CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022 NOAH RESULTS & RECAP (Saitama Super Arena, 12th June)

Pre event

CyberFight went all out to give the festival a real festival feel. It was not going to be that in name only. There were booths set up outside where fans could win prizes (such as Haoh and Alejandro who both won rubber ducks), buy merchandise (including the special Nivea promotion), sign up to WrestleUniverse (hint, if you sign up at the time of writing you will get two weeks free) and Miyako Matsumoto, whose stall apparently turned into a street wrestling performance, which Naomichi Marufuji joined in with throwing a chop. As one fan put it, there was a lot of fun even before the dark matches started. 

You can watch today's event with either Japanese or English commentary on WrestleUniverse.  

Event production

The event production, it must be said, was elaborate. 

Sanshiro Takagi opened the event dressed as a Samurai commander following a dance routine of men dressed as Samurai foot soldiers. You can imagine what Kenoh thought of this or what he thought of Daisuke Sasaki's entry which was complete with ghouls and zombies. Kenoh's own saw dancers, and a live performance from The Garlic Boys, who sing his theme music. Kenoh joined in with singing along in usual loud, aggressive and angry manner. 

Katsuhiko Nakajima was accompanied by a sinister looking army of men wearing dark cowls, while Go Shiozaki's entry was reminiscent of Ancient Rome, or perhaps Renaissance Italy's idea of Ancient Rome, as it featured dancing muses and himself appearing by sitting on a throne and descending with the long green train of his cloak being held by red cloaked and garlanded attendants. 

Yoshiki Inamura debuted his new theme music today (written and produced by Square Enex) and was given an entry which involved Taiko drummers and green flags. 

Keiji Mutoh's big announcement

Having last competed on May 21st in Ota Ward, Keiji Mutoh was disappointed to find out that he was still experiencing pain during what was meant to be his return match. Mutoh has not competed since then, and today came to the ring to make a big announcement. Noah had made a point of posting speculation from wrestlers as to what his announcement would be. Would he be going abroad? Starting his own promotion? No, it was none of those things and no matter how Noah had tried to suggest that it would be anything other than retirement, and despite Mutoh's defiant jog to the ring and semi rope bounce, his retirement was what he announced. 

Mutoh wished to celebrate his 60th birthday as a wrestler, and so therefore would be retiring in the spring of 2023. Between now and then, he will have five more matches. Naomichi Marufuji, who is injured currently, said that he wants to be in one of those matches. 

Backstage, Mutoh elaborated a little more on his condition. The choice to retire had not been his, but he had been told by his doctor that if he kept going then his hip would become deformed and he would need a hip replacement and a hip replacement would stop him wrestling completely. Mutoh said that the decision for him to retire was therefore the doctors, not his own. Sadly, Mutoh's condition is starting to intrude on his daily life too and he will make a decision about surgery after his retirement. As for The Great Muta, Mutoh said we may see him perhaps once or twice more before the gates of the underworld close forever. 

Noah matches

NOAH VS DDT

Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura vs Toui Kojima & Yuya Takashika

The two Noah boys came racing to the ring, where Kinya Okada coldly sold Toui Kojima's attacks following Kai Fujimura being tagged in. From watching Fujimura today, you would never have thought that he's not been wrestling as long as anyone else in the match. It was a good opener, with Okada picking up the first strike for Noah.

WINNER: Kinya Okada with The Boston Crab on Toui Kojima (11 minutes, 45 seconds)

NOAH TEN MAN TAG

Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi vs Michael Elgin, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, Rene Dupree, Simon Gotch & Timothy Thatcher

This became to be known as Noah Japan vs Noah International, and it was pretty much a heavyweight exhibition match which may well have some consequences in Noah if a new faction is to be formed, which Rene Dupree suggested afterwards just might. During the match the tag champions faced off. Noah wrestlers like to say they are never going to be outdone by anyone, not even their own tag partners. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr and Kazuyuki Fujita had a Hoss fight, and Simon Gotch used his foot to batter Shuhei Taniguchi, even when he was on the ropes. Later he was a little less comedic as he choked Shuhei Taniguchi to the point where he had spittle coming out of his mouth. 

WINNER: Michael Elgin with the Elgin Bomb on Daiki Inaba (14 minutes, 1 seconds)

After the event Noah International attended the interview area, with Rene Dupree (who called themselves "Noah International" by the way) stating that they were the strongest group of foreign wrestlers that Noah had, and they would continue in this way. 

Rob Van Dam HAYATA & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY

Harada's new gown

Rob Van Dam and Yoshinari Ogawa were reunited today, following the final few Giant Baba years of All Japan where they fought against each other, even for a title on some occasions. This is their first time tagging. Van Dam, who was very happy to be back in Japan, started against Kaito Kiyomiya. Kiyomiya was sad that the match wasn't long enough for him to have more of a match against Van Dam, but was cheered by the fact that he will be back. 

