WrestleMania weekend is notoriously the busiest time of the wrestling calendar, an onslaught of shows featuring talent from across the globe competing in hundreds of matches. During that weekend a rumble could be felt from the other side of the globe, all the way from Tokyo as Aaron Henare went to thumping war with Shingo Takagi. It earned Henare the biggest plaudits of his career so far, the world finally able to see what he always knew he was capable of.

Now, Henare is preparing to enter NJPW’s G1 Climax 33 where he finds himself in C Block, quickly dubbed the beefy block by fans. He’ll step back in the ring with Shingo Takagi, he’ll get his long-awaited singles match against Tomohiro Ishii and he’ll square off with one of AEW’s most beloved in Eddie Kingston. It’s the exact type of environment Henare thrives in.

We spoke to Henare to get his thoughts on his competition ahead of entering the tournament before diving into United Empire; discussing Dan Moloney’s defection, Aussie Open signing with AEW, Great-O-Khan being a role model to us all and which joshi wrestlers he would like to see join the group. The discussion moves onto a variety of wrestling topics, including Henare being on commentary, who from other promotions he wants to wrestle, taking on the Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada dream-team in January, the current state of New Japan as a whole and his own New Zealand based promotion Warrior Wrestling Aotearoa.

Finally, Henare shares the inspirational work he does outside of the ring in youth work and mentoring those at risk. Having gone through similar circumstances earlier in his life he can empathise with them and works tirelessly to guide them to a better life.

Thank you to Aaron Henare for taking the time out of his schedule for this interview.

You can follow Henare on Twitter @HenareNZ.