In 2019, when Gabe Kidd arrived for his training at New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he had already been in the industry for nearly a decade. Like most NJPW recruits, however, he had to start at square one, living in the promotion’s training facility in Japan as a “young lion”. Speaking “It’s About Jericho” Kidd described his difficulty adjusting to the experience.
“100%, it was hard (to check my ego),” Kidd said. “I went there in September 2019, but I was in three months of training, but I was and (Katsuyori) Shibata. … I remember running the ropes one day and Shibata said, “No. Do it again.’ But that’s the New Japan way, it’s not like I’ve been riding the ropes for 12 years at that point, it’s the New Japan way that’s the right way to do it, and I just can’t figure it out.”
That fight took a toll on Kidd’s confidence, but he now admits that while there’s room for a big ego in pro wrestling, it can also backfire in some situations. Looking back at situations in his life where he learned valuable lessons, it always came after he had to put aside his emotions and admit that there was room for improvement.
Gabe Kidd deals with culture shock in Japan
Kidd also had trouble dealing with the language barrier, as no one in the dojo spoke English fluently at the time. Although he tried to learn Japanese, he was never able to fully master the language. Even with that aside, the lifestyle was hard to get used to.
“Until you’ve been to a New Japan dojo, you don’t know what it’s like,” he said. “Every day you live in a place that is just a job. You wake up in the morning, if you go to work in an office, you have that morning to yourself… I walk downstairs, I have to see my elders and greet them, do their laundry right from the start, and then I have to prepare food all day, then practice.”
After putting in a lot of hard work in the dojo, Kidd was confident that he was ready for a major role in NJPW. However, it took longer than he would have liked, and he feels that he never fully gained the company’s trust, despite the belief that he did his best to earn it. Because of this, Kidd made the decision to leave NJPW for AEW.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Talk Is Jericho” and credit ah/t Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.