Tanga Loa Reveals Why He Hates Chops So Much

Guerrillas of Destiny have met big-time success in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but sometimes their emotions get the best of them.

If you’ve watched a New Japan show in the last four years, you’ve probably seen the duo beating opponents senseless while letting out expletives. Tanga Loa told Fightful why that happens so much in an otherwise quiet environment.

“It’s in the heat of the moment a lot of those times. There’s certain moves you don’t want to take and sometimes you just wanna let loose a little bit. So, you gotta allow some of that anger out a little bit,” Tanga said. 

What move is it that gets Tanga Loa so riled up?

“There’s a lot of guys that know that I’m not a big fan of chops. I think those are ridiculous. I think chops are… It is what it is. It’s just one of those things, maybe it’s just my mentality or something, but like in a real fight—and I know this is wrestling, it’s pure entertainment—pure in a real fight you’re not gonna “chop somebody” chop somebody. No one’s thinking to chop somebody,” said Tanga.

Chops were primarily used because closed fist punches were enforced as illegal in professional wrestling. The unpredictable nature of a punch knocking opponents out led to the open hand approach, but is rarely enforced these days.

“Right, and you know, there’s ref’s who, “One. Two.” You know, point it out, and he’ll give you the, “Hey, watch that hand.” That’s cool. But, chops are just…they’re the shits,” Tanga said. “There are some fights that happen with a slap across the face. That makes sense. You’ll get a pop out of that. But, that chop, it’s a wonderful sound. It projects in the arena and I understand that part. But, if you’re the one receiving it, it’s the shits, man. Even if you do have padding on.”

You heard the man. Think of something else!

You can see our full interview with Tanga Loa at the top of the page, and you can check him out on NJPW Strong, which airs every Friday on New Japan World.