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(NOAH) NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.142 ~ 23RD SEPTEMBER 2021

With the N-1 Victory going strong, all four blocks are shaping up for their final bouts. Hisame goes over the tournament and all the other NOAH News that popped up recently!

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With the N-1 Victory going strong, all four blocks are shaping up for their final bouts. Hisame goes over the tournament and all the other NOAH News that popped up recently!

NEWS

N-1 VICTORY 

Block A

Kaito Kiyomiya – 4

Kaito Kiyomiya shed the young boy look and went for something darker, debuting a new somber look for his first match in the league. Gone was the blonde hair, gone was the green and the white; he came out with his hair brown, and his clothes dark. Fans asked if he was joining STINGER? Despite his gothic appearance he managed to overcome Manabu Soya and Takashi Sugiura, bringing him to four points and putting him at the top of the table. However, Kiyomiya’s next challenge is Keiji Mutoh, the so far insurmountable wall. With Mutoh’s calling him “low risk” and brushing him off that he will simply defeat him and go on to the playoffs, Kiyomiya has hit the dojo to train like never before.

Keiji Mutoh – 3

With a draw against Takashi Sugiura and a win against Manabu Soya (who he still says is a “big dumb tree to the brain”), Keiji Mutoh is the highest second scorer in the block. His next match will take place on the 26th September at Korakuen Hall vs Kaito Kiyomiya. Mutoh’s last two tactics have been to act the feeble old man, which has been successful so far, but will it work again against Kiyomiya? It should also be noted that Mutoh’s last two matches have not ended in pinfall – Takashi Sugiura was a draw, and Manabu Soya was a submission.

Takashi Sugiura – 1 (out)

Sadly, Takashi Sugiura (despite being a double champion) has not been successful in the league this year, and looks to have finished when losing to Kaito Kiyomiya. He and Manabu Soya will have their final league match, and a chance to pick up some points at least. Disappointment hasn’t stopped Sugi being Sugi however as he has been trolling Soya (even at 2am) about the GET WILD tag team that Soya was in with Takao Omori (who was once in NOAH), and calling him an “Octopus” (rather than the term that Marufuji once used for Sugiura, in this case Sugi means someone big and clumsy…kind of like a big old tree…). Unsurprisingly, Manabu Soya has not responded.

Manabu Soya – 0 (out)

Poor Manabu Soya has ended the league with no wins and bottom last; Keiji Mutoh worked on his knees to make him submit, and he fell to Kaito Kiyomiya in his first match. It may well be that with Takashi Sugiura goading him on Twitter, and neither of them having much to do in the N-1 (for now at least), he makes a challenge for one of those belts that Sugi has.

Block B

Masaaki Mochizuki – 4

Masaaki Mochizuki is riding high, although part of the journey up did mean that he crossed paths with Kendo Kashin. Describing the match as one he had never done before (not least because of Kashin’s antics, but more because Kashin doesn’t seem to have any technique), he overcame Kashin in exactly the same way Kashin defeated Kenoh, by sneak win. Mochizuki’s next match will be a kick war with Kenoh that will take place at Korakuen Hall on the 26th September; if Mochizuki wins he will have three wins and eight points, if Kenoh wins then he gets the four.

Kenoh – 2

Kenoh has had an interesting N-1 VICTORY to say the least. Defeated in his first match by Kendo Kashin (who has been stalking his good friend “Daisuke” over the creation of a NOAH nursing home which he thinks should be funded by Kongoh), and then defeating Daiki Inaba, who he has labeled a “lost child” but who impressed him enough for Kenoh to say was starting to look good in NOAH, he is currently second in the block table.

Kendo Kashin – 2

Kendo Kashin defeated Kenoh to pick up two points, but then was defeated by Masaaki Mochizuki to remain on two. Kashin’s final match of the league comes against poor innocent polite Daiki Inaba, but it may not be over for Kashin completely as if Masaaki Mochizuki defeats Kenoh and goes to eight, and he himself defeats Inaba, he will go to four which means Kenoh finishes on 3. With Kashin’s past antics of bringing ladders as a distraction, locking Mochi in somewhere and attempting to throw him off the balcony, and his mask trick with Kenoh, Inaba is going to need all his wits about him.

Daiki Inaba – 0 (out)

The youngest of the block gave it his all, but has come up empty handed so far with losses to Kenoh and Masaaki Mochizuki. His final match of the series and the chance to at least finish with some points (if not his dignity) comes in the form of a showdown with Kendo Kashin.

Block C

Masato Tanaka – 3

A win against Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him two points, but a draw against Kazushi Sakuraba meant that he as tying with him at three points and at the top of the block. Tanaka’s next opponent is Kotaro Suzuki at the event to wrap up the loose ends at Korakuen Hall on the 26th September. To be block champion, Tanaka now needs Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuhiko Nakajima to either lose or draw.

