Japanese Wrestling Results
Andrew’s Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 Victory Results & Match Ratings: Day 4
Day and Night double header for NOAH’s N-1 Victory tournament! Takashi Sugiura has had an early hold on the tournament, can anyone make a push?
Pro Wrestling NOAH hits us with the early and late show double header!
Given the fact that Japan is like a half a day ahead of me, it’s easier to just condense this into one post since I’ll be watching it all together anyway.
We could see the field close up pretty well. I doubt Sugiura will run away with the tournament, so you’ve got to think there will be a few upsets and great drama for the future.
Let’s find out what happened!
Ratings:
- B Block: Yoshiki Inamura vs Kenoh: Kenoh wins via Knockout @10:26 – ** ½
- A Block: Masa Kitamiya vs Kazushi Sakuraba: Sakuraba wins via Knee Bar @2:29 – ***
- B Block: Shuhei Taniguchi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima: Taniguchi wins via Punt Kick @14:42 – ****
- A Block: Manabu Soya vs Kaito Kiyomiya: Kaito wins via Tiger Suplex Hold @21:55 – *** ¾
- B Block: Naomichi Marufuji vs Kenoh: Kenoh wins via Rear Naked Choke @15:05 – ****
- A Block: Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kaito Kiyomiya: Kaito wins via Figure Four @9:47 – ***
- B Block: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Takashi Sugiura: Nakajima wins via Vertical Spike @17:42 – *** ¾
- A Block: Go Shiozaki vs Masaaki Mochizuki: Mochizuki wins via Dragon Suplex Hold @16:21 – **** ¼
9.23 DAY Results:
B Block: Yoshiki Inamura vs Kenoh
More inter faction fighting for KONGO. I mean that happens when half of the people in the tournament are in your stable. Inamura is still young, so this is a learning experience for him. Kenoh as the leader of KONGO, needs this win to stay in the thick of the block standings, and also not to lose to the youngest member of the group.
This match felt like the stereotypical “letting your little brother stick around in a game, until you get too lax and then have to try”. Early on Inamura was getting some momentum going with Shoulder Tackles and just generally powering through Kenoh’s attempts at offense. But once he went for the Diving Shoulder Tackle, Kenoh side steps and connects a Roundhouse Kick right to his chest, in midair.
That move lead to an onslaught of Kenoh softening up the midsection of Inamura with Double Knees and Sole Butt attacks. If you’ve ever had someone jump off a porch step and land knees first into your chest, then you know how Inamura felt.
Kenoh displays his tough love that he used on Kaito and seems to be implementing here were Inamura as well. Allowing him to get up, club him, and then respond with a swift Sole Butt to the stomach. This serves only to fire up Inamura, so when Kenoh runs to the ropes, Inamura catches him for a release Belly to Belly. At this point, Kenoh realizes he let the younger wrestler stick around too long. So he slips the Running Powerslam attempt, and starts lighting him up with strikes. As Inamura tries to absorb them and fight through, a few Shoteis land flush on the chin, and the tiny tank falls back onto the mat, and the referee calls for the bell.
A Block: Masa Kitamiya vs Kazushi Sakuraba
Both men are 1-1, so this is a match with a lot of weight. Sakuraba starts off the match, again proving the 200 IQ wrestling ability as he goes after Kitamiya’s injured knee. We saw in his last match against Kaito Kiyomiya, the knee came up a little lame, but Kitamiya powered through. Here we see Sakuraba attack it with a flurry of low kicks, just prodding for an opening and to inflict irritating damage on the banged up knee.
Kitamiya drives his shoulder into Sakuraba, but Sakuraba takes the chance to try the Sakuraba Lock. Kitamiya gets to the ropes, and then we get a struggle. Sakuraba looks for a few ways to take down Kitamiya, first with a Sleeper, but Kitamiya falls back into the corner to break it and lands a Senton for a near fall. Then Sakuraba tries to drive down the bigger man with an Arm Bar, Kitamiya blocks, but Sakuraba picks the ankle and locks in a Knee Bar on the bad knee. Kitamiya taps out almost immediately. Very smart wrestling.
