The True Tall Tales of Talos: Halfway to Heaven, Knee-Deep in Hell

Slam Wrestling

The True Tall Tales of Talos: Halfway to Heaven, Knee-Deep in Hell

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 43: Halfway to Heaven, Knee-Deep in Hell

Some days start like any other—coffee, stretches, routine. But from the moment I opened my eyes today, I could feel the difference. The air had weight to it. A quiet pressure. A static charge hanging just beneath the surface of the ordinary. Because today wasn’t just another day in the dojo, or another match on the tour.

Today was our return to Korakuen Hall—the mecca. And tonight, I would walk through those storied curtains to challenge for the AJPW World Tag Team Championships alongside my partner, Hokuto Omori, against none other than Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi.

This was the collision course we’d been barreling toward for weeks. The backstage confrontation. The media day ambush. The press conference fireworks. The hype didn’t need to be manufactured—it was real, and you could feel it in every glance, every whisper, every post. The energy around this match had been building like thunder in the distance, and tonight was the lightning strike.

We arrived at Korakuen just after 3:00 PM. The Tokyo summer heat hadn’t relented one bit, and as we stepped through the venue doors, the contrast between the sweltering chaos of the city and the controlled chaos of the arena was immediate. Staff darted between folding tables and camera rigs. The ring crew moved like clockwork, tightening ropes and leveling boards. The buzz in the building was alive—half adrenaline, half reverence. Korakuen has a heartbeat, and on nights like this, you feel it pulsing through the soles of your boots.

After settling in, Hokuto and I ran through our warm-ups, sticking to the rhythms we’ve carved into habit—stretch, visualize, breathe. Then came the strategy. We already knew what Kento and Yuma would do. Separate us. Isolate Hokuto. Cut the ring in half and pick us apart. We couldn’t let that happen. So, we sharpened our counters, reaffirmed our trust, and finalized the one ace we’d been keeping in our back pocket: a new tandem move we’d been developing. We called it “Watashi wa chanpion ni naritai desu!”—“I want to be champion.”

It wasn’t just a phrase. It was a declaration. A weapon.

Time moved like a stuttered reel after that—the kind of day where minutes melt into each other and everything blurs into motion. One second, you’re pacing backstage. The next, you’re inches from the curtain, muscles tensed, blood humming in your ears, your heart threatening to break through your ribcage.

Then the music hits.

A deep breath. One final look at Hokuto. And we stepped out into the lights.

Now, if you’ve followed these journals, you know I don’t go play-by-play. That’s not what this is for. You’ll see the match. You’ll hear what the critics and fans had to say. What I will say is this—we gave them everything. We hit the move. We had them. For a moment, those titles felt like they were already in our hands.

But Kento Miyahara… he’s not called the ace for nothing. He made the save, threw just enough chaos into the moment to tip the scales. And in that sliver of distraction, Yuma capitalized, pinning Hokuto and keeping the belts out of our reach—this time.

So here we are. Halfway to heaven. Knee-deep in hell.

We didn’t leave Korakuen with gold around our waists tonight. But we left something in that ring and took something from that crowd. Respect. Momentum. Belief.

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