NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.80 ~ 19TH APRIL 2020

One of the few companies still active with empty arena! Pro Wrestling NOAH rounds out their Global Tag League and some championship matches!

NEWS

Global Tag League 2020

The finals of Global Tag League 2020 came down to AXIZ vs The Sugiura Army International (El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jr); Kenoh may not have gone to the finals, but at least his team kept Unchained (Kaito Kiyomiya’s) out of the championship, and MochiMaru were eliminated by The Sugiura Army International, a team who were going to become a bugbear for them.

The Sugiura Army International continued their dominance, defeating AXIZ for the league championship, and in the process becoming the first ever foreign team to win. NOAH announced the championship would take place at their surprise card event on the 19th April, where after 23 minutes and 22 seconds, The Sugiura Army International became the 53rd GHC Heavyweight champions after a shock win. They are not the first foreign team to win the titles, but their win is significant in that this is NOAH’s 20th year anniversary, and the belts were first held in 2001 by Vader and Scorpio.

No title challenge has been announced as of yet, but Naomichi Marufuji has sworn revenge.

New members of Kongoh and The Sugiura Army

The newest member of The Sugiura Army was announced on the 18th April, when NOSAWA Rongai and Hajime Ohara introduced Seiki Yoshioka as a member. Yoshioka is an old friend of HAYATA’S, but this didn’t stop him wrestling as high speed as RATELS, and winning his first match against them. After the match, Hajime Ohara announced that they were the “Sugiura Army Juniors”. With RATELS lying about the ring in various places after the match, Hajime Ohara announced a title challenge, which took place on the 19th April at “NOAH THE SPIRIT”. Despite several very closed falls, and Yoshioka knowing RATELS very well that he was able to anticipate what they were going to do and how to get out of what they did, the Sugiura Army were defeated, and RATELS retained.

Yoshioka comes to NOAH from W-1.

Kongoh’s newest member was announced by a growling Kenoh on the 19th April, and was revealed to be the monster Manabu Soya, who like Yoshioka, came from W-1. He made his debut by taking part in a massive twelve man match, squaring up to Shuhei Taniguchi and Go Shiozaki, and winning the match for Kongoh via a huge lariat on Kinya Okada.

STINGER back together again? 

Yoshinari Ogawa and Kotaro Suzuki had their one and only pre-match on the 18th April, which ended with Ogawa sticking the belt in Suzuki’s face when he was lying spreadeagled on the mat after a backdrop. In this match Ogawa showed that psychological wrestling goes far beyond clever moves in the ring, he showed how to use everyone around you from ways to tag in, how to manipulate both the ref and your opponent and much more. I would urge any wrestlers who want to study ring psychology to watch this match.

NOAH announced that the title match would take place on the 19th April at the surprise card. Suzuki was well and truly caught in Ogawa’s web as everywhere he turned, Ogawa caught him and drew him back in. The match went 25 minutes with Suzuki and Ogawa trying everything, but neither would submit or give up, but the person who walked away with the belt was Kotaro Suzuki. It took three Endless Waltz and one Javelin for him to win the belt.

After the match Suzuki placed the belt on the mat, called for the microphone and spoke to Ogawa. Bowing on all fours before his teacher and senior, he asked for a favor, but he said he realized that he had no right to ask it; would Ogawa team with him and give him his dream of being a double crown champion? Would Ogawa challenge with him for the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag titles?  Before Ogawa could answer, YO-HEY & HAYATA came to the ring. YO-HEY pointed out to Ogawa and Suzuki that if they weren’t on the same page and at each others throats, what did they think was going to become of their team? Could they really function like that? He didn’t want opponents like that. Ogawa and Kotaro for once saw the sense of his words, and shook hands. YO-HEY accepted their title challenge, and even HAYATA had something to say, “Yoshinari Ogawa and Kotaro Suzuki, next”.

IPW Junior Belt Open Challenge
During the RATELS vs The Sugiura Army (Juniors) on the 18th, NOSAWA Rongai took the IPW belt and attacked Daisuke Harada with it, after the match he knocked down Harada with it after offering a handshake, and then announced to the camera that he was making a open challenge for the belt for wrestlers both inside and outside of NOAH. Daisuke Harada had no say in the matter, and is somewhat speechless at NOSAWA’S audacity.

Promotions petition the Government 
On the 15th April seven wrestlers from different promotions (NOAH, New Japan, Diana, DDT, All Japan, Stardom and Tokyo Joshi) visited a local government official to petition for subsidiaries for athletes while they cannot work, and the possibility of using a kit that tests quickly for COVID-19 which means they can hold small shows.

Hajime Ohara enters University
Hajime Ohara has entered the prestigious Seiji University, due to the Coronavirus he was unable to enter with the rest of his classmates, so he had to enrol online. His list of achievements is quite amazing as he is a volunteer teacher, fireman, full time wrestler, part time student, and he is on various management and health boards in Kawasaki.

EVENT RECAPS
Global Tag League Episode 4
Post match promos: Episode 4
Global Tag League: Final Night
“Noah The Spirit” (19th April 2020)

Except for the 19th April, you can view all of Global Tag League 2020 on DDT Universe. Please note you will need to have a subscription to view the videos. First month is free, then its 900 yen per month.

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

Someone gave Tadasuke a gift of strong Okinawa liquor, and Tadasuke proceeded to get very drunk on Instagram on it. Katsuhiko Nakajima told him that as a NOAH wrestler he should try and exercise some restraint, Tadasuke was too drunk to listen and ended the video by singing “Nakajima-san” or “Katsuhiko-san Nakajima” over and over again until he ended the stream. I was watching the descent into chaos, and somehow ended up getting a wave flash up on my screen saying it was from Tadasuke. I did wave back, but he was too drunk to notice.

The AXIZ photobook “Silver” went on sale at 12pm JST on the 18th April, it sold out once, and then sold out again in the same day. The books will not be restocked or sold at the venue.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki
• GHC Junior Champion: Kotaro Suzuki
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army International (El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr & Rene Dupree)
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: RATELS (HAYATA & YO-HEY)
  Challengers: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa and Kotaro Suzuki)
• GHC National Champion: Takashi Sugiura
  Challenger: Katsuhiko Nakajima
• IPW Junior Heavyweight Champion: Daisuke Harada

BROADCASTS
None as NOAH have not yet announced when they will be holding shows again

THIS WEEK IN NOAH
Wednesday April 22nd: AXIZ will appear in Part 2 of Pro Wrestling Susume (it looks like they are competing against each other in a giant game of Jenga)

LINKS
“Now I really want the belt”, Interview with Kotaro Suzuki
Kiyomiya, eager to meet Mutoh again
“Kotaro Suzuki is someone who copies others” Yoshinari Ogawa mini interview
Wagner’s Team wins Global Tag League! First feat of foreigner tag history