(NOAH) Kenoh "Come at Me You Bastards" ~ 60 minutes at Yokohama Buntai (18th August 2020)

Q: At Yokohama on the 10th August, you went to a full time draw. There was no comment after the match, but quite frankly how was it?

KENOH: First of all, it was the process towards the match. I was able to offer what I had imagined. It's Kenoh, because it produces pros and cons. I think was able to convey a condensed topic in less than a week before the match.

Q: On the 4th August you defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima at Korakuen Hall to become the GHC National Champion. When did you come up with the plan for the double championship? 

KENOH: Rather than wait for a challenger or nominate one like the former champion, with the momentum I had it took the form in the thought that I should take the most exciting action and stand in front of the winner of the GHC Heavyweight Championship at the 5th August Korakuen, just the 10th August Yokohama card hadn't been decided. 

Q: Since the GHC National Championship was established last November, the opportunity of the a double championship had not arisen.

KENOH: I understand the criticism. Criticism is always associated with reform. On the other hand, I could be like AXIZ (Shiozaki & Nakajima) or Kaito Kiyomiya, who the company is pushing hard. There are people who often say it's done to "energize", but its only on rails that the company has laid. I don't have rails, I will force the installation work myself.

Q: As you can imagine, there were critical voices. 

KENOH: After I had made the challenge, I noticed again and again the reaction "A double championship is a stolen idea." I wasn't aware of that part at all, I was only aware of the main event, and the feeling of discomfort would continue. That's the thing, that is why Noah wanted to win with match content, but WE are aiming to be the number one in the industry as Noah alone, but not as CyberFight. To do that, we need to be able to grasp the potential demands of the fuckers exactly and immediately.

Q: The bigger picture of the industry was also read 

KENOH: Of course. It's easy to say "Number one in the industry" without a concrete plan, anyone can do that. But I am different. I didn't want to miss the chance of having this golden opportunity, and I believed that if we could supply genuine pro wrestling here then it would definitely change the flow of industry, which is why I proposed this double championship. What I was told unintentionally is that "the double championship is crazy", but it is upsetting, but its something I have to confront. The only thing that was compared and contrasted in that part concerned the result. Even so, it reconfirmed to me that the current influence of the number one in the current industry is great. Well, for me it was convenient anyway, because it divided and pros and cons even further.

Q: It was the perfect time then 

KENOH: Only when it is affirmed, the rising speed remains constant. But there is potential demand hidden in the criticism, explosive acceleration is created when it is overturned. Today's Noah is said to be "on the attack", but I am going with the cutting edge always being ready for criticism, and being the person who starts the war. 

Q: Like a someone who seizes his chance 

KENOH: Even if I watch my title matches these days, the discord was caused when Kiyomiya was injured by my PFS before Sumo Hall on November 2nd last year. I had a lot of time back then, but in just five days I was so excited by the pros and cons that had been created so far, and I definitely wanted to overturn the criticism about the match. It happened on the 4th & 5th August Korakuen Hall events & 10th August in Yokohama, it happened because the three events were broadcast thanks to G+ on NTV and ABEMA. Today's era has social media, but your heart is not moved without a live broadcast.

Q: There was also the match signing two days before the title match. 

KENOH: The match signing was also a live broadcast. Reflecting on it, it didn't change immediately after LIDET, but it gradually improved and joined CyberGroup and forged a strong relationship with ABEMA. It was free, and in real time given the absence of it being terrestrial. It was great that the environment where Noah matches and interviews could be provided to more people was maintained.

Q: It was nice to have a special feeling of the match signings, as they aren't usually done so much.  

KENOH: "Weekly Pro" made a headline, but for me "Breaking the flow of the era" was the main theme. It was a message that we would speed up the flow of Noah, and we did not even stop time during Corona, but "the special express train" used in the analogy was featured in various media, and it looked tacky.

Q: If you only look at the surface...

KENOH: I am not a trainspotting nerd! I don't care about that! I missed the last chance that I had to be able to say the "Last chance to clear the regret of losing to Sugiura at the last Yokohama Buntai"...

Q: It was also revenge for Buntai, when you lost the GHC Heavyweight to Takashi Sugiura in March 2018, so for that reason the signing ceremony was also a pre-match. 