Kazushi Sakuraba – 3

Winning against Kotaro Suzuki (a junior) and a draw against Masato Tanaka, has put Sakuraba in a position where he needs for his block makes (all except Kotaro) to lose or draw their matches, that way should he win against Katsuhiko Nakajima, he moves on up. Sakuraba said that he finds Nakajima a difficult opponent as he can’t read his emotion as the smirk is always present. Sakuraba will find out that the match is very easy to read as soon as the smile snaps off.

Katsuhiko Nakajima – 2

Katsuhiko Nakajima’s dream of winning the league again this year, isn’t over yet. Masato Tanaka took the much needed points, but defeating Kotaro Suzuki gave some back. Nakajima’s next opponent is Kazushi Sakuraba, whom he needs to defeat. A draw is not good enough, and loss unthinkable.

Kotaro Suzuki – 0 (out)

He might have scored no points in the heavyweight league, but with accolades such as his technique and his power is that of a heavyweight, Kotaro can return to the NOAH Juniors with Junior pride intact. He has taken on ultra hard wrestlers like Masato Tanaka and a very different Katsuhiko Nakajima to when he knew him last, and that in itself is an achievement for the only junior entering a heavyweight league. His final league match comes against Kazushi Sakuraba at Korakuen Hall.

Block D

Kazuyuki Fujita – 4

Powerhouse Kazuyuki Fujita has bulldozed his way through both Masa Kitamiya and Akitoshi Saito and looks to finish the league with eight points. However, he doesn’t have those last two points yet as he has to get past Masakatsu Funaki first, who has been having a successful league experience as him. The last time they fought it was for a title (Real Japan in 2019), and although things have moved on since then, it’s going to make someone’s league or break it.

Masakatsu Funaki – 4

Reflecting on the fact that this could be the last league that he fights, Funaki has taken a methodical approach by concentrating on who is in front of him and taking out both Akitoshi Saito and Masa Kitamiya in the process. His final block match will be against Kazuyuki Fujita, who he knows will be a challenge to overcome. Speaking in an interview recently, Fujita said that in the league he would like to face Katsuhiko Nakajima, and outside of it, Yoshonari Ogawa.

Akitoshi Saito – 0 (out)

Although he was dressed to funk, Akitoshi Saito entered the league as himself. Sadly, he has not had any wins falling to Kazuyuki Fujita and choked out to a referee stop by Masakatsu Funaki. Two losses out of a three match quota means that he may not necessarily finish the league with nothing, as there is one final match to be had against Masa Kitamiya.

Masa Kitamiya – 0 (out)

Unlike his tag partner, Masa Kitamiya’s league has been frustrating to say the least with two losses, although granted one was a referee stop. Interestingly enough, neither Funaki or Fujita have been in his style, whereas Akitoshi Saito is. This will give Kitamiya a definite chance of at least recuperating some of his losses at Korakuen Hall on the 26th September.

OTHER NEWS

WrestleUniverse

Sanshiro Takagi (assisted by Naomichi Marufuji and other high ranking members of the various CyberFight promotion) made a huge announcement as to the upcoming changes to WrestleUniverse, which will take place from early October, in summary;

  • App in the works – The app, which will be released this year, will be Chromecast compatible. There will also be a mobile version.
  • Site changes – The layout will change, but the logo will still be the same. English language option available.
  • Each wrestler will have a profile and a list of matches
  • You will be able to time shift view, watch in English or Japanese and start from the beginning of the event should you have tuned in half way through.
  • Subscriptions will be made easier, and you can tailor it to your own preference. Also now you can subscribe with password and e-mail.
  • Subscriber info – Fee will not change from 900 yen per calendar month.
  • Old subs will end on 26th September. WrestleUniverse are working on a form for old subscribers to re-subscribe. You will not be charged for October as a result, but new members will get until Jan 22 free
  • Content – The old WrestleUniverse will be replaced by the end of October. There are 8,000 videos with 2,000 being migrated at that time. Eventually everything will be updated.
  • Sanshiro Takagi said they want to add Samurai archival NOAH eventually, but NTV is difficult

Sugiura Army produce, “All Dogs Gather”, to return at the end of the year

In what now appears to have become a tradition in NOAH, The Sugiura Army will hold their traditional show at the end of the year at Korakuen Hall on Monday 27th December. It is hoped that another tradition, the costumed battle royal, will be instituted in Yokohama on the December 25th event.

NOAH The Home (Season 4)

Whilst looking through glossy magazines (fortunately not the type that you see on the NOAH bus), and modelling NOAH merchandise, Junta Miyawaki and Yasutaka Yano announced the return of the NOAH dojo shows. These will take place on the 24th and the 25th September and will be streamed via NOAH’s official YouTube channel. All donations made through Super Chat will go towards maintaining the dojo and the dormitories. In addition, NOAH have also promised a “further evolution” in terms of delivery.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

N-1 VICTORY 2021: Night 2 (18th September 2021, NOAH Special Arena) (Post match interviews)

N-1 VICTORY 2021: Night 3 (19th September 2021, NOAH Special Arena) (Post match interviews)

N-1 VICTORY 2021: Night 4 (20th September 2021, NOAH Special Arena) (Post match interviews)

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

– Kendo Kashin turned up unexpectedly and scared Kenoh (who has never recovered from his last conflict with Kashin), whose habitual look of terror on seeing him appeared. Kashin had popped up to tell Kenoh that he had been thinking very carefully about the name given to the NOAH retirement home, and he had decided that it should contain the fact that it was sponsored by Kongoh. Kenoh (not amused), said that it was a stupid name and one paid for by NOAH would be better.

