Shun Skywalker is a former two-time Open The Dream Gate Champion and one of the top stars in Japanese pro wrestling promotion, DRAGONGATE.
This upcoming Sunday, DRAGONGATE will hold its signature show of the year Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival. The main event will feature Skywalker as it will be a Mascara contra Mascara 5 Way Steel Cage Survival Match. It'll also include wrestling legend Ultimo Dragon, Strong Machine J, Diamante, and Dragon Kid. Whoever is unable to escape the cage will lose their mask.
Ahead of the major show and match, Fightful's Scott Edwards had the chance to interview Shun Skywalker ahead of the event to talk about his appearance in Battle of Los Angeles, losing the Open The Dream Gate Championship, who he'd like to face from outside DRAGONGATE, and his future goals.
Here's what Skywalker had to say!
At DEAD or ALIVE, you lost the Open The Dream Gate Championship to Madoka Kikuta. How do you feel after the loss and what is next for you?
I have completely come to terms with the fact that in that place, in that moment, Madoka Kikuta defeated Shun Skywalker. But as anyone can tell, Shun Skywalker is the supreme, the strongest and most righteous Shun Skywalker, Dream Gate Champion or not.
What was your plan going into your Dream Gate match against Kikuta? What do you think led to your loss?
Nothing changed. In order to always be strong, I am training myself, thinking for myself, and mastering myself. The cause of defeat must be a miracle that happened only at that moment. This is not an excuse, it's just that Madoka Kikuta, who reached the point where the miracle happened, was wonderful.
After losing the championship, do you have plans to change things up again in the future?
In terms of returning to Dream Gate Champion, I have no intention of doing so. I was able to peel it off from Yoshioka, and I was able to build an existence that surpassed myself even for a moment.
What made you want to become a pro wrestler?
Well, it's a yearning for strength.
When I was born as Skywalker, I had a choice between being a pilot or a professional wrestler.
Leaving Mochizuki Dojo at Dead or Alive 2019 was an important part of your career. How do you see your decision in hindsight?
Leaving Mochizuki Dojo at DEAD or ALIVE 2019 was an important part of my career. I think I made the right and brave decision. If you follow the Mochizuki Dojo, it will naturally collapse from corruption. In the end, it must have been Mochizuki-san's "place," who had been exploiting Shun Skywalker's power.
On April 25th, you posted several old pictures with current Brave Gate Champion Jason Lee. How do you currently feel about him?
Nothing has changed that he is Shun Skywalker's unique property. Now that you left me with intention, there is a little loneliness. Well, it's only a matter of time before he comes back, so I won't do anything.
You traveled to America at the end of last year and even competed in this year’s Battle of Los Angeles tournament for PWG. Fans saw a different side of you when you returned. What’d you learn from your travels to America?
Fighting in the ring, which attracts attention from all over the world, gave me a stimulus that was more valuable than an experience. It reminded me of the fact that there are better wrestlers than me, that I would forget if I was fighting only in DRAGONGATE.
You made your immense disliking for NOAH very clear earlier this year. With Kenoh being one-half of the Open The Twin Gate Champions and Naomichi Marufuji participating at Dead or Alive, do you feel the need to get them out of DRAGONGATE yourself in the future? Potentially win the Twin Gate Titles once again?
I certainly hate NOAH. But I'm not denying all NOAH wrestlers. Marufuji is a target that has yet to be defeated, and I am interested in Kenoh, who has yet to face him. If there is a group that can be denied collectively, it’s NOAH’s Juniors. They are weak and cheap.
During a trip to America, it was announced that Skywalker was a Jedi. How important is Star Wars to you? Which movie do you like best?
I don't know much about the Star Wars movies. However, we must separate the two points of "knowing" and "important." That story is important to me.
If you could bring back a previous DRAGONGATE wrestler to add to Z-Brats, who would it be?
This is the former Shingo Takagi. There is no shadow of his to see now. Takagi from at that time could be on par with the current Shun Skywalker.
Is there any wrestler on the current DRAGONGATE roster he’d be interested in bringing into Z-Brats to see what they can do aligned with you?
I'm worried about Minorita. If he was under my control, I think I'd be able to take my dissatisfaction with Minoura, who has not been on the rise, to the top of the ring in a good way.
You had the chance to wrestle inside the Tokyo Dome at Keiji Muto’s retirement show. What was it like? Do you hope to wrestle there again?
It is often asked, but there is no kind of ecstasy or tension. I would like to stand on that stage again. Tokyo Dome was never too big a stage for Shun Skywalker.
Were your mask and overall look inspired by anyone in particular?
I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but now that I think about it, I may have been trying to bring out the "taste" of Jushin Thunder Liger. It's not something we can manage with our minds, but I think that it’s gradually seeping out with my experience and evolution.
MASQUERADE was a group that may have not been around for a long time but really helped set up the future of DRAGONGATE. Do you have fond memories of the group despite ending it and how do you feel about your former stablemates now?
MASQUERADE was a unit created based on my selection and my clear goals. Now that I think about it, I can't say I made the right choice. But if each member's obsession with their own strength, and they cared about each other the same way as themselves, maybe they wouldn’t have crumbled. All of them would have been competing on the top, wouldn't they?
Outside of DRAGONGATE, who is someone you’d like to face in a singles match and why?
The answer that immediately comes to mind is Konosuke Takeshita. The size and wrestling style seem to be satisfying to eat. I don't know who to name, because there are so many. Bandido, Kenny Omega, Blake Christian, Dragon Lee, Rocky Romero, and more.
What are your own personal goals for the remainder of 2023 after losing the Dream Gate Championship?
Still, I think that garbage wrestlers should be eliminated from the ring. I hate filth. Both the Mask vs Mask cage match and King of Gate tie into that.
What do you hope DRAGONGATE can accomplish going forward?
Shun Skywalker is an individual. No matter what happens to DRAGONGATE, Shun Skywalker's way of being will not change at all.
As part of the New Generation Big 6, how do you feel about the other five who are part of the future? Do you agree with everyone involved?
To be honest, the "Reiwa New Generation 6" isn't stylish. It's just the six people Kikuta named, right? I feel bad for all the people riding on it. Kikuta should have just said, "I am the symbol of the new era." I didn't have that determination, so I introduced the members who would work hard together (lol). In fact, Kikuta is the only person who has surpassed Shun Skywalker even for a moment. Trying to see six people in parallel is just wrong. People who are really weak to the core can say, "I’m proud to be part of the New Generation 6 of Reiwa."
We'd like to thank Shun Skywalker for taking the time ahead of the big event and during DRAGONGATE's busy schedule. We'd also like to thank Ho Ho Lun for helping set this interview up.
We also want to thank Chiyoko, Justin Knipper, and Kay Quinn for their help with this interview. Chiyoko helped translate the questions from English to Japanese. Knipper translated the answers into English. Kay helped with asking questions and translating as well.
You can follow Chiyoko on Twitter here: @chiyoko_asakura
You can follow Justin Knipper on Twitter here: @justinmknipper
You can follow Kay on Twitter here: @KaysQuest
Make sure to follow Shun Skywalker on Twitter as well: @ssw_skywalk
To check out DRAGONGATE's Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival, you can subscribe to their VOD service here: DRAGONGATE Network
