The Beast of Japanese Indie Wrestling

Mammoth Sasaki (hereafter referred to as Mammoth) is a beast of the Japanese indie world who appeared in an era when there was a clear gap between major and indie wrestling. Mammoth was a star of hope in the Japanese indie world in the 2000s. With a huge body of 188 cm and 125 kg (now 115 kg), he has a strong power fight with choke slams, awesome bombs, and lariats, and he is agile and can easily handle drop kicks.

His natural wrestling sense, with his spectacular attack and defense and excellent timing, made indie maniacs at the time dream of him. Now Mammoth is in his late 40s. Over 20 years after his debut, he has become a veteran wrestler who can be called a leading figure in the indie world. For me, Mammoth is one of the living witnesses of the legendary indie organization FMW. I have a special attachment to him because I have seen so many of his matches on video.

There are so many things I want to ask him. But how far should I go? I know very well that Mammoth has had a turbulent life as a wrestler. There are some things I cannot avoid asking him. I decided to approach the interview with a certain resolve.

In the fall of 2019, I had the opportunity to talk to Mammoth in the waiting room before a match at the Shin-Kiba event of Pro-Wrestling FREEDOMS, the company he is a member of. Mammoth was a little slimmer than he was in his prime, but he looked so young that it was hard to believe he was in his late 40s.

This is how my interview with Mammoth about half of his life began. A childhood spent admiring Genichiro Tenryu and Akira Maeda, Mammoth was born on July 23, 1974 in Asahi Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. He grew up in an ordinary family, but he says he felt like he was a bit of an outsider in the neighborhood.

At one point he lived with his grandparents away from his parents. When he became a junior high school student, he worked hard in the rugby club. The reason he fell in love with pro wrestling was because of the first Tiger Mask.

After that, he watched the rival battle that left its mark in the history of pro wrestling, and became completely hooked. "I got into it after I saw the All Japan Pro Wrestling match between Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu. The fight between those two really drew me in. I also got into the second UWF. I even went to see the UWF Osaka event by myself. At the time I admired a lot of wrestlers, but I especially liked Tenryu and Akira Maeda. There are a lot of "legends" about Maeda in Osaka. My senior was a graduate of Maeda's alma mater, Hokuyo High School, and I heard a lot about how Maeda lured some yakuza into a parking lot and beat them up, and that the parking lot was here in Namba, and I thought, "What a great guy!" (laughs)"

Scouted by Azumazeki stable, Mammoth entered the sumo world and became Yokozuna Akebono's attendant. After dropping out of high school, he worked at a tile shop and lived alone. He had decided since his childhood that he would become a professional wrestler in the future. However, he didn't know how to become a driver, and spent his days in frustration. At one point, he even worked as a motorcycle racer on Mt. Ikoma.

At the age of 18, while he was in Tottori training camp to get his driver's license, he met a certain person whose life changed dramatically.

"When sumo wrestling was on tour in Tottori, I popped into a Mister Donut and Azumazeki Oyakata (formerly Takamiyama) was there. He saw my big body and asked me, 'Looks good, do you want to join sumo?' I replied, 'I'll become a professional wrestler,' but he replied, 'Tenryu switched from sumo to professional wrestling, didn't he? You should first get a foundation in sumo,' and that's how I entered the sumo world."

In November 1992, Mammoth joined the Azumazeki stable and made his debut in the January event of the following year. He changed his shikona (sumo wrestling name) to Azumaki Sasaki and later to Naniwa, and reached the highest rank of 98th in the sandanme division, and served as an attendant to the 6th Yokozuna, Akebono. "Yokozuna was strict. But he was also kind and cheerful. Yokozuna was also a big fan of wrestling, so we often watched wrestling together in our room. He liked American wrestling like WWE (WWF) and WCW, so he would watch them while he was getting a massage... But I preferred FMW, so when Yokozuna went to sleep, I would secretly switch to a video of Onita. Then, when Yokozuna woke up, he would say, 'What are you watching, fireworks?' It seems that Yokozuna didn't dislike death matches, and we once watched an electric explosion together. After Yokozuna turned to wrestling, he did an electric explosion with Onita. That was the most surprising thing (laughs)."

