NEWS

Demon Tag

Kaito Kiyomiya’s issues with NOSAWA Rongai (and to a lesser extent The Great Muta and Magical Immortality) took a turn for the worse in Ishikawa on the 29th August. Left alone in the ring after the victory was picked up by Yoshinari Ogawa, Kiyomiya decided to howl with rage that he had failed to get the win over the people who had humiliated him, and take on the two demons (Magical Immortality and Great Muta) and NOSAWA Rongai. The fight went outside the ring and to the back of the hall where Kiyomiya, who was already covered in the red mist and the green mist, was attacked with a chair, and then hit with a car which was driven by the Great Muta. Kiyomiya was then draped over the bonnet, and thrown to the floor when the car moved off. He was later carried away on a stretcher.

Kiyomiya it seemed suffered no ill effects as he turned up the next day on NOAH the HOME (Series 3), although he did look like he had dark rings around his eyes. Commenting on the upcoming singles match with Kiyomiya (3rd September, Yokohama), NOSAWA says he can see no merit in it and won’t even turn up unless his stipulation that if he wins he enters the N-1 in Kiyomiya’s place is met. Kiyomiya is completely ignoring this to say that he is going to make NOSAWA pay for what he has done to him, but he does admit, that the “swamp” he has pulled him into may be addictive.

Masa Kitamiya’s 10th anniversary

Masa Kitamiya celebrated ten years in wrestling in his home prefecture of Toyama on the 28th August. Kitamiya’s actual anniversary is September 25th but due to the schedule of the N-1 VICTORY it will not have been possible to hold it then. The event was attended by family, friends and locals, and he was presented with flowers both on the way to the ring, and by Kaito Kiyomiya, his tag partner. There was also flowers in the lobby from family, friends and GLEAT had sent a bouquet too. The opponents in the match were Kongoh, who all turned their backs on him when he posed with his team to take a commemorative picture. After the match in which he was victorious, Masa Kitamiya addressed the crowd thanking everyone for coming to the event given the circumstances. Backstage he remembered something Akira Hokuto had said back in the Kensuke Office days, “Akira Hokuto said a person is “fully fledged after ten years”, and I am grateful that I have been able to arrive here without serious injury and without having to retire. ”

I don’t think anyone would recognize the Mitsuhiro Kitamiya who entered Kensuke Office ten years ago, with the Masa Kitamiya of today.

HAYATA & Kotaro

There hasn’t been a pre-match between the two for the GHC Junior Heavyweight, but Kotaro and HAYATA have managed to interact with each other. The first time was when Kotaro jumped HAYATA after a tag match in Toyama on the 28th August, and stood with his foot on his chest as he dangled the belt above him. HAYATA snatched at it, but Kotaro withdrew it. Interestingly, after this when Yoshinari Ogawa got in the ring he and Kotaro had a stare off for a few seconds. HAYATA returned the favor the next day, attacking Kotaro when he was backstage and kicking him to the floor. HAYATA then took the belt, and (after a few seconds of holding it up to the camera and looking worried), he did exactly the same to Kotaro, stood holding the belt with his foot on Kotaro’s chest. He also seemed to be speaking too as he bent over him, although I think he probably only said “Same”. Then just like Kotaro did to him, it was a kick and he left.

For Kotaro the title challenge is simply more than just having a belt and being the Ace of the junior division (he’s been there and done that and said he was going to leave it to the younger guys), for him its a matter of junior pride when entering the N-1, it’s also a case of his dream of getting to the finals, winning and then facing Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight. Kotaro has long dreamt of challenging his older brother for a title, and the opportunity has presented itself. It should also be mentioned that he has defeated a heavyweight in a singles match, Akitoshi Saito, over whom he has had no wins in singles matches so far.

“LEGACY” First NOAH card announced

The first NOAH card of the event on the 14th September to celebrate 70 years of Japanese wrestling, has been announced. Naomichi Marufuji will team with Junta Miyawaki to take on Kinya Okada and Yasutaka Yano. For Yano, who has never faced Naomichi Marufuji before, this is an honor for it to happen at such a big event. Understandably, Marufuji does want the NOAH young to put on the proper display as this is an event which features not just the CyberFight companies, but pretty much the whole of wrestling from the traditional big three (NOAH, All Japan and New Japan) and freelancers on the indies. and so the eyes of the world will be on them. As the GHC Heavyweight Champion he instructed them to ensure that a company employee bought the GHC Heavyweight and his robe from the dojo. Junta Miyawaki said he would ensure it, and Takashi Sugiura (somewhat tongue in cheek) said Marufuji was not joking.

