Towering Success: Inside the Rise of the Titans of Calamity

It goes without saying that Jack Talos and Ren Ayabe tower over most of the competition in the sport of professional wrestling. Whether it’s All Japan or the National Wrestling Alliance, there is a reason both men call themselves The Titans of Calamity.

Slamwrestling.net spoke with Ayabe and Talos first in Forney, TX, for The Crockett Cup, and then over several months. Talos is no stranger to our website, but this was our first meeting with the Japanese giant. Through various translation services, we asked the six-foot-seven-inch Ayabe what made him pursue “Puroresu.”

“While watching professional wrestling on TV, I realized I had an unusually large frame and height,” he recalled. “So, I thought, ‘I might as well become a pro wrestler.’ That’s what inspired me to pursue wrestling.”

He started his journey training in 2015, then he debuted in JTO (Pro Wrestling Just Tap Out), where he was with the company from 2020 to 2023.

Then he went to Zen Nihon Puroresu (All Japan), and the choice to go there was simple for Ayabe. “Because there are a lot of heavyweight wrestlers there who compete with maximum intensity.”

Ayabe has truly been an imposing figure during his time in All Japan.

And then he faced Jack Talos.

Talos has explained in his True Tall Tales of Talos columns and previous interviews what it was like to face the twenty-nine-year-old Ayabe for the first time and then team up with him as a tag unit. This was the first time we’ve heard from Ayabe’s standpoint, and he gave his account.

“It was the first time I’d ever stood across the ring from someone bigger than me, so it felt very fresh and exciting,” he recalled. “As a tag team partner, my impression was simple: it felt like there was no way this team could lose.”

From there, they went on an impressive run, first taking the 2025 World’s Strongest Tag Determination League, which is All Japan’s version of The Crockett Cup. We asked both men their views on how that prepared them for the Cup.

“One of the big things you learn during these kinds of tournaments is that it’s hard to prepare for the next round because you don’t always know who your next opponent is going to be,” Talos explained. “You have to learn to be ready for anything and focus on your own game plan. Like they say, everyone has a plan until they get smacked in the mouth, and these tournaments are the epitome of that.”

Ayabe agreed and added, “That’s really where the Titans of Calamity’s incredible run began.”

What a run it was. They went on to claim the All Japan Tag Team titles and then hit their stride coming to the NWA for the Crockett Cup, vying for a spot as the sixteenth seed in the tournament. They proceeded to beat last year’s winners, The Immortals, and went up the ladder and defeated The Country Gentlemen in KC and AJ Cazana to claim the vaunted Crockett Cup.

So, what works best for The Titans of Calamity as a team, and what opportunities could improve their run?

“I mean, obviously our biggest advantage is our size and ability as individuals, but outside of that, I also feel like Ayabe and I understand each other better because of that similarity,” Talos explained. “We both know what it means to be giants in this industry, and we’re able to support and help each other more because of it.

“As for improvement, it’s always about figuring out the next evolution. Learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses more and more, helping each other shore those areas up, and continuing to get better as a team.”

“Simply put, the fact that there are two guys over two meters tall on the same team,” Ayabe stated plainly. “This time we traveled to Texas in the United States, but if more opportunities arise, we’d like to go to many different places and achieve success wherever we compete.

“Then, when we return to All Japan, the Titans of Calamity name and the World Tag Team Championship will carry even greater prestige.”

This trip to Texas was also a good bonding experience for both men. Does it also help their tag chemistry?

“One hundred percent. I think people forget that even though we’ve had all this success, in terms of time together, Ayabe and I are still a fairly new team with a lot of room to grow,” Talos explained. “Every time we step into the ring, we learn a little more about one another and become that much better. Especially in a situation like this, where you really only have each other to rely on.”

Even Ayabe had some fond memories during his first trip to the United States.

“Outside of the tournament itself, getting the chance to attend an MLB (Major League Baseball) game was very memorable,” Ayabe recalled. “Also, all of the food was fantastic.”

(Author’s Note: I was there with the Titans as we were at a Texas Rangers game the next day. To say that they stood out at Global Life Field ballpark in Arlington, TX, is putting it mildly.)

“There are plenty of other memories as well, but there’s no doubt that this trip became such a great experience because Talos supported me in so many ways throughout the journey.”

Talos added his perspective during the last Cup.

“Honestly, the thing that stands out most isn’t any one match. It’s seeing how different every trip to the Crockett Cup has been,” he explained. “

On my first three visits there, I was with Daisy Kill. This year, I was there with Ren Ayabe as one half of the Titans of Calamity, representing All Japan as its champions. Same tournament, completely different chapter of my career,” Talos continued. “Wrestling is a strange business because you don’t always realize you’re living through different eras of your life until you look back on them.

“The Crockett Cup has kind of become a measuring stick for me in that sense. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve been a different wrestler, in a different place in my career, surrounded by different people,” he concluded. “So, if I had to pick a memory, it would probably be sitting around with Ren after a long day and realizing how far both of us had come—not only as tournament competitors, but as partners. Those are the moments you remember years later.

“That said, finally being handed that trophy by Billy Corgan after four years of trying definitely hit different too.”