(NOAH) NOAH NEWSLETTER VOL.196 ~ 29th March 2023

NEWS

Kongoh vs GLG

Sparks flew between Kongoh, the Kongoh Juniors and Tadasuke and GLG (“Good Looking Guys”) during NOAH’s Tohoku tour. Hi69, who appears to be the mouthpiece of the Kongoh Juniors (when Shuji Kondo is not around to terrify them), swore revenge on Tadasuke for his defection, and Kenoh who had branded GLG “a bunch of rando’s” proposed a best out of three falls for one night, and then a Captains Fall (he nominated Hi69 as the captain) for the final night. Kongoh might have won the Best out of Three falls match, but they were humiliated on the last night of tour, when GLG won over Kongoh, with Jake Lee pinning Hi69. Kongoh are also at war with GLG as Katsuhiko Nakajima is challenging Jake Lee for the GHC Heavyweight. Both had their brutal interactions, but neither got the win over the other. Nakajima told Jake, that “It’s amazing that you won the GHC Heavyweight not long after coming to NOAH. BUT! I will take the helm. Anyway, I’m changing this situation. That is all.”

Shuhei Taniguchi & Takashi Sugiura’s title challenge

Shuhei Taniguchi introduced his new tandem move with Takashi Sugiura during the Tohoku tour. Except, he didn’t tell Sugiura that he was going to use him as a weapon to chokeslam him onto his opponents. Tokyo Sports have named this move, “The Sugi Bomb”. This move came after Taniguchi lost to Masa Kitamiya, and Sugi basically told him to shape up as there wasn’t any time left. Taniguchi since then has gone slightly off the rails, and even accidentally dissed Sugi by not shaking his hand as he was too elated.

STINGER fall apart, YO-HEY and Tadasuke challenge

Yoshinari Ogawa and HAYATA managed to stay together until the third night of tour, when HAYATA accidentally caught Yoshinari Ogawa in the face with a kick when Tadasuke ducked, meaning that YO-HEY got the win and the right to challenge. After the match, YO-HEY and Tadasuke held the tag belt above Ogawa, and officially became the next challengers. YO-HEY likened the Ogawa and Eita relationship as a “mushy daytime drama” which he was sick of. He also said that getting the tag belts would prove the reason why he left The NOAH Junior Regulars and why Tadasuke left Kongoh. Meanwhile in the ring, HAYATA and Ogawa got into a fight, which led to HAYATA saying that he wasn’t going to tag with Ogawa the next day, or team with him in any form, and that NOAH had better change the card. Looking at the matches booked for the run up to the 16th in Sendai, HAYATA and Ogawa have nothing to do with each other, and as Chris Ridgeway is not currently in Japan, this leaves the field open for Eita who said that he was on Ogawa’s side and was all he had left. Title match has been set for ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI on 16th April at the Xebio Arena Sendai.

AMAKUSA retains, HAYATA challenges

AMAKUSA was successful in his title defense against Lanzelot on March 26th at the Aomori Mutusu Maeda Arena, and was challenged by HAYATA afterwards. Neither are people of very many words. HAYATA’S challenge was simply that he had come to take his belt back, and therefore, he was asking to be the next challenger. AMAKUSA used his catchphrase of something being a stupid question and said he had been waiting for HAYATA to come, and how he had been waiting for “a duel” and, “I would like to ask for a fight that will lead me and the NOAH Junior’s greatest treasure to the highest heaven.”

Title match has been set for ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI on 16th April at the Xebio Arena Sendai.

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, Jack Morris and the GHC National

E Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr was initially a little hurt by Jack Morris’s challenge to him and his subsequent vicious attacks on him during the pre matches, as he considered him to be a friend, and they had both discussed getting the tag belts together some day. Both have sworn to destroy the other, with Jack saying he won’t just destroy El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, he was going to humiliate him as well.

Kaito Kiyomiya concussed, trip to America cancelled

Kaito Kiyomiya had planned to accompany Keiji Mutoh (and Yoshiki Inamura) to Keiji Mutoh’s WWE Hall of Fame induction in Los Angeles, but unfortunately, he was concussed following a Wagner Bomb from El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr on the last night of tour. For a while after taking the move he lay motionless, leading NOAH’s trainer to get in the ring. He was helped out and taken to the back with the fans applauding him. The good sign was that he was walking, but sadly a concussion meant that he had to be in contact for the next couple of days with NOAH’s medical team, which meant no long haul flights. Kiyomiya has made no comment as he is not in a state to be on social media, which he hasn’t been on since losing to Jake Lee, while Keiji Mutoh said there will be other chances and Kiyomiya should concentrate on getting better. NOAH’s director, Narihiro Takeda is a little irritated with Kiyomiya for not being able to take this chance, while Yoshiki Inamura looked a little upset that Kiyomiya wasn’t able to come to America.

