Hajime Ohara tests positive for COVID-19

It was announced on the 22nd January that Hajime Ohara had tested positive for Covid after a routine PCR test. The Osaka card was changed with YO-HEY filling in for him. Ohara has not shown any symptoms of fever, cough or loss of taste so far, and temperature taken on the morning of the 24th January was normal. Ohara is isolating at home, and true to form is studying (he was taking an online English class), and and eating nutritiously. He is determined to be back to NOAH for The Budokan.

In Osaka, the roster paid tribute to him, with YO-HEY making the Muy Bien sign, and Naomichi Marufuji finishing his promo (tantrum) with “Muy Bien”.

Kenoh from Murakami to Masakatsu

In a match that lasted only nine minutes and forty seconds, which was really for how long it needed to last, Kenoh defeated Kazunari Masakatsu for the GHC National title in Osaka on the 23rd January 2021. The match started off somewhat MMA style, and went to mat wrestling. Kenoh got his own back on Murakami for felling him with a closed fist, by doing the same, but this seemed to only make Murakami mad and he unleashed a volley of kicks and punches on Kenoh. After a brief loss of temper, Kenoh came to his senses and realized that he was going to have to take Murakami down, and he did it by using the sleeper hold, which caused the referee to stop the match.

Almost immediately after the match had finished, Masakatsu Funaki made his challenge. He simply pointed at the belt and asked Kenoh to be his next challenger. Kenoh accepted the challenge, and set it for the Nippon Budokan (12th February 2021), but backstage rather than scream abuse about his opponent, he actually said that he was it was exciting and he was looking forward to it. Murakami he said he had also enjoyed the match with, although he admitted to being scared by him.

Masakatsu Funaki seemed to have a few different reasons for challenging; he had the image of being a champion alongside Mutoh, Kenoh was not something he had experienced before, and he felt that the time was now to do it. He was also complimentary about Kenoh, saying that he was “in his thirties and riding high”. Funaki makes the third MMA fighter to have challenged Kenoh.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

Event recap: HIGHER GROUND 2021 (January 23rd, Edion Arena Osaka 2nd Stadium)

Post match interviews: HIGHER GROUND 2021 (January 23rd, Edion Arena Osaka 2nd Stadium)

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

~ Atsushi Kotoge admitted some jealousy of Daisuke Harada.

~ Mohammed Yone did some catering for the roster on the way home from Osaka.

~ Naomichi Marufuji won the chop challenge against Go Shiozaki, then got annoyed at it being pointed out that he beat Shiozaki in the challenge, but wasn’t the one to make the pin and win the match. Pointed out that HE was the senior to them, and would take both their belts, “so I can enter last and show them off”. And then walked off.

~ Takashi Sugiura says he aims to create a new record, and become the GHC Heavyweight Champion at the age of 50, however if Keiji Mutoh defeats Go Shiozaki for it, he will do it when he is 60.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

ALL the titles, except the GHC Heavyweight Tag, have been challenged for and the matches will take place at The Budokan. Fans are hoping that Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya will challenge, especially as they are teaming together against Takashi Sugiura (Kazushi Sakuraba is absent) on NOAH’s last show before The Budokan, on the 31st January.

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki
  Challenger: Keiji Mutoh (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Junior Champion: Daisuke Harada
  Challenger: Seiki Yoshioka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba)
  Challengers: None
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA)
  Challengers: Kotaro Suzuki & Ikuto Hidaka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
•  GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: Masakatsu Funaki (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

Sunday 31st January: “HIGHER GROUND 2021” (11.30am JST, Korakuen Hall.)

BROADCASTS

NOAH’s 23rd January show from Osaka will be available to view on WRESTLEUNIVERSE on Tuesday 26th January. The GHC National title match, and the main event were streamed live through Periscope.

The 31st January event at Korakuen Hall has not had broadcast details announced yet.

LINKS

“Parasyte” Kazunari Murakami’s plan to take over the REIWA Ark

“For us, The Budokan is the beginning rather than the “Return” ~ Interview with Yoshiki Inamura

Kazushi Sakuraba has an astonishing determination to “become the Takako Tokiwa” of the Pro Wrestling World

Pro Wrestling Casebook ~ a shock ran through Michinoku, when Kenoh announced he was joining Noah (2013)

“Aiming to become the GHC Champion, in the year of my 60th birthday” ~ Takashi Sugiura

GIF taken from Noah’s Periscope

Match graphic taken from the Official NOAH Twitter

NEWS

Kenoh vs Kazunari Murakami

Kenoh and Kazunari Murakami had their one and only pre-match on the 16th January at Yokohama Radiant Halls. Murakami was repeatedly told off during the match for punching (mainly Kenoh) with a closed fist. However, it was Tadasuke who he choked out, and the referee stopped the match.

