(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ NOAH "NEW HOPE DAY 3", JULY 5TH 2020

As they approach opening up their shows again to audiences (July 18th at Korakuen), Noah held their second to last empty arena show at the Chateau AMEBA studios. The final one will be on July 12th. 

The show was free to watch and was broadcast worldwide. You can watch the show here, but please note that it is only free to view for seven days, after that you will need either a subscription (and a compatible VPN) to ABEMA or a subscription to WRESTLE UNIVERSE, where it will be eventually uploaded. 

MATCH ONE

Rene Dupree vs Tadasuke

Tadasuke, fresh from getting drunk on Instagram the night before (although he didn't pass out as promised), came sauntering out. He did a kind of "Get the camera out of my face" thing when walking to the ring. Rene Dupre came strolling out, nodding his head in time to his music.There was a notable side difference, (Tadasuke is 173cm and Dupree 190cm) when they stood and stared at each other after Dupree had entered the ring.  

The bell rang. 

Tadasuke offered his hand, Dupree (who should have known better) went to take it, Tadasuke withdrew at the last moment and smoothed his hair back. Dupree knocked him down pretty quick after that. Although later in the match Dupree did fall for Tadasuke's sneakiness when he covered his face thinking that Tadasuke was going to attack him there, but instead Tadasuke hit his knee. Tadasuke also used the usual flash maneuvers i.e. sneak quick pins. When he wasn't being sneaky, he pulled out two somersaults (one from the top turnbuckle, and the other over the top rope). 

While Tadasuke may have had the size disadvantage, he didn't really have a strength one as he is known as one of the junior wrestlers who have a heavyweight strength. Dupree was surprised by this, especially the force behind Tadasuke's lariat, which is unusual for a junior wrestler. What isn't unusual for Tadasuke though is the appearance of "Crazy Tadasuke", who often breaks out when a match is going well and he gets carried away, which has sometimes cost him important matches, although that wasn't the case today. 

WINNER: Rene Dupree with the Diving Elbow Drop (8 minutes, 28 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Yoshiki Inamura vs Kinya Okada

Battle of the current generation of Noah born.

There was an immediate lock up, almost as if the cages had opened and they were ready to go. A chop battle broke out in which they no sold each other until Inamura managed to knock Okada half-way across the ring.  

While Inamura still the most dominant, Okada manged to get more offensive moves in than he had done previously, such as an armbar type submission, kicks (not as good as Kenoh or Nakajima's, but he's getting there with Nakajima's coaching) and even going for the pin with his bridging slam, although he did naturally stagger a bit when hauling Inamura up. Inamura though is the more experienced and he knew just how to break Okada down, especially when he took advantage of Inamura's lack of experience and lulled him into making his move before striking back. Okada hung in there though as much as he could, getting out of the first Splash Mountain and then kicking out of the Oklahoma Stampede. However, he couldn't kick out the second time. 

WINNER: Yoshiki Inamura with Splash Mountain (11 minutes, 9 seconds)

Just as Kaito Kiyomiya has told Yoshiki Inamura that he will be the wall that he will never overcome, Yoshiki Inamura said about Kinya Okada after the match that, he will never catch up to him. 

MATCH THREE

FULL THROTTLE (Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara) vs KONGOH (Nioh and Haoh)

Fast paced junior match with a wired Atsushi Kotoge (who did an overly long bouncing off the ropes to get up speed to kick Nio in the face while Ohara held him in a lock). Hajime Ohara naturally was more reserved, and started off against Nioh. Cool, calculated and seemingly tying Nio's leg into a knot and then the rest of him with a complicated (and nasty) looking submission hold. Despite the difference in their temperament, Kotoge and Ohara work well together, and sometimes remind me of Kenohara, especially when they do their tandem rope submission hold. 

As fits Kongoh, Haoh and Nioh were more sober with Haoh managing to take out FULL THROTTLE with a top rope somersault, although it took them a few seconds to fall down. I thought they were going to fight back and throw him aside or in the ring. Nioh is starting to develop his character, and started at the camera with a vicious gleam in his eyes and a snarl on his face as he did a knife drawing across the throat motion.

WINNER: Atsushi Kotoge with the Killswitch on Nioh (16 minutes, 5 seconds)

MATCH FOUR

Daisuke Harada vs Seiki Yoshioka

Daisuke Harada stalked to the ring looking grim, with Seiki Yoshioka looking focused. This is the first singles match between them, so far they have only faced each other in tags. This was a completely new experience for both of them, not even meeting during their period when they wrestled on the Indies, with perhaps their first meeting coming in 2018 when Yoshioka took part in the RATELS produce when he teamed with HAYATA. Harada was not going to lose to this outsider, and Yoshioka had something to prove. They are of similar ages and careers, Harada having a two year head start on Yoshioka. 

I got the impression from this match that just like Harada vs Ohara, Noah will probably save Harada vs Yoshioka for special occasions. They worked very well together, with Harada soon realising that the best way to ground Yoshioka is to take out his legs as he knows they are his weapons, Yoshioka had a more difficult task as Harada is generally a weapon. 

As both were determined to win and with many kick outs, submissions and desperate flash pins, they entered the exhausting final stages of the match, which came to a time limit draw. Yoshioka commented afterwards that 20 minutes was not enough to defeat Harada. 

WINNER: Neither (time limit draw)

I swear Yoshika's eyes were red as he and Harada butted heads after he walked over to him slowly. Yoshioka then left the ring looking back at Harada, as Harada looked on leaning on the ropes and watching him like a hawk. 

This isn't over. 

MATCH FIVE

Kaito Kiyomiya vs Daiki Inaba

Daiki Inaba came out to the ring first and stood and waited for Kiyomiya to make his big entry, which he did with the ABEMA cameras (who love close zooms on people), making it look like Kiyomiya's nose was squished in the lens! There was a silent stare down between the two, who (despite Inaba's noticeable cauliflower ear) looked very alike in terms of physique and style of ringwear. 

This match was memorable not really for what happened in it, but rather was going to happen after it. The two fought to the bitter end in a back and forwards match in which the flow between them changed rapidly so neither could have been said to have the overall dominance, even though it was Kiyomiya who got the win.

WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Tiger Suplex (15 minutes, 27 seconds)

After the match Kiyomiya started roaring and grimacing into the camera, before he calmed down and spoke on the microphone and praised Inaba for coming here, he said he wanted to face other people and absorb everything and evolve the ring. He acknowledged that everyone who would come would be an enemy. 

Inaba also spoke, saying that he appreciated what had taken place here, but he didn't want it to end today, so would Kiyomiya partner with him? Kiyomiya agreed (while everyone watching wondered what had become of his partnership with Shuhei Taniguchi), and they shook hands and then posed in the ring. Afterwards, Kiyomiya posted on his official Twitter;

"We will repaint the landscape of the wrestling industry.

Anyone who is interested in what we are going to do, should come to the NEW HOPE ring.

New scenery is waiting".

The yet as unnamed team will make their first tag on the 12th July at Noah's final empty arena Chateau AMEBA studio events, facing Atsushi Kotoge and Seiki Yoshioka of FULL THROTTLE. If Inaba wants to know how things are done in Noah, an introduction to a pair of squabbling juniors is probably the best place to start. Naomichi Marufuji made a tongue-in-cheek comment about their new team saying that it was nice to see young people so motivated, but try to stay humble (he also included the smirking face ikon). Shuhei Taniguchi, however, is yet to comment. 

Gifs taken from ABEMATV