(NOAH) Noah\DDT\CyberFight press conference

New champion Keiji Muto signs two-year NOAH contract; defends against Kiyomiya on 3/14 in Fukuoka  

Pro Wrestling NOAH’s parent company CyberFight, the wrestling arm of CyberAgent which manages both NOAH and DDT Pro Wrestling, held a press conference at Abema Towers on Monday afternoon in Tokyo to make a string of announcements for both promotions. 

CyberFight President Sanshiro Takagi and CyberFight Vice President Naomichi Marufuji were joined by NOAH’s new GHC Heavyweight champion Keiji Muto (34th champion) and DDT’s new DDT KO-D Openweight Champion Jun Akiyama. 

Muto signs Pro Wrestling NOAH contract 

Muto, 58, who defeated Go Shiozaki on Friday at the Nippon Budokan, inked a two-year contract during the press conference to become a member of the NOAH roster with Marufuji overseeing the signature while Akiyama, who captured his title on Sunday against Tetsuya Endo, put pen to paper with DDT for one year and will also serve as their head trainer. 

CyberFight President Takagi said: “NOAH had their Budokan show, and DDT had its Kawasaki show this week. Akiyama and Muto have become champions. At this time, Muto has signed to be a roster member of NOAH, and the same for Akiyama joining DDT as a roster member.”

CyberFight Vice President Marufuji said: “I've been offering a roster contract to Muto for a while. NOAH needs to go global, and Muto will be a great help in that endeavour. Muto feels a strong responsibility as the GHC Champion and has agreed to join NOAH."

The new GHC Heavyweight champion Keiji Muto, who had previously been wrestling in NOAH as a freelancer, said: “The industry is in turmoil with COVID, and I feel fortunate I get to sign with NOAH under these circumstances. I'm not sure whether this will be where my career ends, but I would like to make the absolute best use of me while I'm here.”

Kiyomiya to challenge Muto on 3/14 in Fukuoka

Pro Wrestling NOAH also announced that Keiji Muto will make his first defence of the GHC Heayvweight Championship against Kaito Kiyomiya at Great Voyage 2021 in Fukuoka (Fukuoka International Centre) on 14 March. 

Kiyomiya, 24, appeared in the ring following Friday’s main event and stared at the new champion who responded in kind without a word being said. 

Muto and challenger Kiyomiya, the youngest GHC Heavyweight Champion in history, who is aiming to capture the crown for a second time, posed for pictures together for the media. 

Stay tuned to noah_ghc  on Twitter for full card announcements and broadcast information.

With thanks to Mark Pickering for writing the intro

Press conference translated from Pro Wrestling DX

15th February 2021 

Note: I wouldn't normally cover DDT, but as it's Jun Akiyama and it entwines with Noah, I have left it in. 

KEIJI MUTOH, JUN AKIYAMA, NAOMICHI MARUFUJI & SANSHIRO TAKAGI

(Note, Naomichi Marufuji is the Vice President of Noah, the position Mitsuharu Misawa left to him, and Sanshiro Takagi is the President of both Noah & DDT)

TAKAGI: I am Sanshiro Takagi, CEO of CyberFight. Noah finished their Nippon Budokan event three days ago, and yesterday DDT Pro-Wrestling concluded the Kultz Kawasaki event. As a result, Keiji Mutoh and Jun Akiyama, who are present both became champions respectively, and at this timing, Keiji Mutoh will join Pro Wrestling Noah and Jun Akiyama, will join DDT Pro Wrestling. By joining the CyberFight group, these two, who can be said to be the treasures of the pro wrestling world, will be the driving force in aiming to become number one in pro wrestling. 

MARUFUJI: Thank you very much for your time today. To give you some background, Mutoh has been coming to Noah for a long time. I had an opportunity to talk to Mutoh yesterday as he had won the GHC Heavyweight, and as Noah is aiming for the world from now on with PPV and various mass media advancement, under such circumstances, Mutoh's strength is great and as he has the belt he feels a strong sense of responsibility towards Noah and the GHC. As a result of negotiations with the company, he has been asked to join Noah. 

MUTOH: Pro Wrestling has been very difficult during Corona, and so I am very happy to be able sign a contract with Noah in this way. I don't know about the future, and I don't know if I will crumble in this ring, but since I have signed this contract, I would like this promotion to bleed me dry. That is all.