Mammoth, who said this, also fought Akebono in a hardcore match at the FREEDOMS Korakuen event on December 25, 2014. Akebono turned to wrestling in 2005. He had been successful, including winning the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in All Japan. Akebono, who used Mammoth's hardcore style, defeated Mammoth with a Yokozuna Impact (Piledriver). After the match, Mammoth said on the microphone, "It's been more than 20 years since I met Yokozuna, and I've finally been able to stand on the same ring as him. I'll never forget this day.")

Mammoth retired from sumo due to injury, and it was thought that he would turn to professional wrestling, which had been his dream since he was a boy, and walk the path to success in the sumo world, but he was hit by an unexpected accident. He suffered a serious injury in the ring of the main tournament, tearing the anterior cruciate and medial ligaments in his right knee. He was admitted to a hospital near the Ryogoku Kokugikan and underwent reconstructive surgery over nine hours.

The doctor told him that if he tore the ligament again, it would become an artificial ligament. After working hard at his rehabilitation, Mammoth decided, "If there's no turning back, I'll become a professional wrestler, which is what I always wanted to be," and told his master of his intentions, and retired from sumo in 1997.

Of course, he also told Yokozuna Akebono that he was leaving the sumo world. "I couldn't bring myself to say, 'I'm quitting sumo and going into pro wrestling,' so I told Yokozuna, 'I'm quitting because of family circumstances.' He told me, 'If you've got any problems, I'll listen to you anytime, so don't forget sumo and keep living your life.' Nowadays, hazing and corporal punishment are a problem, but back then, we were grateful that he did it to us.

Yokozuna is the pinnacle of the sumo world, so taking care of him is hard, and some people run away in the middle. But I thought it was natural to be scolded when I made mistakes. There were times when I was scolded, but the fact that he was by my side and showed me pro wrestling, I think he was educating me in his own way. Yokozuna's presence in my life was really big, and I feel very grateful.' After leaving the sumo world, Mammoth decided to switch to pro wrestling. The ring he chose was FMW.

In any case, he had a strong admiration for Atsushi Onita. "When I saw him get beaten to a pulp by Tiger Jeet Singh and the like, covered in mud and scratches, I was drawn in and I wanted to work under this man." Mammoth joined FMW in the spring of 1997. He trained hard for eight months until his debut against Koji Nakagawa at the Aichi event on December 8th of the same year. "At the dojo, I was taught by Masato Tanaka and GOEMON (Koji Nakagawa), and on tour I was taught by Hisakatsu Oya. Tanaka and GOEMON were taught by the All Japan style, following the example of Tarzan Goto, while Oya was a former New Japan wrestler, so he was taught by the New Japan style, which focused on basic physical training and sparring.

I felt that the New Japan style was easier for ropework, and the All Japan style was more suitable for defensive moves and basic physical training." During the time of FMW, Japan's third largest wrestling organization, Sasaki (a rookie at the time) appeared in a tag match in the main event, became a member of a unit called "Team Zero" led by Atsushi Onita, and participated in a young wrestler showdown with Takeshi Morishima during his All Japan Pro Wrestling days, and the organization had high expectations of him for various things.

At the time, he wore long black and red double shoulder tights reminiscent of Big Van Vader, so he was called the "Emperor Wrestler." "That Vader costume was inspired by producer Go Ito, who said to me, 'You're Vader (based on your body shape)'. "It's not like I wanted to be like that (laughs)." At that time, FMW was the third largest group in the Japanese wrestling world after New Japan and All Japan. Nowadays, it is remembered as a legendary group that pioneered hardcore wrestling in the world, but it was also a pioneer of indie groups in Japan, and was the first mixed-gender group in Japan to hold mixed fights and solo events with female wrestlers. And FMW was the first group in Japan to go the entertainment route.

They were called super indie, and even though they went the entertainment route, the content of their matches was high level. "The content of FMW's matches was amazing. They valued local events and never cut corners. It was like they were all about getting the crowd excited. I've been doing it since I was young to satisfy the customers. The only way to gain confidence as a wrestler is through practice, so I worked hard enough to think, 'I've come this far, so I can do it in a match.'"

