After talking with Mrs. Tammy Norton, I was able to get in touch with WCW & New Japan legend Scott Norton. Scott was nice enough to call me and answer questions for over 100 minutes, followed by a half-hour follow-up. I didn’t ask much about his time in the US, because that has been covered extensively in his various shoot interviews. It was a very polite and open conversation, and for someone who was a long-time fan of Scott’s in WCW AND a fan of the Japanese scene it was a great pleasure for me to take part in. However the only problem was trying to organize the results. Over the last few weeks the two of us worked out what you see below.
Overview
Background
Scott’s ties to Japan began even before his wrestling career. As part of a touring arm wrestling promotion he competed in places like Korakuen Hall (which even sold out for armwrestling), and got approached by Masa Saito of New Japan. Saito told him that New Japan would be interested in him if he got trained, and sure enough just a year after he began wrestling Scott got to do the first of what would become over 100 tours of Japan. One of my first questions had to do with why Minnesota produced such a huge number of great wrestlers (Flair, Rude, the Hennigs, the Gagnes, etc), and he said it was a combination of lots of naturally strong men in the area and the influence of Minneapolis-based AWA. While other Minnesotans went on to fame in WCW and/or the WWF, Scott found New Japan to be a perfect fit. He was able to talk through his wrestling and overcome the language barrier, eventually earning the respect of fans. Just as important, he earned the respect of the wrestlers. That respect was a recurring theme in the interview.
Respect
Respect, between both wrestlers and the fans, is what made New Japan a home promotion to Norton. Within a year of entering the company he got singles wins over the likes of Mutoh and Choshu, and because of Scott’s work ethic the roster was behind him all the way instead of being defensive about putting over a relative newcomer. The roster’s cooperation and desire to help each other succeed were so strong that Scott wrestled there for 16 years and only left because of management (more on that later). He still wants to return and eventually have his last match there. Every New Japan regular I brought up got a positive reaction, a far cry from the sort of things you hear wrestlers say about each other stateside. That lack of selfishness within the roster meant they were comfortable making each other look good, and that in turn meant better matches. Unlike in the US, bonuses for big shows went to everyone rather than being lavished on headliners. The respect extended to former wrestlers in management like Masa Saito and Seiji Sakaguchi, and wrestlers on the booking staff like Riki Choshu. Sadly the company unity didn’t last forever.
New Japan’s decline, Scott’s departure and his current status
To set things up, it’s important to emphasize how good things were in the good times. Scott was put up in top-flight hotels across Japan, he got regular pay increases, and on over a dozen occasions they paid for his wife Tammy to fly over and tour with him- a perk other Americans also received at times. In the early ’90s Masa Saito complained because a venue was ‘only’ 98% full. Sadly the company’s time in the sun was limited, and though the roster disagreed with Antonio Inoki’s bizarre spending habits they were powerless to stop New Japan’s downturn. He mentioned that in the past he would be mobbed by fans on the way to the bus after a show, but in recent years those numbers would be as low as two. Salaries were slashed starting in 2005, and Scott agreed to a temporary pay cut of around 50% due to the financial situation. Yukes bought the company and failed to reverse the cut in 2006 per the agreement. This refusal to reward his loyalty to the company left a bad taste with Scott and with the New Japan roster. With no friends left in management after years of turmoil in the office, Scott finally decided to take his leave. He has since wrestled for Uwai Station and HUSTLE, and is now taking offers from several companies. His goal is at least one more tour in New Japan, but he’s comfortable working elsewhere. And TNA isn’t on the radar, in case you’re wondering.
People & Points of Interest
-Black Cat: A good friend who helped Scott and other foreigners out tremendously. Not only did he help with translating, but he’d help with any needs along the way, and he would try to protect Scott from working when he was injured. One event really sticks out. Cat was involved with a show in Hong Kong that Scott was booked for. When Scott got a parasite from bad sushi and wound up in a hospital, Cat cut his duties at the show short to look after him. And to top it off he made sure Scott got paid even though he wasn’t able to wrestle.
-Choshu: A good opponent and a good booker. At first he seemed to not want to talk to Scott, which made Scott wonder what he’d done wrong. Then one night Scott and Tammy had dinner with Choshu and a referee, when Tammy asked point-blank “Why don’t you like Scott?”. Riki blushed and said that he avoided conversation because he didn’t think his English was good enough. In a related point, Scott said that he could have a conversation in English with anyone on the roster.
-Giant Bernard: A hard worker who deserves his success. Scott was looking forward to working with him, but sadly left the company before that could happen. Bernard was not a ‘replacement’ for Scott, and this is borne out by the timeline of events, especially how long it was between Bernard’s joining and Scott’s decision to leave.
-Hase: Very smart. Once won a ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’-style TV quiz show and got all the questions correct. Tough, someone who had no problem working stiff.
