NJPW's SANADA Explains His Vision Of Being IWGP Champion

There is no rest for the wicked, and there's also no rest for anyone who holds the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, whose current champion is SANADA. The top dog of the Just Five Guys faction has been working non-stop since he won the title from Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis several weeks ago, working in tag and multi-man matches in both the United States and Japan. Through it all, he has yet to defend the IWGP Heavyweight title once.

That doesn't mean, however, that SANADA hasn't given any thought to what he wants his title defenses, and their aftermath, to be like when the time comes. In an interview with New Japan Pro-Wrestling's official website, SANADA discussed his vision for his title reign and the "gift" he wants to give to the New Japan audience.

"Coming to the building and receiving that positive energy, that's a gift I can give the people and the people can give me, too," SANADA said. "I'm not bringing presents here, I won't put Starbucks gift cards under every seat, but all of us leaving with more energy than they came in is a gift we can all enjoy."

Whether this is a long-term plan for SANADA will be determined a week from Wednesday, as he is scheduled to make his first IWGP World Heavyweight title defense against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and former Los Ingobernables de Japon teammate Hiromu Takahashi at Wrestling Dontaku. But despite all that backstory, as well as the fact that SANADA could lose the title after his long quest to get it, the World Champion is feeling more at peace than nervous right now.

"I just feel really grateful for everything right now," SANADA said. "You can't pick and choose with timing at the end of the day."