Deaf wrestler Sean Noone: What it was like to wrestle in Japan!

When I was invited to wrestle in wrestling shows in Tokyo, of course, I grabbed the opportunity, as it was one of my dreams.

The wrestling event had been arranged by a Japanese pro-wrestling company called Touroumon. I felt it was a huge honour to be invited to take part and flew to Japan at the end of January.

When I arrived in Japan, I did not know who my match was going to be against until the very last minute. I attended the pre-event training, and the trainer was serious and strict with all the wrestlers.

So there was no time for playing around or having fun – it was hard work!

At the event, there was going to be a 10-man tag team match at the main event. It would be a sold out show with 600 people in attendance!

It was probably one of the biggest deaf audiences ever to attend a sporting event. That showed me how serious wrestling is in Japan.

After the show, the promoter asked me to have a private conversation with him. I was worried and nervous as I thought I had done something wrong, but he told me how impressed he was with me. He was really pleased to have me in the show.

He told me he had put me in the Touroumon champion match at the next day. I was overwhelmed with that, as I was only doing two matches for Touroumon and it was a big step up for me to go to main event level.

That made me feel proud of what I had done. The next day, I was put in the champion match against two Japanese wrestlers.

This match was so brutal. One of the Japanese wrestler’s teeth were broken due to the match, but guess what? He carried on!

That showed me that wrestling was part of his passion and he carried on, no matter what happened in the square circle.

I ended the match by doing my favourite move, the “Midnight strike” to become the new champion.

While in Japan, I was overwhelmed with their culture. There are a number of differences – for example, you could get a heavy fine or imprisonment if you smoke while walking on a footpath.

I was also surprised that the mattress I slept on was on the floor, and the other big difference was the food – I ate rice and noodles all the time!

But their community was so great. There was lots of respect and very friendly people. There was lots of miscommunication but we got there in the end!

So now, I am currently Touroumon Japan Pro Wrestling Champion, which means I will return to Japan again to defend the title! I am looking forward to it!

I would like to say big thanks to my trainers in the UK, the Hunter Brothers, and Dave Mastiff, plus the fans who supported me during my time in the Japan. Without them, I might never have become a champion.