B Block: Shuhei Taniguchi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima
Nakajima is vicious to start this match. A few quick kicks and then a Punt to the head send Taniguchi to the floor early. Around 14 on the count, it doesn’t look like Taniguchi will respond, so Nakajima goes to get him, he’s not done playing. In what ends up being very safe exchanges (incase Taniguchi was really hurt), Nakajima posts him in the corner, a few elbows, sweeps the leg, then does his Corner Foot Choke Pose a few times to each side.
In either a feat of great selling, or still not 100% back yet, Nakajima goes to Irish Whip Taniguchi, but he falls, Nakajima hits the rope, and Taniguchi looks to try a Power Slam, but eats a Running Boot. Nakajima hits the ropes again, but this time the Power Slam is successful and we see Taniguchi build some offense. Big slams, corner strikes and a Chokeslam attempt look good, but Nakajima slips the Chokeslam, and we’re back in Kick City. Nakajima drops Taniguchi after a few kicks, then starts running through him. He starts Punting him in the solar plexus, but as he does it, he looks like a gazelle frolicking in the woods. There’s an evil beauty in how Nakajima delights in this.
攻めの足を止めない中嶋！！谷口は悶えるしかないのか！？#noah_ghc #n12020 pic.twitter.com/JqpRBNvmGX
— プロレスリング・ノア (@noah_ghc) September 23, 2020
Taniguchi starts fighting back for space, catching Nakajima in a Release Suplex, Nakajima stands back up to strike, but then we see the Ex-Terminator’s unique strike combo. A Forearm Smash and a battering ram style Headbutt; we get a bit of that until Taniguchi starts to take over. The strikes add up, he hits a Chokeslam, 3 of his own Punt Kicks, but Nakajima kicks out. Maybach Press, kick out, Lariat, Kick out, ONE MORE PUNT KICK, and finally Nakajima stays down. In beautiful karma, the move that would’ve probably won Nakajima the match in the beginning (if he didn’t go fetch Taniguchi to be cheeky), was his downfall.
Damn great match and great way to bring the story full circle.
A Block: Manabu Soya vs Kaito Kiyomiya
Both have an uphill battle, Kaito being at 1 point and Soya at 2. This was a struggle of a match and it played out like such. Both men absorbed a lot of punishment and kept fighting. Soya used a lot of power spots including an Avalanche Power Slam, a Bear Hug and Brainbusters galor, but Kaito wouldn’t stay down. In fact, there was a spot for a few minutes where Kaito wouldn’t let go of a Guillotine Choke. Soya rammed him into the corner a few times, hit a Brainbuster, but Kaito didn’t let go. He tried to transition it into a pin, but Soya barely got a shoulder up, and then eventually threw Kaito out of the ring.
Haymakers got thrown from this point, Soya hit a Death Valley Driver and Brainbuster, but only two. Kaito fought back, managed to execute a German Suplex Hold for 2, and then followed that with the Tiger Suplex Hold for the victory!
Solid match to show that both men really needed the win, but not much else of a story beyond that.
9.23 NIGHT Results:
B Block: Naomichi Marufuji vs Kenoh
So these two have some heat. Marufuji being the veteran, nearly living legend status in Japan, irks Kenoh. Kenoh has made Marufuji a target, a measuring stick, just something he’s trying to surpass in most of his time as a member of NOAH. Does he take another step towards cementing his legacy, or does the older veteran still have life?
As can be expected, it starts off a little tenuous, but then we see a multitude of strikes, counter strikes and just nice impact shots. Marufuji gets clever while dodging a Kenoh kick and lays back, then kicking the plant leg to trip up Kenoh. Marufuji gets in some chops, Kenoh rocks him back into the corner with kicks. When Kenoh charges, he dodges all of Marufuji’s combination, Marufuji dodges Kenoh’s Roundhouse counters, until Marufuji hits a Hook Kick, causing Kenoh to throw an Overhead Kick in desperation as both men fall for a bit.