TAKAGI: Originally, when Jun Akiyama talked about a rental transfer after working as a guest coach from last year, I wanted to see him join DDT someday. I had been talking to All Japan since the end of last year, but from that year to this, it was postponed due to Akiyama's knee surgery. When I made a former offer to Akiyama at the end of January, when I made a formal offer to Akiyama at the end of January, I was asked to wait until the KO-D title at Cultz Kawasaki on February 14th, and so the talk was put on hold. But yesterday after the Kawasaki event, I received a good reply from Akiyama, so we he is officially joining the team today. 

AKIYAMA: As President Takagi said, I had been talking about joining for a while, but for me its only a year, and when it comes to signing I think there is also a risk for the group. In that respect there was a desire to get past that and win, and so when I got a belt yesterday I gave my response. I want to put everything I have into DDT. Thank you. 

Q: Please tell us from when both Mutoh and Akiyama have entered from, and the length of the contract. 

MUTOH: It's a two year contract dated from today. Two years because it will be my 60th birthday. 

AKIYAMA: Mine is from today. It's one year. 

Q: Will it be just solely as a wrestler, or are there other positions added? 

TAKAGI: Basically its just as a wrestler, but DDT there may be cases when he used for things other than that. 

Q: It's been twenty years since you belonged to a promotion as a wrestler, rather than be on the management side.

MUTOH: In a sense, it's easier to perform in the ring because there is no management side, and I think Noah is expecting that direction as well as a wrestler. To tell the truth, everyone is professing to aim to be the top promotion at group level, and if I am going to be the top wrestler, it's up to the promotion to decide how to handle it. 

Q: You belong to a promotion that was created by Misawa, but how do you percieve it? 

MUTOH: It's quite different from Noah when President Misawa built it. I have been involved with Noah since April of last year, and I wondered what it meant to be "unusual" during Corona. It was a product that made me feel the future. If I had a match in a promotion like this because of its wonderful content...I thought I wanted to do it. 

Q: President Takagi has said he is aiming to be number one in the industry, but what are your responses and your aspirations for the future? 

MUTOH: You might already be the number one wrestler in the industry, but its a problem if you don't have the promotion to be number one. 

AKIYAMA: Like President Takagi says, I don't know if there is a number one wrestler as Mutoh said, not to mention the wrestlers in between. As for getting a sense of that scale, it doesn't totally reach, so I will do my best to catch up. I don't think this can be done myself or Mutoh alone, so I think that all the wrestlers must work together to head towards it. 

Q: Thinking about the future defense matches, how would you like to do a double title match together? 

MUTOH: Basically, the parent organisation may be the same, but I have signed a contact with Noah. Beyond that, I haven't thought about it yet. 

AKIYAMA: First of all, I think I have to raise the belt even more in DDT, I don't know if it's going to be easy do to, but I don't think that's the case. First of all, I would like to defend within DDT in order to raise DDT as a whole.

KEIJI MUTOH & KAITO KIYOMIYA

MUTOH: Well, it was a pretty tough match, and practice resumed from yesterday. The part of recovering is quite a hurdle for a 58-year-old champion, isn't it? It's hard. However, the reaction of the people around me was that the match itself was very good. That's why overall I am satisfied with the match. 

Q: You have won the three major titles and achieved a grand slam

MUTOH: Not so much. When it comes to Takayama and Kensuke, I have regrets because I really wanted to achieve it first. All in all, I am glad my dream came true without problems. 

Q: What is your response to the GHC title match on the 14th March at Fukuoka International? 

KIYOMIYA: I am Kaito Kiyomiya, I came to make my challenge. Thank you for joining us today. I was really happy when Noah's Nippon Budokan was arranged, because the thoughts of everyone who supported Noah have always been one. So, when Mutoh took the belt, I thought it would be absolutely no good to have just watched. As a Noah wrestler, having a title match in Fukuoka makes me very happy. I want to defeat Mutoh and illuminate Noah's future. 

MUTOH: It's only been three days since the match finished. In my own diagnosis, I will take one month to heal. So, regarding title matches, well once the match was over I was talking about doing a title match one or twice a year, but I signed with Noah today. Rather, now that the match is made and I have the belt, I want to do a little more defending. I won against Kiyomiya last summer, and I think it is okay to do it no risk again. 

Q: You have been called "No risk?"

KIYOMIYA: I see that as love

Q: Maybe you were caught off guard? 

KIYOMIYA: Yes 

Q: You lost to Mutoh half a year ago, but what is the difference between you and you at that time? 

KIYOMIYA: I don't want to say too much here, but since I fought with Mutoh, I have had matches against various people, and I have things stored up. I want to bring that out in the match. 

