With Spandex talks with NJPW and the Bullet Club’s Tokyo Pimp Yujiro Takahashi (with Tama Tonga) about picking up girls, WALTER, and more.
New Japan Pro Wrestling fans have been watching Yujiro Takahashi since 2004. He tagged with Tetsuya Naito as No Limit, was the first Japanese member of the Bullet Club, and has been NEVER Openweight Champion, NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, IWGP Tag Team Champion, and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. As the Tokyo Pimp, his entrances with various scantily-clad dancers are always memorable.
I met Takahashi while interviewing his Bullet Club stablemate Tama Tonga in the lobby/bar of a San Bruno, California, hotel the day before the G1 Special In San Francisco. Tonga greeted Takahashi as he was passing through the lobby, and called him over to the table. Tonga encouraged me to “Talk to Yujiro” as he briefly left the interview. He returned later to answer some questions with the Tokyo Pimp. The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.
With Spandex: Hi, how’s it going?
Yujiro Takahashi: I’m enjoying. I forgot this place.
Oh, San Francisco?
Takahashi: Yes.
Have you been to San Francisco before?
Takahashi: I’m enjoying…. Fortunately, there is nice tacos restaurant around here. And I bought bottle of tequila at Target.
Takahashi shows me a picture on his phone of the several bottles of salsa and jars of mole that he bought to take back to Japan.
You’re stocking up on Mexican food?
Takahashi: Because I cannot buy in Japan. I can only buy in Mexico or California, around California. Japanese Mexican salsa sucks.
I’ll remember that if I ever go there.
Takahashi: What kind of talk?… I can only talk about dancers.
Okay, so you had English dancers in the UK; are you going to have American dancers in America?
Takahashi: I wanted bring Japanese dancers from Japan. But [Pieter] was busy… For tomorrow, I don’t need dancers because ten guys, five against five. Too many people. Even though I can’t dance. That’s okay. It’s all about me.
It’s all about you, no dancers.
Takahashi: Nothing, nothing.
Tama Tonga returns with beer. Takahashi asks how much the beers are, and Tonga says “We’ll charge it to the dancers.” Takahashi wants to know for real, and Tonga guesses at a price. They decide I’m paying. (I did not end up paying.)
