(NOAH/DDT) "His attacks resonate, unlike his former partner Nakajima..." Shinya Aoki, who has decided to fight Noah's Kenoh

24TH November 2024

Tokyo Sports

The "Baka Survivor", Shinya Aoki (41), who desired a match against Noah's Kenoh (39), which has been confirmed, spoke his mind. 

Up until now he had expressed his desire to fight Kenoh, while blurting out things like, "I received a message from the Tohoku region". After winning a six man tag at DDT's Korakuen Hall event on the 23rd, Aoki declared "I'm going to beat Kenoh on New Year's Day 2025", indicating his intention to make the match against Kenoh happen, even if it meant crashing Noah's Nippon Budokan Tokyo event on January 1st of next year. 

Then Kenoh appeared at the DDT show. He provoked Aoki by saying, "Mixed Martial Artist Shinya Aoki is fine, but "DDT'S Shinya Aoki" looks really cheap", and a fight broke out. It was then suddenly announced that Aoki would team up with Keigo Nakamura to face Kenoh and Yu Owada at DDT'S Ryogoku Kokukigan event on December 28th. 

After the match, Aoki in an interview, said in a husky voice, his glasses flashing as if he was plotting something, "Too bad, I'm me. It has nothing to do with DDT or Mixed Martial Arts." Then he added as Kenoh had showed up to the venue in response to his provocation, "But Kenoh's attacks resonate. His former partner Katsuhiko Nakajima's attacks don't...what is the difference!?". He then emphasized that he had no intention of giving up, saying, "January 1st? It is a big Noah event after all. I want to reach the finish line, right?" and then rode off from his bicycle from Korakuen Hall. 

Kenoh also gave an interview. "What I said in the ring is everything. Why did I come to the venue? He seemed to want to come to Noah, so I came to see what was going on." Regarding Aoki's declaration that he would charge onto the Ark's mat, Kenoh spat out, "I'll stop him at all costs. I won't let him step inside. Don't step over me*"

Notes

"Don't step over me": Kenoh is quoting Riki Choshu to Atsushi Onita. This could hint that the match between Kenoh and Shinya Aoki, could have a special stipulation (although probably not a barbed wire explosion match like Onita vs Choshu).