NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.116 ~ 3RD JANUARY 2021

Welcome to the first NOAH newsletter of 2021. It’s been a quiet few days as the NOAH office has been shut for the New Year break. NOAH held their last show of 2020 on the 29th December (Takashi Sugiura’s 20th Anniversary), and will recommence at Korakuen Hall on the 4th January 2021.

NEWS

“All Dogs Gather 2” ~ Takashi Sugiura’s 20th anniversary

Mitsuharu Misawa had created produce shows to be a training tool for the younger generation of NOAH to produce their own shows, make booking decisions etc, all with the backing of the promotion behind them. Produce shows (like RATELS early ones) were where you would book dream matches, bring your friends in and generally do things that didn’t really relate to what was going on in NOAH at that time. You would never have once seen title challenges or many things that we saw this evening. With Kaito Kiyomiya’s “NEW HOPE” fast evolving the new SEM and Club Citta the new Differ to hold it in, produce shows have too evolved.

Not having much to do since Quiet Storm left in early 2020, Mohammed Yone asked Shuhei Taniguchi, (who has not been doing much since his singles match with Keiji Mutoh and his drifting away from the younger generation group of Kaito Kiyomiya, Yoshiki Inamura and Daiki Inaba), if he wanted to team up after their tag match. Taniguchi agreed by roaring loudly into the microphone.

Fans got the best Christmas\New Year’s gift ever, when Hajime Ohara challenged Daisuke Harada for the GHC Junior Championship. NOAH like to keep their singles matches (and indeed their tag matches) to a minimum as they know how highly fans prize seeing them fight, and they only ever usually give them a singles for special occasions. Harada accepted Ohara’s challenge, and it has been set for 10th January at Korakuen Hall. It would have been a very good Budokan match.

Go Shiozaki and Kazuyuki Fujita had their first match (albeit a tag) following their title match, in ten months. The staredown this time lasted only about five minutes until Hideki Suzuki and Yoshiki Inamura broke it up. That was all they were able to break up however, as they had a staredown after the match in the form of “this ain’t over”, which ended with Shiozaki grimacing and Fujita walking off. Nothing has been arranged yet, but fans have said they want to see a singles match between them again, and this time with an audience. Somehow, I don’t think that a thirty minute staredown once again is going to be a problem.

Katsuhiko Nakajima loved facing off against Kazunari Murakami, his smile was probably visible from space. But it wasn’t Nakajima (or Kitamiya who held up Kongoh pride until the end as he was the last man standing), who gave the impression of a further interaction with Murakami, it was Kenoh. The two had a light speed hard-as-hell kick war, and it was Kenoh who eliminated him. Murakami left with a laugh.

The main event elimination match between Kongoh & The Sugiura Army, came down to Takashi Sugiura and Masa Kitamiya. Sugiura won the match with the Olympic Slam, but he gave props to the bloodied Kitamiya who had headbutted him, and led the applause when he was helped from the ring. Sugi then asked all The Sugiura Army members to come to the ring. Kendo Kashin did not accompany them, having stalked off earlier when eliminated (he turned up later, he had been out to buy beer), and Hideki Suzuki flipped the bird behind Kazuyuki Fujita’s back. Fujita remained totally unaware. After giving the audience a heart attack by joking he was going to retire, Takashi Sugiura thanked everyone for coming, and saying how grateful he was to be able to have been in NOAH for twenty years, which is an understatement as there were times when it looked like NOAH would not survive twenty years, and had it not been for Sanshiro Takagi, Misawa’s kindness to him and investment in DDT all those years ago, NOAH would not have survived Coronavirus. Event done, backstage interview done where Sugi said he wanted a singles belt for him and to monopolize the belts as a unit, the aftershow party could begin.

All of NOAH’s past events have either been broadcast on the network, or else on a subscription streaming service such as WrestleUniverse or ABEMA, this was the first time they had ever done anything “Pay Per View”. The backstage party was hosted by the irrepressible Kuniko Yamada, and although he is no longer a member, Kinya Okada joined in. Okada did little more though than hide in a corner, and tear into a hunk of meat (Kuniko ate hers in a more refined manner). Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba were the main stars, breaking open the traditional Sake barrel (this is done on anniversaries), and performing their stand up comedy sketch in the style of 1950s comedians with big bow ties, and a microphone between them.

