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Exclusive: Gabe Kidd Talks NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed, History With Kosei Fujita & More

The NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion opens up about his upcoming title bout at Fighting Spirit Unleashed

Sid Pullar III

njpw1972.com

Since winning the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship in May, Gabe Kidd has not wasted any time in firmly etching his name into the title's history.

Defending the gold against the likes of Lio Rush, Ultimo Guerrero and Anthony Henry, Kidd has gone to multiple promotions to establish himself as a true openweight champion. That will continue when he defends his title against TMDK's Kosei Fujita at NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed on November 8.

This title bout will mark the first time that "The Mad Man" will defend his gold in the main event of a NJPW show. Gabe Kidd told The Takedown that this fact isn't lost on him and calls it disrespectful after a near-six month reign as champion.

"I'm not even excited, it's about time they put me in the main event. What's about this disrespect? When Eddie Kingston (was champion), he was main eventing every show. Who was before that? KENTA, main eventing every show. Don't talk to me about that man," Kidd said.

“They been disrespecting for too long, and then they put this little young punk, this little young punk in the ring with me. Thinking he can step to me? It's ridiculous."

The Bullet Club War Dogs member has plenty of history with his Fighting Spirit Unleashed opponent, Kosei Fujita. The star known as "The Ichiban Sweet Boy" spent time in the New Japan dojo with Kidd prior to his debut, which Gabe remembers very well.

"I remember his first day in the dojo, I was the first senpai to take him out of the dojo. You're not allowed to leave the dojo until you debut. When he debuted, I took him for a meal. We went for a nice little meal together, and now he thinks he can step to me? Stop being a joker, man, stop being a joker, Kosei. Little loser."

Their history with one another had to be a factor in Fujita accepting the open challenge for the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, but Kidd still thinks TMDK's "Young Punk" has more to learn.

"I think he's got more bollocks than brains to be honest with him. What I always admired about him is that he had ambition, but you need to know when you're there and when you're not," Kidd said. "It's all good chasing it, but if you think you're there before, I've seen him in matches looking all confident, looking all cool, you're trying to act like something you're not. You little punk, you little b**ch, so don't even get me started on any of that."

"He walks around he thinks he's above where he is right now, he think he's on the same level as me, which is his first mistake cause yeah, I might have been in the dojo as the same time as you, but I been wrestling for 13 years. I started over again in the dojo to better myself, so don't try to talk to me about that, you little fool."

Fujita is coming off the biggest victory of his young career after winning the Super Junior Tag League Final alongside fellow TMDK member Robbie Eagles over Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesca Akira) on the November 4 NJPW Power Struggle event. That recent win hasn't changed anything, according to Kidd.

"He just won, whatever it's called, Super Junior Tag League Finals, don't care about that, because he's gonna get his ass beat by Clark and Dan. So, that's irrelevant, but he wants to challenge me before that? Come on, man.”

NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed will stream live on njpwworld.com and Triller TV. The card also includes IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr., AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita and much more.

Make sure to check out our full interview with Gabe Kidd on The Takedown on SI YouTube Channel and make sure to hit subscribe to catch all of our upcoming exclusive content!

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Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III, born and raised in New York, is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who fell in love with the business when stars like Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Sting captured his imagination. In 2017, he started the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling podcast. Then in 2020, he began his writing for Sportskeeda Wrestling before moving to WrestleTalk in 2021. He is looking to capture his three decades worth of pro wrestling knowledge through his pieces and interviewing various stars.

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