Editor’s Note: Talos, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, reached out to Slamwrestling.net recently and informed us he will be doing a tour for the All-Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. Per Talos’ request, certain names have been changed to protect their anonymity. Plus, who are we to argue with a seven-foot giant?
Here is another excerpt of his recent adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun.
By Talos – For Slam! Wrestling
Day 35: A Different Light
There’s a different kind of spotlight when it’s shining from a webcam. A softer heat. Less polish. More pulse. Day two of our media gauntlet wasn’t staged for the suits, networks, or press photographers.
It was for the fans—the real ones. The ones who pack arenas, scream from the balconies, and follow every promo and post.
Unlike yesterday’s press conference circus, today was YouTube Live, raw and unscripted, and it was our turn to speak directly to the people.
The show was scheduled for 7:30 PM Japan time. Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi, our opponents for July 17, were already announced as guests. But somehow, Hokuto and I weren’t even on the docket. That wasn’t going to stand. At about 8 o’clock, we pulled up unannounced to the All Japan Pro Wrestling headquarters in Chiyoda City.
The building itself feels like a fortress. Nine stories tall with a brushed steel exterior, tucked between the humming arteries of central Tokyo. Inside, it’s all business: organized chaos, towers of paperwork, tape boxes stacked like puzzle pieces, and that unmistakable scent of grind. At the heart of it all sits a massive conference table, surrounded by desks, filing cabinets, and half-open doors to adjoining rooms where real decisions get made.
That’s when we heard Kento and Yuma’s voices drifting through one of the back rooms.
They were casually chopping it up with fans on the live stream, laughing like they owned the place. That’s when we made our move. We kicked open the door, stormed into the room like a damn typhoon, and chased them out mid-sentence. No warning. No pleasantries. Just us announcing to everyone watching, “We’re taking over.”
After a short intermission, the broadcast resumed—now with Hokuto and yours truly running the show. Hundreds of fans tuned in live, their questions pouring into the chat feed like rapid fire. Everything from “How do you like Japan?” to “How do you even fit into a Japanese bed?”
We cracked open a couple of cold drinks, dug into some snacks—beef liver, chicken thighs, a few other mystery meats I didn’t ask too many questions about—and started answering straight from the gut.
Japan? I’ve loved every second of it. The fans here are a different breed—respectful, passionate, and razor sharp. The food? Insane. I haven’t had a single bad meal. From sizzling street yakitori to refined kaiseki courses that look like artwork, every bite’s been a story. And the country itself—man, it’s a postcard with a pulse. Fog-draped Mt. Fuji that plays hide-and-seek with the clouds. The regal chill that runs through you when you walk up to Osaka Castle. There’s this duality in Japan—the ancient and the futuristic somehow coexisting in the same space—and it hits you in the chest every day you’re here.
Fans asked about the match, of course. July 17. Tag team gold. I didn’t dance around it. We’re not here to look good. We’re not here to blend in. We’re here to win. We’re here to bring the titles home to the Hokuto Army.
We wrapped the stream about an hour later, thanked everyone for riding with us, and signed off. Hokuto and I dapped it up and went our separate ways. My journey back to the dojo was quiet, almost meditative. When I arrived, I went through my nightly ritual—cardio, a light dinner, and then a shower to wash off the day.
Lights out. Another step closer to destiny.
Talos Links
- Talos story and column archive
- Talos’ socials via LinkTree
- NWA LinkTree