Mammoth had a high sense of pro wrestling since his rookie days, and his selling point was his spectacular attack and defense. In other words, he is a monster wrestler who is all-around. When asked about people who influenced him, he got an unexpected answer. "Kintaro Kanemura. He can do death matches, and regular pro-wrestling. And the way he takes pauses in a match is also what I modeled after. Anyone can see that Tanaka and Kanemura's matches are impressive."

There was something I wanted to ask Mammoth about FMW at that time. This is about the one-on-one match between Masato Tanaka and Tetsuhiro Kuroda that took place in the main event of the FMW Korakuen event in February 1999. At the time, Mammoth was a member of the "Team Zero" that Onita had left and Kuroda had become the new leader. With Onita's departure, Hideki Hosaka turning heel, and Gosaku Goshogawara fading out of "Team Zero," Kuroda and Mammoth were the only two members left.

In January of the same year, Tanaka returned to Japan from ECW and went on a winning streak with unstoppable momentum, requesting to team up with Kuroda to change the group. However, Kuroda stubbornly refused to team up. The match was a great one that had the crowd going wild, and Tanaka won. After the match, Tanaka called out to Kuroda, "Let's team up together." However, Kuroda ignored the call and was about to leave. It seemed that Kuroda was refusing because of Mammoth, who had followed him even when he was alone.

Mammoth then stopped Kuroda, saying, "Please listen to what Tanaka has to say." Kuroda returned to the ring, shook hands with Tanaka, and decided to team up together. Why did Mammoth stop Kuroda at that time? "Because I thought it would be interesting for anyone to see if those two teamed up. Tanaka and Kuroda were very conscious of each other not only in the ring but also in private. Tanaka was originally Onita's assistant, but after his return, Onita began to dote on Kuroda (Onita formed a unit called "ZEN" to oppose the regular army. Kuroda joined "ZEN" at Onita's invitation to face Tanaka).

Perhaps because of this, the two never practice at the same time at the dojo. Tanaka would come in the morning and Kuroda would come in the evening. That was the relationship between the two of them, but I was sure that if they teamed up, it would be interesting. I didn't want to miss that chance, so I stopped Kuroda at that time."

Mammoth changed his ring name to his current one, "Mammoth Sasaki," in 2000. He made a name for himself in the hardcore route, winning the WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship with Hideki Hosaka. The style that combined power fighting and hardcore was a territory that no Japanese wrestler had ever stepped into before. "I saw the ECW footage, and I wanted to mix hardcore and power fighting to make the match three-dimensional, and that's how that style came about."

Incidentally, EVIL of New Japan Pro-Wrestling is good at a foul move where he puts a chair around his opponent's neck and hits him with the other chair, but Mammoth is the originator of this rough move, and when he does it, it's called a Mammoth Home Run. Mammoth said he was honestly happy to find out that EVIL was using his technique.

FMW was pursuing the all-Japanese entertainment route in 2001, but gradually the management started to deteriorate. As wrestlers such as Tanaka, who had been looking after him, left, Mammoth's presence grew stronger day by day. With his chokeslam, which he had been good at since his youth, the Awesome Bomb (sit-down powerbomb), a signature move of The Gladiator, who was once the strongest foreign wrestler in FMW, and the Mammoth Home Run, he made his name at the top of the ranks and grew to the point where he was opposite FMW's ace, Hayabusa.

However, a harsh fate awaited him. An emergency occurred for the group's ace, Hayabusa, and his opponent, Mammoth, made a confession. FMW Korakuen Hall event on October 22, 2001. The main event of the day was a singles match between Hayabusa and Mammoth. It was about 13 minutes into the match. Mammoth had been in control from the beginning to the middle of the match, and Hayabusa counterattacked with a swan dive tope atomico, followed by a lion salto (a moonsault from the second rope), which was his specialty.

