(NOAH) Wearing "Mitsuharu Misawa's color", Noah's Go Shiozaki from a "frustrating existence" to his 6th GHC Heavyweight defense as a symbol of "prestigious reconstruction"
13th December 2020
On January 4th 2020, Pro Wrestling Noah's Go Shiozaki seized the GHC Heavyweight Championship on January 4th, and successfully defended it six times over the course of the year. Through the seven title matches in the year (note, the author of the article has included the match where he won it from Kiyomiya), Shiozaki continued to embody the desire of Noah's audience, that is someone who stands and carries on his back Noah's history and the "ism".
Shiozaki used to be a frustration for fans. Although it was selfish on the part of the viewer to say, "he doesn't live up to expectations", there was a part that made you feel that way.
He had been Mitsuharu Misawa's "last tag partner". They were teaming on the day Misawa died, it was June 13th 2009. The next day Shiozaki won the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Shiozaki then was up and coming, and many people thought, "this is the man who will be the only one who will be able to carry the future of Noah without Misawa." Although Shiozaki continued to play an active role as the top wrestler after that, the popularity of Noah, who had lost their main pillar, spiralled into a downward trend. There was also the "incident" in which some of the main wrestlers left the promotion and went to All Japan. Shiozaki was among them.
Shiozaki returned to Noah in 2016, was crowned GHC Heavyweight Champion, and rejoined the promotion, but the image of "leaving and coming back" still follows. The management of the promotion was not stable either.
"Noah is you", Hideki Suzuki's words resonated with fans.
The tide began to turn in 2019 when advertising agency, LIDET ENTERTAINMENT, became the parent company, and the promotion was strengthened at once. The following year (that is this year, 2020), Noah came under the umbrella of CyberAgent, and as a result thanks to being broadcast on ABEMA, the viewing environment has improved dramatically.
Shiozaki's career has also improved. Last year, when he wore the tag belts with Katsuhiko Nakajima in "AXIZ", his presence as a "Noah wrestler", increased dramatically. His singles match, a thirty minute full time draw with Hideki Suzuki, who is an "outside enemy", also had an impact. Suzuki is the trainee of Bill Robinson, and although Shiozaki was attacked with mat wrestling, I was impressed by the way they faced each other head on with the "pro wrestling technique" of chops and lariats. Suzuki told Shiozaki, "Noah is you". It is Noah's wrestling that shows strength in the match, and it is Go Shiozaki who embodies it. It may have been a statement from an "enemy", but it resonated with Noah fans.
The green costume of Shiozaki declares, "legitimate successor".
On January 4th 2020, Go Shiozaki became the GHC Heavyweight Champion, beating Kaito Kiyomiya, the flag bearer of the new generation, who had defended the belt continuously for a long time. The audience was excited to see Shiozaki's new costume, as it was green. Green is the color of Misawa and Noah. Kiyomiya was already using a green based costume, but Shiozaki was willing to "wear" the costume itself, which was like a declaration of being the "legitimate successor".
The finish that defeated Kiyomiya was the Moonsault Press. This is a speciality of his youth, and it was also the special move of Kenta Kobashi, who he once served as a second of. Clear here too was the decisive line as champion with the ultimate manifestation of intent, "I am Noah".
"I am Noah", everyone had been waiting for Shiozaki to say so. It was also great that he had taken the belt from a champion younger than himself, and it was the pinnacle of Noah who had "taken" rather than "given". Perhaps also it was because Kiyomiya had been established as champion, there was no image that the era would reverse.
"Misawa's last opponent", Saito was a rite of passage.
In the first year of the CyberAgent system, Noah continued to move aggressively forward, even in the midst of the Coronavirus. Shiozaki led as champion.
Shiozaki's first defense took place on March 29th, in an empty arena match at Korakuen Hall. His opponent was Kazuyuki Fujita, who be said to be an "unknown element", who he had a stare down with for more than half an hour. Shiozaki took the three count with the classic Gowan lariat in 57 minutes and 47 seconds. Was this unique or simply "atypical"? The unprecedented stare down was a hot topic.
