A first year without results

— You've been chosen to challenge Masato Tanaka for the World Heavyweight Championship. How do you feel about it right now?

Matsunaga: The April 3rd Shinjuku event is ZERO1's 25th anniversary show. I'm really grateful to be able to be in the main event, but if I lose, I feel like people will wonder, "Is ZERO1 going to be okay in the future?" so I can't afford to lose.

— It's been about a year since you rejoined ZERO1 last spring. How have you felt about it?

Matsunaga: First of all, I didn't get the results I wanted. Of course, since I came back to ZERO1 and became a member again, I had the feeling that "I'm going to become the ace of this organization," but things just didn't click.

— During that time, Hayabusa quickly rose through the ranks.

Matsunaga: It didn't feel good. I think it's good for the company that Hayabusa's success is generating excitement, but from our side, it wasn't fun at all.

— Amidst all that, you finally got one result at the Furinkazan Tag Tournament at the end of last year.

Matsunaga: (Sato) Tsugutaka is my regular partner, but it had been about a year since we actually teamed up, so from the first match of the tournament, we weren't clicking at all. Even though our speed and the moves we use haven't changed, our way of thinking has changed a bit. There were many times when things weren't going well and we were getting beaten, but we were able to correct that by the final and beat Jinsei Shinzaki & Hayabusa.

— As a result, you've regained the Intercontinental Tag Team Championship, do you have any particular feelings about it?

Matsunaga: For me, it's the belt that I first won with Takafumi (retired) a year after my debut, so I'm glad to finally have it back, or rather, it's been a long time since I've not held a belt for this long. I haven't been able to defend it much, but now I'm aiming for singles, so I guess that's unavoidable.

Tournament victory and the match against Nakajima

— At the beginning of the year, there was a "Strongest Fighter Tournament" and you won in three matches in one day.

Matsunaga: Both Hayabusa and I have been on losing streaks, but I’m starting to wonder if this company is out of its mind. It’s seriously crazy (laughs). My first match was against Yuki Toki, the second against Masato Tanaka, and the final against Chris Vice. I did manage to beat Tanaka, but neither of us was in top form, and I really wish we could have gone at it harder.

— What prompted you to start using the running knee last year?

Matsunaga: I've always had a wrestling background, and I haven't changed my style much, but I felt that I needed striking techniques to take it to the next level. That's why I started using knee strikes.

— You originally had a junior-oriented mindset, but recently you've been fighting more in the heavyweight division.

Matsunaga: Right now I weigh 96 kg (211 pounds), just under 100 kg (220 pounds). I hear voices from outside telling me to compete in the heavyweight division, so I am competing in the heavyweight division, but that doesn't mean I'm going to increase my weight to the level of Tsugutaka-san. I'm going to work on improving my speed and explosiveness

— Most recently, Katsuhiko Nakajima made a sudden visit to the dojo, and you took him on.

Matsunaga: Well, I got a lot of flak. Of course, he's much more famous, so he's like, "Who the hell are you?" But if I just kept quiet and waited my turn, would that mean I'd get a chance? When I was a fan, Nakajima came to my hometown of Tokorozawa to participate in New Japan's G1 CLIMAX, and I even got him to sign my T-shirt. I actually fought him face-to-face, and I learned a lot from it.

— Currently he has been competing almost exclusively in GLEAT, but what did you think of Katsuhiko Nakajima?

Matsunaga: He's like a fusion of modern pro wrestling and pro wrestling from the Showa or early Heisei eras. It's hard to put into words, but even though what he's doing is cutting-edge, you can see that he sweats more than anyone else when he approaches the ring. People say it was a good match, but I'd like to fight him again someday.

Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka

— Although you ultimately lost, a match to determine the next challenger against Hayabusa has been scheduled.

Matsunaga: It's the same with Nakajima-san, but right now everyone who comes to watch has their eyes on Hayabusa. I definitely felt a sense of rivalry and jealousy towards him. So I'm glad I got to face him one-on-one.

— I think the new ZERO1 had the image of being "a two-man team with Masato Tanaka and Hayabusa."

Matsunaga: Nothing will change unless we break down that barrier, and unless I take a step forward, the scenery will truly never change. It was my first singles match, but I think winning that match was a big deal.

— And your opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship, Masato Tanaka, is said to be one of the reasons you joined ZERO1, but what kind of person is he to you now?

Matsunaga: I remember Tanaka-san saying this before on a live stream or something, but "All the wrestlers who came in because they admired Masato Tanaka have ended up quitting." Well, after the split with Tochigi Pro Wrestling, I almost became like that myself for a while (laughs). So, in the end, it means that for Tanaka-san, there's no one who has surpassed him. Now that I've come back to ZERO1, I've naturally come back with the feeling that I have to surpass him.

— Tanaka-san is 53 years old, but his condition is phenomenal.

Matsunaga: He's is a monster. I've had several singles matches against him, but the one that sticks in my mind is when we fought at Korakuen Hall in July two years ago. That's when my mindset completely changed. I thought, "I can't go on like this."

— In what sense did your mindset change?

Matsunaga: I guess I was imitating Tanaka-san at some point. He'd been watching me since I was a trainee, so of course he influenced me, but I knew I could never surpass him by just imitating him, so I decided to do my own style of wrestling. Tanaka-san has speed, and his style relies on explosive power and quick reflexes. I knew I absolutely had to catch up to him in that respect, so I aimed for that while also trying to establish my own style.

The resolve to bear the responsibility of the organization

— What kind of match do you think the title match will be?

Matsunaga: I want to win decisively on my opponent's home turf. In a head-on battle. Of course I'm confident I can take the belt, but for the first time I really can't imagine how it will end. Judging from the fans' reactions, I think he probably has the upper hand. In a way, the situation is similar to when I challenged Go Shiozaki in NOAH last time (December 2024). Back then I was the outsider, wasn't I?

— Usually, the wrestler with less experience gets more support, doesn't he?

Matsunaga: I wonder why (wry smile). But maybe ZERO1 fans find wrestlers like me a bit strange. I think I'm different from the so-called "ZERO1 youngsters" who keep getting up no matter how many times they get beaten.

— Charging at veteran wrestlers from above is, in a sense, Matsunaga's trademark (laughs).

Matsunaga: I won the tag team belts in my first year and won the Fire Festival in my second year, so I've skipped a lot of steps. To the fans of the organization, it might look like I haven't had to go through much hardship (wry smile).

— Finally, please give us your statement of determination for the title match and the future of ZERO1.

Matsunaga: I currently hold the tag team belts, so I want to win the singles belt as well and become a double champion, take the lead and carry the organization on my shoulders, and on top of that, I want to liven up ZERO1. Hayabusa is also appearing in Monday Magic, but I want to see the outside world a bit. I want to be entrusted with the future from now on.