(NOAH) NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.154 ~ 27TH DECEMBER 2021

 KENTA makes an early appearance as the year wraps up and we get ready to start off 2022 strong in NOAH! Hisame sums it all up!

NEWS

KENTA re-boards The Ark

King Tani had hinted that KENTA would be appearing at The Sugiura Army produce, but as his opponent. Tani’s partner was billed as “under negotiation” and he had heavily hinted that it would be KENTA, the person who gave him his “dark history” as the violent monster, Maybach Taniguchi. It wasn’t KENTA. It was Kendo Kashin wielding Maybach Taniguchi’s Sasumata and wearing a Maybach Taniguchi mask. NOAH rarely make things obvious or easy to guess, and it turned out that KENTA did “come home” (as NOAH fans like to put it), at the produce on the 27th December. KENTA made his return to being teased by Takashi Sugiura. Sugi is convinced that KENTA is now a member of The Sugiura Army (as is Kazushi Sakuraba), and handed him one of the new Sugiura Army t-shirts. KENTA was not impressed with the t-shirt, and with his usual mix of grumpiness and sarcasm, told a delighted Sugi that fine. Yes. He would team as part of The Sugiura Army but only for the 1st and the 8th January 2022.

However, things might not be as plain sailing as Takashi Sugiura thinks, as KENTA did hint in an interview that he wouldn’t know until the day how he was going to feel…. That aside, KENTA now returns to a NOAH which is happier, healthier and heading towards a much brighter 2022. He will remain a freelancer and most likely spend the majority of his time in New Japan, but the important thing is that he will start the year with NOAH and both companies have put the difficult past behind them.

Nakajima and Shiozaki break even in the final pre matches, Kenoh and Kiyomiya at stalemate

Katsuhiko Nakajima evened the score with Go Shiozaki in the last pre-match, which took place on the 27th December at The Sugiura Army produce, by knocking Shiozaki out with the soccer ball kick and then following it up slowly and deliberately lifted him up into a Vertical Spike. After a deliberately slow pin, as he knew Shiozaki was dazed, Nakajima put his boot on Shiozaki’s chest and holding the belt leaned over him and said

“Hey, Shiozaki! The Budokan is next. Listen carefully. If you lose, NEVER say “I am NOAH” again. I AM NOAH!”

Shiozaki was checked for concussion at ringside, but he refused the help of the seconds (which included Atsushi Kotoge, who he had teamed with during the match), and hobbled to the back. This was his one and one victory over Nakajima that evening. Next is The Budokan.

Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya’s vicious rivalry culminated in Kaito Kiyomiya making Kenoh tap out, and Kenoh knocking Kaito Kiyomiya out and then holding him half conscious up to the cameras. Kiyomiya has sworn revenge for this, but they came to a stalemate at the last pre match and now for both champions and their challengers, only The Budokan remains.

Number one contenders to the tag champions crowned, but HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa still divided. 

At NOAH’s last (official) event at Yokohama Radiant Halls, Perros Del Mal De Japon (YO-HEY and Kotaro Suzuki) defeated Momo No Seishun (Daisuke Harada and Atsushi Kotoge) to be the number one contenders for the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag titles. Atsushi Kotoge had been tagged by Perros as the weaker one, and they worked to keep Harada away, rather than keep him down. It was YO-HEY who got the win, and naturally the tag champions did not come to the ring to confront their challengers. I am sure that STINGER would have preferred Daisuke Harada and Atsushi Kotoge as they don’t bring the emotional issues that YO-HEY and Kotaro do.

The dysfunctional STINGER have problems of their own. HAYATA had humiliated Yoshinari Ogawa by striking a sudden Headache on him and then pinning him alongside King Tani, and then when they had their pre match in Yokohama, HAYATA had managed to pin Ogawa in just a few seconds. Only the sight of Kotaro Suzuki is the other thing can provoke this rage in Ogawa, and he went beserk. The referee was thrown out of the ring by his hair, and then HAYATA was put in an armlock, and Seiki Yoshioka had to come out and pry Ogawa off. Ogawa shoved Yoshioka and stormed off. Like Kotaro Suzuki said, he has no idea how the two of them are going to work as a team. Fans would agree with him. What is interesting is that NOAH do not want to give any kind of hint towards what is going to happen in the title matches. HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa didn’t reappear in the ring to see their challengers, and neither did they appear at the Sugiura Army produce. The title match itself will take place on the 4th January 2022 at Korakuen Hall. There will be no pre matches beforehand, this match will form part of the fall out from the Nippon Budokan.

EVENT RECAPS AND POST MATCH INTERVIEWS

MAN CRUSH 2021 (Saturday December 25th, Yokohama Radiant Halls)

Event recap Post match interviews

All Dogs Gather 3! The Sugiura Army produce (December 27th, Korakuen Hall)

Event recap

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

– KENTA referring to Takashi Sugiura as “the old man” is along the lines of when he thought Sugi was an old man when he was in his 30s, and teenage KENTA wondered “where I will be when I am as old as Sugiura”. He also said he never replied to him on social media as he was a “complete old man”, who he never knew what to say to.

– Seiki Yoshioka overcame Haoh at the last (official) event of the year, and warned both he and Aleja it would be the same at The Nippon Budokan.

– Funky Express (Mohammed Yone and King Tani) came out dancing to Naomichi Marufuji’s theme music. Marufuji and Sugiura were not impressed with Tani in particular, so much so Mohammed Yone warned him not to make the referee take off his chain when they were around.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Katsuhiko Nakajima
  Challenger: Go Shiozaki -ABEMA presents NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2022 (Nippon Budokan, Saturday January 1st)
• GHC Junior Champion: HAYATA
  Challenger: Yoshinari Ogawa -ABEMA presents NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2022 (Nippon Budokan, Saturday January 1st)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The M’s alliance (Naomichi Marufuji and Keiji Mutoh)
  Challengers: The M’s alliance (Masato Tanaka and Masaaki Mochizuki) -ABEMA presents NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2022 (Nippon Budokan, Saturday January 1st)
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: STINGER (HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa)
  Challengers: Perros Del Mal De Japon (YO-HEY and Kotaro Suzuki) -NEW SUNRISE 2022 (Korakuen Hall, Tuesday 4th January 2022)
• GHC National Champion: Kenoh
  Challenger: Kaito Kiyomiya -ABEMA presents NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2022 (Nippon Budokan, Saturday January 1st)

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

(Full January schedule)

Match signing press conference: GHC National (Kaito Kiyomiya vs Kenoh) GHC Heavyweight (Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Go Shiozaki), GHC Heavyweight Tag (Naomichi Marufuji & Keiji Mutoh vs Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki) and no doubt some special guests. This will take place at 17:00 JST on the 28th December, live on NOAH’s official YouTube.

Saturday, January 1st: ABEMA presents NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2022

Start time: 16:00 JST

Broadcast: ABEMA

You can watch Takashi Sugiura vs Masato Tanaka for the ZERO1 World Heavyweight on WrestleUniverse beforehand (starts 11:30 JST)

Saturday, January 1st:  Kenoh (37)

Sunday, January 2nd: Akira Taue debut anniversary (34)

LINKS

“Maybe betrayal” “Which KENTA arrives depends on mood” – interview with KENTA before New Year’s Budokan.

“Voyage” behind the lyrics of NOAH’s Budokan theme song

“Overcoming a year of suffering, in 2022 I will be the true centre of NOAH” – Kaito Kiyomiya (1st January Road to The Budokan championship match)

Go Shiozaki “Regaining the GHC and spreading NOAH’s fight to the world” (Road to the 1st January Nippon Budokan Championship Match)

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse & ABEMA