(NOAH) Will it affect Noah's balance of power in the future? Kaito Kiyomiya & Kenoh's tag team "Kaioh", which will be revived at the 9th July Hachioji event, what will you focus on?

6th July 2023

Noah.co.jp

Currently, Kaito Kiyomiya and Kenoh are probably recognized by many fans as arch-enemies. 

After Kenoh formed Kongoh in May 2019, an intense rivalry unfolded. Both singles happened on the big stage of the Ryogoku Kokugikan in November of the same year, the January 1st Nippon Budokan event last year, and the January 1st Nippon Budokan event this year. Following the generations of Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura and Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima, they are building an era within Noah. 

It was in 2017 that the relationship of the two began in earnest, and after a short span of antagonism and repeated fighting, they arrived at the "Kaioh Tag" from March to May 2019, and the formation of Kongoh was triggered by that breakup. In order to get to the bottom of the revival of "Kaioh" at the July 9th Hachioji event, we have no choice but to look back on its history.

At the end of 2016, Noah put an end to the conflict with The Suzuki Army, which came to invade from New Japan, and turned to "internal revitalization". At that time, Kenoh switched from junior to heavyweight, and Kiyomiya entered the heavyweight division in his second year of debut. In other words, the two are "synchronized" in Noah's heavyweight division. But why did the 26 year old Kiyomiya, in the 8th year of his career, and the 38 year old Kenoh, in the 16th year of his career, develop a rivalry, and how did the fight between them to create a "new landscape" for Noah begin? 

The answer is the synchronized relationship. 

Both of them always talked about how they both had a unique common awareness of wanting to revitalize The Ark, which was at its lowest point, with new powers such as themselves. 

Since February 2017, Kiyomiya and Kenoh were working with Takashi Sugiura*, and in the first match of the Koriyama event on June 25th, Kenoh was Kiyomiya's opponent for his overseas excursion send off match. Furthermore, in January 2018, Kiyomiya challenged Kenoh for the GHC Heavyweight Championship in a triumphant return match after training overseas. It can be said that the door to a new era of Noah opened as the rivalry between the two began, with the top belt on the line. 

In March 2018, Sugiura took the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Kenoh, causing a generational struggle, and Kiyomiya and Kenoh once again fought together*. In September of the same year, they challenged Naomichi Marufuji & Akitoshi Saito for the GHC Tag Championship. However, at the young age of 22, Kiyomiya won "GLOBAL LEAGUE 2018"*, the predecessor of the N-1 VICTORY, in November. When he became the GHC Heavyweight Champion in December, Kenoh expressed his challenge by stating, "What is exciting about going according to the script of making the face of Noah, a face drawn by the company?"

It was a remark that made you feel the spark of the formation of Kongoh. At the GHC Heavyweight Championship in January 2019, Kiyomiya defeated Kenoh for the first time in his fifth singles match. After the match Kiyomiya said, "I think I was able to come this far because of Kenoh-san*. I'm really grateful", he said that the fight against the Noah heavyweight "synchronization" is the driving force of his. Kenoh on the other hand was stunned and asking, "What should I do now?" 

Under such circumstances, the "Kaioh tag" was formed. Kiyomiya rejected Masa Kitamiya's challenge in February and Marufuji's challenge in March, and step by step, the arrival of the new era took shape. Before the opening of "GLOBAL TAG LEAGUE 2019", he asked Kenoh to fight together, saying "Your power is needed to create a new scenery*". Kenoh also agreed saying, "It's frustrating to be told that by a kid like you, but I understand what you're saying. Noah is renewed, I'll show you the scenery that shines more than before."

From the opening of "GLOBAL TAG LEAGUE 2019", the "Kaioh Tag" got off to a good start with consecutive wins against Atsushi Kotoge & Mitsuya Nagai and Mohammed Yone and Quiet Storm. Although they lost to Sugiura & KAZMA SAKAMOTO and to AXIZ (Shiozaki and Nakajima), the GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions at the time, in a 30 minute draw, they won against Maybach Taniguchi and Yuji Hino and THE TOUGH (Masa Kitamiya and Yoshiki Inamura) and joined the battle for the lead with 4 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. If they had won the final match, they would have advanced to the finals, but Kiyomiya lost to their opponents, Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue. In response to this blunder, Kenoh said, "You and I are finished today. I'm not your dog!*" With the spirit of rebellion against the young savior of the ark as the driving force, he moved to form Kongoh. 

Then the rivalry for the top of Noah began.  

In the match between Keiji Mutoh and Kazushi Sakuraba at the Osaka event in October 2021, "SPECIAL TAG OSAKA N1 LIMITED", there was also a one night only "Kaioh" revival, but on July 9th, Kiyomiya and Kenoh will stand in the same corner for the first time in one year and nine months on July 9th in Hachioji. 

Both are currently in the midst of a major turning point in their careers. Kiyomiya, who will be absent from Noah from the 15th July Korakuen to the August 28th Kawasaki show to focus on New Japan's "G1 Climax 33", will have a send off match. Kenoh has just announced that Kongoh will disband at Noah's 24th June Tokushima event, and attention is being paid to future movements. The resurrection of Kaioh comes at a mutually important situation. Whether this will be a one night stand or the beginning of a new battle in the future, I don't know. 

But one thing is certain, that just like in the past, the revival of Kaioh will be a major driving force for the next development for both of them. Keep your eyes on Kiyomiya & Kenoh at the 9th July Hachioji event!

Translated from Noah.co.jp

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp

Notes

Kaioh: Combination of Kai "Sea" and Oh "King", means literally "Sea King". 

Sugiura: When Kiyomiya and Kenoh both left him and went their separate ways, Sugi said he felt lonely, "the children were grown up" and "Kenoh doesn't want to listen to the old man anymore".   

Generational War: Kenoh and Kiyomiya joined with Go Shiozaki, Atsushi Kotoge (who was a heavyweight), Masa Kitamiya and Katsuhiko Nakajima (THE AGGRESSION) to form a unit called "The Super New Generation Army" (named after Misawa's AJPW faction who led their own generational war during that era). The night the unit was formed, Kiyomiya appeared in the ring half fainting and taped up with an ice pack around his neck, Kenoh was seen to put an arm out to steady him. Later, he went on a rant called everyone in his team "a dumbass", except for Kotoge that was as he "defied description". Kotoge almost exploded with laughter.

Kenoh-san: Kiyomiya doesn't use the "san" anymore.

Kiyomiya's proposal to tag: Because Kenoh was at such loggerheads with Noah's new management (LIDET), they had booked him in the opening matches and usually against either old men or rookies. Kiyomiya called Kenoh to the ring, and Kenoh looked as if he had been crying.

Not your dog: The line was originally used by Riki Choshu to Tatsumi Fujinami. It basically means "I'm not your underdog" or "scapegoat". The original line "your bite dog", does not translate well.