– Manabu Soya not only dyed his hair and beard red for the N-1, he also wore red contact lenses.

– Fans have called Daisuke Harada vs HAYATA, “Dokan vs Silence”. “Dokan” of course meaning the sound of an explosion. Daisuke Harada is apparently still upset about HAYATA throwing his IPW belt in the bin.

– Kendo Kashin says he will be bringing the Olympic Flame that Kazushi Sakuraba bought to Aomori to Korakuen Hall.

– Kenoh says that he was planning to leak the news about the WrestleUniverse upgrades as he bought the information, but the news was broken before he had the chance to. He’s not angry about it, it just proves that he was right.

– Now that there is prize money, Kazuyuki Fujita is feeling a lot more enthusiastic about competing in the N-1.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

  • GHC Heavyweight Champion: Naomichi Marufuji
    Challenger: Winner of the N-1 VICTORY 2021, (GRAND SQUARE 2021 in OSAKA, Edion Arena Osaka 1st Stadium, October 10th)
  • GHC Junior Champion: HAYATA
    Challenger: Daisuke Harada, (GRAND SQUARE 2021 in OSAKA, Edion Arena Osaka 1st Stadium, October 10th)
  • GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Masa Kitamiya & Kaito Kiyomiya
    Challengers: TBA
  • GHC Junior Tag Champions: Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara 
    Challengers: Perros De Mal Del Japon (Nosawa RONGAI & Eita), (GRAND SQUARE 2021 in OSAKA, Edion Arena Osaka 1st Stadium, October 10th)
  • GHC National Champion: Takashi Sugiura 
    Challenger: TBA

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

Saturday 25th September: Masa Kitamiya debut anniversary (10 years, 2011)

Sunday 26th September: Naomichi Marufuji birthday (42)

Sunday 26th September: N-1 VICTORY 2021: Night 5 (18:00 JST, ABEMA)

* Broadcast note

Hopefully the ABEMA broadcast will be a free and worldwide one, but please note that whether it is or isn’t, if you are outside of Japan you should not subscribe to ABEMA to watch the show as unfortunately you need to be a subscriber to watch replays or to watch the event from the beginning should you be tuning in half way through. Unless you are either in Japan, or have a VPN that you know is compatible with ABEMA, subscribing and the added difficulty of finding a VPN that works is not recommended. A far better investment would be a subscription to WrestleUniverse were the show will be put eventually.

LINKS

Series of interviews with Katsuhiko Nakajima

“Masa Kitamiya is still one of the cute juniors” 

“I simply want to aim for the N-1 consecutive championship”

“Kazushi Sakuraba has a high IQ for professional wrestling”

“NOAH has NOAH’s good points, New Japan has New Japan’s. It is the fans who compare them” 

With thanks to Metal-NOAH, Abeshin and DDT/TJPW English update

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse & NOAH official YouTube

Picture credit: Tokyo Sports


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(NOAH) NOAH NEWSLETTER VOL.200 ~ 7TH MAY 2023

New alliances, MMA challengers and the return of a beloved tag team!

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NEWS

AXIZ reunite

Go Shiozaki lost in his return match at MAJESTIC (4th May at Ryogoku Kokugikan) to Katsuhiko Nakajima’s Vertical Spike. While he was lying on the mat, with a worried Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura looking on, Katsuhiko Nakajima got on the mic and said, “What is this, Go Shiozaki? This awkward state? Is this “I AM NOAH?” Where did that strong Go Shiozaki go? Shall we do it again? Stand up!”, Everyone, including Shiozaki, thought that Nakajima wanted to fight him again and so Shiozaki used Nakajima to pull himself up. Nakajima had his usual devilish smile on, and grabbed Shiozaki by the hair as if he was going to strike him.

What he actually did was offer him his hand, which Shiozaki took, and to the wild screaming of the crowd, AXIZ reformed and the two would not let go of each other.

Kenoh was outraged and demanded to know what was going on. Manabu Soya later left the ring shaking his head. Backstage, Nakajima confirmed that yes, AXIZ were back and the reason why he had left was because (and this sounds familiar) Kenoh didn’t need him, Kongoh didn’t need him, and he didn’t need them. Kenoh growled that he would destroy anyone who got in his way and that included All Japan, All Japan’s Suwama, Dragon Gate (probably the whole roster) and Katsuhiko Nakajima. Kenoh remarked that usually Kongoh didn’t punish people who left (he probably doesn’t mean the chaotic juniors), but it seems that he himself will have another singles match with Nakajima on the 31st May at Shinjuku FACE. Kenoh has also branded AXIZ as a “thief and traitor duo” and has warned elderly AXIZ fans not to make any bank transfers. He has also claimed that while he was injured, Go Shiozaki is a “salary thief” for doing nothing for NOAH during that time, and not even updating his Twitter.