Shiozaki's second defense was against Akitoshi Saito at an ABEMA empty arena event. Needless to say, Saito was "Misawa's last opponent". June 14th was also the anniversary of Shiozaki winning the belt for the first time. The match was also a rite of passage for "I am NOAH".
Amazing endurance to have fierce matches in a row.
In the second half of the year, his defenses accelerated even further. On August 5th, he defeated Naomichi Marufuji at Korakuen Hall in his third defense, and only five days later, he did a belt vs belt title match with the GHC National Champion, Kenoh, which was a fierce battle which ended in a sixty minute time limit draw. With only a four day break, he had fought for more than 90 minutes in total.
At the Yokohama Budokan event on November 22nd, he won with a powerful lariat in 42 minutes and 35 seconds, against his former partner, Nakajima. His sixth defense was against Takashi Sugiura (National Yoyogi Stadium Gymnasium No2), which took 51 minutes and 44 seconds. It's not a great match when the time is too long, but don't overlook the fact that the match took place on December 6th, just two weeks after the match against Nakajima. In a total of seven title matches, there have only been two that have been less than 30 minutes.
Given the intensity of the matches, he is incredibly tough in the sense that he was able to pull it off continuously.
In each match, the focus of Shiozaki's attacks are chops and lariats. "If you don't fall, drive it in until it does", Shiozaki will break through with powerful blow and keep hitting until the opponent collapses. The whip like sound that Shiozaki's chop and the roar of the audience when they hear it, can said to be Noah's speciality.
"I can hear the cheering"
In the match against Sugiura, Shiozaki jumped over the rope in a top rope suicide dive. There has been no such thing as a heavyweight who does this at a time when physical strength is extremely depleted. The drop kick did not happen until the end, and there was also a scene where Sugiura was kicked down from the corner. In the 16th year of his career, Shiozaki reminded us of his "bottomless" potential.
Shiozaki's right arm, that delivers the chops and the lariats, naturally has received a concentrated attack from his opponent. The arm, stabilized by taping, is painful to see. However, when asked about it's condition before the match against Sugiura, Shiozaki said that he was in great shape. No matter how hard things get, he says he is in great shape as long as he is the GHC Heavyweight Champion.
After the match against Nakajima, he thanked the fans in the ring with, "thank you for your support". Although currently, cheering from the audience is forbidden, he thanked them. Backstage in the interview area he said, "there was cheering. I heard it".
From the start of the empty arena events, Shiozaki began to use the phrase, "WE are NOAH" along with, "I am NOAH". Even during the "stay at home" era, this was a message that we are all one, even if we cannot cheer at the venue. Shiozaki has become a reliable champion in every respect.
Throughout the year, isn't it unusual for one wrestler to shine so much? For Go Shiozaki in 2020, it was exactly what he should be, and he was the symbol of the "prestigious reconstruction". It's not just about being the annual MVP, 2020 has been one of the most important years in Shiozaki's career.
"I'm old, but I can still dream"; Keiji Mutoh challenges.
At the event on the 6th December in Yoyogi, it was announced that Noah would hold a big event next year. It would be the Nippon Budokan event on February 12th. This will be the first time they have returned in 11 years to the "sacred place", where Misawa and Kobashi fought many great matches. There, Shiozaki will be challenged by Keiji Mutoh, a veteran who has been participating regularly in Noah this year.
"I'm old, but I can still dream", Mutoh, who made his challenge with these words, will be soon be 58 years old. This will be the last big challenge of the legendary wrestler. Some fans may have wanted to see a "pure blooded confrontation" between Noah wrestlers at the Budokan event after Noah's long absence there, but I think this matchmaking is also Noah like. Misawa had launched Noah to try new things that he hadn't been able to do up until then, interacting with other promotions, such as New Japan, and when wrestlers wanted to branch into mixed martial arts, he did not stop them. "Go Shiozaki vs Keiji Mutoh" has such an origin, and in response to the challenge, Shiozaki said "No matter how old he is, Keiji Mutoh is Keiji Mutoh. "I am Noah". As GHC Heavyweight Champion, Go Shiozaki will defend."
Noah has a champion who shows pro wrestling that is worthy of wrestling, which is why the significance of Shiozaki is great. This is definitely a promotion to watch, and a champion to keep an eye on.
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