EVENT RECAPS & POST MATCH INTERVIEWS

Recaps

SUNNY VOYAGE (TOHOKU TOUR)

Akita Selion Plaza, Friday March 24th 

Iwate Morioka Gymnasium, Saturday March 25th

Aomori Mutsu Maeda Arena, Sunday March 26th

Aomori Hachinoe Yutori 1st floor multi-purpose large hall, Monday March 27th

Post match interviews

Akita Selion Plaza, Friday March 24th 

Iwate Morioka Gymnasium, Saturday March 25th

Aomori Mutsu Maeda Arena, Sunday March 26th

Aomori Hachinoe Yutori 1st floor multi-purpose large hall, Monday March 27th

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH

– Because Akita Selion is a small venue in the provinces (Japanese countryside), the comments booth was a curtained off area in the main hall. Everyone heard Kenoh shrieking as they left.

– Akitoshi Saito was observed by Naomichi Marufuji to be eating frozen broccoli that he had bought from a convenience store when the bus made a stop. Marufuji asked him if he should be eating it like that, to which Saito said he didn’t see the problem. Marufuji summed up the card the next day as “young guys fighting, title match pre matches and a fight with frozen broccoli.”

– As the Tohoku tour took place outside of the big cities there were no restaurants around the hotel area or the venue, so people very much stayed in their rooms. Naomichi Marufuji did an increasingly drunken Instagram live with Mohammed Yone and Masa Kitamiya, which involved Kitamiya belching and Yone pulling gangsta signs, and then the three of them running their phones at the same time so each was live from the same room and whistling and humming at the same time. The last night showed a very drunk Takashi Sugiura.

– With YO-HEY defected and Daisuke Harada gone, Atsushi Kotoge hinted at the creation of a new unit with Seiki Yoshioka and Alejandro.

– The Iwate fans helped to clean up the arena by packing away chairs on to pallet trolleys.

– Yasutaka Yano debuted a new costume, officially ending the first part of his career. Naomichi Marufuji hinted that he wanted him to think a little more about what he did and start joining in the title race.

– When he was in Dove, fans used to comment on how much they loved YO-HEY’S aftershave. Fans commented on this in the same way this past week in Tohoku.

–  Yoshiki Inamura photographed some squirrels whilst in Los Angeles.

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

• GHC Heavyweight Champion: Jake Lee
  Challenger: Katsuhiko Nakajima, ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Xebio Arena Sendai, Sunday April 16th)
• GHC Junior Champion: AMAKUSA
  Challenger: HAYATA, ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Xebio Arena Sendai, Sunday April 16th)
• GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba
  Challengers: Shuhei Taniguchi & Takashi Sugiura, ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Xebio Arena Sendai, Sunday April 16th)
• GHC Junior Tag Champions: Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita
  Challengers: Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke), ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Xebio Arena Sendai, Sunday April 16th)
• GHC National Champion: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr
  Challenger: Jack Morris, ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Xebio Arena Sendai, Sunday April 16th)

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

4th April: Xtreme Tiger birthday (1981)

Kenoh and Shuji Kondo will be heading to Dragon Gate to challenge Natural Vibez (Big Boss Shimizu and Kzy) for the Open The Twin Gate tag championship on April 1st. NOAH themselves don’t have any events until April 8th. April schedule can be found here.

LINKS

Interview with Kenoh, a professional wrestler from Tokushima, who will hold an event to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his debut at the Tokugin Tomony Arena

“If it ends suddenly in one go, it doesn’t matter how the match goes”, new GHC Heavyweight Champion Jake Lee talks about the challenger, Katsuhiko Nakajima

NOAH FROM THE VAULT

“Donmai, Donmai” – Mitsuharu Misawa’s diary

(This latest entry was by far the most embarrassing thing I have ever had to do at work) 

Picture credits: Weekly Pro, PKDX and Tokyo Sports.