Dragon Gate King of Gate Results & Review: A&B Blocks Part 2

Published

7 years ago

May 31, 2018

We are back with Dragon Gate as we continue talking about the King of Gate Tournament.

The last time I covered the first part of it, I only had three matches in the four shows that aired with two of them not airing at all, so it was disappointing to give people enough to read and for that I’m sorry for that. However, we have four shows that were aired on this one with about two not airing meaning I’ll have plenty of content to talk about this time around for my respective blocks.

So let’s get to it and…dive right in.

5/19/2018

King Of Gate 2018 Block B Match
Big R Shimizu vs. Jason Lee

Review: This is the first time I’ll be seeing Jason Lee in a singles match since I saw him in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic and now I wanna see how much actual progress he’s made since he’s been doing fantastic in his run with Dragon Gate so far, way better than I expected him to.

His first match in B Block is against Big R, who lost in his first match, so he wants to get a win here to have points on the scoreboard. I gotta admit that this match went way better than I expected it to be compared to the last B Block match I had, Jason Lee just worked nicely with Big R in this match as his quickness was able to match Big R’s strength to get some impressive chemistry in the bout. Big R went for his Shot-put Slam, but Jason Lee would reverse it to try and get the upset, but it wasn’t enough. Jason did also hit a pretty nice Cutter catching Big R when he attempted to do a Splash off the top rope. After ten minutes, Jason’s quickness wouldn’t work here as Big R hits the Shot-put Slam this time to get his first win in the tournament.

Recommended: Very solid match, definitely worth a view.

King Of Gate 2018 Block A Match
Ben-K vs. Kzy

Review: Kzy is looking to avenge his loss to YAMATO as he looks to take on Ben-K who already had one win in his name after defeating Shun Skywalker. A victory here would definitely put him back in the race, while for Ben, it would give him the early lead. I love Natural Vibes entrance the more I see it and the unit is definitely growing on me with each match I see them in.

I believe this match is just as good as the Kzy and YAMATO match since both played their strengths beautifully here with one of our future stars and one known as the gatekeeper of Dragon Gate who is coming on his own with his faction. Not only Ben-K can be a powerhouse, but he shows a lot of his technical ability in his matches too to make him a bit unique while Kzy is more cunning with his speed and tricks to try and roll his opponent up if the opening is given to him. I’ve been noticing that they’ve been protecting the Ben-K Bomb lately as you don’t see him hit it every time he makes an attempt here and I think it might lead to a big payoff in the future for him when the occasion would happen.

The last few minutes is when it started to get intense since neither of these two men would give up and wanna try to get the win fast before the time would run out. Ben-K would do a deadly Shoulder Tackle to send him flying and even hits a Spear to try and put Kzy away, but he kicked out of it. Kzy would also pull out some tricks with the La Magistrals, sick DDT, and a Frogsplash to try and get the win, but now Ben-K kicks out of it all. Kzy would take the big guy down and first hit a Swanton Bomb off the top, and then go over to hit a Frog Splash as he goes for the cover, Ben-K kicks out and the bell rings which gives us a draw. This was probably the best way to do it so it would protect both of these men without really hurting them with a pinfall loss, but now Kzy is gonna have to win his next two matches or he won’t make it. Both get a point.

Recommended: Fantastic match, highly recommended.

– So the next two shows are not aired while the last three are aired. On the May 20th show which I only had B Block, Jason Lee picked up his first win by defeating BxB Hulk. On the next show which happened on May 23rd, for A Block Shun Skywalker would defeat Yasushi Kanda by Count-out and on B Block, BxB Hulk got his first win by defeated Genki Horiguchi while considered being mathematically eliminated since there’s four matches for each person and lost his first two.

5/25/2018

King Of Gate 2018 Block B Match
Genki Horiguchi vs. Jason Lee

Review: This one is their third match each where a win here would give one a better chance of winning their block while the other one could be mathematically eliminated, so let’s see who wants it more out of these two right here. One thing I see Jason Lee do in his matches that I absolutely love is when he’s going back and forth with someone, he would randomly sit down in a meditating position to throw his opponent off guard and when they try to pick him up from behind, he does the Arm Drag,

I just find it both comical and creative at the same time. Another spot they did was that Jason would treat Genki’s hair like an arm wringer, twisting it around til he would flip him over and thought it was pretty funny to see. Rest of the match was standard, but not in a bad way since they both hit some really good spots in the match like Jason hitting a Cutter off the top, but Genki still kicking out of it. Jason Lee would pick up his second win with a German Suplex Hold, giving him two more points as he now has one more match where if he wins. his chances of advancing are looking good for him and I kinda hope so.

