(NOAH CHRONOLOGY) STINGER (Atsushi Kotoge & Kotaro Suzuki) ~ GHC JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TAG CHAMPIONSHIP

Won: 26th November 2019, Niigata City Gymnasium
Number of title reigns: Kotaro Suzuki (5) Atsushi Kotoge (5)
Number of defenses: 2
Lost: March 29th 2020, Noah The Chronicle Vol 2, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Total number of days held: 125

After winning the belts from RATELS, Kotaro Suzuki issued an open challenge to the juniors saying that they would defend the belts to anyone. However, by the 7th December he was complaining in interviews that no one had as yet come forward. However, the juniors were starting their own Global singles league in January 2019 and probably did not want to be saddled with challenging for both the tag titles and competing in the league. It also seemed that between them they planned to take down both RATELS and STINGER in individual matches.

CHALLENGERS
1. Kongoh (Haō (Yuki Sato) and Niō (Hi69))
2. HAYATA & YO-HEY

Haō (Yuki Sato) and Niō (Hi69) 

On the 14th December 2019, it was announced that the two mystery X wrestlers (ironically, Hi69 turned out to be XX"), were Yuki Sato (2AW\Michinoku Pro\Kai-En-Tai dojo) and Hi69, who would be joining Kongoh at their produce show "Diamond". As you can imagine, Minoru Tanaka is not very impressed about this.
It was further announced that they were changing their names to Haō and Niō. Haō can be read along the lines of meaning something like "High King" or "Conqueror", while Niō, is the name given to the two guardian statues of Buddhism that are often found at shrines and temples means "Two Kings". Kongoh made short work of the team of Junta Miyawaki and Seiya Morohashi (and showing a very nasty edge in the process), and then Niō challenged for the GHC Junior tag titles, which will take place at Korakuen Hall on 4th January 2020.

In true heel fashion (and something very rare in Noah), Kotoge & Suzuki were jumped by Haō and Niō after their match against RATELS on the 22nd December 2019, with Kotoge possibly being given his own finisher by Niō, the Killswitch. With the challengers laid out on the floor, Kongoh stood over them holding the belts, before leaving the ring.

STINGER defeated Kongoh to keep the GHC Junior Tag championships. I am afraid that at the time of writing I do not have too much information on the title match itself, only that very disappointingly, it was said it was like a regular junior tag, and not a championship match.

HAYATA & YO-HEY

After a three man tag at Korakuen Hall at the final night of Global Junior League on the 30th January, (which RATELS had won via a HAYATA kick to Atsushi Kotoge's face, and a YO-HEY pin), YO-HEY made the belt challenge motion to STINGER.

Interrupting YO-HEY'S dancing around backstage whilst imitating Atsushi Kotoge's revolutionary pose (which made Kotoge scream at him to stop that), Kotaro told RATELS that he wasn't accepting the way that they won, and therefore he would not be acknowledging the title challenge. In Yokohama (and following a HAYATA dive over the top rope and sliding into chairs, which injured him), Kotaro Suzuki said that he regretted saying that anyone could challenge them, as not only had RATELS challenged, bit also as the sworn enemies of RATELS, he didn't want to defend against them. The new rules were that if you could pin them, then you got a title challenge, and they would make the sign of an X to tell you that you had failed.
Despite being pinned by Atsushi Kotoge, then the following match coming down to 2 on 3 due to HAYATA'S injury (and his being taken out of the match early), YO-HEY was determined not to give up. Saying that their "X" was wrong, and they looked like-leaning models, YO-HEY said that he refused to acknowledge their refusal, and that he and HAYATA would get their title shot.

