{"id":124041,"date":"2024-04-17T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=124041"},"modified":"2024-04-17T03:24:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T07:24:17","slug":"indie-watch-akira","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/17\/indie-watch-akira\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Watch: Akira"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers. Some are indie prospects hitting their peaks. Others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at an individual who&#8217;s known by many monikers, such as the &#8220;Death Fighter&#8221; and the &#8220;Ultra Violent Samurai,&#8221; but many of his fans know him as simply Akira.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cIf you can\u2019t listen to these fans and hear that I\u2019m money waiting to be printed, then you are f*cking yourself. PERIOD!\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In six short years,\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0has firmly solidified himself as one of the standards in independent and deathmatch wrestling. From Japan to Philly, the crowds are chanting his name.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cAkira, Akira, Akira.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira recently sat down with <strong>Will Gray<\/strong> from <strong>Last Word on Sports<\/strong>, to discuss his career, his rise, and deathmatch wrestling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GZfTNVp0IF4?si=T96Ol1X1dPhpqoa1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Forging the Akira Way<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Growing up in rural Indiana is not easy. It was especially uneasy for a Japanese\/Korean kid with a bowl cut. Akira was born and raised in the Midwest and felt the struggles of many minority children.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI\u2019m from the middle of Indiana, the middle of nowhere\u2026 I was the only minority, and when I was growing up I was the prototypical Asian kid.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A multi-sport athlete, Akira was also a collegiate swimmer. Outside of sports, he is a musician and an artist. Growing up, Akira would watch\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE, WCW<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ECW<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, but by high school would find through tape trading with friends, <strong>NJPW<\/strong> and <strong>Pro Wrestling NOAH<\/strong> from Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Once he finished college, Akira found himself in the drudge of endless jobs rotating without any passion behind them. Shortly after college, he attended a house show, featuring WWE superstars\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">AJ Styles<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dean Ambrose<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The hard-hitting action led to Akira seeking out a school, and starting his journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">During the interview, Akira would discuss the rigorous schedule during training. He would go on to talk about the three-hour car rides to the school, sleeping on couches to save money and working full time. All to achieve his goal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">By 2018, Akira was ready to hit the road and start working.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cMy entire career has been proving people wrong. I did my pilgrimage on my own.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Working Minoru Suzuki<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Fight to Survive<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\ude43\ud83d\ude42 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2XRzOP6ifc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/2XRzOP6ifc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AKIRA \u30a2\u30ad\u30e9 DEATH FIGHTER (@theakiraway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theakiraway\/status\/1780238829846139346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Throughout the interview, Akira would imply how important\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Minoru Suzuki<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0was and is to his career in wrestling. Having just arrived home from a show, Akira had the opportunity to wrestle the \u201cMurder Grandpa\u201d at <strong>Prestige Wrestling<\/strong>. Fresh off the plane, with the battle scars to prove it, Akira was elated about the match.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cIt was surreal, you\u2019ll see it on my face.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some people say, never meet your heroes. In Akira\u2019s case, he got to roll around with one of his. He would say even with \u201call of his accolades,\u201d he still went all in with him. Wrestling is all about charisma and action. During the action, Akira said Suzuki called him a \u201cyoung boy\u201d and instead of clamming up, he fired back \u201cyou old f*cking man.\u201d It wasn\u2019t out of disrespect, but more so out of love, because the crowd lost it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI got to roll around with one of the guys who got me back into wrestling.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira would receive praise from everyone involved in the match.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Big Japan Pro-Wrestling<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">From <strong>Atsushi Onita<\/strong> to <strong>Terry Funk<\/strong> and <strong>Mick Foley<\/strong>, Japanese Deathmatch wrestling is its own world inside pro wrestling. The history of the fierce battles is renowned by fans and wrestlers alike. Over the last 18 months, Akira has had a run seen by a few gaijin.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI don&#8217;t blow smoke up my own ass, but people were already chanting my name. I had the longest merch line. Being Japanese\/Korean probably helped.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira would say the Japanese fans were excited. He said they treated the presentation differently, and with that, they expect certain things. They aren\u2019t the smart tongue-in-cheek fans in the States. They have a different appreciation for the art.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI couldn\u2019t go in there doing the \u2018I\u2019m a big dumb gaijin, punch kick, punch, kick.\u2019 they wanted more from me.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Travelling between the states with other stars from both sides of the ocean, Akira knew he was doing something right when veterans started saying things like \u201cNow kid, you\u2019ve made it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Deathmatches<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The question is, what do fans get from deathmatch wrestling?