Dump Matsumoto‘s birthday – NOAH participation announced, return of the Cloak? 

On October 11th, THE LEAVE (NOAH’s longtime sponsors) will be sponsoring a NOAH match at Dump Matsumoto’s 60th birthday event. NOAH’s relationship with Dump comes through THE LEAVE adverts, where she first met Naomichi Marufuji in 2014. Dump normally plays the ever hopeful bride of Naomichi Marufuji, who usually ends up hitting him with something. Marufuji said, “Next time hit me in the ring”, and she was all for that although this has yet to materialize, so perhaps we will see something on her birthday. At the event Naomichi Marufuji will team with Mohammed Yone, against Atsushi Kotoge and Mitsuya Nagai. Kotoge and Nagai last teamed in September 2019 when Kotoge was the “Revolutionary Cloak Hero” (no one knew what that meant and according to Mohammed Yone, Kotoge had no idea either) and he attempted to reform the villainous Nagai by putting him in a cloak and telling him he was a hero who like him, “would defeat the bad people”. The team only lasted a few months as Kotoge seemingly dropped the gimmick without warning and later went back to the junior division. Nagai has not appeared in NOAH since, although he does not seem to have a bad relationship with them. Fans are excited for the possible return of the cloak. Kotoge has made no comment, although Nagai has certainly wondered.

Junta Miyawaki in ZERO1

Junta Miyawaki won the first round of the ZERO1 junior tournament, defeating Takumi Baba with the Falcon Arrow, which seems to have become his finisher. His next opponent is Andy Wu on the 4th September.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH PROMOS

NOAH The SPIRIT 2021: Masa Kitamiya’s 10th Anniversary (Saturday August 28th, Takaoka Ecourt, Toyama)

EVENT RECAP  POST MATCH PROMOS

PREMIUM SUMMER DREAM 2021 (Sunday August 29th, Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall No 3)

EVENT RECAP  POST MATCH PROMOS

– Junta Miyawaki has been voted the MVP of NOAH the HOME Series 3. He has also hinted there will be a series 4.

– Mohammed Yone said that the match against Okoto Sakari (which was stopped due to indecent exposure), was not one you wanted your children to watch.

– NOSAWA Rongai complained to Magical Immortality that it was expensive keeping in touch with the underworld, and that he (Magical Immortality) didn’t even have a pager. Magical Immortality growled and grabbed NOSAWA by the throat and bundled him through the door to the backstage area. As the camera followed them it passed Takashi Sugiura who was sitting on a nearby couch ignoring what was going on around him and playing with his phone.

– Tadasuke and Daisuke Harada both say they are going to settle their feud at the NOAH Junior event in Yokohama in September.

– Prior to their match against Funky Express, Naomichi Marufuji said that he and Takashi Sugiura were the most funky as they were the ones with the belts. Sugi said there was nothing funky about him.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Naomichi Marufuji
  Challenger: Winner of the N-1 VICTORY 2021
• GHC Junior Champion: HAYATA
  Challenger: Kotaro Suzuki 3rd September, Yokohama Radiant Halls.
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Masa Kitamiya & Kaito Kiyomiya
  Challengers: TBA
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (Yuya Susumu & Seiki Yoshioka)
  Challengers: TBA
• GHC National Champion: Takashi Sugiura 
  Challenger: TBA

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

• Thursday, September 2nd: Yoshiki Inamura debut anniversary (3)
• Friday, September 3rd: Yoshinari Ogawa debut anniversary (36)
• Friday, September 3rd: NOAH Jr. YOKOHAMA OVATION
  Yokohama Radiant Halls
  Starts: 18:00 JST
  Viewing: Live on WrestleUniverse
• Monday, September 6th: N-1 VICTORY 2021 -Special Prologue-
  Shinjuku FACE
  Starts: 18:30 JST
  Viewing: Live on WrestleUniverse

LINKS

Time Capsule: Pro Wrestler Takashi Sugiura (51)

GIFS taken from NOAH GHC official Twitter