The moment he moved to his favorite move, the ropes spun and his body curved slightly, causing him to fall headfirst. Hayabusa was motionless. Surrounded by fans and people involved in the ring, Hayabusa left these words on the microphone. "I'm sorry everyone. Please don't abandon FMW, for which I risked my life." It was like a will as a professional wrestler. 15 minutes after the accident, Hayabusa was taken to the hospital by an ambulance that arrived at the scene. He was diagnosed with severe cervical spine damage. He was rendered completely paralyzed and virtually unable to recover.

This emergency forced Hayabusa to take an indefinite break. With the departure of Hayabusa, the flagship wrestler, FMW's management worsened further, and it went bankrupt in February of the following year, 2002. Thus ended the history of Japan's third professional wrestling organization. He has spoken about that day in interviews many times before, and it must have been a painful experience for him. There must not have been a day when he has forgotten about it. However, if we follow Mammoth's life as a wrestler, we must inevitably touch on this accident.

In the waiting room before the match, filled with tension, I finally decided to ask him about that day. Mammoth began to speak quietly. "I remember that match very well, but I still can't watch the video. During that series, the company's expenses were tight, so we had to travel by bus a lot. There were days when we had to travel by bus to the next venue immediately after the show, so I think Hayabusa-san was getting tired. During the match with Hayabusa-san, I felt like "This is going to be good." I had a premonition and image that it would be a good match. Just when it was about to start, that accident happened..."

Mammoth explained the details of the accident. "Regarding that accident (a failed moonsault from the second rope), I think that an average person would have slipped and taken a fall, and that would have been the end of it. But Hayabusa-san has such high physical ability that I think he forced himself to turn. Hayabusa-san was on the ring, unable to move, but I couldn't know if he could do it or not unless I asked him... so I hovered over him and asked him, "Can you do it?" Then Hayabusa said, "I'm sorry, I can't move." I thought, "If this person says that much, it's really impossible."

Then, perhaps because he hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, the referee Marty Asami tried to move Hayabusa's body. I thought, "This is bad," and stopped him. After he was hospitalized, he was not allowed to visitors for a while, and it was hard not being able to see Hayabusa because he had heart surgery." When Mammoth joined FMW, Hayabusa was already the group's flagship wrestler, and as an ace, he risked his life to protect and develop the group. Hayabusa was a special person to Mammoth.

"To me, Hayabusa was a different kind of person than Tanaka, Kanemura, or Kuroda. Onita also went to the majors, but Hayabusa returned to his home ring, FMW. After Onita left FMW, I often went out drinking with Hayabusa. But he never said anything bad about Onita.

He always said, "FMW needs you," and I thought, "If you say that much, I'll do my best at FMW." Hayabusa was forced to live a life of upper and lower body paralysis due to the accident, but he never gave up on returning to the ring. Through hard rehabilitation, he was able to stand up on his own and walk with assistance. However, at midnight on March 3, 2016, he passed away from a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was 47 years old at the time of death.

Hayabusa, who was called the Phoenix, still has his soul remaining in the world of professional wrestling. A chain reaction of tragedy... FMW goes bankrupt, splits up, the president of the group commits suicide, senior member Fuyuki passes away, and after Hayabusa's accident, Mammoth, Mr. Gannosuke, Kintaro Kanemura, and Tetsuhiro Kuroda rise up to protect FMW. Standing in their way are the WAR Army, including Genichiro Tenryu and Kodo Fuyuki.

On December 9, 2001, at the FMW Korakuen Hall event, the 8-man tag match between Mr. Gannosuke, Kintaro Kanemura, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Mammoth Sasaki vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Kodo Fuyuki, Arashi, and Koki Kitahara went wild in the building. This was the last best bout offered by FMW.

"That was the first time I met Tenryu, so I can't forget it. I was desperate at the time, but my junior Garuda was called back from his tour in Mexico, made to wear a mask, and treated like Hayabusa's successor. It looked like he was really suffering, so I had a strong desire to take away some of that pain by leading FMW. The four opponents from the WAR Army were really scary. They brought a "serious" feeling to the ring that didn't take our attacks very well. But we couldn't back down either."