Related articles

Kongoh’s leader, Kenoh, denounces Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima’s AXIZ reunion as a “thief and traitor duo”

NOAH promise more women’s matches

Following the four woman tag at MAJESTIC, Ryo Mizunami hinted afterwards that NOAH will be holding more and she (and others) want to be a part of this. Nothing more has been said about the possibility of a women’s GHC Championship though.

N-1 VICTORY 2023 Announced

NOAH have announced that the N-1 VICTORY 2023 will make a return in August 2023, and as is tradition, will have the final night held in Osaka in early September. No names have been announced as of yet, but the league will head up for a couple of dates in Sapporo, Hokkaido (NOAH have not been to Hokkaido since before the pandemic when they would traditionally share a ring with Big Japan and then get drunk together over a lost weekend). No names have been announced as of yet.

Masakatsu Funaki challenges Josh Barnett 

Following his victory over Shinya Aoki at MAJESTIC, Masakatsu Funaki challenged Josh Barnett, who was sitting at ringside to a match. Barnett accepted, but NOAH are yet to state the date when the match will take place. Funaki also seems to be hinting that his career is now winding down, and he wants to tie up any loose ends; such as the Aoki match and the challenge to Barnett, who he has never faced before, but seems to have always wanted to. Mutoh told Funaki to keep going until he is sixty, but Funaki, who makes no pretense about the fact that he is approaching his mid fifties, seems to think that this is unlikely.

Eita alone, Daga joins “the new STINGER”. HAYATA not welcome either. 

During the STINGER vs I guess the last of Perros Del Mal De Japon, Eita and Daga, Eita caught Daga with the Imperial Uno, which meant that Yoshinari Ogawa could capitalize, and he went to pin Eita. However, Ogawa broke the pin and got to his feet slowly, dragging Eita up by his hair. He looked across the ring to Daga, and Daga turned on Eita. Eita, now utterly alone, was beaten up after the match, and no one at all came out to help him as there is now no one left. Backstage, Eita on all fours, said that from now on he would be trusting no one and didn’t believe in friends (NOSAWA posted “…..” to this) and demanded a singles match with both Ogawa and Daga. As for STINGER, Chris Ridgeway said that from now on he, Daga and Ogawa were the new STINGER. Daga gave no reason for his turning on his old friend, STINGER rarely give reasons anyway, and Ogawa said that HAYATA and Eita were no longer considered “friends”. Eita will get his singles matches on the 14th May at Korakuen Hall, and with Daga on the 21st in Kobe. Fans are wondering if Eita and HAYATA will team up, but HAYATA seems to be more preoccupied with the GHC Junior at the moment.

Ring intruder at Korakuen Hall

At NOAH’s Korakuen Hall event on the 29th April, a young woman intruded into the ring at the start of Kaito Kiyomiya, Sean Legacy & AMAKUSA vs Kongoh, and started imploring Kiyomiya to “show us a stronger NOAH” because he was “the savior of NOAH”. She was gently expelled from the ring by Referee Nishinaga, Kiyomiya and the young rookie, Taishi Ozawa. No further information has come from NOAH or any news outlets as to who this young woman was or what the consequence of her intrusion was, and it is rare in Japanese wrestling that a fan should intrude into the ring, but NOAH took the precaution to check bags at their fan event and MAJESTIC, and extra wrestlers were seen at ringside, which fans said felt like security. The very real threat was that she could have had a knife. New Japan’s Toru Yano has also spoken out about fan behavior. He didn’t mention fan invasion specifically, but more wrestlers being harassed by fans when at baggage claim at airports, at convenience stores etc. Kenoh kind of saved the situation by telling Kiyomiya that if he was stronger, then strange people wouldn’t do things like this!

Shinjiro Otani

At an event held on the 6th May to help with his hospital bills, Shinjiro Otani made an appearance. Takashi Sugiura bought him some flowers and Otani thanked him for not giving up wrestling due to the injury that Otani sustained during the title match. He also warned Sugiura, that he would see him in the ring again. Sugiura said he was waiting for that day.

Voodoo Murders vs Kongoh

SUWAMA broke into NOAH’s event at Korakuen Hall on the 29th April and gave Kenoh, a massive Last Ride powerbomb. Shrieking that he was going to take the All Japan World Heavyweight Tag back to where it belonged, i.e. All Japan, he was prepared to come and have a match in NOAH (with Kono his partner) to retrieve them. There then followed a comical scene involving the infamous lifts, where a quaking old man appeared and was told by Suwama to hold the doors. The match has been set for NOAH’s Kobe event on the 21st May. The event will not be broadcast live, but I would imagine this match will be through NOAH’s official Instagram. Suwama got further revenge on Kenoh at All Japan’s show on the 7th when Kongoh and Voodoo Murders had a pre match. Kenoh was given another powerbomb, shoved into a body bag and Voodoo Murders posed with their boots on him, before carrying him backstage on their shoulders. Half in and half out of the bag and dumped on the floor, Suwama told him that now he was in hell, those titles were theirs.

