NEWS

Kenoh attacked by “Sugiura”

Fans in Sendai on the 21st February were looking forward to seeing “Kenohara” (the former team of Kenoh and Hajime Ohara from their NOAH Junior days), fight in a ultra rare singles match. The match only lasted seven minutes however, and just after Kenoh had got the pin, a masked man (dressed almost like a pirate, and wearing a black Jason hockey mask on top of a lion mask) rushed into the ring and attacked him with a crutch. Later, the masked man was to give his name as “Sugiura” and said he had been sent to do this “on behalf of Kashin”.

No one was fooled as to who this masked intruder was. He didn’t have either the height or the cyborg like physique of Takashi Sugiura, and Sugiura himself later said that he was an “old man” who wasn’t fooling around; that was Kashin. Kenoh said later (after a strange spell of not flying into a verbal meltdown), that whoever it was would pay, but after experience of fighting with Sugiura many times, he knew it wasn’t him. Suspicions were further aroused, when it was revealed that Kashin had worn exactly the same outfit (minus the Lion mask) in 2017.

Kashin had promised Kenoh that the title match would be a “clean fight” with no ring intrusions (he’s a NOAH junior, he has to promise these things) and no “seconds interfering”, but he never promised anything in the build leading up to the title match. With no one to restrain him, like they normally would in matches, expect to see Kashin on the loose. I just hope he knows what Kenoh is going to do to him in the title match.

Junta Miyawaki returns to training

Junta Miyawaki returned to training this week, after being hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy. He has returned to the dojo to train, but his return to the ring has not yet been announced.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

“STEP FORWARD 2021” (21st February, Sendai PIT, Sendai)

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

~ Following a conversation about calf kicks (which Sakuraba turned into “scarf kicks” and joked his neck was cold), Katsuhiko Nakajima said he preferred kicking people in the face.

~ Daisuke Nakamura (who so far has only appeared once for The Sugiura Army), won his match at the MMA event “DEEP100” and announced himself as “Daisuke Nakamura of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Sugiura Army!”, while wearing one of the Sugiura Army t-shirts. Tadasuke had said at the produce, he wanted to have a singles match with him.

~ Tadasuke and NOSAWA, had a stand off which ended with them both removing their sunglasses very slowly and at the same time. After the match (it was a tag between Tadasuke and Masa Kitamiya, and Takashi Sugiura and NOSAWA Rongai), NOSAWA left with his thoughtful face on. Which usually means trouble.

~ Katsuhiko Nakajima thought that Go Shiozaki losing the GHC Heavyweight title to Keiji Mutoh was the funniest thing ever, and made fun of him for it. After the match he indicated that he had no interest in it, and turned his attention back to the GHC Heavyweight tag challenge, hinting that the champions had something to hide by not doing a pre-match with THE AGGRESSION (he never mentioned Kongoh), together.

~ Even Takashi Sugiura admits that The Sugiura Army is chaos, and therefore he makes no effort to try and control it.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Keiji Mutoh
  Challenger: Kaito Kiyomiya (14th March, “Great Voyage in Fukuoka 2021”)
• GHC Junior Champion: Seiki Yoshioka
  Challenger: Atsushi Kotoge (14th March, “Great Voyage in Fukuoka 2021”)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba)
  Challengers: The Aggression (7th March 2021, “Great Voyage in Yokohama”)
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA)
  Challengers: None
• GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: Kendo Kashin (7th March 2021, “Great Voyage in Yokohama”)

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

 Tuesday 23rd February: Mohammed Yone (45)

Tuesday 23rd February: “STEP FORWARD 2021”: YAMADA Green Dome Maebashi Sub-event area, Gunma (17:30 JST)

Wednesday 24th February: “STEP FORWARD 2021”: Korakuen Hall (18:00 JST)

Friday 25th February: Kenta Kobashi celebrates 33 years in Pro Wrestling

 BROADCASTS

Please note, unless stated, you must be a subscriber to WRESTLEUNIVERSE to view events. Subscription is free for first month, then 900 yen per calendar month. You can sign up from anywhere in the world.

• NOAH’s show at Sendai PIT on the 21st February, will be broadcast on WRESTLEUNIVERSE on Wednesday 24th.
• NOAH’s show on the 23rd February in Gunma, will be broadcast on WRESTLEUNIVRSE on Friday 26th.
• NOAH’s show at Korakuen Hall on the 24th February will be broadcast on ABEMA. However, it does not currently say whether this will be a free worldwide broadcast or not. Should it not be, I do not recommend that you try and watch it via a VPN, unless you know it works with ABEMA and you already subscribe to the service. VPN can be notoriously hit and miss with the service, with some working for some people, and not for some others.

LINKS

Daily Battle Award ~ Go Shiozaki’s first MVP & Best Match of The Year

Keiji Mutoh’s GHC Win commemoration, exploring the story of Mitsuharu Misawa

Jun Akiyama candidly talks leaving NOAH eight years ago. Naomichi Marufuji, “This was an aspect of life, rather than pro wrestling”

“It’s not good to expect too much”…”There is an opportunity to enjoy him if you can find it…” Jun Akiyama & Naomichi Marufuji’s discussion about Shuhei Taniguchi

“The tag of freestyle and Greco is the strongest”, the unconfirmed relationship of the 50 year old tag champions, Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba

Picture credit: NOAH GHC Twitter