In February 2002, FMW went bankrupt after issuing bounced checks for two consecutive days. The wrestlers and staff split into WEW (Fuyuki Army Promotion/Apache Pro-Wrestling Army), which Fuyuki launched, and WMF, which was founded by Mr. Gannosuke and Hayabusa. Former president Shoichi Arai, who had disappeared after the collapse of the group, committed suicide by hanging himself in a park on May 16th of the same year.

Fuyuki, who had just launched WEW, was diagnosed with colon cancer in April of the same year and retired from wrestling. Fuyuki's cancer spread to his liver and other organs, and he passed away on March 19, 2003, at the young age of 42. The accident with Hayabusa, the deaths of President Arai and Fuyuki... A chain reaction of tragedies continues for those involved with FMW.

For Mammoth, FMW was like a family. "FMW is still my spiritual pillar. Even if I was separated from the people at FMW for a while, I feel like we were always together. I use the FMW theme song as my entrance music, and there are fans who hear this song and say, "It brings back memories," or "I used to watch you." I hope that the fans who have been watching us for a long time will remember even a little bit of the past when they hear this song at the venue...I think that this will help to clear the regrets of my seniors who died before they could achieve their goals."

After the collapse of FMW, Mammoth chose WMF, where Hayabusa was. He fought hard as the group's flagship wrestler, but he continued to have a relationship with the WEW wrestlers. "Actually, even after the group split up, I still went to Fuyuki's place and attended his birthday parties. I've been hanging out with Kanemura since I was young, so that relationship hasn't changed. Even as a rookie, I would go to local events early and ride in the promotional car with Fuyuki. Fuyuki told me, 'I understand that you're going over there (WMF) because of Hayabusa. If anything happens to you, I'll bring you back here (WEW)'."

On August 28, 2002, WMF held its inaugural match at Differ Ariake, and Mammoth faced his junior Garuda in the main event. He defeated Garuda with a new move called the Mammoth Driver, which is a Canadian backbreaker followed by a slam in the face. After the match, he shouted his heart out into the microphone. "Today, there were so many sad things that happened to me in preparation for the launch of the new company. But I don't want to live if I have to change my feelings and forget what's important to me!" Thus began Mammoth's second life as a wrestler. A man who was mentored by his great seniors Tenryu and Fuyuki.

Although he didn't have much contact with Fuyuki on the ring, Fuyuki's teachings are still useful to him. "He didn't teach me step by step, but the advice that comes to mind when I'm fighting is the advice that Fuyuki gave me at the FMW dojo. It just pops into my head, like, 'When you're on the ground, it doesn't look good to tilt your body to take the opponent's joints. Straighten your body and take them.'"

And meeting Tenryu is an essential part of Mammoth's life as a wrestler. In 2003, Mammoth and Tenryu had a one-on-one match. Mammoth said that this match was the best bout of his life. After that, he served as Tenryu's assistant while he was working as a freelancer, and they worked together for a while. Mammoth speculates as to why Tenryu chose him as his assistant. "Tenryu was concerned about me, even though I had been through a lot, and I think he wanted to show me his wrestling up close."

Mammoth's specialty, "29 years old" (a modified vertical drop brainbuster), is a homage to Tenryu's "53 years old." "Tenryu is my teacher. He was the most wrestler-like person I've ever met. I think I would have quit wrestling if I hadn't been with Tenryu. In fact, I bumped into Tenryu in the bathroom before an eight-man tag match in December 2001. When I greeted him and said, "Thank you for your hard work," Tenryu asked me, "Do you show up for the Azumazeki stable?" When I answered, "No, I haven't," he said, "I see, so do I."

I was really shaking at that time (laughs). I was with Tenryu from the time he started participating in World Japan Pro-Wrestling as a freelancer, and I even kept his wallet. I used that wallet to do Tenryu's shopping and laundry. So when the series ended, I went back to Tenryu's wallet and he gave me the rest of the money." Mammoth still goes up to the ring with these words from Tenryu in his heart. "If you do it right, someone is watching. If you don't give up, someone is watching, so don't give up."