Off the small respite, they both get up swinging, Kenoh flips out of a German Suplex, Marufuji flips out of a Dragon Suplex, then dodges the first kick but gets caught by the Spinning Crane Kick. Kenoh keeps the pressure up, and then goes to the top rope for a Diving Footstomp, but Marufuji moves, blocks the kick and hits the KO-OH to the stomach. With the wind out of Kenoh, Marufuji looks to lock in a Triangle Cobra Clutch, transitioning it to a Key Lock.
Kenoh gets out and the counters continue. Marufuji eats a few kicks, counters the stomp with a cradle, but Kenoh gets out. Hook Kick, KO-OH, Hook Kick, KO-OH, and 5 Hole Kick still are only enough to give Marufuji a near fall. He hunts for a corner KO-OH, but Kenoh dodges and then just jumps on his back. Desperation leads Kenoh to attempting the Rear Naked Choke again, and just like against Taniguchi, he ends up putting Marufuji to sleep.
Fantastic match that felt more like a fighting game between two good players. A few moves slip through, but mostly it’s a game of counter holds, counter strikes and ends with one big surprising finish.
A Block: Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kaito Kiyomiya
Things start off with a little hand shake, and then quickly turn into a Sakuraba kind of match. A few quick kicks and then the match goes to the ground. Kiyomiya does manage to get a small moment where he grabs and ankle while in a body scissors, but it’s mostly all Sakuraba before the early rope break.
Kaito really tempts fate by wrestling Sakuraba’s style of match. Kaito gets cute and goes for the Figure Four early, but Sakuraba blocks most of it and gets his way out. From there on it’s a lot of kicks from Sakuraba, looking for the Sakuraba Lock and Kaito trying to respond in kind. The Figure Four I’m assuming is a reference and reminder of his failure against Muto since that’s how he lost. But Kaito does manage to turn failure and a style he’s not great at, into a victory when he actually forces a tap out!
Unexpected for Sakuraba to lose his kind of match, but shows a lot of growth for Kaito.
B Block: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Takashi Sugiura
This match starts with flashes of each man’s style. Nakajima powders early after eating a few power attacks, but once he gets the advantage on the outside, numerous kicks and cocky poses takes over for a little. Sugiura, not one to take disrespect, grabs an Ankle Lock as Nakajima is trying his pose for the camera. After the Ankle Lock slows down Nakajima, Sugiura plays his slower power focused kind of match. Including a nicely done delayed Avalanche Brainbuster. Eating the brunt of some submission work, Nakajima retreats to the ropes to try and get some space. A quick Enzuigiri gets him some breathing room and sets Sugiura back on his heels a little.
ナックルー！！！ @ABEMA で視聴中 https://t.co/dzoT9XvzBs #noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/oGKVXcI8x4
— プロレスリング・ノア (@noah_ghc) September 23, 2020
Missile Dropkick, Roundhouse Kicks and a Dragon Screw Leg Whip allow Nakajima to keep the foot on the gas a little. A missed PK, gives Sugiura the chance to hit a Release Belly to Belly. This point we get both men throwing a lot at one another. Nakajima manages to hit a Vertical Spike, but Sugiura kicks out. Sugiura attempts the Olympic Slam, but Nakajima slips it and lights up Sugiura. A few closed fist punches (which the referee looked a half second away from DQing him), a Punt Kick and then a hesitation Vertical Spike gives Nakajima the win, and Suigura his first loss of the tournament!
A Block: Go Shiozaki vs Masaaki Mochizuki
Now there seems to be a few of these, but just calling Mochizuki a kicking expert is underselling his ability. Yes he’s known for his kicks, but since he’s had a length of time in Dragon Gate, his style is more Lucha Libre and less of a straight forward striking style. This becomes a large amount of the pacing early on, where Mochi hits a few kicks, Go tries to shrug them off and we trade. Hell there’s a great spot where Go gets sat on the apron, Mochi runs forward and kicks him, causing Go to just slowly get off the apron, stand and stare at him like “Who the hell do you think you are?”.