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira\u2019s answer would go back to before he was even wrestling. He said when he first started wrestling he didn\u2019t like deathmatches. It wasn\u2019t his cup of tea. But after seeing a pair of deathmatches between <strong>Nick Gage<\/strong> vs. <strong>Shlak<\/strong> and <strong>Carlon Colon<\/strong> vs. <strong>Jun Kasai<\/strong>, his opinions had changed. Akira had seen the \u201cchaos and brutality of what it could be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The light tubes and ultra-violence of deathmatches aren&#8217;t for everyone. The crowd, the environment and everything are different.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cTo be honest, it\u2019s actually not for everyone. Deathmatch fans, get that visceral feeling of being in a mosh pit.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">GCW &#8211; The Collective: Bloodsport<\/span><\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">We know who won in the long game.<\/p>\n<p>Fight to Survive.<\/p>\n<p>Follow the Way. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JBBSX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#JBBSX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WGAFfUojto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/WGAFfUojto<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aZrXcULjsS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/aZrXcULjsS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AKIRA \u30a2\u30ad\u30e9 DEATH FIGHTER (@theakiraway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theakiraway\/status\/1778863828278612367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cThat Road Warrior pop brother.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Josh Barnett\u2019s<em> Bloodsport<\/em><\/strong> is a staple for <em><strong>The Collective<\/strong><\/em> and <strong>GCW<\/strong>. Ran by the \u201cWar Master\u201d Barnett puts together his list of fighters for the event. This year featuring <strong>Shayna Baszler<\/strong> and <strong>Charlie Dempsey<\/strong> from the WWE it also featured some of the best fighters from around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><em>The Collective<\/em> this year, featured alongside <em><strong>WrestleMania 40<\/strong><\/em> in Philadelphia, had one of the biggest <em>Bloodsport<\/em> crowds to date. Akira faced off with the \u201cSavage Gentleman\u201d <strong>Victor Benjamin<\/strong>, and he would say \u201cHearing from a certain War Master, they were surprised by me.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira would describe the event as being similar to his time in Japan. Discussing the \u201cInoki Slap\u201d before going through the curtain to get the fighters ready.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The crowd was electric and although in defeat Akira said he received the \u201cRoad Warrior level pop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI go out there and people remember me.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Big Gay Brunch and MLW<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Though the fires burnt the forest to cinder, the fires did end and new life begun to blossom.<\/p>\n<p>Nature\u2019s natural reset <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ip2iDci5tW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ip2iDci5tW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AKIRA \u30a2\u30ad\u30e9 DEATH FIGHTER (@theakiraway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theakiraway\/status\/1780282475412894025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cIf Minoru Suzuki can do this sh*t, then there is no reason you macho motherf*ckers can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>MaidKira<\/strong> is an alter-ego of Akira. Born from a <strong>Twitch<\/strong> goal and a bet with his viewers, MaidKira became a feature of his Twitch channel. Akira says that one day\u00a0<\/span><strong><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/01\/11\/effy-interview-big-gay-brunch\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Effy<\/a><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0came to a calling. The conversation sounded like, \u201cCan MaidKira wrestle?\u201d and he would answer \u201cShe can? What&#8217;s up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The concept of bridging character work and in-ring work is a key factor in establishing yourself in the wrestling world. Akira can do this seamlessly. He would say, \u201c I went out there to be the maid. I was cleaning the ropes\u2026 I dusted a fan&#8217;s face, and called him a dusty bitch\u2026 You put me in any scenario and I\u2019m going to make it work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">During the interview, Akira would also discuss his time with <strong>MLW<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cThe run with MLW has been really cool.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He would say he heard horror stories from friends, telling him don\u2019t sign a contract. He said that since he arrived at MLW, he has been met with nothing but high praise and respect.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cI\u2019m happy to be a part of a product that is growing\u2026 I get put in these positions and just keep killing it.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira would also discuss the War Chamber match with <strong>Team Death Fighters<\/strong>. He would describe it as being chaotic but told a story that turned out well. He would talk about the year and a half build to the War Chamber match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Akira has set himself apart everywhere he wrestles, and has a adorable dog named <strong>Kota<\/strong>. The full interview is available\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/50DoVXZu31WUDZQZlYigif?si=ZJsoKeRaQqCWeuVewWohJA\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">here<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. If aggregated please credit Will Gray and Last Word on Sports.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-post-content tagdiv-type\">\n<p><em>Header photo &#8211; X (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/theakiraway\/status\/1774479799806730519\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@theakiraway<\/a>) &#8211; Stay tuned to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers. Some are indie prospects hitting their peaks. Others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at an individual who&#8217;s known by many monikers, such as the &#8220;Death [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4168,"featured_media":124052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5274,5283,6,2192],"tags":[6740,4327],"class_list":["post-124041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gcw","category-mlw","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-akira","tag-josh-barnetts-bloodsport"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}