(NOAH) Vader & Morishima, finishing move explosion! The determination of the young Okada, who swore revenge! Looking back on the year of the rock-solid GHC Heavyweight champion, Go Shiozaki.

30th November 2020

Boku Pro

In 2018, Keiji Mutoh consulted with a Dr S, who is a well known doctor in the area of knee surgery. The doctor, who had also treated Yokozuna Hakuho, responded as follows "But Mr. Mutoh, you are already 55 years old?" It was felt that making a movable knee that year was nonsense. However, Dr S did not know wrestling at all. It is said that the doctor thought Mutoh was someone who he only recognised as "someone imitated by Satoshi Okumura*". Mutoh replied clearly as if he had been anticipating this answer that, "No, age does not matter to pro wrestlers! Even when they reach 70, there are still active wrestlers!"

Mutoh returned to the ring after knee surgery, and hinted at GHC Heavyweight Championship challenge on 22nd November when at the Yokohama Budokan he defeated Shuhei Taniguchi, showing his good condition. 

Of course, should Mutoh win the GHC Heavyweight following the IWGP and the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, he will have held three major titles. However, for pro wrestling fans of the Three Musketeer Generation, there is no impression that the title challenge by Mutoh is "melancholic" and is not as exciting as expected. 

I think that this part of the GHC Heavyweight front, will be at its zenith, rich in content and at high level.

The standard bearer, of course, is the current champion, Go Shiozaki. After challenging for and taking the championship on January 4th of this year, he has succeeded in defending five times, his latest being the Yokohama event (vs Katsuhiko Nakajima). It has been four years since I have written about Shiozaki, who at that time had just rejoined Noah. 

Shiozaki has the ultimate phrase, "I am NOAH!", which gives off the impression that he has completely become Noah's face. If anything, due to the high content of matches, the image of being one of the people who controls the wrestling world has risen again. I think this is exciting and gratifying for the industry as a whole, as Puroresu has a long standing powerful system of New Japan. 

In this column, I would like to reflect on Go Shiozaki's struggle over the past year, and his struggle before that. 

DEEPLY ATTACHED TO MISAWA

Go Shiozaki was originally inspired by the legendary match, Misawa vs Kobashi (March 1st 2003, Nippon Budokan) at Noah. The match was an indescribable fight to the death, such as the explosive Tiger Suplex from the ramp to the outside. 

While he was impressed by watching the match on TV, it was an advert broadcasting a request for, "New Noah trainees", which changed his destiny. Shiozaki joined the dojo, and made his debut in July 2004 as a heavyweight wrestler. 

As a candidate for the next Ace, in May 2009 he teamed with Mitsuharu Misawa in the very first GHC Heavyweight Tag League, and they won the championship. In the ring, Misawa said jovially, "I didn't do anything today. Shio has a momentum of about two versus when one when it comes to opponents, so paying for tonight's drinks is my obligation. Well, that's always the case (laughs)". The following month, Shiozaki bought extra momentum by challenging for the GHC Tag Team Championship (June 13th, vs Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith).

Then, just before the gong at the start of the match, Misawa said to him "I'm okay", but it seems that he meant "You don't have to go out". In other words, Misawa seemed to be joking saying, "I will leave this to you", so Shiozaki laughed and said, "No, no, that's not true."

Was that a suggestion of something, alluding to his poor physical condition? 

In that match, Misawa lost consciousness after taking a backdrop from Akitoshi Saito, and died in the ring. When the body was returned to Tokyo Satoru Asako**, Naomichi Marufuji, Kotaro Suzuki and Ippei Ota accompanied it, but Shiozaki automatically took responsibility for the casket, stubbornly holding on with the voices around him saying "You should go too".

At the end of 2012, he left Noah. Then in November 2015 he reappeared in Noah's ring, technically it was a return although there were conflicts regarding his decision. At that time it is said that he saw the DVD of "Superhuman-Machine Metalder" at his home. Misawa, who was also a fan of the same type of live-action film genre special affects, had given Shiozaki the DVD as a present for his 25th birthday, and Shiozaki had cherished it as a keepsake. Shiozaki recalls, At that time I remember Misawa saying, no matter what there is a "What if, in life". I try to live that way" (Shiozaki). 

Shiozaki rejoined Noah on June 13th 2016, that day was also the anniversary of Misawa's death. Not surprisingly, the reaction from Noah's fans was harsh at first, but their evaluation of him gradually improved with his intense fight. The setting of this at the time was the intervention of the Suzuki Army, and then subsequent breakthrough of the new forces of Kenoh and Kiyomiya, but they did not know Noah's fight in the 2000s. It can be said that the scale in which you compete with your whole body and your whole power, Shiozaki, Marufuji and Sugiura are undoubtedly the remaining genes of Noah. 

