(NOAH) Kiyomiya and Marufuji fight to be the new "Face" of Noah.

26th February 2019
Nikkan Sports
Translated from an article by Akira Masuda (Nikkan Sports)

On March 10th, Noah's young GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kaito Kiyomiya (22) will have his second defensive match against Naomichi Marufuji (39) (who is known as "The Genius of The Ark") on March 10th at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium.
Noah had a new owner on February 1st, and the color of the mat and the company's logo that have been popular for many years, will be made anew on the biggest day of the new Noah's Ark.

The two men fighting to be the new "face" of the new Noah, have a certain destiny.
Kiyomiya, who had an admiration for Mitsuharu Misawa, had an entry test for Noah on March 15th. Marufuji, who was at the time the examiner told him, "If you pass, and once you enter, it will be harder, so until then, keep at it."
From these words of Marufuji, the pro-wrestling life of Kiyomiya began.

The dropkick, which is currently an excellent skill of Kiyomiya, was also praised by Marufuji, "he praised my dropkick and said it was not bad, without that, I would not have used it so much."
Believing in Marufuji's words, he practiced the dropkick a number of times a day, and polished it in many ways by using it as an important part of changing the flow of the match.

Kiyomiya has grown steadily since his debut in December 2015.
Amongst his growth has been the Canadian expedition for about half a year since July 2005, which gave him the opportunity to be a top wrestler. Although he could not speak the language*, he had matches each day. He gained a track record in the ring, and had the chance to challenge for the heavyweight titles ten times in half a year.
Although he did not win the belt, he came back the confidence that "having accumulated the experience of fighting for the championship many times, I know the feeling and the way of the match". Then in just a year, he put on the GHC Heavyweight belt.

Marufuji also experienced a similar title fight, but in an opposite position.
On December 10th 2006 at the Nippon Budokan, he won his first GHC Heavyweight title, and for his second defense he fought against Noah's ace, Mitsuharu Misawa, and lost the belt.
It is the same situation as Kiyomiya is in now.
"It is a heavy match, just like at that time, but I have to leave a match that will go down in history. I may have lost then, but history will repeat itself, and this time I will win", Marufuji asserts.

Noah's new regime will start n March 10th.
"The "green" or the good history of Noah is engraved in my heart. I think wherever I am, it is Noah. The color of the mat changes, the people around me change, but I don't care about that problem", Marufuji says.
Kiyomiya says, "In Yokohama I will protect this belt, I want to settle this completely with the above generation. I am Noah's face now."
You cannot miss the first battle that will determine who will be the Ark's ferryman.

*Incorrect. His English is very good.