Q: Mutoh has become the champion, do you think this is a new view? 

KIYOMIYA: I think that

Q: But isn't that what YOU were looking for? 

KIYOMIYA: That's right

Q: Mutoh, you said before the match there were pros and cons, but what kind of opinions did you hear when you won the GHC? 

MUTOH: Well, like a wrestler, I don't think I could be happier at the comments, or rather, fans around me so much. 

Q: Is it surprising? 

MUTOH: No, because it's around me. It's just me and the people around me, because I haven't seen the opponent, Shiozaki.  

Q: Have you reviewed the match at The Budokan? 

MUTOH: I saw it. What is it? If you want to mention there were flaws or if it was good and there were minor details, it's innumerable, but I think I was doing my best in a limited environment. 

Q: You said that you will celebrate your 60th birthday while on a two-year contract, but how much do you want to defend the belt? 

MUTOH: I really wanted to do a title match earlier, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The Budokan may be a gymnasium with memories, but Hakata's Fukuoka International Center is also a memorable place, and I haven't been there for a long time. In that way I am very happy to be able to have a title match there. 

Q: What is your desire to have title matches at various venues nationwide, where this belt has been defended in great matches? 

MUTOH: I got an e-mail or something asking me to do it in America. What is IMPACT? There were talks about a title match in America. I signed a contract with Noah as of today, and so in any case overseas...not only in the United States. I am very confident about Taiwan, and because I am confident about it, I would wish I could have a title match there. In that sense, with Kiyomiya at the International Center, I would like to do it as low risk so as not to be too damaged. 

Q: Are you talking about Noah's pace of matches, and whether it will be end of tour, or big match only? 

MUTOH: It's limited to big matches

Q: Will all be title matches? 

MUTOH: Basically, even if the belt is lost, it's still in a match, and if it happens, then I will focus on big matches. 

Q: The M'S Alliance have declared a belt monopoly, but what do you want to do with the tag? 

MUTOH: I'm not sure about the tag team belt, but didn't Takayama and Kensuke take only the singles? Is there anyone who has done tags? 

Q: Takayama did it with the same partner

MUTOH: Do I have to do it with the same partner too? 

Q: You won the IWGP Tag Team and World Tag Team Championship with Taiyō Kea? 

MUTOH: All Japan and New Japan. Kea's name is "Mossman". It begins with an M. So by all means Kea. It's hard to call him due to Corona, and so when Corona is gone, I want to call him and aim for a tag with the M'S Alliance.

KENOH

KENOH: First of all, a joint press conference like this? I feel really sorry for all you fucking guys here, it has been badly arranged interviews that have ruined each other. We are pushed for time now, so I will say this briefly, after the finish of the Nippon Budokan event, Pro Wrestling Noah's home is the Nippon Budokan. How many years was the Nippon Budokan held? Hey, there hasn't been such a thing for many years. I think it ended with a really good atmosphere from the first match to the main event, and I think the satisfaction was very high. I don't think that is something you can experience at Korakuen Hall. To me, the home for pro Wrestling Noah is still The Nippon Budokan.

Q: How do you look back on the battle with Funaki? 

KENOH: Masakatsu Funaki was the strongest pro wrestler. But, fighting a strong man is painful, and I was sore and bruised, after the match he was an opponent who made me think it was fun. 

Q: The next challenger is Kashin, what is your impression? 

KENOH: Kazushi Sakuraba, Masakatsu Funaki. Kendo Kashin, is the right opponent after defending for a long time against very tough opponents. That is the impression. 

Q: Does that mean you haven't evaluated his ability? 

KENOH: Now, when you are in The Sugiura and watching how they act, I don't think it's behavior that recognizes your true ability. That's the answer. 

Q: Kashin says he has dreamed of taking the belt? 

KENOH: An answer to that statement would be ridiculous, so no comment.

Q: Mutoh, who won the GHC, has joined Noah. What are your thoughts? 

KENOH: First of all, as someone who has been fighting in Pro Wrestling Noah for a long time, I was disappointed that Shiozaki lost. We drew sixty minutes in Yokohama, and while I was thinking of challenging belt for belt again, it is really disappointing that the championship has been taken by a wrestler who seems to be passed his heyday.

Q: Is that why the feeling of making the belt shine has strengthened? 

KENOH: Of course it is  

Translated from Pro Wrestling DX (Kenoh, CyberFight, Keiji & Mutoh & Kaito Kiyomiya)

Picture credit: Pro Wrestling DX 

Note: Please feel free to use any part of this, all I ask is that you give me credit.