(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ "NOAH IN THE SPOTLIGHT", 10TH JUNE 2020 (DAY 1)

Pro Wrestling Noah start three days of Noah junior focused matches, in short hour long shows, which take place at what is known as "The Noah Arena". The ring was back to normal size, and the photographers and cameramen at ringside wore only hygiene masks and not full protective wear. Noah are approaching the end of their empty arena shows and hope to hold (limited capacity) attended shows again starting from July.

While perhaps today's show was not particularly explosive, you can tell that something is building between STINGER and their eternal rivals of the former RATELS, and a new junior feud is beginning between The Sugiura Army juniors and FULL THROTTLE. I expect Night 2 to bring it up another notch, with Night 3 to be the night when the lid blows off the volcano. 

The event today was broadcast on WRESTLE UNIVERSE, and was a free stream, so you should be able to access it by clicking on the link above. 

MATCH ONE

FULL THROTTLE (Atsushi Kotoge, Hajime Ohara & Seiki Yoshika) vs The Sugiura Army (NOSAWA Rongai, ??? & ???)

Freed from the serious Kongoh, and the dour STINGER, Atsushi Kotoge was back to his old bouncy self when he got into the ring today. I'm not sure who he thought he was talking to as the arena is empty of an audience, but he seems a lot happier these days. 

NOSAWA Rongai had let us all into his open secret about who the mystery men were who he was going to be teaming with, and as expected it was Kaz Hayashi and Kendo Kashin. Also as expected, Kashin immediately started causing trouble. Kashin, complete with evil looking mace, started his troublemaking ways by kicking one of the trainees off the apron, and refusing to give Referee Nishinaga his mace. When it was wrestled off of him, he wasn't pleased. Raring to beat up some FULL THROTTLE, NOSAWA calmed him and went first against Seiki Yoshioka. The referee certainly had his hands full with Kashin, like when Kashin tagged in against Kotoge, and then immediately tagged out again, tagging in NOSAWA, NOSAWA then tagged Kashin back in. Ref told them to knock it off.

NOSAWA had better have a phenomenal excuse to make to Takashi Sugiura who told him that he didn't want anymore members of The Sugiura Army, and he didn't in particular want to hear the words "Kendo Kashin". 

As they were both in the ring to start the match, NOSAWA offered Yoshioka his hand, Yoshioka looked as if he was considering it (in a comedy way, not a sinister Puppetmaster Ogawa way) before being stomped down by NOSAWA.

Hajime Ohara vs Kaz Hayashi was very technical, especially as Hayashi managed to outthink Ohara at times. A singles match against Yoshinari Ogawa would be interesting to say the least. 

WINNER: Kaz Hayashi with the Power Plant on Seiki Yoshioka (13 minutes, 45 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Kaito Kiyomiya & Kinya Okada vs Kongoh (Hao & Nio)

Kongoh had a different entrance today, no rising of the head when their names are called, instead they both formed the thunderbolt throwing stance when they were announced. 

Kinya Okada came out with his ribs taped up (probably from his match with Mohammed Yone at "NEW HOPE DAY 2" previously). He entered with Kiyomiya to Kiyomiya's music, but ran to the ring. Kiyomiya, long outgrown that at the grand old age of 23, made his usual walk to the ring, shedding white feathers from his coat everywhere. One of which got stuck in his hair and had to be removed by the ref. 

As Kiyomiya looked on intently from the ring apron, Okada found his niche in Noah and as a wrestler, by being a technical one. However, while he punched Hao (hard as it turned out) and used Nakajima style kicks, the Kongoh veterans turned this to their advantage and Hao twisted his knee, which they both worked on. It took Kiyomiya to come to the rescue and rid the ring of Kongoh. But despite his bridging pin, and his drive back chest attack which he followed up with Nakajima style kicks, the veteran team won in the end over the rookie, and the twenty-three year old ex GHC Heavyweight Champion. 

WINNER: Nio with The Stuka Splash on Kinya Okada (11 minutes, 49 seconds)

MATCH THREE

STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki & HAYATA) vs Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke & YO-HEY

The former RATELS made their entry first, Tadasuke looking like Tadasuke, Daisuke Harada looking grim, and YO-HEY looking subdued. When STINGER got into the ring Harada walked slowly over to HAYATA, and the two faced off by butting heads. A few seconds later a melee fight broke out. Kotaro and Yoshinari Ogawa where thrown out of the ring, leaving HAYATA (still in his jacket) alone with his former friends. They stomped him down. YO-HEY was looking sad. However, there was a flash of the old YO-HEY when he told HAYATA that his attack was having no effect on him. 

The majority of the match was devoted to the former RATELS punishing HAYATA (who revealed he has cauliflower ears by brushing back his hair near the camera), at one point Harada even went for the cocky pin and crazy Tadasuke even managed to reign himself in. 

In true STINGER fashion (Ogawa has taught him well), HAYATA got the sneak win by distracting Tadasuke when he went for the Outkast, and then kicking him in the crotch to roll him up for the win.

WINNER: HAYATA with the sneak pin (18 minutes, 45 seconds)

HAYATA managed to slide out of the ring seconds before Harada lunged at him. Harada then went to protest to the referee, making groin motions, which he also did to STINGER. STINGER, however, elated that HAYATA had learned the ways of cheating to win, climbed the stairs where the tag champions held their belts up to the former RATELS. HAYATA then came forward and with his sadistic cold smile on his face, held up three fingers. 

Night Two of "NOAH IN THE SPOTLIGHT" returns on 11th June at 19.00 JST, broadcast via WRESTLE UNIVERSE. 

GIF Credit: WRESTLE UNIVERSE