(NOAH) Internet autograph session vol.4 ~ Go Shiozaki & Kinya Okada

Streamed live on May 14th 2020 on the official Noah YouTube channel, link is here.

During the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, promotions were hit hard as they had lost their main source of income, their fans. Noah held what they termed as "TV matches", which were done in closed studio sets\Club Cittta, and even Korakuen Hall in the early days, and online Internet merchandise signing sessions. This was a kind of virtual reality were fans could buy things on the official Noah site and get them autographed in lieu of buying them at the merchandise stand and lining up. Those doing the signing session would also answer questions done via the YouTube comments. 

The session on the 14th May was with the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Go Shiozaki, who was assisted by Kinya Okada. Go Shiozaki was off all events until June having undergone emergency appendicitis surgery (he said that as he couldn't bring his weights to the hospital like Kenta Kobashi did when he was hospitalized, so he walked up and down the stairs and was scolded by the nurses for not staying in bed), and Okada said he would do his best to look after him. 

"He gained a lot of fans in just an hour". 

Before his injury, Kinya Okada had demonstrated a cheeky attitude towards his seniors, when during a match with Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya, he had pretended not to notice Kiyomiya confronting him over screwing him over, and called Kenoh "That blonde bastard". Unfortunately when he came back Okada seemed to have lost this, but on this stream his talent remerged, and while he wasn't cheeky to Shiozaki, he displayed amazing skills as a presenter or an MC. Rather than dryly read fan questions or the opening "script" in a monotone voice, Okada put a spin on it as if he was facing a studio audience, and he got a round of applause. He kept this up when Shiozaki was signing items, and kept making him laugh (not that that is a hard thing to do). 

While Shiozaki did the majority of the autograph signing, Okada gained fans and by mid show they wanted him to have merchandise that they could buy (grey and white were suggested as colors). There were so many people buying merchandise that the show went over the time limit, added to that Okada was so entertaining, and fans had a lot of questions for him especially about challenges, AXIZ and even his background in Taekwondo. I don't think anyone had ever expected this of Okada, who was so subdued on his return as he felt so far behind his classmate, Yoshiki Inamura. 

Highlights

~ Kinya Okada read the question but didn't answer it about his challenging for the GHC Heavyweight immediately, although he did later indicate that he would go for it if he had the chance (I get the impression that this will probably be when Yoshiki Inamura holds it as Noah are building up this rivalry between them)

~ Someone wanted to see Okada's smile, so he pulled down his mask briefly

Did you notice? 

~ Okada is left handed (apparently a lot of Noah are, Go Shiozaki however is not) 

~ Shiozaki's roots are coming through his dark blonde hair

~ Shiozaki reaching for one of the portraits which had been removed before he could sign it, another was put on the table and fell to the floor

~ Someone trying to scrub out a black mark that Okada caused to pristine white table by waving a pen around (they didn't get rid of it). It also looked like there was writing on the table (although I don't think he did that). 

~ Okada pulling down his face mask and smiling when asked, as a fan had tipped 610 yen for it. 

~ Ambient sounds of the plastic wrap rustling when the items are opened off screen, an emergency vehicle passing, and what sounds like someone sawing something. 

~ Shiozaki's chrome KRUZIN shoes

~ Noah made 1,220 in tips

Fan comments

~ "When will the next AXIZ Instagram live be?" 

~ "Will there be more AXIZ members?"

~ "Defeat AXIZ by forming a supernova combination with Inamura"

~ "We are in the age of Okada and Inamura"

~ "Do you have any plans to sell mask goods?" (Noah later did, including a Noah headband face guard)

~ "Shiozaki, do you like Persian cats?"