Go uses his Kobashi styling a bit in this match, with multiple Spinning Back Chops, the Machine Gun Chops in the corner, and the Karate Chop takedown. There’s a nice exchange where Mochi keeps meeting Go’s lariat with a Roundhouse Kick, and it takes three times, but eventually Go’s Lariat proves stronger than the kick. Not giving Go much time to take advantage, Mochi grabs the arm and looks for a Fujiwara Armbar.
望月の勢いを潮崎の豪腕が止める！！！！ #n12020 @ABEMA で視聴中 https://t.co/dzoT9XvzBs #noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/D79qgcSshk
— プロレスリング・ノア (@noah_ghc) September 23, 2020
After Go fights off the submission we get more strikes, Chops from Go, Kicks from Mochi; Mochi gets the advantage after a Buzzsaw Kick, Brazilian Kick and a Snapping High Kick drive Go to the corner ropes. Mochi runs to perform his Triangle Kick finish, but a huge desperation Lariat takes Mochi out of his shoes. They both crawl to the center, slowly get up to strike, Go gets a small advantage hitting a few chops, Limit Breaker, the Karate Chop takedown and a Go Flasher, but only a 2 count!
The strikes continue until we see a trade of finishers, Triangle Kick lands which rocks Go, but he falls back into the ropes and charges forward with a Gowan Lariat. As both recover a little, Go looks for another Gowan Lariat, Mochi ducks, follows him to the ropes, Dragon Suplex Hold for the pinfall!
Great use of the fact that Go’s arms and shoulders are taped and have been worked over a lot, so the Dragon Suplex is a fantastic finish.
Overall Score: 8.25 + 8.5 = 8.375/10
Both Nights were fantastic! Not a bad match on any show, the lowest rating being because it was predictable and even the story was more of Kenoh letting Inamura do stuff than Inamura really being a challenge.
With Sugiura losing, it makes everything a much closer situation. No one is undefeated after both of these days and that makes for a great finish to the tournament. It also inadvertently gives Kenoh the lead in B Block after the first day loss to Katsuhiko.
A Block:
- Kaito Kiyomiya: (2-1-1) – 5 Points
- Go Shiozaki: (2-1) – 4 Points
- Kazushi Sakuraba: (2-2) – 4 Points
- Masaaki Mochizuki: (1-1-1) – 3 Points
- Manabu Soya: (1-2) – 2 Points
- Masa Kitamiya: (1-2) – 2 Points
B Block:
- Kenoh: (3-1) – 6 Points
- Takashi Sugiura: (2-1-1) – 5 Points
- Katsuhiko Nakajima: (2-1) – 4 Points
- Naomichi Marufuji: (1-1-1) – 3 Points
- Shuhei Taniguchi: (1-2) – 2 Points
- Yoshiki Inamura: (0-3) – 0 Points (Eliminated)
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Japanese Wrestling Results
(NOAH) NOAH NEWSLETTER VOL.200 ~ 7TH MAY 2023
New alliances, MMA challengers and the return of a beloved tag team!
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
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.
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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
“It’s like a dream” – Jake, “Full speed for the first time in a while”, 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.
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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)
- ABEMA PRESENTS MAJESTIC 2023
(Thursday 4th May, Ryogoku Kokugikan)
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
– 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
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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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
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WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Japanese Wrestling Results
(NOAH) NOAH NEWSLETTER VOL.199 ~ 25TH APRIL 2023
Lots of Championship news! Does Jake Lee have what it takes to captain the ark?
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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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
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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)
- Act City Hamamatsu (Saturday, April 22nd)
- Kyoto KBS Hall (Sunday, April 23rd)
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.jp, Pro Wrestling DX
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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