Recommended: It was a nice match that should get at least one view.

King Of Gate 2018 Block A Match
Ben-K vs. Yasushi Kanda

Review: Up next is Ben-K taking Yasushi and despite his last match ending in a draw against Kzy, if he wins here then his chances of winning his block would increase quite a bit since the only one that has a chance of beating him would be YAMATO.

Kanda would start to attack Ben right away soon as the bell rings and it looks like he’s trying to go for another count out victory like how he did with YAMATO, but Ben would still get back in the ring in time to save himself. My problem with the match is how slowly paced it was compared to his other matches and usually I don’t mind it if it tells a good story, but this one sadly didn’t so much since it was just nothing interesting in it at all. I like how they built up the Ben-K Bomb again in the match with having Kanda just reverse it so that we don’t see it in here just yet. Kanda would try to rely on the countout again by making Ben-K go to the outside where he will attempt a Double Underhook Piledrive, but Ben would not give him that chance and then hits a vicious Spear on the outside, which gives him enough time to have Ben go back in the ring for a count out victory. Ben now has five points which makes him be in the lead with only one match left against YAMATO, so if YAMATO does lose that match against Shun then that would make Ben the winner by default unless Kzy can stack up two more wins and if Ben does lose to YAMATO if he does lose to Shun, but if YAMATO wins that match and beats Ben, then he’ll move on regardless.

Recommended: I thought it was skippable and just slow.

5/26/2018

King Of Gate 2018 Block A Match
Shun Skywalker vs. Kzy

Review: So for this match, both of these men need to have a win here in order to stay alive since this is both their third match in the tournament while Kzy have one draw and one loss while Shun has just one win and one loss meaning Shun has a better chance to win if he gets the victory here, but either way there needs to be a winner here.

Shun would attempt to attack Kzy before the bell rings and it doesn’t last long til Kzy starts to get the upper hand on him. I’m starting to like Shun as a performer, but I feel like he needs a change in attire since I feel like what he wear doesn’t scream somebody that looks like he can be a future guy in the company despite having a solid ability. The match had plenty of fast pacing action between the two with some nice reversals and transitions into their moves and styles to add that nice factor into the match. Shun looked like he was going for a Reverserana off the top rope, but he turns it into a Sunset Flip Powerbomb to only get a two count on him. Kzy would start to get a bit serious as he looks to put him away with his Swanton Bomb and then going for the Frogsplash only for Shun to put his knees up to counter it, giving him a chance to go for the win as he rolled Kzy up three times while coming very close with the third attempt to only get a kickout. Kzy would work around it this time to hit a Canadian Destroyer which Shun kicks out of, but Kzy would get right back up to hit his Running Elbow Smash to get the win. Kzy would bow to Shun after the match to show his respect to him and then leaves the ring.

Recommended: I thought it was fun, but not as good as Kzy’s previous matches against YAMATO and Ben-K, but still worth a view.

King Of Gate 2018 Block B Match
Big R Shimizu vs. Genki Horiguchi

Review: Another one where this is their third match and the winner of this match can give them a solid position in the standings as Big R has a win and loss and Genki with one win and two losses, but with Big R having one more match while this is Genki’s last one meaning he’s mathematically eliminated regardless, but he could still spoil it for Big R if he wins.

I didn’t really see a whole lot to make this match stand out, but it was still an average match for what it was since their styles made it seem a little bit slow at times. Genki however is one I consider a bit underrated despite how the matches went since he can go in the ring and is enjoyable to watch when I see him, specially with Natural Vibes right now. Genki would attempt a Hurricanrana on Big R until he caught him to go for a Powerbomb, but then that also gets reversed into a DDT which looked nice, but not enough to put him away. Big R would then hit two Powerbombs to try and put him away only to have another kickout. Big R would then go for his Shot-put Slam only to be reversed for a Backslide which gives Genki a win, ending on a 2-2 record.

Recommended: Average match, but up to you if you wanna watch.

5/27/2018

King Of Gate 2018 Block A Match
YAMATO vs. Shun Skywalker

Review: YAMATO returns to action for his third match while this is Shun’s final match on the block and is considered eliminated whether he wins or lose at this point, but he still could ruin YAMATO’s chances here at least. If YAMATO does win then it would mean that only him and Ben-K can win the tournament despite Kzy still having one more match, so we gotta see how it plays out.