-Hashimoto: “My heart stopped six times a match” (in reference to the hard kicks). A hard worker, the company spent a lot of energy to help him get over because they knew Chono and Mutoh would be fine. Hashimoto had a quirky personality, once requesting that Scott bring him a shotgun from the US piece-by-piece, and another time stealthily taking pictures of Scott feeding pigeons. He would pick up checks if Scott was in the same restaurant, even though they wouldn’t be at the same table.
-Mutoh: Incredibly popular, and his success overseas helped a lot in Japan. Very laid-back personality, though sometimes this means he has to get pushed a bit in the ring.
-Nagata: Scott loves him and always wanted to do good by him in the ring. When they wrestled for the IWGP title in 1998, Nagata was giddy and bouncing around backstage after the match (despite losing) because of how well it went. Scott wanted very much for Nagata to get over, and thinks he did as good a job as possible in his 2002-2003 title reign.
-Nakanishi: Not so good at first, but he learned and he tries hard. In 2005 they were supposed to get a run with the tag titles, but those plans were scrubbed. That sort of sudden change was a symptom of the dysfunctional management in the company at the time.
-Nishimura: It took Scott ten years figure out how to work with him, and Scott blames himself. Once they started clicking he regretted not doing so earlier. Nishimura is currently his contact in All Japan, which is in the running for where he makes his return.
-Ogawa: The only person to get a clear thumbs down from Norton. Got a big push while still green, and had an attitude problem afterwards.
-Masa Saito: Very helpful when Scott was starting out, and a long-term friend even after his retirement. Was treated unfairly by New Japan at the end.
-Tanahashi: Hard worker who would gladly listen to advice and tried his best to improve. The main thing Scott requested was that he hit harder.
-Other wrestler comments: Guys like Hase, Mutoh and Hashimoto were easiest to wrestle against because of their athletic ability and how well they fit what Scott did in the ring. Many other wrestlers (Chono, Sasaki, Tenzan, Wataru Sakata) got put over, and all in much the same way.
-Eric Bischoff: Norton things Bischoff got a bad rap, especially because he had very limited control. He mentioned flying in a jet with Eric and being shown plans for what would have been a great episode of Nitro. Eric matter-of-factly said “none of this will happen”, and sure enough none of it did.
-When Scott won the IWGP title in fall of 1998, he was supposed to get recognition and a push in WCW. The initial plan, Norton vs Booker T on a PPV, was killed because WCW didn’t want Booker to lose. After that the push was killed because certain wrestlers weren’t keen on having another wrestler and important championship get the spotlight.
-During the height of Goldberg’s popularity, New Japan wanted to give Norton a similar push. He nixed the idea, because it wouldn’t be good long-term for the wrestlers he beat.
-Brock Lesnar: Scott isn’t surprised that he didn’t get over or draw in Japan, because regardless of how good you are it takes some time to earn the fans respect. Japanese fans want to see a wrestler who is committed to working there, not treating it as an afterthought. Thinks it was a dumb move to put the title on someone who wouldn’t do tours, and that Lesnar’s refusal to drop the belt in New Japan was BS.
-Uwai Station: Scott knew Uwai through Uwai’s time in New Japan. He didn’t consider them a long-term thing, and sure enough they weren’t.
-HUSTLE: A change of pace, but workable. Well-run. Scott is a big fan of Takada, cracking up at his promos despite not knowing Japanese. I must confess to the same. In perhaps the shock revelation of the interview he really put over RG, who is fun to work with and gets great responses. His contract with HUSTLE ended in August, which is why he hasn’t wrestled in Japan this year; they decided not to book him since New Years Eve. He’s open to going back.
-Overseas fans of Japanese wrestling: He thinks it’s neat to have fans who followed his whole career.
-Crowds in Japan: They respond to hard work and wrestling ability, but not as much to things like trying to piss them off for heel heat. Sometimes there was nothing he could do to make them respond, but that would depend on where they were. In rural, southern areas like Okinawa the crowds would be silent but attentive. In the cities the crowds were much more lively. Korakuen fans are hardcore and smart, meaning you can’t get away with taking shortcuts.
-The differences between wrestling in the US and Japan: Live TV is vital in the US, where in Japan even hot promotions get crappy after-midnight time slots. In Japan promotions rely more on wrestling magazines and ticket-buying fans, which means it’s more about ring work and match outcomes as opposed to promos. To expand on this, there’s a reason why I talk a lot about show attendance; that is to Japan what ratings and buyrates are to the US.
————————————————————————
Here’s his current internet haunt at Myspace.
My thanks to Scott for answering my endless lineup of questions. There’s a good chance I can do this again in the future, so please e-mail me anything else you’d like to have answered by him. My best wishes to him for his eventual return to Japan!
