(NOAH) Shiozaki's GHC Championship 3rd defence: challenging the "Unknown Territory" to exceed Misawa & Kobashi
Yahoo.co.jp\East Sports Web
Noah's GHC Heavyweight Champion, Go Shiozaki (38), wants to build an era of an absolute champion as he heads into his 40s.
At the 20th anniversary of Noah's founding (5th August, Korakuen), he rejected the challenge of Naomichi Marufuji (40), a symbol of the promotion, and succeeded in his third defence. In the future he wants to challenge the "unknown territory" that could not be achieved in the active era by Mitsuharu Misawa (died at 46) and Kenta Kobashi (53).
It was an exciting battle, which was worthy of an anniversary performance as from the beginning Marufuji, who aimed to recover the championship, went full power from the start using liberally the Shiranui-Kai and the True Tiger King. However, the champion had an ace up his sleeve, using a reversed Emerald Flowsion and taking the three count at the end by connecting a powerful lariat and Moonsault Press.
A "surprise" was waiting after the match, when Kenoh (35), who had taken the GHC National Championship from Katsuhiko Nakajima (32) the night before, challenged saying "Lets decide who genuinely the best is", and a double title match at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium on the 10th was urgently arranged. Shiozaki burned with a new fighting spirit saying, "I am prepared to wear the red belt, I will take it head on".
Shiozaki cannot stop here, he has a secret goal of "I want to show you something that Misawa and Kobashi could not do in their 40s".
Misawa, who died in 2009, took the GHC title for the last time at the age of 44. He made seven defences, his body in very bad condition. In his 30s, Kenta Kobashi achieved thirteen defences, the highest number of defenses which was the highest number at that time. Kobashi was awarded the title of "Absolute Champion", but he suffered from kidney cancer at the age of 39, and retired at the age of 46. Due to the condition of Shiozaki's back and elbows, his wife has to drive the car. Still, although he says, "I feel like I am cheating, but I hope I can do it to the extent I can. The details are important to remember, but I want to make repeated defenses. A record? Of course. I want to make repeated defenses until my 40s, and make memories and records."
The goal is to set a new record of the fourteen defenses that Takashi Sugiura (40) made in May 2011. It was Shiozaki who stopped his fifteenth defense.
If he walks the defensive road smoothly into his 40s, which Misawa and Kobashi could not do, he could win the title of "Absolute champion". Shiozaki commented, "In order to further advance Noah's fight, I want to have a match that represents the world of professional wrestling. Under such circumstances, I want to show the light as GHC champion."
The 38 year old champion is moving towards the establishment of a long term rule.
Picture credit: Yahoo Japan\Eastern Sports
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