YO-HEY was very excited to be facing Vam Dam too, for him this was something he wished he could go back and tell his younger self. In true YO-HEY fashion he also imitated RVD'S "Rob Van Dam" by saying "YOHEI HEY". HAYATA threw a spanner in YO-HEY'S works however by eye raking him. He has not forgotten their last match when YO-HEY came very close to out wrestling him. Yoshinari Ogawa of course had to get involved too, and knocked YO-HEY off the top turnbuckle. 

WINNER: Rob Van Dam with the Frog Splash on Daisuke Harada (13 minutes, 2 seconds)

Backstage, NOSAWA Rongai crashed Van Dam's post match interview with his own challenge. At the Nippon Budokan in July, he would be "bringing some friends" for a hardcore match which he was challenging Van Dam to. Van Dam accepted. On Twitter, Masato Tanaka read about it and as a former ECW wrestler, nominated himself as his partner. 

NOAH VS DDT

Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura

Sadly this match ended very abruptly after only six minutes and twenty seconds, when Katsuhiko Nakajima slapped Tetsuya Endo and the referee stopped the match. From the start to the finish in very short time we did get a cold and focused Atsushi Kotoge vs Jun Akiyama and the sumo match round two between Yoshiki Inamura and Kazusada Higuchi. Endo and Nakajima were also to be a focus, sadly not in the way it happened, with Endo even going so far as to come over to the corner, Nakajima looked away. Usual Nakajima, no selling attacks, half ignoring him, looking bored. No smug smile though, which is always usually a warning sign. After the slap, Akiyama was furious with Nakajima and could be seen speaking very firmly to him. Backstage, Akiyama said that Endo had a profound concussion and was not overly pleased with Nakajima, although he did not say anything outright. 

NOAH vs DDT

Hardcore match, no DQ, Unlimited time 

Kenoh vs Daisuke Sasaki

For all his grumpiness, Kenoh loves things like this. Even getting a Samurai like helmet put on his head, and DDT'S blow up doll thrown into the ring at him. Kenoh, yelling loudly, threw it into the crowd. Unfortunately, not all the weapons were so lighthearted and Kenoh who had been daring Sasaki to come and give him a shot of electricity, got just that, chairs were used and Kenoh gave Sasaki a PFS through a table. 

Damnation were at ringside with Sasaki and naturally they got involved in the match, which triggered a brawl between themselves and Kongoh. The standard bike spot was done this year by Masakatsu Funaki, who rode down the ramp, and managed to hit Manabu Soya. 

DDT is whacky in a way that Noah isn't, and Naomichi Marufuji once said that it was fun to compete there as they did things that Noah never did. Such as a coffin being bought out and thumbtacks poured in it by Sasaki. Fortunately for Kenoh, he managed to get the upper hand and slammed Sasaki into it. Sasaki had gotten the majority of abuse when it came to deathmatch style throughout the match, and he finished it in the same style in taking a second PFS, and probably the biggest one Kenoh has ever done, from a ladder.

WINNER: Kenoh with the PFS (21 minutes, 28 seconds)

Kongoh did their pose, no one ruined it this time. 

Backstage, Sasaki warned both Noah (for what had happened to Endo) and for what had happened to him today, that this wasn't over. He also reflected that perhaps he had lost because he went into the match representing DDT. Then he had a go at Sanshiro Takagi. Kenoh ironically didn't. 

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match

Go Shiozaki vs Satoshi Kojima

The match was a culmination of the struggle between chops, lariats and beyond that generations, lineages and record holders. Go Shiozaki was on his fifth title reign (record breaking in Noah) and Satoshi Kojima looked to have a record made himself, for if he won he would become the fourth man to hold The Grand Slam Championship title. It was almost as if there was two versions of everything - Shiozaki was Noah, Kojima was New Japan - both came from Rikidozan, both had a record either made or to be made, both had Stan Hansen as an association, both used lariats albeit a different version. 

As Shiozaki had discovered in the pre matches, Kojima was a tough opponent and he went to go for momentum pins when he found nothing was working. Kojima led him on in this, he was a dangerous opponent and he knew he warranted this, but it also played into his hands. 

WINNER: Satoshi Kojima with the Western Lariat (21 minutes, 11 seconds)

Kojima had just finished saying saying that he was exhausted fighting a very strong champion and thanking Shiozaki, when Kenoh came stamping to the ring to challenge him for the title. Kenoh did this in usual fashion, loudly telling Kojima that Noah was not the place for New Japan to come to snap up cushy jobs. Kojima told him to speak to his elders a little more politely, and while he didn't care about how old he was, and so he would accept Kenoh as challenger partly because he didn't like his tone and partly because he hadn't fought Kenoh yet. Title match has been set for The Nippon Budokan on the 16th July.  

With thanks to: UltimateRoyale, PHOTOTHELIVE, Rembrandt_kbs, Metal-Noah

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse 

Noah's next event: BACK IN KOBE! Sunday June 19th