TITLE NEWS

GHC Heavyweight

In a match that saw Naomichi Marufuji pull out old moves (Shiranui and Shiranui Pole Shift, plus a rope bounce that he hasn’t used for a while) and moves that he has worked on, Jake Lee retained the GHC Heavyweight at MAJESTIC. However, no challenger came forward, and fans were expecting to see Go Shiozaki come out. Jake thanked Marufuji and ran down what he had felt in his past title defenses; Kiyomiya was the future, Nakajima the strength and Marufuji the history. Jake wondered what was next and predicted that on the 14th May at Korakuen Hall, things would start to happen. Jake’s match then is himself teaming with Good Looking Guys (including YO-HEY and Tadasuke) against two NOAH Juniors (Seiki Yoshioka and Atsushi Kotoge) against Kaito Kiyomiya and Takashi Sugiura. Fans think that it will be Sugiura who challenges.

Related articles

“Half the guys don’t think about it”, the real intention of outside invader Jake Lee’s cut down of the Ark warriors

“I can’t win in a direct match anymore”…Naomichi Marufuji aims to surpass his teacher, Mitsuharu Misawa, in recapturing the GHC

“It’s like a dream” – Jake, “Full speed for the first time in a while”, Marufuji

“Naomichi Marufuji must do his best here and now”, Mutoh speaks! 4th May Ryogoku Kokugikan, the direction of Jake vs Marufuji

GHC Junior Heavyweight

HAYATA was forced into doing some light comedy, when at the title match signing/press conference, Ninja Mack told him that he didn’t want him to be injured in their title match, and handed him a gift of bandages and athletic tape. HAYATA tried to keep a straight face. However, Ninja Mack found nothing to laugh about when HAYATA beat him and went to hand him his presents back. Apparently, HAYATA kept the bandages, as he only tried to give back the athletic tape. Ninja Mack knocked them to the floor and walked off. The GHC Junior Heavyweight is the only one with a challenger out of all the championships at the time of writing, as HAYATA has nominated Dante Leon as opponent. Dante Leon took the belt from Ninja Mack, but HAYATA feels he has to defeat everyone who held it while he was injured. Dante says he is coming back to take his belt back. Pre matches will take place, with the title match on the 17th June in Nagoya.

Related articles

GHC Junior signing ceremony: Ninja provokes the champion with first aid supplies, HAYATA “excellent”

GHC National

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr continues to cement himself as one of the greatest GHC National Champions, by defeating Hideki Suzuki at MAJESTIC to retain in an epic match. Suzuki was even booed as he knocked Wagner Jnr down with a punch early on after Wagner Jnr had yelled “Arriba Mexico!”. Suzuki didn’t look as if he was too bothered, and fought most of the match with a cool hard expression. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr isn’t on any cards for the rest of May 2023, so it looks as if the title will probably be challenged for some time in June.

Related articles

“Real” Suzuki emphasizes “Real Deal” to take over the GHC National, match signing ceremony

GHC Heavyweight Tag

Monster Taniguchi, which his seniors try so hard to awaken, sat dormant at the match signing as Saxon Huxley overturned the table, (which Takashi Sugiura, no stranger to trashing tables during press conferences, helped put back), but then turned his own over with a roar and made off with the tag belts. Sugi very politely helped the staff put the tables back. The team of Sugiura and Taniguchi gave very close to retaining, but they lost the belts when Saxon Huxley pinned Taniguchi with the Hanging Neck Bombs. The new champions celebrated by yelling loudly into the camera, and Huxley repeatedly head-butting his belt. Two new tags arose that night at MAJESTIC; AXIZ, and a new team of Masato Tanaka and Kazuyuki Fujita.

Related articles

Huxley and Taniguchi go berserk overturning tables, Sugiura apologizes

GHC Junior Tag

YO-HEY and Tadasuke (Good Looking Guys Unit) defended the GHC Junior Tag against Alpha Wolf and DragonBane at Korakuen Hall on the 29th April. The lucha brothers came very close to taking the titles, but YO-HEY saved the team by pinning DragonBane. No challengers have come forward, but it does seem likely that they will be challenged by the people that YO-HEY dumped to join GLG; Atsushi Kotoge and Seiki Yoshioka at Korakuen Hall on the 14th May, which is NOAH’s next event. However, Kotoge and Yoshioka may not be the most stable team, as Yoshioka did catch him with a kick accidentally.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

  • STAR NAVIGATION 2023 

(Saturday April 29th, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) 

Event recap

Post match interviews

  • ABEMA PRESENTS MAJESTIC 2023

(Thursday 4th May, Ryogoku Kokugikan)

Event recap

Post match interviews

NOAH Fan Event Recap

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

– Atsushi Kotoge posted a picture of himself when he came to NOAH eleven years ago. He says he is “slightly embarrassed” about seeing himself back then.

