(NOAH) WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.13 ~ 7TH DECEMBER 2018

With a vacant Heavyweight Tag Title to figure out, and some finishing touches leading up to Great Voyage in Yokohama Vol.2, let’s see what Hisame brings us this week!

NEWS

EASTERN HEROES
Most of the roster (except for Naomichi Marufuji, who, much to his disappointment, couldn’t go due to injury, and says he has never been) went to China to participate in “Eastern Hero Wrestling”.

Despite the fact that they had broken up a few days beforehand at “Global League 2018”, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya teamed up. Nakajima’s only comment was that this was how the card had been arranged, and he walked off at the end of the match leaving Kitamiya behind.

It was a sold out over capacity crowd in Tianjin, and the crowd said in Japanese “please come back”.

Hi69, in particular, said he learned a lot of things from the trip. There were also some new athletes o the card which hadn’t been introduced to NOAH yet, Tiger God and Dragon God.

Article with results can be read here

IPW
Daisuke Harada has been announced for IPW’S Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament on Tuesday 16th January 2019 at Milton Keynes.

For those unfamiliar with him, a small guide can be found here.

Tickets can be purchased here

Further names hopefully to be announced (I know YO-HEY & HAYATA are being hoped for)

CURRENT TOUR RECAP
Noah kicked off “Winter Navigation 2018” at Korakuen Hall, not a great attendance for the first night, but it needs to be factored in that it was a 6.30pm start on a Friday night, round about the time when people get out of work, plus there was a big event going on at the nearby Tokyo Dome.

There were two match signings, with Takashi Sugiura saying that he was not going to lose the belt or the era to “this young man” (Kaito Kiyomiya) and Kotaro Suzuki actually turned up for his with Daisuke Harada.

Kimiya Okada made his long overdue debut, and was beaten by fellow rookie, Yoshiki Inamura. Hajime Ohara (who had helped train Okada for the debut) looked on. Although Inamura picked up his first win, it should be noted that this is only a small one, and against a very green rookie. They will have a rematch on the 9th (check)

Both Atsushi Kotoge and Hitoshi Yamato were on top comedy form.

Hitoshi Kumano and Seiya Morohashi squared up as their grudge deepened.

The Hooligans announced the 5’10 and 243 lb Yuji Hino as their new member, and he picked up the 5’10 Akitoshi Saito and slammed him as if he weighed nothing.

YO-HEY defeated Shoki Kitamura with the Super Face G, and then said to SUGI that he wanted to continue this, but SUGI said that Yokohama was impossible as there was an ZERO-ONE show on the 16th. So, it looks like the New Year will be the resumption of it.

Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Kenoh and Masa Kitamiya for the vacant GHC Heavyweight tag team titles, and were later challenged by Yuji Hino and Maybach Taniguchi.

Then Hino cut the promo of the evening:

“Shiozaki, you are a good looking guy, but your chops mean nothing. Nakajima-kun! Growing up! You are becoming an adult. You look like you’ve graduated from being a virgin”.

This is the kind of trash talking which is sadly missing from NOAH.

Kaito Kiyomiya and Daisuke Harada teamed up to take on Takashi Sugiura and Kotaro Suzuki. The ref stopped the match when Sugiura got Kiyomiya in a Olympic slam into a chokehold, afterwards Sugiura stood over the fallen Kiyomiya and told him that “on the 16th, I will show you the difference between NOAH’s future and the man who has supported NOAH for eighteen years”.

Detailed event recap can be read here

GHC BELT NEWS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Takashi Sugiura
• GHC Junior Champion: Kotaro Suzuki
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: Minoru Tanaka & Hi69

All titles will be challenged for on the 16th December at “Great Voyage in Yokohama Vol.2”

Kaito Kiyomiya will challenge for the GHC Heavyweight

Daisuke Harada will challenge for the GHC Junior

Yuji Hino & Maybach Taniguchi will challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Tag

The Backbreakers (Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano) will challenge for the GHC Junior Tag

TOUR TIDBITS
~ Maybach Taniguchi came out with his “Sasumata” pole (literally “speared fork”) that he had used when he was part of “The Super Violent Army“.
~ Takashi Sugiura said he learned the bidets in Japan, Taiwan and China were all of equal quality.
~ Masao Inoue is holding another bowling tournament
~ Senior referee, Shu Nishinaga, said that someone had “dumped” a load of Masao Inoue’s CDs in the waiting room.
~ Go Shiozaki gave a talk for “Wrestle Talk Mania”, one of the subjects he covered was mental training in wrestling; something which Shiozaki has extensive experience in, especially in dealing with what happened to Mitsuharu Misawa right in front of his eyes, and of course getting Kaito Kiyomiya over his own nerves.
~ Naomichi Marufuji is not cleared to return to the ring yet, although he can now walk more easily, except he has a slight limp.

KING SHAMELESS CORNER
None. He’s been good this week (aside from being a bidet inspector)

BROADCASTS
The final night of Global League, 25th November, will be broadcast at 6pm on Saturday 8th December
The event on the 7th December, will be broadcast on the 15th December
The event on the 16th December, will be broadcast on the 22nd December

LINKS
Today’s child of puroresu: Kaito Kiyomiya’s Story
150 people at debut?! Praise from Kobashi! Winning Global League! Kaito Kiyomiya special feature!
MINI INTERVIEW WITH KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA: 7th December tag championship decision at Korakuen Hall, “I want you to hear the sound of Noah changing”
The scene of pro-wrestling Vol.23 ~ The wish for the soul that inherits the light of the emerald green.
Nakajima and Shiozaki to combine to take the championship
“Everybody’s Energy” ~ interview with Kaito Kiyomiya (Weekly Pro, December 2018)
“I want to advance the era” ~ mini interview with 2018 Global League winner, Kaito Kiyomiya
Takashi Sugiura’s determination for defense, “I will not hand over the belt or the era”.

BOOK TRANSLATION
“Heir To The Ark” ~ Naomichi Marufuji’s biography (Chapters 1 & 2 completed, chapter 3 ongoing)

How do you feel about Yuji Hino’s Hooligans debut? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!