NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.121 ~ 9TH FEBRUARY 2021

The match signings & press conference

NOAH held their press conference (for the “NOAH Generation’s Match”) and championship match signings (for every title except the GHC Heavyweight Tag Titles which will be defended in March, and the GHC Junior Tag, as everyone knew that STINGER were most likely not going to turn up), on the 5th February 2021 at a hotel in Tokyo.

Daisuke Harada (looking icy) and Seiki Yoshioka signed for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship match. Yoshioka thanked NOAH for the chance to wrestle at The Budokan (I get the impression, and not for the first time, that he may stay with NOAH for longer than a year), and said that he felt that getting this belt would prove both that he was a member of NOAH and a proper NOAH junior. He also wanted to dedicate his title win to Keiji Mutoh, who had taken care of him throughout his career.

Daisuke Harada was complimentary towards Yoshioka, saying how he thought Yoshioka had the best potential among the NOAH juniors today, and that he was looking forward to the match, and that he was the “strongest challenger”. In true NOAH junior style they both vowed to have a match that the heavyweight’s could never replicate, and that no other NOAH juniors (title match or otherwise) could outdo.

Go Shiozaki and Keiji Mutoh signed for the GHC Heavyweight. Keiji Mutoh tried to outdo a stubborn NOAH Born by saying that he felt that he could wrestle for 90 minutes, to which Shiozaki said that he could do 120. Despite this, Shiozaki is looking forward to wrestling a legend from the generation of pro wrestling when he himself was a fan.

Masakatsu Funaki did not attend the GHC National signing (due to his schedule, not the STINGER excuses of “illness” or “traffic”), so Kenoh held a solo press conference. Compared to his other challengers, who were all screamed about (and in the case of Kazushi Sakuraba, attacked), Kenoh actually said he was looking forward to fighting Funaki. He had been annoyed with himself for losing in the pre-match, but vowed to go “one step further” at The Budokan.

“The NOAH Generations” match of Jun Akiyama & Naomichi Marufuji vs Yoshiki Inamura and Kaito Kiyomiya, attended for their press conference. Looking a little drunk, Naomichi Marufuji labelled the opponents “honor students” (which basically means you are very polite, and somewhat of a nerd), with Jun Akiyama also saying that he too was a “honor student”, but on the more serious side he did acknowledge that their young opponents, where the “future of NOAH” (although he knew more about Kiyomiya than he did Inamura).

Naomichi Marufuji revealed that he is still terrified of Akiyama, saying that Akiyama was terrifying from the moment he arrived at the arena, and that he was scared for Inamura and Kiyomiya, as Akiyama was the one who broke the hearts of young wrestlers. Akiyama said he would either be a “Buddha or a Demon”, it would depend on what mood he was in when he got out of bed.

 Masao Inoue & Junta Miyawaki to miss The Budokan

Following a fever on the 4th February, Masao Inoue took a test for Coronavirus, which came back as positive. In order to rule out a false positive (as was the case with Hajime Ohara), he did another test at a local medical facility, which confirmed the presence of the disease. Inoue has stated that he is keeping a positive mind, and so far has not been hospitalized. Inoue has been removed from the Budokan card.

Junta Miyawaki has also been removed from the Budokan (he is very crushed about it) due to suffering an attack of acute appendicitis. He joins this club with Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima.

The first two matches of The Budokan card has now been changed to:

Kinya Okada vs Akitoshi Saito

Atsushi Kotoge, Daiki Inaba & Yasutaka Yano vs Hajime Ohara, YO-HEY & Kai Fujimura

 Genichiro Tenryu added to the “Legends” Commentary

Three “Legends” while provide commentary for the ABEMA PPV. Kenta Kobashi has already been confirmed, with Genichiro Tenryu being announced on the 9th February. This leaves one more, which to my mind will probably be either Akira Taue or Toshiaki Kawada.

The last time Genichiro Tenryu was in NOAH, he commented on how much he was reminded of Baba era All Japan; the atmosphere, the way the wrestlers moved, the way they took moves, the all important “sound” they made when they took moves. He attributed this to the teaching of Jun Akiyama and Yoshinari Ogawa. It will be interesting to see what he makes of the next generation.

Kenta Kobashi scolds Shuhei Taniguchi

Shuhei Taniguchi found himself on the receiving end of Kenta Kobashi’s ire, when he made the comment that “Before I knew it, I lost” in an interview recently, he talked about his loss to Keiji Mutoh. Kobashi was furious, saying “I will be very angry if you don’t wake up this year. Really, I have had enough. Everything is disappointing Taniguchi, I want you to do your best.” He then suggested that Taniguchi use the Half Nelson. Taniguchi said he would, but he didn’t. If he did anything, it was his strange hopping dance.

Someone reported this to Kenta Kobashi, who said that if that was the case, then Taniguchi should refrain from using the Half Nelson.

Kobashi was informed that Taniguchi hadn’t actually used it, and said that he would call him and tell him to use the Half Nelson.

Nothing has been reported on how this conversation went yet, but Kenta Kobashi will be watching Shuhei Taniguchi’s match at The Budokan. Your guess is as good as mine as to how he will take the sight of him dancing.

 ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

~ NOAH have done a countdown of the days leading up to The Budokan by having wrestlers hold a numbered board (HAYATA naturally looked away from the camera and pressed himself into a corner), and Katsuhiko Nakajima ironically held up the number six. Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba were number “three” with them making a gesture that Marufuji thought looked like his. Sugiura said innocently that it was when the referee counted three, and the sign he made. Marufuji remained unconvinced.

~ Hitoshi Kumano celebrated eight years in wrestling on the 9th February.

~ Hajime Ohara described Momo No Seishun as “being like a wake”. It’s true, neither of them seen happy, and it looks a thoroughly miserable experience.

~ Keiji Mutoh said that women don’t get excited over an old man who is bald and has a head as smooth as a teapot, and almost sixty, so he says he wants to have a “sexy fight”, and make them say he is cooler than Kiyomiya!

~ Naomichi Marufuji said in an interview that Mitsuharu Misawa had a place where he liked to sit at Korakuen Hall when in the waiting room backstage, and twelve years on, he still cannot sit in it and wonders when any other member of the roster does without knowing.

~ Kaito Kiyomiya had a burst of excitement when he found out that he and Jun Akiyama are the same blood type.

~ HAYATA spoke a few sentences when he and Yoshinari Ogawa did an online interview. Well, it was actually Ogawa who did the talking, and HAYATA only really became animated when it was over. There was a string of comments on the chat saying, “He speaks!” when HAYATA did say something.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Go Shiozaki
  Challenger: Keiji Mutoh (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Junior Champion: Daisuke Harada
  Challenger: Seiki Yoshioka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba)
  Challengers: The Aggression (7th March 2021, Yokohama Budokan)
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA)
  Challengers: Kotaro Suzuki & Ikuto Hidaka (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)
•  GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: Masakatsu Funaki (12th February 2021, Nippon Budokan)

 BROADCASTS

 Please see the below regarding The Nippon Budokan:

Schedule:

• 12.00pm JST: NOAH will unveil their new logo
• Part One (starts 16:30 JST)
• Part two (starts 17:45 JST)
• FITE TV ($19.99, English commentary)
• WRESTLEUNIVERSE (will show the part 2 matches only live, with English commentary)

*ABEMA will show for free all five matches of part 2 only

Whole event on ABEMA PPV (paid, not recommended if you live outside of Japan and do not have a VPN you know is compatible with ABEMA)

The first four matches will only be available via ABEMA or FITE TV, who will also broadcast the whole event.

The second half (the four title matches, and the “NOAH Generations Tag”) you can view on ABEMA for free or on WRESTLEUNIVERSE.

Please note that it is not recommended that if you are outside of Japan, and do not have a working VPN, that you attempt to purchase the ABEMA PPV. Getting a VPN that works with ABEMA, can be notoriously hard. I suggest you purchase the FITE TV PPV and watch it that way if you want to see the whole show. The FITE TV PPV is not available in Japan.

A guide to the event can be found here.

LINKS

Go Shiozaki reveals the “Teaching of Mitsuharu Misawa”, “I can’t run away…I don’t want to lie” 

“Enjoy the NOAH Juniors, where various Indie All-Stars gather!” The NOAH Junior’s “Excitement Team” FULL THROTTLE, talk the Nippon Budokan at full power!

Complete defeat of “Mutoh in his heyday”, NOAH’s 12th February Budokan event 7th defense match

“Beyond New Japan…Budokan is a new start” Go Shiozaki reveals the future of NOAH

From the few pro wrestling promotions watched for the first time as a child, to being a NOAH born! Yoshiki Inamura talks NOAH love and subculture love.

“Beyond New Japan…Budokan is a new start” Go Shiozaki reveals the future of NOAH
“I have gained the strength to do 90 minutes”, Keiji Mutoh to challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Championship
Go Shiozaki & Keiji Mutoh (GHC Heavyweight Match Signing)
Kenoh (GHC National Championship Signing Ceremony)
Kenoh declares the instant defeat of Masakatsu Funaki at The Budokan on the 12th February
“Baba’s shoulders were higher than the top rope…” Naomichi Marufuji talks about “Returning to The Sacred Place” for the first time in 11 years, and his memories of The Budokan
Seiki Yoshioka, the aim is to “bring back a championship” for Mutoh. Harada’s 12th February GHC Junior Challenge
Naomichi Marufuji & Jun Akiyama vs Yoshiki Inamura & Kaito Kiyomiya (Press Conference)
Daisuke Harada & Seiki Yoshioka (GHC Junior Championship match signing ceremony)
“Enjoy the NOAH Juniors, where various Indie All-Stars gather!” The NOAH Junior’s “Excitement Team” FULL THROTTLE, talk the Nippon Budokan at full power!
Complete defeat of “Mutoh in his heyday”, NOAH’s 12th February Budokan event 7th defense match
“A feeling that new things will be born” What are you aiming for in returning to the “Sacred Place” of the Nippon Budokan, interview with Naomichi Marufuji

GIFS taken from Pro Wrestling NOAH Official YouTube