Mammoth, who was trained by the legendary wrestlers Tenryu and Fuyuki, took a new step of his own volition in 2005, three years after joining WMF, and transferred to Apache Pro Wrestling Army, which is a successor to WEW, founded by Fuyuki.

"I only received my full salary in the first month at WMF. After that, I have never received 100% of my salary. But because of Hayabusa-san, I thought, 'It takes three years to get by on a rock,' and I decided to work hard at WMF for three years.

After three years, I decided to do what I wanted to do. Kanemura invited me, so I joined the Apache Pro-Wrestling Army." After transferring to the Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, Mammoth participated in Big Japan Pro-Wrestling, and developed an indie version of the famous match countdown song with the muscle monster Daisuke Sekimoto, born in Big Japan.

He teamed up with Sekimoto and won the BJW Tag Team Championship. "Sekimoto is an amazing wrestler. He's an opponent that we can both improve, and the match is tough on the body, but it feels good because I feel like I'm competing with this guy. Anyway, it was fun to fight him. As a tag partner, there's no one I can trust more."

Having overcome many tragedies, the beast of the Japanese indie world finally had the opportunity to show his true colors. Then Mammoth faced a new strong opponent. It was the major organization New Japan Pro-Wrestling. At that time, New Japan regularly held an event called "LOCK U P" produced by Riki Choshu, who had returned as on-site director, and Riki Pro, and many indie wrestlers participated.

When Togi Makabe, who was called the "runaway King Kong" and was wreaking havoc in New Japan and "LOCK UP" just before his big break, won the Apache Pro-Wrestling Army's treasure, the WEW Heavyweight Championship, Mammoth and New Japan came into contact. Mammoth fought Makabe in a cage death match to reclaim the treasure, and also fought against Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii.

Mammoth experienced something by interacting with the New Japan wrestlers. "What I felt when I fought New Japan was their flexibility. Of course I felt that they were trying to take something home with them by fighting us. So I was desperate, thinking, "I'm not going to let them take it away." When Makabe fought me, he looked like he was having a lot of fun. We were enemies, but it was a good encounter.

Yano was good. He was big, but he had a background in wrestling, and I thought that a really complicated guy had appeared. Ishii was straightforward, and somehow he had the same smell as Sekimoto. Ishii also started his career under Tenryu, so Togi Makabe was a tough guy, and a worthwhile opponent. I think New Japan is what it is today because of wrestlers like that."

On September 23, 2007, at the Apache Pro-Wrestling Army's Korakuen event, Mammoth defeated Toru Yano with his specialty "29 Years Old" and recaptured the WEW Heavyweight Championship. It was his first single crown, which was his long-cherished dream. After the match, excited fans surrounded the ring and pounded the mat in joy, and Mammoth remembered his old FMW.

He said he was deeply moved, saying, "This has paid off, even if only a little, for all the things I did back then."

Mammoth showed his strength to New Japan, but he encountered an unexpected accident. On February 28, 2009, while he was waiting at a traffic light in his car, a car backed out of a convenience store and crashed into his driver's seat. He had his hands on the window and was leaning against the door, so the door plunged into his body, causing serious injuries such as a cervical contusion, forcing him to withdraw from the ring.

He relinquished the BJW Tag Team Championships he held with Sekimoto. Furthermore, during his absence, the Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, to which he belonged, disbanded. He reflected on the accident as follows:

"The truth is, I had been hurting my neck before the accident, and it was difficult to control the symptoms. If I had an accident and rehabilitated at that time, I might be able to return to the ring, but I might not be able to wrestle as hard as before. To be honest, there was a time when I thought about just fading out. But I really wanted to finish wrestling properly. I started to feel that I would be sorry to everyone who had helped me if I didn't."

There was a mammoth who was working hard to rehabilitate in order to return to the ring, and was trying his best to overcome this hellish ordeal. On June 21, 2010, Mammoth made his comeback in a singles match against rival Daisuke Sekimoto at the Korakuen Hall event of FREEDOMS, a group founded by his Apache allies Takashi Sasaki and Jun Kasai, and then joined FREEDOMS.