KENOH: It looked like he had decided on a total win even before the match signing ceremony. In a manner of speaking, I don't think that Shiozaki and I are even in the same field. The only thing I was worried about was whether he would make a gaffe that would ruin the atmosphere of the match. I was praying desperately that he wouldn't say anything weird. 

Q: Kenoh is an ironic genius. 

KENOH: I have laid out an exciting rail that the company could not even think of, and created the ideal way. As for him, well he just rode it. I didn't have to say anything, but rather, I thought he was too talkative. I'm sorry to change the subject, but even after a 60 minute full time draw, if you linger too long on the microphone it destroys the afterglow...but over there he was "This is the GHC. This is NOAH'S fight. I am Noah". The only time I lose to him is in looks. 

Q: Ah, so you thought you could cheat with your side profile, and you observed each other from the shadows. 

KENOH: Oh yeah, if you shoot from the front, thanks to me his coolness is outstanding...Shut up! Laughing in this series is not necessary. I haven't touched the contents of the match as its so voluminous, I am going to do an expanded version this week. 

Q: Thankyou. How did you feel about the match on the day? 

KENOH: I five days I was able to raise expectations. I thought that if I could win and become the double champion, then I would be able to show the most amazing NOAH ever. This is the first single with Shiozaki since the Global League match final two years and nine months ago. At that time he was hesitant, and there was nothing he could do to fix that, but since this year when he's been wearing green and becoming the GHC Heavyweight champion, he has established a great focal point as a pro wrestler. I thought he was a really strong champion. 

Q: The match was head on right from the beginning. 

KENOH: I'm smaller than he is, but my heart is different, so facing each other from the front as usual, there is no win. But I was going to cover that with strength of feeling, no matter how different the physique was.

Q: The key point was the brainbuster from the ramp to the outside. 

KENOH: There is a big match feeling when there is a raised walkway. I was more excited about the match, but I could see from the venue production that the company had put a lot of effort into it. Corona is a tough time, and of course it costs money, but nevertheless if a beautiful raised path has been prepared then it is up to the wrestler to put it to use in the match to make it more than an effect. 

Q: Did you feel the match would last so long? 

KENOH: Before the match, I was wondering if it would be over in 30 minutes. However, Shiozaki was not thinking the same way. Three years ago it was a strange time, I think he thought of various unnecessary things, but now everything received is all straightforward. I was fighting thinking that his original fighting style was a fit, but it was my miscalculation that everything was straightened out and the balance was better. I was thinking I was stupid. 

Q: The word at the end was definitely an extra...

KENOH: I didn't think that a pro wrestler called Go Shiozaki had been completed up until that point, and in that match I found out again how thankful I was for Kongoh. Without the cheering of the seconds, and the applause of the fuckers, I couldn't have fought for 60 minutes. I wasn't sure how many times I knocked Shiozaki out with a high kick, but he always stood up. I think that was due to the applause of those assholes; if this was empty arena, I don't think we could have done 60 minutes. 

Q: The applause of the audience can be a big help, even if cheering is restricted. 

KENOH: Everyone in the Yokohama Buntai that day was fighting the evil of Corona, including the assholes. Outside the temperature was 35°C, and since it is an old venue, the air conditioning doesn't work so well and it's ventilated. The heats of the lights are on the ring. 

Q: As well as four seats on the second floor, it seems that the heaviest lights were also hanging from the ceiling due to Yokohama Bunkai's dilapidation. 

KENOH: The heat was accumulated because my match was the main event. The assholes had to watch wearing a mandatory mask, and I thought it was hot when I entered. 

Q: Keiji Mutoh, who participated in the semi, said he was very hot during his match.  

KENOH: That was the semi, it was hotter during the main. It was also 60 minutes. 

Q: Did you get dehydrated? 

KENOH: It was okay, the Kongoh seconds gave me water to drink halfway. 

Q: It was a really rewarding match 

KENOH: It goes without mentioning that I am disappointed at the outcome. I don't want you to misunderstand that, but I think this is the beginning of a new fight for Noah. Twenty years have passed since the founding of the company, and this event took place in its 21st year. Pro wrestling is diversifying, there are various styles, and the times are obliged to change greatly due to the damage caused by the disaster of Corona. I wonder if those assholes have forgotten what they want from pro wrestling. But I will tell you this clearly, the 60 minute match is a challenge from us, Noah, to the world of Pro Wrestling. From now on Noah will continue to show you real fights. 

Translated from Weekly Pro

Picture credit: Weekly Pro