(NOAH) Event recap ~ Global Junior League 2020, Night 2, Yokohama Radiant Halls (11th January 2020)
Right at the last moment, with a sign hastily written, and a post on Twitter, Pro Wrestling Noah announced that YO-HEY would miss both the event today and the event tomorrow due to an injury to his sternum (basically the breast bone). The injury was said to have happened on the 10th, he said he wasn't feeling well, and a fan had noticed that he was breathing heavily, clutching his chest and seemed to be ill after getting knocked outside of the ring. Naturally, after what happened the last time (and at Yokohama too) when he had a torn lung, and the fact that he was not at the event today, fans are worried. However, unlike last time Noah have given a date for his return, so hopefully he will not miss too much of Global Junior League.
Noah advertised his replacement as being "X", but as the news that YO-HEY would miss the event was so last minute, and as Seiya Morohashi was already working the show (and with Eddie Edwards overseas), the mystery wrestler was Wife (HAYATA).
With their success in streaming live through the official Noah GHC Twitter account yesterday, Noah also streamed live three further matches tonight. Noah have gone from showing nothing, with the YouTube account gathering dust almost to showing us the three produce shows, having first two shows of 2020 broadcast, and then showing matches from the shows after that. I have included links to the matches that were streamed, although I cannot guarantee how long they will be there for.
A lot of fans returned from yesterday today, and naturally it being a weekend more came to the show. The event was fun, and one fan said that during the first half alone they stood up from their seat six times.
The Anti Wrestlers Alliance (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue) vs Quiet Storm & Seiya Morohashi
Unusually for 50 Funky Powers, Quiet Storm had another match without Yone, which saw him in the opener, and Yone in the main event (not somewhere he has been for a while). Fans are wondering if there is something going on behind the scenes, and for a man who has seemingly chosen to leave Noah on his own accord, Quiet Storm does look sad.
It took Masao Inoue to lighten the mood however, with his usual comedy, although Saito has not tried to stuff the mask of The Destroyer which he carries to the ring with him on his head again. Inoue looked at Morohashi's chiseled physique and told him that his abs compared to Morohashi's, were chocolate.
WINNER: Akitoshi Saito with the sickle death on Seiya Morohashi (9 minutes, 17 seconds)
MATCH TWO
Global Junior League (Block B)
Tadasuke vs Hao
"Confrontation between power and speed"
Both Yoshinari Ogawa and Kenoh seen to be watching the match (but not standing together), Kenoh was probably not amused that Tadasuke powerbombed Hao onto the ring apron.
Now I'm not sure why he did this (or will take to removing clothes from his opponents, but I'm not going to question crazy person logic), for some reason Tadasuke removed Hao's belt, and threw it out of the ring. Maybe this is a new thing for Tadasuke? Or maybe it is a backstage thing as certainly yesterday, we all saw the quarter moon when Kotaro Suzuki had a slight wardrobe malfunction...
WINNER: Hao with Firebird splash (7 minutes, 49 seconds)
Global Junior League (Block A)
HAYATA vs Junta Miyawaki
Streamed live
Despite the taped shoulder and the fact that he was facing someone who had been wrestling for fourteen years this year, Junta Miyawaki (who is most certainly ready for that singles win), was not going to give up today in the face of HAYATA'S cold sadism. He gave as good as he got.
This was a real "heart in mouth" match.
HAYATA struck with the Headache, but Junta kicked out
HAYATA moonsault, Junta kicked out
HAYATA with running powerbomb, Junta kicked out
HAYATA with sit down powerbomb, face kicks, Junta kicked out
Towards the end of the match HAYATA (who had been making "come on" gestures) was growing frustrated, everyone in Noah is aware that Junta is looking for that first win, and last years Global Junior League winner was not going to be the one he got it over, although Junta did come very near it, but it was a second moonsault that did it.
Yoshinari Ogawa was seen watching....
WINNER: HAYATA with the moonsault (9 minutes, 48 seconds)
MATCH FOUR
The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura, El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jnr, Hajime Ohara & Kinya Okada) vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya, Yoshiki Inamura & Nioh)
"Okakin is here!"
The two rivals of Noah's future, (Kinya Okada and the ever growing Yoshiki Inamura) started the match today, which is apt as everyone pretty much agreed that this is flowering of Okada, and he has finally arrived as to where he was meant to be after a debut delayed by injuries. Okada has suddenly grown stronger, and will continue to grow stronger, more able to stand up to Yoshiki Inamura, and in true form for these two who are the next generation of Noah, fans loved their fight.
The Sugiura Army, I think, were a little less enamored as at one point in the match, Okada started giving orders...I think the look of WTF on Hajime Ohara's face said it all.
The match was said to be very much to Kongoh's pace, with Ohara being held in a submission by Kenoh, Nio, Inamura and Kitamiya until Takashi Sugiura (who doesn't have gout by the way, that is Shuhei Taniguchi), broke it up. Kinya Okada may have been the star of today's match, but like Junta before him, experience often wins over youth.