Although he was not taped on his shoulder, HAYATA was still taped at the ribs when the match at Korakuen Hall on the 16th February came round, and after being attacked by STINGER, he left the match early as Tadasuke had to take him to the back. This left Daisuke Harada and YO-HEY in a two on three situation. YO-HEY was almost beat when HAYATA came back into the match, and sneak pinned Kotaro Suzuki. STINGER were furious, and Suzuki hit HAYATA in the ribs as Ogawa held him, they were chased off by RATELS and the three STINGER champions marched to the back clutching their belts. YO-HEY & HAYATA got the win over STINGER, and as per the terms of their title challenge, they now owe them a shot at the titles. However, STINGER are refusing to grant them a title shot at Yokohama, under the pretext that HAYATA is not well enough and that YO-HEY without HAYATA could not pin them at Shinyuri Twenty-One Hall, Kawasaki on Wednesday 19th.

HAYATA returned on 24th February, and although his input into the match was limited as he was still not in the best shape, but he was instrumental in helping keep Kotaro down with the Headache, while YO-HEY kept Kotoge away with the Facial G, so that Harada could pin Ogawa (technically, RATELS got a triple pin). Naturally his injury made HAYATA a target for STINGER, who attacked his ribs, but he managed to get through the match although Daisuke Harada did get off the apron to check on him.
After Harada had accepted Yoshinari Ogawa's GHC Junior for IPW Junior challenge, YO-HEY got on the microphone and addressed Kotaro Suzuki and Atsushi Kotoge. They could no longer refuse them a title match, HAYATA was back, and RATELS had won, so please could they give them a title match in Yokohama? There was nothing now that STINGER could do, but grant them a title match. The match will take place in Yokohama on 8th March.

The Coronavirus put a stop to the title match on the 8th March, and was moved to Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on the 29th. This gave HAYATA time to recover, but at the time of the first match back since Noah went on hiatus on the 21st March in Maebashi, his ribs were still taped. True to their word to "bully him" STINGER kept Daisuke Harada and YO-HEY out of the ring and worked on HAYATA'S injury until the referee called a stop to the match. YO-HEY said that he, "Husband", was going to make STINGER pay for what they did to his "important and precious Wife".

The tide changed on the 22nd at Fujisan Messe when following a Tadasuke lariat, HAYATA pinned Kotaro Suzuki after a match where his ribs were targeted once again by STINGER. Yoshinari Ogawa, (the master at cheating and cheating tactics), claimed that STINGER were screwed out of the win by the referee as the count was only 2, and a fight broke out between the two teams. During the lull while Ogawa and Harada were screaming at each other, Kotoge had been thrown outside the ring by Tadasuke, Kotaro Suzuki was double kicked in the face by HAYATA & YO-HEY.

The last pre-match between the two teams was meant to take place in Yokohama on the 27th March, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic this was cancelled, so the two teams when directly into the title match on the 29th March at Korakuen Hall. Due to the Tokyo lockdown this was a first ever for Noah in that this was a card done with only four title matches, and in what we would call an empty arena. For HAYATA, (who generally avoids contact with people he doesn't know), this made no difference, but YO-HEY found it hard and I think at times forgot that there was no-one there as he kept trying to excite the crowd.
As for STINGER, their main goal was to attack HAYATA'S damaged ribs and protect the belts in doing that. They had resisted long enough in giving RATELS a title shot, and they weren't going to hand them over so easily. At the start of the match, Kotaro was announced as "the successor to Misawaism".
This was a real heart in mouth match, last moment kick outs, STINGER at their most sadistic (even Kotoge who threw HAYATA into the empty seating area and then double foot-stamped his ribs), and YO-HEY'S high flying dropkicks (he took both of STINGER out by them, and did a beautiful one which caught Suzuki in mid air as he was somersaulting). Despite the attacks on HAYATA, he prevailed with The Headache on Atsushi Kotoge and won the belts for RATELS and himself in the first time in two years and two months. 

NEXT CHAMPIONS: RATELS (HAYATA & YO-HEY)

LINKS
The inside theme is "Crying RATELS fans", interview with GHC Junior tag champions, Kotaro and Kotoge