Many wrestlers would had loved to have been standing opposite Jushin Thunder Liger for his retirement match, including El Desperado and that bothers him.
In an interview with NJPW, Desperado mentioned how he was okay with the idea of Hiromu Takahashi being named one of the two opponents in a tag team match against Liger and Naoki Sano, but when Ryu Lee was also included the match, that's where he had a problem.
"Maybe this isn’t what somebody of my generation wouldn’t normally say, and maybe people won’t like hearing this, but I’m of the opinion that the top guy in a Japanese promotion needs to be a Japanese wrestler. After Hiromu Takahashi beat Will Ospreay on January 4, and became the [IWGP Junior Heavyweight] champion, I was OK with him being opposite Liger on the fifth. But Ryu Lee, after he talked himself into that match? That had me mad," Desperado said.
Desperado further explained why he was mad with the match, adding that he wanted to be involved in the match, even if it meant having to potentially team up with Takahashi. Desperado said it still hurts not being in that match.
"Jealousy, really. I understood the logic: Liger and Naoki Sano vs Takahashi and Lee, two teams of rivals. I get that. But I don’t think it was particularly interesting. I’m not saying that I would have wanted to tag with Takahashi or anything like that, but I just think it hurt, not being involved in Liger’s retirement. It still hurts today. Maybe it always will," Desperado said.
Takahashi and Lee ended up winning the match, which took place on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5. You can check out the full interview at this link.