– Mohammed Yone and Super Crazy almost left via the wrong gate at MAJESTIC. The trainee standing there tried to tell them, but they seemed insistent, eventually he had to almost stand in their way before they realized.

– Xtreme Tiger returned to the NOAH ring following his concussion

– Most people down the old man VIPER tonic, Masato Tanaka opened it, poured it down his throat and chugged it.

– Keiji Mutoh told Kazushi Sakuraba that he should fight a bear on PPV. Sakuraba said no, he would be killed, and suggested that Mutoh do it. Mutoh said he was an old man who was enjoying retirement by sitting at home and watching historical dramas on NHK.

– Ray Escorpion made his NOAH debut, which involved heel tactics and stalking Dralistico.

– Jake Lee regretted his choice of costume, i.e. his gloves and cape, at the NOAH Fan Event. He said he felt like he needed an icepack under his armpits.

– Eita hid under the ring to jump Yoshinari Ogawa at Korakuen Hall on April 29th. When he crawled out he stretched and yawned, meaning that he fell asleep under there!

– Alejandro was sitting at the commentary table when it got trashed by the Luchadores at MAJESTIC.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

  • GHC Heavyweight Champion: Jake Lee
    Challenger: TBA
  • GHC Junior Champion: HAYATA
    Challenger: Dante Leon, GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in NAGOYA (Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall – Saturday, June 17th)
  • GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: REAL (Saxon Huxley & Timothy Thatcher)
    Challengers: TBA
  • GHC Junior Tag Champions: Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke)
    Challengers: TBA
  • GHC National Champion: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr
    Challenger: TBA

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

(May 2023 schedule)

– STAR NAVIGATION 2023

Date: Sunday May 14th

Venue: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Start times: Doors 17:30 JST, Bell 18:30 JST

Broadcast: ABEMA

Birthdays & anniversaries

May 8th 1961: Akira Taue birthday (62)

May 13th 2000: Jumbo Tsuruta memorial (23)

*NOTE ABOUT ABEMA BROADCASTS

For the overseas fan a subscription to WrestleUniverse is recommended instead of a subscription to ABEMA. You can only watch ABEMA shows live (you cannot watch replays should you miss the show), but these always get uploaded to WrestleUniverse a few minutes after the broadcast finishes. I do not recommend that overseas fans subscribe to ABEMA due to the time consuming and expensive issues around finding a VPN that is compatible with their firewall, and ABEMA do not broadcast any other NOAH shows aside from the live broadcasts, they do not show much exclusive content and they do not show vintage or older events.

LINKS

“No matter how many times you fall down, you get back up, that’s pro wrestling” – Kaito Kiyomiya vs Reiwa’s “Pu-Girl”

“I want to fight” Aoki’s first NOAH participation, Funaki “challenge”. Press conference for the first showdown in six years

“Isn’t that a stupid question?” Shiozaki, returning for the first time in eight months, emphasizes “perfection” like AMAKUSA

26 year old wrestler Kaito Kiyomiya talks about the importance of the dojo and generational view

NOAH FROM THE VAULT

Donmai, Donmai” – Mitsuharu Misawa’s diary….he’s being obscene!

With thanks to: Metal NOAH

Picture credits: NOAH.co.jp


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(NOAH) NOAH NEWSLETTER VOL.199 ~ 25TH APRIL 2023

Lots of Championship news! Does Jake Lee have what it takes to captain the ark?

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NEWS

“I made you all wait”, Go Shiozaki announces his return

Go Shiozaki made a surprise appearance at NOAH’s Sendai event on the 16th April, and announced that he would return to the ring at “MAJESTIC” at Ryogoku Kokugikan on Thursday May 4th. In an interview done soon afterwards, Shiozaki said that of course his goal was to “get my belt back as soon as possible” and naturally, his target is the current champion, Jake Lee. He is very excited about NOAH now with the influx of foreign wrestlers, and of course, Jake Lee whom he knew from being in All Japan. Shiozaki’s return match will be against Kongoh’s Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Manabu Soya. Shiozaki says he will not only be fighting against his opponents, but also the younger generation of NOAH, who he says are “a threat”. NOAH’s generational wheel continues turning.

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Junta Miyawaki returns from Mexico

Junta Miyawaki announced (bilingually as he also announced this in Mexican), that he would be returning from Ultimo Dragon’s training camp, and would make his first match back at Korakuen Hall at STAR NAVIGATION on the 29th April. His opponent will be HI69, who has been on a roll recently. Before he left, Junta Miyawaki said that he would “sip muddy water”, (which basically means to hit rock bottom and crawl you way back up), before he returned to NOAH. HI69 was unimpressed with this statement, saying that Junta had no idea what he was talking about, but he would soon make him realize it.