WINNER: Kenoh with the PFS on Okada (14 minutes, 38 seconds)
Global Junior League (Block D)
Chris Ridgeway vs Minoru Tanaka
In the volatile Block D (and with Daisuke Harada looking on), Chris Ridgeway faced Minoru Tanaka. A match he has been looking forward to for a long time.
After the kick battle at the start, Ridgeway worked on Tanaka's joints in what fans called an amazing display of technical wrestling (he even used a cocky pin). It was even commented on that he seemed more powerful than the night before. It was also commented on that he attacked Tanaka's feet in such a way that the audience felt it. Despite the Ogawa-esque torture, Minoru Tanaka gained the win with a reversal.
WINNER: Minoru Tanaka with the Stiffened Cross (11 minutes, 34 seconds)
The next two matches were streamed live, so assuming that this link still works, you will be able to watch both the semi main and the main.
MATCH SIX
Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Harada & HAYATA vs STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Kotoge)
YO-HEY was not at the event today, but after it he posted that he was okay and would be back (which is a relief after last time), and that he watched the match live on Noah's Twitter. He also thanked Wife in "all your manly glory" for covering for him.
Daisuke Harada came to the ring still holding the IPW belt, and started baiting Kotaro at various points in the match. Marufuji and Harada seemed to have patched up their (childish) difficulties, and worked well today, aside from a minor squabble over something petty such as standing near each other, and Marufuji trying to steal the IPW championship at the end of the match. Marufuji joined in with the RATELS tandem kick, and he also saved HAYATA with a well timed kick. He may not have fought Kotaro (younger brother) in the ring much, but the two certainly went at it out of it.
In what was a 99% junior match, Marufuji was dominant. In his rare match against Yoshinari Ogawa, Marufuji chopped him on the rope break, then a chop war broke out between them which Marufuji no sold. Then getting a little cocky, he tried to out maneuver him. Big mistake pal.
Kotoge then got in the ring and tried to chop Marufuji. It didn't work.
This was a typically fast paced match (which Ogawa never ever has any problems in keeping up with guys much younger than him in), which also included Kotoge headbutting the back of HAYATA'S head (more brain cells bite the dust).
WINNER: Atsushi Kotoge with the Killswitch on HAYATA (13 minutes, 30 seconds)
After the match Ogawa pinched HAYATA'S ice pack, and used it on his chest where Marufuji had chopped him. There was a slight moment of wondering what was going to happen as STINGER stood over HAYATA with Ogawa at the fore, but they left. Left alone in the ring, Harada applauded HAYATA for stepping in for YO-HEY.
Kumaxiz (Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Hitoshi Kumano) vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Shuhei Taniguchi & Mohammed Yone
Although this was not a title match, but the person who he had defeated for the title was in it, Go Shiozaki wore his green to the ring. It looks like Hitoshi Kumano will be staying with the blue, and Katsuhiko Nakajima was his usual sinister self.
The former GHC Heavyweight champion, and the person he lost the title to, started the match off. Shiozaki, however, knows Kiyomiya far too well and managed to mostly outwrestle him. Yone later was tagged in, but was relegated to standing in the corner and waiting as Shiozaki was still too busy and fighting with Kiyomiya. Shiozaki tagged in Nakajima, who proceeded to wind Yone up. Shiozaki also did his part for his tag partner, by distracting the ref and therefore prolonging Nakajima's infamous rope choke when he tells fans to take pictures. The funniest part though was when the ref looked exasperated at Nakajima not listening to him.
As has often been said, Kumano is a junior who has the strength of a heavyweight, and although Yone no sold him, he managed to hoist Taniguchi up and slam him. Naturally, as a junior Kumano got the worst of the opponents, but it was Yone who took both the machine gun chops and the feared kick-chop sandwich from AXIZ.
Yone did a lightning quick "Disco Fever" pose to Shiozaki before turning the tide of the match back to him, but after a shaky exchange on the turnbuckle (where it looked like both he and Shiozaki would fall), Shiozaki (who had been no selling Yone at times in the match), got the win.
WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the Shiozaki lariat on Mohammed Yone (19 minutes, 59 seconds)
When Yone had limped to the back (helped by Kaito Kiyomiya), Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima remained in the ring. Fans thought this is it, Nakajima is going to challenge, as Shiozaki asked for a microphone - but this didn't happen today. Shiozaki spoke and thanked everyone for coming. He said that he would connect both the past and the present and dye the GHC in his own colors, and that he needed everyone to help in making Noah grow.
ATTENDANCE: 310 (full house)
WITH THANKS TO: Dai, Metal-Noah, Abeshin, Shishizuka, Hae, Jonbei
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC
NOAH'S NEXT SHOW: Sunday 12th January, Hamamatsu
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