick with NJPW.

The final match of four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s career took place on August 15th. New Japan Pro-Wrestling hosted the match at their G1 Climax semifinals show, and it was the main event.

Tenzan went one-on-one with Satoshi Kojima, with whom he is a six-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.

There’s an interview that Tenzan did with Sports Graphic Number, and he spoke about the history between him and Kojima. Looking back at the early 2000s, Tenzan said he tried to convince Kojima to stay with NJPW and not leave the company for All Japan.

“I was really feeling the momentum with TenKoji, and personally, I was thinking, ‘We’re going to climb even higher from here.’ When I heard that rumor, I was shocked,” Tenzan said about Satoshi Kojima leaving NJPW for AJPW. “I felt a little betrayed. But when Koji told me directly, ‘I’m planning to go over there,’ I tried to talk him out of it, but his mind was already made up. I figured there was nothing I could do about it. It was a turbulent time for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but I personally couldn’t even imagine leaving the company or transferring to another one. After all, I’m the one who ran away on my second day as a trainee and was allowed to re-enroll only after Kotetsu Yamamoto forgave me. I just thought, ‘Oh, I’ll never wrestle against Koji again.'”

Kojima scored the win over Tenzan in his retirement bout, and to read about the post-match, click here.