Women’s matches

NOAH continue to book women’s matches on their bigger shows. Sendai saw Maya Yukihi and Sumire Natsu fight in a singles match, and afterwards mention was made (even fleetingly) of a woman’s GHC championship. The next women’s match will be a four way at “MAJESTIC” on the 4th May between

Maya Yukihisa & SAKI vs Sumire Natsu & Ryo Mizunami.

Xtreme Tiger concussed & Luchadore’s trash the commentary table

Very sadly Xtreme Tiger sustained (probably) a concussion during the match in Sendai and was stretchered from the ring. Fortunately, he could still move as he was seen to be sitting up and sliding himself on to the stretcher. The remaining Luchadores (Doralistico, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf, Alejandro & Lanzelot) decided to continue the match, and as they are NOAH Juniors, didn’t bother to tell the ref. They just carried on and during this, Dragon Bane trashed the commentary table by moonsaulting through it. Then everyone else joined in, fighting in the wreckage. Akitoshi Saito (who had been sitting at the table) was seen looking on blankly. Later he made the comment that the table was not made of a material that was meant to be broken.

Yasutaka Yano and Kinya Okada taken off the Sendai card at the last moment

Yasutaka Yano and Kinya Okada were announced to have been taken off the Sendai card at the last moment, meaning that Anthony Green and Akitoshi Saito (who wrestled by taking his shirt off and in his normal clothes) had to fill in for them. NOAH have not announced the issue (illness, injury, etc) but fans think that they may have gone to Mexico for training, albeit why this should be so sudden is a mystery.

Title news 

GHC Heavyweight

Jake Lee retains, Naomichi Marufuji challenges

Jake Lee retained the GHC Heavyweight against Katsuhiko Nakajima, and was challenged that same night by Naomichi Marufuji. The nautical references continued, as Marufuji said that Jake’s steering was making him “seasick” and used a term that he says he came up with before he made his challenge, by saying that “Even if it is rotten, it is Marufuji” (the full saying is “Even if it is rotten, it is still a sea bream”, which basically is like saying “white cat, black cat, as long as it catches mice, then it is a good cat” i.e. quality is quality). Title match has been made for “MAJESTIC” on the 4th May.

The two pre matches have taken place at shows not broadcasted live, Hamamatsu (which was put on WrestleUniverse on the 25th April) and Kyoto KBS Hall (which will be streamed on WrestleUniverse on the 26th April from 18:00 JST). Neither the champion or the challenger scored the direct win over the other, but Jake was seen to hold the belt over Naomichi Marufuji as he, Jake, stood on the turnbuckle and held it even higher.

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GHC Heavyweight Tag

Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba lost the GHC Heavyweight Tag Championship to Takashi Sugiura and Shuhei Taniguchi in Sendai. Shuhei Taniguchi, much to his seniors delight, got the win but there was no chance to celebrate for very long as a new fearsome tag team, who were part of a new unit (and therefore a new power in the heavyweights) appeared on the scene to challenge. Hideki Suzuki announced that himself, Timothy Thatcher and Saxon Huxley, were breaking away from The Sugiura Army, which he said was “over” (fans have long felt that the unit simply fizzled out) and the three of them were breaking away on their own.

Suzuki challenged for the GHC Heavyweight Tag belts on behalf of his partners, whom both came across as having chemistry akin to an old school American tag team (Saxon I know is from England, but you know the vibe I am talking about). Backstage, Hideki Suzuki said their new unit was called “Real”. In their first pre match in Hamamatsu, Suzuki refused to shake hands with Takashi Sugiura and Sugiura was defeated by Saxon Huxley. The next night in Kyoto, Sugiura defeated Huxley, which was Huxley’s first NOAH loss, with the Olympic Slam and labelled himself as “Beastmaster”. There was also some slight friction appearing between Takashi Sugiura and Shuhei Taniguchi, as Taniguchi did the same “I heard you lost today?” kind of comment back to Sugiura, and once again refused to shake hands with him when Sugiura offered and just walked off when Sugi asked, “Did you win?”.

GHC National

In an epic match, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr defended the GHC National against Jack Morris, and the two of them shook hands afterwards and patched up their friendship. Backstage, Hideki Suzuki appeared in the comments booth when Wagner Jnr was in it, clapping sarcastically and saying that he was coming for his belt. Suzuki also made a very poetic comment about the challenge.

“Because Wagner Jnr is the sun of Mexico, I will take him deep into the ocean. We will sink together, and only I will rise”

Their two pre matches so far have been inconclusive as they head towards the title match at “MAJESTIC” on the 4th May at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

GHC Junior

AMAKUSA did not do well in the pre matches against HAYATA, and HAYATA ran him into the ground in the title match in Sendai, winning in thirteen minutes and four seconds. In order to forestall anyone who thought they were going to challenge, he was picking up where he left off, and his next challenger would be Ninja Mack. Ninja Mack had challenged HAYATA in late 2022 for the belt, but he had won it when HAYATA was injured, and the belt was awarded to him. To HAYATA, he needed to defeat Ninja Mack first before dealing with anyone else. The two pre matches have not gone well for HAYATA, although Ninja Mack hasn’t got the win over him directly, he has still gotten the win for his team at one point, even if one of the matches was won by someone else, which for him counts as a victory over HAYATA.

