Exclusive: Ninja Mack Interview – Talking Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, DRAGONGATE, And More

Ninja Mack’s momentum is undeniable. With every viral gif of his moves or being announced for a big show, he continues to be one of the best features on any show he’s booked for. Mack has worked for companies in the United States, mostly known for his matches in GCW, or his appearance on Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor XV. He also has made appearances for Dragon Gate and most recently was signed to NOAH.

In Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ninja Mack managed to become the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion before losing the title to Dante Leon. He continues to make a statement in both Japan and the United States as he’s set to return to GCW soon.

Our contributor Hart Editing got to talk with him and ask some questions!

What is your favorite thing to do in Japan when you have free time?

To go explore and learn about Japan.

What is your favorite combination for wrestling gear?

A Ninja mask and Tabi shoes.

Ninja Mack hasn’t been alone in his journey, as he has both tagged and faced Dante Leon in multiple promotions.

You’ve risen from Loko, to GCW, to NOAH along with Dante Leon being there with you the entire way. How do you feel about having that connection with him and your careers so closely tied together?

He’s a friend now, but more so a rival, the connection pushes me to get better, and I have no intentions of slowing down.

What is a wrestling pet peeve of yours?

Length of matches: Most shows have adopted a TV-style format, so wrestlers only get 6-8 minutes or 10-12 minutes. Matches shouldn’t be determined by the amount of time given.

Did you enjoy your time with Dragon Gate and is there anyone else there you’d still like to face?

I loved working with Dragon Gate. It was wonderful. They treated and welcomed me with a lot of respect, and all the wrestlers there are so good, I’d like to wrestle Shun (Skywalker) in a 1-vs-1 (match).

Hart: It feels like once a month our Twitter timeline is blessed with some crazy new gif or video of Ninja Mack pulling off some mind-blowing move. This has become the normal, and I still can’t help but be amazed by what I see. I decided to ask him some background on these.

You have a unique move set and seem to always be debuting new moves in your offense. Do you practice a lot of stuff in your free time or do some ideas just come naturally during the flow of a match?

For the wild, unique ninja moves, no, I don’t practice them. They just kind of happen.

For training in the ring and you can ask anyone that ever trains with me, I preach Tom Prichard. I went to one of the seminars and since then I drill his exercises.

Did you grow up watching wrestling? If so, who were your favorites or inspirations growing up?

Growing up, I was fascinated by wrestling, WWF, WCW, and AAA are what I started with, then I got to Japanese wrestling once I got access to the Internet and fell in love with NOAH.

Who are your favorite women’s wrestlers on the indie scene today?

For women wrestlers right now, I’d have to say Maki Itoh, I’ve got the chance to watch her at a couple of GCW shows, and every match was so good.

Thank you to Ninja Mack for this brief Q&A. We here at the Bodyslam are excited to see what’s in store for his future.

You can follow Ninja Mack on Twitter: @NinjaMack1