(NOAH) GHC Major Championship Match Feature Article: Anti-Wrestlers League, Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue, immutable existence and charm

13th June 2020

Noah.co.jp

Two major singles matches have been arranged for the 14th June TV match event, which be AXIZ vs The Anti Wrestlers Alliance. Ten months after Akitoshi Saito and Masao Inoue had challenged the GHC tag champions, Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima, at Korakuen Hall, it is a development that no one expected, especially not by any of the four who could not imagine how things were to develop after that.

The match was hailed as a tag worthy one on the GHC tag front of 2019, and it can be said that this is depth of the Noah fans deep love for Inoue. Although a freelancer, Inoue keeps coming to Noah as a matter of course, and its so natural that anyone from the outside sees him as a member. Only once every few years his name makes it on to title match and main cards, fans unconditionally want to cheer "Masao", simply because Inoue is there. This is because a man whose achievements of compassion are transcendent, will not lose its value whether he wins or loses. 

When Inoue first challenged for the belt, Noah fans gathered at Korakuen Hall just to say "Izakamakura*". With Go Shiozaki's chop and Nakajima's kick, the sandbag becoming a sandwich as he was being smashed, the fans sent the usual "Masao" call for him to endure and counterattack. 

So, why are so many people devoted to Masao Inoue? There are many people who lose, become frustrated, drop their shoulders and go home. It can only be said to be a work that is filled with emotion, and Akitoshi Saito is a leading case. 

In 1991, when Inoue made his debut, Akitoshi Saito participated in indie group WING'S opening show, where he first became popular with fans. He had officially debuted in December of last year, and it says this on his profile, but it better for him to have had this as his practical first battle as a pro wrestler. Inoue was in April, which "synchronized" with Saito in August with a difference of only four months. Although he had been on a completely different path, Saito started participating in Noah in 2000, and four years later he formed The Dark Agents. 

Leaving STERNESS which was led by Jun Akiyama, he chose Inoue, who was not at a prominent mid level, and showed no outstanding activity. In other words, it was a worry.

This led to April 24th 2006, which for Inoue was the first and at the time of writing, the last time, he was in the main ring of the Nippon Budokan. The GHC heavyweight match in which he challenged Akiyama, is the stuff of legend. 

At this time, Saito came as second with the other Dark Agent members, and encouraged Inoue as he was fighting. 

This time, he is challenging again for a Noah singles title, and it seems that "Masao Mania" was a flash back to that day fourteen years ago, when Inoue appeared to express his challenge for the GHC National Championship.

Saito, who has always stood with him as an ally, challenges Go Shiozaki on the 14th June, with deep significance. Only Inoue knows whether or not it was this action that inspired him, but the "Masao Volcano", which is expected to erupt in a cycle of once every several years, erupted in a span of ten months, would be a nice miscalculation for fans. 

The other day, when I made a prediction of winners and losers using the questionnaire function on NicoNico Pro Wrestling channel, Shiozaki was 66.6%, Saito 33.4%, while the GHC National leveled out at Nakajima 50% and Inoue also 50%/ 

The data is limited to real time viewers, there is a sense of expectation that "Masao will do tremendous things". 

Although the two title battles are AXIZ vs The Anti Wrestlers Alliance, their backgrounds are completely different. That is why I feel the momentum of the two matches lined up for that day. The pro wrestler who attracts momentum is strong. Saito as the GHC Heavyweight and Inoue wearing the GHC National Belt, the image of the two standing side by side for a pose photo on June 14th, can only be said to be out of this world.

Link to original article by Noah.co.jp 

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp

 

*Said when a big event is happening