GHC Junior Tag

Fans knew that Yoshinari Ogawa and Eita were going to fall apart. YO-HEY knew this too, but knew enough about his opponents, to be wary. In the end, a misfire by Eita, who caught Ogawa in the face with a kick, letting Tadasuke get the win, made the team implode. Ogawa might have come to the ring ignoring Eita’s very existence, but by the end of the match the two were brawling and the fight went backstage. After kicking Ogawa in the crotch, Eita announced that the only person he trusted was Daga. Daga will return to NOAH at “MAJESTIC”, with the one person who hasn’t turned on Ogawa (although he was wary of his aligning with Eita), Chris Ridgeway, who is returning to NOAH at Korakuen Hall on Saturday 29th April.

The new GHC Junior Champions, Good Looking Guy’s YO-HEY and Tadasuke, were challenged backstage by Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf, who told them they were going to be taking the belts back to Mexico. The brothers have run riot on the junior tag champions, defeating them in the pre matches, Alpha Wolf in a singles against Tadasuke. Title match will take place this Saturday at Korakuen Hall.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

  • ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in Sendai (Sunday April 16th)

Event recap

Post match interviews

  • Act City Hamamatsu (Saturday, April 22nd)

Event recap

Post match interviews

  • Kyoto KBS Hall (Sunday, April 23rd)

Event recap

Post match interviews

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

– Because they were both champions facing their challengers, YO-HEY offered HAYATA a handshake in Kyoto. HAYATA reacted in usual fashion (he refused) but the two were seen to work together…

– Kongoh appeared in a short Kenoh Channel video, where each of them ate one of Shuji Kondo’s financiers and talked about the merch table. Katsuhiko Nakajima very neatly put back a packet of Naomichi Marufuji’s curry, which Kenoh had thrown.

– Although he is no longer appearing in the ring, NOSAWA Rongai was seen watching at the Hamamatsu show. He’s not a member of the audience however, as he seems to be travelling with them – Kenoh said that he was glad Go Shiozaki had returned as he could not “wait to beat the shit” out of him.

– Atsushi Kotoge has revealed his beloved Shiba is called “Chikuwa”. When he left for NOAH’s weekend shows, he told him he was leaving him as watchdog to guard the family.

– Mercedes Monet said she wanted a match with “Marufugi”. “Marufugi” said he wanted one with her too.

– YO-HEY and Yoshiki Inamura will appear on “All-Star Chorus Battle” on May 14th for Fuji TV. The premise of the show is that they will team with five other people, sing the hit songs of the Reiwa era and compete as a chorus for a championship.

– A picture taken by NOAH’s official photographer in Kyoto was captured at precisely the moment that Seiki Yoshioka was diving off the top turnbuckle. The angle of his body made him look as if he was leaping out of the stained glass behind him. Ironically, he seemed to be leaping from the roof of the Ark. Also photographed against The Ark was Yoshiki Inamura, who put a Dove above his head.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

  • GHC Heavyweight Champion: Jake Lee
    Challenger: Naomichi Marufuji, ABEMA presents MAJESTIC 2023, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Thursday May 4th
  • GHC Junior Champion: HAYATA
    Challenger: Ninja Mack, ABEMA presents MAJESTIC 2023, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Thursday May 4th
  • GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Takashi Sugiura & Shuhei Taniguchi
    Challengers: REAL (Saxon Huxley & Timothy Thatcher), ABEMA presents MAJESTIC 2023, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Thursday May 4th
  • GHC Junior Tag Champions: Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke)
    Challengers: Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf, STAR NAVIGATION 2023, Korakuen Hall, Saturday April 29th
  • GHC National Champion: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr
    Challenger: Hideki Suzuki, ABEMA presents MAJESTIC 2023, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Thursday May 4th

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

  • STAR NAVIGATION 2023

Date: Saturday April 29th

Venue: Korakuen Hall

Start time: 18:30 JST (doors open 17:30)

Broadcast: ABEMA (Live)

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES 

29th April: Atsushi Kotoge debut anniversary (2005)

29th April: Tadasuke debut anniversary (2007)

*NOTE ABOUT ABEMA BROADCASTS

For the overseas fan a subscription to WrestleUniverse is recommended instead of a subscription to ABEMA. You can only watch ABEMA shows live (you cannot watch replays should you miss the show), but these always get uploaded to WrestleUniverse a few minutes after the broadcast finishes. I do not recommend that overseas fans subscribe to ABEMA due to the time consuming and expensive issues around finding a VPN that is compatible with their firewall, and ABEMA do not broadcast any other NOAH shows aside from the live broadcasts, they do not show much exclusive content and they do not show vintage or older events.

NOAH FROM THE VAULT

“Donmai, Donmai” – Mitsuharu Misawa’s diary

With thanks to: Metal-NOAH

Picture credits: NOAH.co.jpPro Wrestling DX


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