In his comeback match against Sekimoto, he displayed the same monstrous power as before his absence, so much so that Sekimoto was surprised and asked, "Is this really your comeback match?" After receiving words of encouragement from Sekimoto, "Welcome back, Mammoth," Mammoth spoke in the waiting room after the match: "I'm finally back. There were two reasons why I wanted to fight Daisuke. One was to awaken something sleeping within me. The other was to settle our tag championship with Daisuke, which ended halfway."

How did it feel to be in the ring after such a long time? "I felt alive. I didn't know if I was alive or dead. But I felt alive. I wanted to die and I thought it was the end, but I finally came back. If people like that see me today and feel like they want to try a little harder, I'd be happy."

However, the accident had a big impact, and he was no longer able to wrestle as hard as before. Mammoth left the main front line and grew older, approaching the veteran level of his late 40s. Even so, those around him were warm to Mammoth.

"I'm not in perfect health, so I can't fight hand-to-hand like I did against Sekimoto anymore. I regret that, or rather, it's a shame. But everyone at FREEDOMS accepted me when I wasn't in perfect health. They supported me properly." He may not be able to fight head-on hand-to-hand anymore. But still, Mammoth is determined to continue standing in the ring and show how he lives. I want to wrestle to my heart's content like Tenryu-san

As mentioned at the beginning, Mammoth was an indie wrestler, but he had the ability and potential to be a major wrestler. Naturally, with his ability, there is no way that a major organization would leave him alone.

"Actually, between the collapse of FMW and the launch of WMF, I was once invited by a major organization. But I immediately turned it down. WMF was preparing to launch, and above all, we must not leave Hayabusa behind. People sometimes ask me if I regret my decision at that time. But I'm sure I would have regretted it if I had gone to the majors. I think I always blamed myself for abandoning someone who had such a serious injury."

There are many wrestlers who move from indies to majors to make a living or to step up. That is the right thing to do as a professional. But like Mammoth, it is also the right thing to do to stick to connections with people and stay in your place and continue fighting. Everyone is different and everyone is good. Isn't Mammoth's way of life, sticking to his own beliefs, admirable?

Mammoth now has a goal as a professional wrestler. "My goal is to make FREEDOMS bigger. My goal is to nurture the younger generation." Mammoth stands in the way of young FREEDOMS wrestlers Tomoya Hirata and Naoki Kamata as a tall wall. He is trying to fulfill his role as the leader and gatekeeper of the organization.

When you think about it, the number of active wrestlers from FMW, where Mammoth was born and raised, is decreasing year by year. Leaving aside Onita, who has retired and returned many times, Fuyuki and Hayabusa have passed away, and Gannosuke and Kanemura have also retired. Junior wrestlers have also retired or faded out. Hosaka, who teamed up with him, is suffering from colon cancer and is fighting a fierce battle against the disease.

Yokozuna Akebono, who helped him in the sumo world, is hospitalized with acute heart failure and is working hard on rehabilitation. Professional wrestling is a dangerous battlefield, and there is no guarantee that you will be safe. But he still aims for the ring. Because that is where he finds meaning in life.

When Mammoth defeated Yano to become the WEW Heavyweight Champion, he made the following comment. "We think we are small independents. If there is even 1% chance, we will not give up until we die." Mammoth has always maintained this belief. The order of the matches does not matter. Even if the match is scheduled as an undercard or in the middle of the match, you just have to do your best on that day.

The beast of the Japanese indie world cannot easily leave the ring. On his big back are the souls of wrestlers who were forced to leave the ring before their dreams were fulfilled. By continuing to stand in the ring, Mammoth hopes that they will remember them, that they will remember FMW, to which he dedicated his youth. With these thoughts in his heart, Mammoth stands in the ring today.

He finally said the following. "Tenryu gave me 'Full Belly Pro Wrestling'. I want to wrestle until I'm full too." Having overcome various hardships and tragedies, Mammoth Sasaki stands in the ring carrying various thoughts, living the life of the last man standing. It exudes the sexiness and melancholy of "The Professional Wrestler," which is no less than any legendary wrestler.

This interview was conducted for the "Independent Blues" book