Afterwards, rather than scream and swear (like he would if it were Kaito Kiyomiya, Takashi Sugiura, Naomichi Marufuji or really anyone who Kenoh hates), Kenoh studied Murakami almost as if he was trying to work him out. Backstage Kenoh said in a promo which didn’t involve angry swearing, that although he hated Murakami “from the bottom” of his heart, he would play him at his own game. Was it okay to punch with a closed fist while wearing open fingered gloves? “Was that wrestling?” Kenoh has sworn he will show him “the true Kenoh”. Title match will take place on the 23rd January at the Osaka Edion Arena.

STINGER retain against Kongoh; challenged by mortal enemies

Although Nioh’s hubris led him to say that if he had two victories over HAYATA in a row, a third would follow, he and Haoh were unsuccessful in capturing the tag team titles and swinging the balance of power in the volatile NOAH juniors to their favor, when HAYATA pinned Haoh to retain the titles. Although it was never said by Yoshinari Ogawa, fans got the impression that HAYATA was walking a very thin line.

After the match, STINGER were celebrating their victory, when they were jumped by Kotaro Suzuki, NOSAWA Rongai and Ikuto Hidaka, who threw HAYATA from the ring, kept Susumu (who had been at ringside) out, and stamped down on Yoshiari Ogawa, before Kotaro challenged for the titles saying, “The next is Hidaka and I. You can’t refuse. The place is the Nippon Budokan”. The pair of them threw the tag belts down that NOSAWA had draped over them, as HAYATA crawled back into the ring. For the second time, it was up to quiet shy HAYATA (who managed to keep his back to any cameras) to accept the challenge. Laconic as ever, HAYATA simply said “Next…you”.

Match has been set for the 12th February at The Nippon Budokan. The pre-matches, however, start on the 23rd January.

You can watch the title match for free here (NOAH streamed it through Periscope)

(This made my Match of The Year 2021 list)

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

• Post match promos ~ 10th January 2021 (Korakuen Hall)
• Event recap ~ 16th January 2021 (Yokohama Radiant Halls)
• Post match promos ~ 16th January 2021 (Yokohama Radiant Halls)

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

~ Shuhei Taniguchi tried “Disco Dancing”, except it looked more like some crazy jig.

~ Seiki Yoshioka is slowly discovering why HAYATA gave up speaking, by first of all reacting to YO-HEY verbally and wondering what he was talking about, and then reacting with “…?” after YO-HEY had babbled something about peanut butter.

~ Go Shiozaki and Naomichi Marufuji had a chop challenge. On Atsushi Kotoge’s chest.

~ Yoshiki Inamura has declared that the Musou will be hunting Jun Akiyama at The Nippon Budokan.

~ NOAH are teasing a GHC Heavyweight tag title match by The Aggression. Nakajima has started talking about “natural” it feels, with Masa Kitamiya saying how much The Sugiura Army (especially Sugiura) irritate him.

~ Manabu Soya carried Tadasuke of the ring after being choked by Kazunari Murakami, as if he was going to Avalanche slam him.

~ NOSAWA Rongai told Kotaro Suzuki and Ikuto Hidaka that they had bad fashion sense, Hidaka’s clothes were as bad as his promo skills, and that he felt sorry for the champions on that account.

~ Although the steel plate in his jaw was difficult to remove, Kaito Kiyomiya has made a good recovery and returned to the NOAH dojo. Naturally, he has not shown any pictures of his face.

~ The last time Go Shiozaki took a headbutt from Atsushi Kotoge, his head was split open and his teeth knocked out.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki
  Challenger: Keiji Mutoh (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Junior Champion: Daisuke Harada
  Challenger: Seiki Yoshioka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba)
  Challengers: None
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA)
  Challengers: Kotaro Suzuki & Ikuto Hidaka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: Kazunari Murakami (23rd January, Osaka Edion Arena 2nd Stadium)

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

Thursday 21st January: Go Shiozaki (39)

Saturday 23rd January: NOAH “Higher Ground 2021” (Osaka Edion Arena 2nd Stadium)

BROADCASTS

 NOAH’s Yokohama Radiant Halls event will be broadcast on WRESTLEUNIVERSE on the 19th January. The event on the 23rd January in Osaka will be broadcast on WRESTLEUNIVERSE on the 26th January. You must be a subscriber to view these events.

LINKS

Why did Yuki Sato, Dick Togo’s apprentice, become “Haoh” in Noah?

The key point is “craziness” in the battle with Murakami to the “dream” of The National GHC defense at The Budokan

Pictures taken from Noah GHC