January 2021

Due to the escalating Coronavirus situation in Japan, the Tokyo city government has announced that all bars, restaurants and cafes will be shut at 8pm. Sports events seem to be (for now) untouched by this and it will be business as usual.

The same as last year, NOAH will holding their first show of the year at Korakuen Hall, once again the card will be announced by entrance themes, and they will also be in competition with New Japan who will be running the Tokyo Dome. Unlike last year they will not be running a second night on January 5th, and only five shows in total over the course of the month.

Last year, Masao Inoue won a match, Daisuke Harada beat Hajime Ohara in a four man tag, Hideki Suzuki and Kenoh left fans wanting more, Doug Williams teamed with Chris Ridgeway, Go Shiozaki defeated Kaito Kiyomiya for the GHC Heavyweight, and HAYATA shook hands with Yoshinari Ogawa after the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag match…

So who knows just WHAT is going to happen this year, and given how explosive NOAH was when it wrapped up 2020, this show has the potential to be red hot.

J-CROWNED VOL.2

The second volume of Matt Charlton’s excellent study of Puroresu, has been released on both kindle or paperback form. Beautiful illustrations which compliment the moving text, there is no better place to either start, refresh or learn something you never knew before about your favorite champions and their title reigns.

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.jp

Amazon.com

Amazon Canada

Amazon Germany

EVENT RECAPS AND POST MATCH PROMOS

Event recap: “All Dogs Gather 2” (29th December 2020, Korakuen Hall)

Post match promos: “All Dogs Gather 2” (29th December 2020, Korakuen Hall)

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

~ Kaz Hayashi announced after the Sugiura Army produce that he was leaving NOAH and therefore withdrawing from The Sugiura Army as he wants to concentrate on GLEAT.

~ Naomichi Marufuji and Daiki Inaba went at each other outside the ring at “All Dogs Gather”.Inaba said in the last backstage interview of 2020, that he wasn’t going to run away.

~ In a recent interview Kazunari Murakami referred to Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya as the “two young boys”, which was how he had known them at Kensuke Office\Diamond Ring.

~ NOAH wrestlers released their New Year calligraphy with their resolutions. YO-HEY talked about nipples, and Naomichi Marufuji talked about Ramen.

~ As it is the year of The Ox, Yoshiki Inamura was made up as one for a magazine shoot. He kind of looks more like a Demon than an Ox though, but would give the Minotaur described as “his body was fully human, although his legs and arms were bulging with almost superhuman muscles”, a run for his money.

~ Sadly due to the Coronavirus, there was no traditional NOAH appearance at JeanJean (aka “The Purple Dinosaur”) this year. In past years, Naomichi Marufuji, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kenoh (looking awkward as he was given a cake that resembled breasts), have appeared.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki
  Challenger: Keiji Mutoh (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Junior Champion: Daisuke Harada
  Challenger: Hajime Ohara (10th January 2021, Korakuen Hall)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba)
  Challengers: None
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA)
  Challengers: None
•  GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: None

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

Monday, 4th January 2021: “NEW SUNRISE 2021” (6pm JST, Korakuen Hall)

Tuesday, 5th January 2021: Katsuhiko Nakajima celebrates 17 years in wrestling (debut 2004)

Tuesday, 5th January 2021: Seiki Yoshioka (33)

Wednesday, 6th January 2021: “FULL THROTTLE” appear on Pro Wrestling Susume (part 1)

Thursday, 7th January 2021: Naomichi Marufuji will be the special one day manager at SWANDIVE Bar & Restaurant

Sunday 10th January 2021: “HIGHER GROUND 2021” (11:30am JST, Korakuen Hall)

BROADCASTS

“NEW SUNRISE 2021” from Korakuen Hall on the 4th January, will be broadcast live on ABEMA from 6pm JST. The stream will be free and worldwide. If you cannot watch it live, you will be able to view it for seven days afterwards. After that time you will need to subscribe to WRESTLEUNIVERSE in order to be able to watch it.

LINKS

NOAH will hold 4th January Korakuen again this year! The card will be announced on the day! What is the surprise?

GIF’S taken from ABEMA

Picture credit: Yoshiki Inamura