Hey again y'all! If you've read the title of this post or I've discussed this with you beforehand, you know what this is: I got the very fortunate oppourtunity to ask Thanomsak Toba some questions about his career and wrestling in general.
I have so much respect for Toba, he's one of my all-time favorites, so I was kinda marking out the whole time and kept things light-hearted/fun. If you're wondering why I didn't ask more "hard-hitting" questions or whatever, yeah what can I say? This is a mark interview.
Lastly, Toba chose to accommodate me as much as possible, going as far as wanting to provide his answers in English and even answering more questions near the end despite suffering a concussion around the time this interview took place (about a month ago). Because of his kindness and my adoration for him, I didn't want to take up too much of his time. So, some of his answers may seem short and I didn't end up asking too many questions, but hopefully that gives some context as to why it turned out that way.
My words are in italics. Toba's words are in bold.
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When I debuted, the focus was on intense martial arts-style
matches. But gradually, traditional American professional wrestling-style
matches became popular, and now they are well established.
It has gone from being an organization based on intense
fights to being a fun organization. I also like fun matches.
There is no one in the current DDT wrestlers that I want to
fight. I'm already an old-fashioned guy.
Yes, it is fascinating how much wrestling around the
world has moved towards that American entertainment style, whereas there's much
less mainstream martial arts-style promotions. But the ones that do exist
nowadays are very good still!
Speaking of martial arts, when watching your matches, I
can most easily associate your wrestling style with that of Muay Thai. It has
even been said that your name is a reference to the Thai boxer, Thanomsak
Sithbaobay! On your Instagram page, you post many photos from the time you've
spent in Thailand. What have you learned from Thailand and is there something
you love most about the area?
My martial arts career began with Muay Thai. My ring name
was inspired by the Thai boxer Thanomsak Sisbovee (Note: I believe this is a
mistranslation of Sithbaobay, as I do not believe there’s Thai boxer with the
name Sisbovee), without his permission.
I've been to Thailand many times. When I was younger, I
rented an apartment in Bangkok and studied Muay Thai. Right now, Pattaya is my
favorite place.
Thailand must be beautiful. Fascinating to learn how much
it has tied into your career and life!
Is it true that you were trained by Koki Kitahara? He led
the CAPTURE International organization that has become legendary among some
overseas fans that like more niche groups due to multiple factors, including
the mentality of how wrestling should be, realistic and gritty style, and how
good the promotion was considering how small the venues and production were for
a wrestling show.
Also, is there anything specific that you learned from
being trained by Koki Kitahara (if that is true) that you feel you still use
today?
I participated in Capture, but I hardly received any
coaching from Kitahara-san. I was with another organization.
What do you think of wrestling in smaller organizations
such as this one, which you had a number of matches in? Do you have a certain
mentality when it comes to wrestling for a crowd that isn't as large, or do you
feel that you wrestle the same way no matter the size of the crowd?
Whether the venue is small or big, what you do is the same.
Interesting! I apologize for the confusion then regarding
Koki Kitahara. (Note: Multiple online sources seem to have always credited
Kitahara with mentoring Toba because of his time in CAPTURE, but this does not
seem to be accurate)
I'm sure the fans appreciate you giving your all in every
match, no matter the size of the crowd.
In the near 1000 matches that you have wrestled, you've
stood in the ring across from around 500 different wrestlers. Do you have an
all-time favorite opponent? What about a favorite opponent of yours that you
have faced in the past 5 years?
My best opponent is Ibushi Kota. In the last five years, it
would be Machida Hikaru and Brother Yasshi.
Your matches with Kota Ibushi are highly acclaimed among
overseas fans! Hikaru Machida is excellent and it's great that he's been in the
ring with you so many times for how little matches he's had, and
"brother" YASSHI is one of my personal favorites! For someone who
seems as serious as you, it is cool that you enjoy wrestling with someone as
laid-back as him.
As I mentioned earlier, you have shared the ring with
many different opponents. Is there anyone that you have never faced before that
you would like to have a match with?
There's no one I want to fight anymore.
Do you think you could beat your 25 year-old self in a
fight? What would you say you've learned about yourself and your abilities
since then?
When I was 25, I was training hard as a kickboxer, so
there's no way I could win! In terms of strength, I've lost everything and
gained nothing.
I think that despite the difference in physical strength,
you can give yourself credit for the mental strength that must go into something
like wrestling for over 25 years.
I am so very grateful for the time you’ve given to answer
my questions. I’ll only ask a few (one or two more) more questions if that’s
alright.
You've wrestled so many times across the years. Is there
one specific match or moment that you’re most proud of?
The matches I'm most proud of are probably all of my matches
with Ibushi. I'm also proud of competing in DDT's Nippon Budokan tournament.
I am also proud of my singles match against DJ Nira at the
DDT Nagoya tournament.
All of those are excellent choices. I’m sure many fans
would agree with those being highlights of your career!
Thank you once more for your time over these past
conversations. I've gained a lot from your responses and I’m very excited to
share them with others.
Lastly, is there anything you’d wish to say to fans
overseas and across the world? Any updates on your career or just anything
you’d like to share?
I had fun too, thank you. I'm so happy that overseas fans
upload videos of matches I've never seen.
I'm not retiring yet, but I won't be active as much from now on. I'm looking forward to seeing videos of your past matches!
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And that's all! Again, I know this was a mark interview, but I had a lot fun with it and I'm glad Toba seemed to also enjoy answering these. It meant a lot to me lol.
Hope you enjoyed reading this! If not, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.
