(NOAH) Event Recap ~ Global Tag League, Episode 1 (5th April 2020)

Pro-Wrestling Noah held the first night of Global Tag League today in a closed set with only ring crew, referees and photographers in attendance, Metal-Noah believes that they are holding this at Club Citta. The event was streamed live through DDT Universe (the link should still be valid if you are reading this a few days, weeks, months etc after the event, but you will need a subscription to view it as it isn't free).

Aside from the circumstances of this years series, everything else was kept as normal as usual. The participating teams (except for Kongoh, and therefore Daisuke Sekimoto who is teaming with Yoshiki Inamura, who refused to attend), filed to the ring and as an added bonus for those watching at home in the West, there were some announcements made in English.

Masao Inoue had to navigate the stairs, and somehow made his way down them without falling.
The Sugiura Army came out wearing hygiene masks, and because they were standing in front of the Anti Wrestlers Alliance, Sugi turned around and asked Inoue where his was!
Unchains were the only team to slightly pose.
Mochimaru, the tag champions, came out without the belts (as per tradition), and Marufuji decided to square up to Taniguchi when they got in the ring. When everyone left, there was a small stand off between himself and Go Shiozaki.

Match 1
AXIZ vs The Anti Wrestlers Alliance
(Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue)

Both teams came out in new ring wear, in the case of The Anti Wrestlers Alliance, it was Masao Inoue dressed in a maroon judo outfit. AXIZ looked even more like sinister crows in theirs, and they did the famous lean before the bell rang.

The match started with Go Shiozaki vs Akitoshi Saito, this ended when Saito tagged in Inoue, who was ignored by Shiozaki at first as he wanted Saito, so Nakajima tagged himself in.
Saito shouted encouragement across the ring in the silent arena while Nakajima immediately started stamping on Inoue's feet with an evil Cheshire Cat like grin on his face. Inoue tried it back, but Nakajima moved, and he then held out his foot for him. Poor old Inoue suffers gout, and being the butt of jokes of the roster, they naturally stamp on his feet during matches.

Inoue was the one who really got it from AXIZ (although he did bite Shiozaki in retaliation), kicked around by Nakajima, the dreaded soccer ball kicks after he slipped off of the turnbuckle, and the Endless Love (where AXIZ looked like a couple of Velociraptor on the hunt on seeing him alone), and Nakajima's "Shutter Chance" to the photographers at ringside and the people watching at home. However, it was Saito who got the machine gun chops.

But the old AXIZ Global Tag League curse came back when Saito came very close to pinning Shiozaki following shots to the head, Shio kicked out at the last moment, but Saito managed to get the win with the Death Brand

WINNER: Akitoshi Saito with Death Brand on Go Shiozaki (17 minutes, 20 seconds)

Match 2
Mochimaru vs Unchains
(Naomichi Marufuji & Masaaki Mochizuki vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Shuhei Taniguchi)

Unchained came out to Kaito Kiyomiya's music, which was more appropriate for Kiyomiya as he is was (and generally is) a lot more animated than Taniguchi was (and is). If there is a word to describe Taniguchi in this match then it's "Monster".

Masaaki Mochizuki was introduced as representing DragonGate, with Naomichi Marufuji announced as representing Pro Wrestling Noah. Once in the ring, Marufuji decided that he wanted to face off against Kiyomiya first, but Taniguchi had decided that he was going to start the match, and so Marufuji decided to kick him and was told to "Watch it". Marufuji wasn't going to forgive Taniguchi for not giving him his own way, so later on in the match he refused to release his hold on Kiyomiya even though Taniguchi was trying to break it, and Taniguchi ended up shoving the ref out of the way.

Kiyomiya kept up the youthful trend of having lots of energy when Taniguchi did eventually tag him in, and leapt into the ring over the ropes. Against Mochi he refused to be knocked down, and he decided to knock Marufuji off the ring apron, which he later paid for as Marufuji dog eared him into the corner and chopped him.

WINNER: Masaaki Mochizuki with La Mahistral on Shuhei Taniguchi (16 minutes, 2 seconds)

Unchained protested the win, but Referee Nakayama told them no, sorry, it was a three count, and so as Mochimaru celebrated their win, practically in the faces of Unchained, Kiyomiya had a mini tantrum on the way out of the ring by slapping the ring apron and kicking the steel barriers.

Mochimaru addressed the viewers at home afterwards, Mochi saying that they will continue to win and take all the belts (including the GHC Junior and the DragonGate Twin Gate), with Marufuji calling them the "Living Legend Mochizuki" and "The Arks Genius".

Episode 2 of Global Tag League 2020 will take place on April 7th at 8pm JST.

With thanks to: Metal Noah