Tanga Loa had never taken five-plus months off, but the events of 2020 forced him into that situation/
With New Japan Strong, NJPW effectively has a brand split. The talent they have in the USA is competing on it, with stars aplenty appearing. With that kind of layoff, Loa told Fightful it isn't hard to motivate himself, but it is hard to keep busy sometimes
"To just keep fighting, get back into the thick of things again. We hadn’t been in the ring in forever. So, to get that first match under my belt—great, awesome. Then now it’s get more matches built up and figure out a way to always improve. Always. Try new things ‘cause we have that opportunity in the ring. Just have fun until Japan says we can get over there ‘cause to live in Orlando and know that WWE’s running up the street and know you got matches going all day. I’m sitting over here like, “I could just drive over to that PC and just make a, ‘Hey, I’m not under contract.’” Probably get in trouble with New Japan, but I just want to wrestle right now," Loa told us.
What if he did want to pop up and wrestle in WWE? Could he? Would he be allowed? Not if he's under New Japan contract, which only happaened last year.
"I finally got under contract last summer," Loa clarified. "But, I still have that sort of mentality. Even though you’re under contract you should fight like you’re not. That’s one of the first things I learned—well, not first thing—but, one of the things I learned in WWE. It’s just a piece of paper. They can {tearing up contract noise} at any time. So, it’s better to have that mentality. ‘Cause I know in college that’s how it was for us when we were on scholarship, it was only a year long thing. So, you have a whole year to audition, basically, for another year. So, that’s how I feel now with New Japan. ‘Cause I learned that from WWE. There’s a false sense of security with that contract. So, now in New Japan I still maintain that idea that I’m under basically an audition for a year. So, here’s the contract—prove that you’re worthy enough for another one. So, it’s like, “Alright. Cool, man.” Keep that mentality."
If Loa signed a one-year deal last summer, that would indicate that Loa's deal would be coming up soon. He confirmed as much, but said that discussions with New Japan have been positive along the way.
"Yeah, it’s going to be up soon. What’s nice is that the company’s been real good about staying in contact with us and letting us know how things will work and we’ll talk again once this pandemic is done. Which it won’t. What’s nice is Japan, I think you’ve seen it, they’ve been able to fill their arenas up to 50% capacity. They have people. Which is nice to see people in the arenas again in Japan. But, until we get back to Japan, keep fighting. Make sure you’re doing your best to stay healthy to contribute to the company," said Loa.
You can see our full interview with Tanga Loa at the top of the page, and you can check him out on NJPW Strong, which airs every Friday on New Japan World.
