(NOAH) Event recap - "The Ark's New Chapter", 2nd September 2018, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Before the event started today, the GHC Heavyweight Tag signing took place between the champions Naomichi Marufuji and Akitoshi Saito, and the challengers, Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya.

Kiyomiya (as ever) was polite, but Kenoh (as ever) was feeling sarcastic and he wished Marufuji "Happy 20th Anniversary". Marufuji addressed him as "Kenoh-kun" (Japanese honorific which in this case is used not as an endearment, but as a senior addressing a junior), and basically sarcastically told him that he didn't challenge him in a singles match as he was scared of his strength, which he wants him to bring to the match.
Kenoh of course didn't take to this well, and he and Marufuji squared up.
Kenoh would remember this later.
Marufuji also shoved the belt in Kiyomiya's face. Kiyomiya looked as if he didn't really know how to react, except to try and take the belt from him (and Kenoh looked as if he was giving him instructions on what to do).

Despite the Tokyo weather (rain) and the time of the event (11.30am), plus they had just come off a big show the night before in Tokyo, Noah drew a good crowd, although the event was not sold out and there were empty seats to be seen.

It was officially announced that both Junta Miyawaki and Kotaro Suzuki will join Global Junior League.

Katsuhiko Nakajima was on autograph duty today.

EVENT

YOSHIKI INAMURA vs HITOSHI KUMANO

Yoshiki Inamura made his full debut today in a singles match, and will now join the full time roster. The match got good reviews with fan opinion that he shows promise and has a bright future (he says he wants to be a heavyweight, but he will spend some time being tutored by Yoshinari Ogawa before any of that). 

Naomichi Marufuji has confirmed that the other trainee, Kimiya Okada, (whose debut was delayed due to injury), will be making his soon.

WINNER: Hitoshi Kumano with the Boston Crab (5 minutes and 55 seconds)

ATSUSHI KOTOGE, HAJIME OHARA, TAKAKI IWASAKI vs SEIYA MOROHASHI, KAZHIRO TAMURA & JUNTA MIYAWAKI

Kazuhiro Tamura comes to Noah today from the HEAT-UP promotion, while Takaki Iwasaki is from Gunbare Pro Wrestling. The card had to be changed due to the concussion sustained by Yoshinari Ogawa.

Atsushi Kotoge wore the yellow cloak today, and was said to be very comedic during the match, especially when he stood on standby on the top turnbuckle as Hajime Ohara had Junta Miyawaki locked in the Muy Bien (a fan asked "What will happen first? A tap out or a splash?")
Eventually Junta Miyawaki tapped out, but he received high praise for his performance today. Even looking at the pictures you can tell how far he has come, and how he is ready now for his first win.

Atsushi Kotoge later remarked that he thanked everyone for coming to Korakuen, "especially all the people who held up the revolutionary fist".
Kotoge pulled this pose in front of Seiya Morohashi.
Morohashi (probably knowing he was dealing with a complete nutcase) turned around and looked worried, and then responded by flexing his own muscles.
Hajime Ohara did not wear a cape today, although he did use SUWA'S John Woo on Miyawaki.

WINNER: Hajime Ohara with the Muy Bien on Junta Miyawaki (10 minutes and 24 seconds)

THE HOOLIGANS (Maybach Taniguchi, Mitsuya Nagai, Cody Hall & KAZMA SAKAMOTO) vs RATELS (Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA & YO-HEY)

This was one of those cross division blurry matches which pitted a heavyweight faction against a junior division faction, and The Hooligans attacked RATELS even before the bell went with the fight(s) going into the crowd. 
Not really much I can say for this match as it only went ten minutes.

The Hooligans say they will participate in the generational struggle, but as their own splinter group.

WINNER: Maybach Taniguchi with the Zwei Bomb on Tadasuke (10 minutes and 22 seconds) 

GO SHIOZAKI, TAMON HONDA & TAKESHI KIKUCHI vs 50 FUNKY POWERS (MOHAMMED YONE & QUIET STORM) & MASAO INOUE

BURNING is back! In 2004 and 2005 Tamon Honda, Go Shiozaki and Tsuyochi Kikuchi were all part of the BURNING stable with Kenta Kobashi at one time or another (outside of wrestling, but still in Noah, Tamon Honda was part of Akira Taue's "Surf Club", which was a small group devoted to Taue's love of fishing, which he sadly had to give up when he became Noah president in 2009).

Go Shiozaki and Quiet Storm got into a chop battle with poor Masao Inoue getting both the Olympic Hell (Tamon Honda) and the lariat (Go Shiozaki).

WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the lariat on Masao Inoue (11 minutes and 30 seconds)

NAOMICHI MARUFUJI, AKITOSHI SAITO & TAKUMA SANO VS KENOH, KAITO KIYOMIYA & KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA 
"Turbulence even after the match"

Because of Marufuji being sarcastic and winding Kenoh up earlier, and naturally, Kenoh allowing himself to be baited, Kenoh attacked Marufuji before the bell went, with Marufuji still covered head to toe in his streamers making him look like a Sesame Street character.
The fight went outside the ring, with Katsuhiko Nakajima smirking at Takuma Sano (Sano, like Nakajima, has a background in MMA). Many fans want to see more of Takuma Sano in Noah, especially joining in with the Generational War (its those kicks that are killers), and in a singles with Katsuhiko Nakajima.
Katsuhiko Nakajima on form today, kicking people and laughing.
Kenoh did a double diving footstamp making a sandwich out of Atsushi Kotoge and Naomichi Marufuji, and Marufuji got a separate one from outside of the ring (which means he must be in a really foul mood).

When facing each other one on one, Kenoh was heard to be screaming audibly at Marufuji "What happened to yesterday's energy?"
Well. He's probably hung over as he didn't get to bed until 4.30am....and I hear that some people got drunken text messages too...unsurprisingly, Marufuji was said to be tired yesterday at the party.

After the match, Kenoh (and I think also Kiyomiya, but definitely Kenoh), got hold of the tag belts and taunted Marufuji and Saito with them, and a fight broke out which went to the back which was later broken up.

WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the vertical spike on Takuma Sano (12 minutes and 50 seconds)

SPECIAL 4 (HI69 & MINORU TANAKA) vs IKUTO HIDAKA & TAKUYA SUGAWARA
(GHC Junior Tag Championship)

Previously, Minoru Tanaka had warned Ikuto Hidaka about his "bed hair", and today he bought a bottle of hairspray with him to the ring and sprayed it at him!

SPECIAL4 retained the GHC Junior Tag Championship via Stuka Splash by Hi69, (personally I am glad. I don't dislike the boys from ZERO-1, but I have no emotional attachment to them.)

SPECIAL 4 were then challenged by Kazuhiro Tamura. Tamura says he just needs to find a partner...

WINNER: Hi69 with the Stuka Splash on Takuya Sugawara (17 minutes and 55 seconds). 

After the match the juniors came out (everyone, save YO-HEY, stood around the ring or on the apron, YO-HEY lounged sprawled out on it).
Hi69 saw everyone arrive and asked, "Who wants to speak first?"
Junta Miyawaki (speaking for the first time on the microphone, since he made his debut announcement) said that no-one believes he will win, but he will show them all.

Daisuke Harada (speaking in habitual Osaka dialect) then got on the microphone and to great applause and cheers from the crowd, addressed Kotaro Suzuki's comments from the night before at "Flight", when Suzuki said that the Noah juniors were weak, and he would show them what strength was. Daisuke Harada warned the junior division that he doesn't want to see any of them lose to Kotaro Suzuki, he wants to let him know that today's junior division is just as strong as it was back then.

TAKASHI SUGIURA vs MASA KITAMIYA
(GHC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH)

Don't look for anything overly technical in this match. Kitamiya and Sugiura are both heavyweight who fall into the ground attack category (i.e. they don't move like heavyweights who possess the capacity to move like crusierweights).
It seems a lot of people have taken advantage of Noah's ticket scheme and arrived later for the GHC Heavyweight match.

Takashi Sugiura (the third night for him in a grueling match, which he admitted left him mentally and physically drained) endured two prison locks from Masa Kitamiya, and Kitamiya kicking out of the Olympic Slam at two.
In the end Sugiura resorted to the neck lock.

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the front neck lock (31 minutes and 8 seconds)

After the match, Takashi Sugiura stood over Masa Kitamiya as he was seen to by some of the Super New Generation Army. When they had gotten him out of the ring, Katsuhiko Nakajima stayed behind and challenged for the belt.

Katsuhiko Nakajima: Takashi Sugiura, I am the only man left in Noah who has beaten you. I am looking forward to it. Don't try and run from me.
Takashi Sugiura: I will destroy you.

The match has been set for the 4th October at Korakuen Hall.

Attendance: 1, 026 people.

Afterwards the Noah wrestlers (including Inamura) handed out candy, with everyone congratulating Inamura on his debut and wishing him luck.

With thanks to: Metal-Noah, Abeshin, Fujiwara Armbar, Even if I remove the mask, nothing has changed, Hamaharin, Shinya, Kei, Noah GHC