Wolf Aron bites into 500g of steak (Photo: Yanagawago!)
“Itadakimasu! It’s delicious!”
With that said, the man who bit into the 500g Australian rib roast was Wolf Aron, a gold medalist in the men’s 100kg judo category at the Tokyo Olympics, who retired from judo in June 2025 and suddenly joined New Japan Pro Wrestling (hereinafter referred to as New Japan).
“I’ve been coming to this restaurant, which is close to New Japan’s dojo, often since I became a trainee.The lean meat goes down well, and in a good way, it’s meaty, so I feel like my body is getting stronger just by eating it.”
He sometimes grills his steaks at home and is particular about how he eats them.
“The doneness is super rare. The best seasoning is garlic butter and soy sauce, which is a combination of butter, soy sauce, and garlic. You might think butter would make it greasy, but since butter and meat are both beef, there’s no reason they wouldn’t go well together (lol).”
Wolf is sought after by the media for his cheerfulness and power of talk, but his debut match is scheduled for January 4, 2026, and his adjustment is a matter of concern. There have been cases in the past where judo players who represented Japan have switched to professional wrestling, but this is the first time for an Olympic gold medalist. In addition, it coincided with the retirement match of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who had reigned as New Japan’s ace for a long time, and all seats at the venue, Tokyo Dome, were sold out. It has been attracting attention as it has been decided to be broadcast nationally on terrestrial TV (TV Asahi) for the first time in 24 years.
“I’ve made some preparations. I get nervous when I think of a packed Tokyo Dome, and my spirits naturally get high. I’m sure I’m nervous because I’m worried about whether it’s going to go well or not. But that kind of nervousness isn’t bad. In fact, life without tension is boring. Of course I loved New Japan, but I realized once again that I decided to switch to professional wrestling because I wanted to experience these emotions.”
The opponent in the debut match is EVIL, the leader of the heel unit “HOT (House of Torture)”. He is a formidable opponent known for his fighting style, which does not hesitate to use deadly weapons, call fouls, or even intrude on his allies. However, this card was realized through direct appeal from Wolf himself. At the Ryogoku tournament on October 13th, EVIL won in a fight filled with foul play, and Wolf, who was second, entered the ring and a brawl broke out. At the Kumamoto tournament on December 14th, the relationship between the two has already intensified, with Wolf approaching EVIL after the match and hitting each other with elbows.
“When we step into the ring, there are no seniors or juniors. EVIL is bad, and I’m sure hot players will invade the match with illegal attacks. But if you think about it, I’m the one who’s ‘invading’ so much. And I’m still a trainee (bitter smile).”
Wolff became the world’s number one judo player, but after joining New Japan, he emphasized “starting from zero.” He works out at the dojo six days a week in the mornings with trainees who are around 20 years old.
“Basic training is tough. Even though I’m almost 30 years old, I don’t normally do 1,000 squats. In that sense, I feel like I’m back in my school days. In the world of professional wrestling, it’s easy for people to get into the game early, regardless of their age. Uga-senpai. Suddenly, a junior who is 10 years older than me joins us, and we might start calling each other by ‘san’ and make other people worry about him (lol). However, I don’t think it’s hard at all because I chose this path because I like it.”
At what moment do you realize that you have become a professional wrestler?
“Rope marks on waist and back” I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw that the rope was so clearly visible (lol).The rope is just a piece of rubber around the wire, and it’s much harder than I imagined.Judo and professional wrestling are all different in terms of direction of movement, rhythm, and passive form. I had a hard time getting used to it, but now I feel like it’s easier to do on the mat than on the tatami. (Is it a judo technique?) I think it can be a weapon, but if you do it too much, it becomes judo instead of professional wrestling (lol).
Having reached the pinnacle in judo, the pressure of not being able to fail may be greater than anyone else’s.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel when I actually step into the ring.However, I’ve been on stage so many times that normal people wouldn’t be able to stand on, so I think I’ve learned how to deal with my nervousness.”
The first time I greeted wrestling fans in the ring, I was so nervous that I mistakenly said “mattress” instead of “mattress,” which caused some laughter.
“At that time, I was trying too hard to decide what to say, so I ended up biting myself (lol). Professional wrestling is only possible because of the fans who watch it. Hiroshi Nagata, who approached me when I joined New Japan, also told me that I have to fight not only with my opponent, but also with the audience. Microphone performance before and after matches is also important in professional wrestling. I hope to make use of my experience on variety shows and on the radio, which I started doing in October, in that regard.”
Finally, we asked him about his debut match and his aspirations for 2026.
“(To EVIL) I don’t have much to offer in my professional wrestling career, but I’m just going to share with you what I’ve been doing in judo and what I’ve been preparing for the past six months.First of all, I’d like to give my full concentration to 1st and 4th.”
The second chapter of the man who shed the title of gold medalist will soon begin.
Urfuaron
Born February 25, 1996 in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo Started judo at the age of 6 at the recommendation of his grandfather. In 2017, he won the world championship in the 100kg category. In 2019, he won the All Japan Championship, where he competes for the top spot in Japan in all weight categories, and won the gold medal in the 100kg class at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He retired from judo in June 2025, the year after the 2024 Paris Olympics (7th place individually), and announced that he would turn to professional wrestling.
Interview and text by Masao Kurihara
Interview cooperation: “STEAK DINER BULL”