Shun would get the early lead over YAMATO as he would get him to the outside so he can jump off the top turnbuckle to dive onto him on the outside, and then he would have him in the ring to do a Springboard Splash, but only for a two count. YAMATO would then use his veteran experience to out wrestle Shun in the match with stiff Dropkicks and just other various strikes mostly. Later on in the match, YAMATO would go for a Frankensteiner only for it to be reversed by Shun to deliver one on his own and the back and forth between that looked solid. Shun would then take off his glove to smack the taste out of YAMATO’s mouth and you can hear that slap too, but YAMATO would apply the Crossface which he calls CBV to make Shun tap out and YAMATO is now alive to fight Ben-K to decide the winner of A Block.

Recommended: Short and solid match, give it one view at least.

King Of Gate 2018 Block B Match
Big R Shimizu vs. BxB Hulk

Review: We FINALLY have a match with BxB Hulk that we get to see live since his other matches weren’t aired at all. Despite the match happening, both of them are considered eliminated since both have only one win and two losses to make this their final match on the block while Jason Lee and Takashi Yoshida lead the block and have one more match together to see who will advance, so this is pretty much to see who will have three losses in their record.

The match started a bit slow again with some mat wrestling and a bit of chaining until they both went to the outside after Big R hits a mean Shoulder Tackle that caused Hulk to spin a little before he landed outside, Big R would also then hit his Splash from off the apron to the outside and that looked painful to see. You get some decent back and forth in this match, but again nothing memorable in the match since it felt pretty standard most of the time. Big R would get a huge pop near the end as he started to make his comeback and even hits his Shot-put Slam on Hulk, but Big R wouldn’t cover him in time and it lead to Hulk kicking out at two. Big R would attempt it two more times, but Hulk would reverse each one, and gave him a combination of various kicks despite some of them missing, but he hits his Superkick which he calls First Flash and would get the win.

Recommended: Average match, so up to you.

This is pretty much it for the block since I found out that on the last two days of block matches will NOT be aired as the next show that’ll be aired is when we have our Semi Final matches between the four block winners and it actually infuriates me and all for 1500 fucking yen a month. I don’t mind keeping the service after this since when they do the bigger shows, they actually do deliver, but when it comes to the tournament shows like this, I probably won’t cover something like this again due to half of them not airing on the network.

Anyway, on the May 29th show, YAMATO defeated Ben-K to be the winner of A Block and Takashi Yoshida defeated Jason Lee to win B Block. During the May 30th show, Kzy defeated Yasishi Kanda in a match that didn’t matter since YAMATO still has the lead with six points.

Overall: A Block definitely delivered except for Kanda, but the rest of them did very well and gave us quality matches. B Block was underwhelming and to me the one that stood out the most was Jason Lee and this made me hope he wins the block, but I don’t think he will unfortunately. King of Gate as a whole has been underwhelming as well due to half the shows not airing and questionable outcomes in the four blocks with normally relying on count outs, especially in Andrew’s C and D Blocks. I will talk about the winners of all four blocks in the next coverage since the Semi Finals will be aired next. And again, I would like to thank Andrew for helping me out at least despite the network not going in our favor.

Favorite Match: Kzy vs. Ben-K

Least Favorite Match: Ben-K vs. Yashushi Kanda

Score: 7/10

A Block Standings:
YAMATO (3-1) (6 Points)
Ben-K (2-1-1) (5 Points)
Kzy (2-1-1) (5 Points)
Yasushi Kanda (1-2) (2 Points)
Shun Skywalker (1-3) (2 Points)

B Block Standings:
Takashi Yoshida (3-1) (6 Points)
Jason Lee (2-2) (4 Points)
Genki Horiguchi (2-2) (4 Points)
BxB Hulk (2-2) (4 Points)
Big R Shimizu (1-3) (2 Points)

See you all for the Semi Final.

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Dragon Gate King of Gate Blocks C&D Rating & Review: Part 2

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

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

Published

2 years ago

May 8, 2023

Hi5ame

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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?

Published

2 years ago

April 26, 2023

Hi5ame

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.

The theme of return is “New Go Shiozaki”, “Fight with five people”, thrilled by the new NOAH scenery

“I have to get my belt back”, Go Shiozaki vows to return early to the title front

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.

The new champion gives NOAH a warning! Is it okay to stay as NOAH = Marufuji?

“After all, I’m the man who’s been with NOAH for a long time” – Naomichi Marufuji, on the 25th anniversary of his debut who named himself as the one to overthrow Jake, talks about his thoughts!

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