As mentioned earlier, on January 4th of this year, Shiozako challenged for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, and even before the start of the match Korakuen was enveloped in a big "Shiozaki" call, which continued even during the match. On that day, Shiozaki debuted a new costume. For the first time he dressed in long tights based on Misawa's green. Fans noticed the change, and welcomed it. From there on, Shiozaki's march as singles champion began. 

EACH DEFENSE SHOWED A VARIOUS EXPRESSION

First of all, in the match with Kiyomiya when he took the belt, as mentioned above Kiyomiya, who did not experience Noah in the 2000s, was struck with a series of hammer punch attacks that Vader and Morishima had been good at. The rolling elbow reminiscent of Misawa, and the Dynamic Bomb reminiscent of Taue were also launched, and the cheers of the fans of years gone by were summoned. 

The first defense match was against Kazuyuki Fujita, which was an empty arena match at Korakuen Hall. The match is famous for the 31 minute stare down at the start, but it was Fujita who shone brightly that day. Turning the tables in an unexpected twist, when he had Shiozaki on the ground he provoked him by saying, "Did you do this kind of practice? Fucking kid" and  "Don't run away" in succession. Since there had been no audience, his voice could be heard well. Other than that, there was a fight in the elevator hall, and he tried to drop Shiozaki from the balcony. Fujita kept an eye on the inside and the outside of the ring at will, even going to far as put alcohol in his mouth and pretending to spit it on Shiozaki once, but actually doing it the second time. 

Shiozaki was informed of Fujita's unexpected wrestling, but Fujita's own pre-match criticism of Shiozaki was "a child who hits a chest". 

The power of this chop, is what made both Chris Hero and Hideki Suzuki summarise as, "the most painful thing I have ever had". Fujita, however, was also wary of this and when Shiozaki went to chop, there was a scene of his holding his arm to prevent continuous firing. However, at the end of the match, Fujita's elbow met Shiozaki's chops. There was also a feeling that Shiozaki was dragging Fujita into Noah's fight at the very end of the match. Afterwards, Shiozaki shouted, "I am NOAH!" over the screen.

In the next defense, Shiozaki exploded the Emerald Flowsion on Akitoshi Saito, who had been in the opposite corner when Misawa passed away. Akitoshi wore a wristband with the words "Misawa Memorial" on his left wrist, screaming "Bison" as he did backdrops and the Iron claw slam. Bison Smith, who specialised in this technique, had died suddenly in 2011. After the match, Shiozaki said with a peaceful expression, "Noah has a soulful fight".

The following defense, was a fierce fight against Naomichi Marufuji, who said "I am the real Noah". As the direct disciple of Misawa, he bought down the formidable enemy who had been aiming for attempts at lock holds and the Tiger Driver. Only five days later he had his fourth defence battle, where he drew with Kenoh after 60 minutes. The brainbuster that Kenoh had set up from the ramp to the outside, was reminiscent of the Misawa vs Kobashi Tiger Suplex. It is considered a best bout candidate of the year, and there are many voices among fans who recommend Shiozaki as the MVP of the Pro Wrestling Awards. 

THE OKADA MATCH THAT TOOK PLACE 11 YEARS AGO 

In September 2007, I heard a story in the media, "It seems that Noah wants Misawa to win this years Pro Wrestling Awards". 

Of course in reality it is decided by voting, but for the promotion it means that it will raise the play with exposure. In fact, in this same year, Misawa, who had continuously defended the GHC Heavyweight, won the MVP award. Thus was Misawa's first award in this category. In 1992, when he was the most promising candidate, it was Nobuhiko Takada who won the MVP, and he was awarded "Special Grand Prize" due to his great efforts. Misawa commented, "Special Grand Prize? I'm not sure about that, but thank you." In reality, the MVP is quite difficult to obtain, Fujinami and Choshu who are big names in the history of pro wrestling, do not have it. In recent years the MVP has been taken by Okada, Naito and other New Japan wrestlers. Should Shiozaki win it at the start, a new wedge will be driven into the industry. 

Shiozaki's next defense will be against Takashi Sugiura (December 6th), he is a hard opponent to overcome, I would like to see whether or not he will win the laurels for being able to survive this. 

Finally, there is Kazuchika Okada, who had a singles match with Shiozaki when younger, when Shiozaki came from Noah to New Japan. Although he was defeated he said, "I may only be one year into my career with New Japan, but it doesn't change that much (with Shiozaki), if I include my career in Mexico"..."When I become the IWGP champion, I think we should do it again. When I become the champion, I will fight against Shiozaki and pay him back" (June 10th, 2009).

Will this be an MVP showdown? I want to have a faint hope that this dynamic will tie into each others future. 

Translated from Boku Pro 

Picture credit: Boku Pro

*Japanese comedian who specializes in impersonations of sportspeople. 

** Retired wrestler from New Japan and AJPW, was Noah's medical trainer until 2017 .