(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: NEO BREEZE 2021 (Saturday, April 24th, Yokohama Radiant Hall)

The Tokyo City Council has declared a state of emergency due to the Coronavirus situation that is rising in the metropolitan area, and therefore today's show in Yokohama was the first of the two that will be with an live audience, after that Noah will go back to holding empty arena shows for the time being. Knowing that this could be one of the last times for a long time that Noah hold attended shows, 151 people came to the show, with Noah only stopping selling tickets when all available space ran out. 

Noah had decorated the hall (wallpapered like a frieze) with the immensely popular Showa era style posters adverting the big fight in Nagaoya of Takashi Sugiura & Kazuyuki Fujita. The posters on the t-shirts proved popular, as did the Momo No Seishun ones. 

Today's event was broadcast live on WrestleUniverse, which you can view in perpetuity should you have missed the show live or are a new subscriber to the service. 

MATCH ONE

Hajime Ohara vs Kai Fujimura

Hajime Ohara started the match by doing some kind of strange jig in the ring, which involved arm popping. After this, it was down to business. Kai Fujimura had previously told Daisuke Harada after their match, that he wanted to fight as a Noah Junior (he still has not joined Noah, and fans are saying it is time he did), to which Harada had told him how to fight and what it meant to fight. I guess Hajime Ohara was the personification of that talk and together they created a strong opener. With the experience he has gained from fighting in Noah's ring and the training he has received in the Noah dojo, Fujimura is progressing further, making a valiant effort to get to the ropes when Ohara locked in a submission. However, Ohara is the master technician and the most experienced, and put Fujimura into a submission move in which his foot was almost touching his head. 

WINNER: Hajime Ohara with the Tres Fleur (7 minutes, 59 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Yoshiki Inamura & Junta Miyawaki vs Kinya Okada & Yasutaka Yano

Battle of the Noah Born. 

Yasutaka Yano started against Junta Miyawaki, and wisely he didn't want any of Yoshiki Inamura, and wisely tagged Kinya Okada in. However, Inamura was not finished with him, and sent Yano flying off of the apron. Yano is the youngest in this match, but you would never have thought that with the beautiful Noah suplexes he was throwing, he was the least experienced. Okada and he worked in tandem with Okada setting up a dropkick from the top turnbuckle. 

Yano could not avoid Noah's tank, Inamura for long, and put up a hell of a fight, kicking out of two big splashes, until Inamura (and this is rare for him) got the win via submission. 

WINNER: Yoshiki Inamura with the Boston Crab (6 minutes, 43 seconds)

MATCH THREE

Takashi Sugiura vs Nioh

Nioh, the junior and a member of perpetually angry Kongoh, faced Takashi Sugiura, a member of the perpetually fun-loving Sugiura Army. Nioh gave it his best shot, and while Sugiura didn't exactly no sell him, he more overpowered him. Nioh was not totally defenseless and this match could not be called a squash, as he did manage to get some choke holds, a Lionsault and submission techniques in.   

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the Boston Crab (6 minutes, 43 seconds)

There was concern for Nioh after the match as he had difficulty walking and had to be helped out by the two trainees at ringside, whose shoulders he lent on, and a referee. However, it may have been either a twisted knee or a working injury, (and in any case his knees are not the best), as Noah advertised he would be appearing on the card on the 29th April in Nagoya.  

MATCH FOUR

THE AGGRESSION (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya) vs Funky Express (Mohammed Yone & Shuhei Taniguchi)

Funky Express are expected to be the next challengers to the GHC Heavyweight Tag Belts, but the problem is that they need to win first in order to challenge for them. THE AGGRESSION went into the match knowing what Funky Express were all about, and this didn't stop Katsuhiko Nakajima from kicking Yone harder than usual when he did the Soccer Ball kicks, or checking out where the camera was so he could do Shutter Chance. Masa Kitamiya, his mind fully on the upcoming GHC Heavyweight Championship with Keiji Mutoh, had no time for Disco Dancing and knocked Yone to the floor a few times.  

WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with The Vertical Spike on Mohammed Yone (7 minutes, 2 seconds)

After the match, with Funky Express lying spreadeagled on the mat, Katsuhiko Nakajima asked for the microphone, and said bitingly; 

"Yellow card? No, you guys have red cards. Look at the state of this. You should retire...no, just give up. I will drive you out of business. This world does not need "funky"

Funky Express made no comment, they did not even rise up from the mat. 

MATCH FIVE

Yoshinari Ogawa vs NOSAWA Rongai

NOSAWA Rongai came out looking his usual nonchalant self. Yoshinari Ogawa came out looking furious, he got into the ring and took his jacket off, and then his t-shirt, and then the belt and making a motion which he seamlessly turned into a motion whereby he turned and hit NOSAWA. NOSAWA, however, turned the tide of this very short match by throwing Ogawa into the ref, using a low blow and then getting the sneak win. 

WINNER: NOSAWA Rongai with the Super High School Class La Mahistral (39 seconds)

As NOSAWA had already left, Ogawa attacked the ref and threw him out of the ring. This was going to boil over into the next match,and then backstage after that. 

MATCH SIX

STINGER (HAYATA & Yuya Susumu) vs Ikuto Hidaka & Kotaro Suzuki

It takes a lot to wind HAYATA up, but NOSAWA will do that to people and as much as a man wearing a mask, a hood and holding a belt over his face can be, his body language told how angry he was. As Ogawa was not in the match, it was  HAYATA'S knee that was targeted by Ikuta Hidaka and Kotaro Suzuki, Yuya Susumu was kept away each time he tried to interfere. 

NOSAWA Rongai appeared at ringside during the match, looking like butter wouldn't melt, and Ogawa soon joined him, still with steam coming out of his ears. Although NOSAWA decided it would be a good idea to bait Ogawa, they ignored each other util NOSAWA decided to get involved in the match, holding the ropes away from HAYATA so he couldn't break the hold that Hidaka had him in. Ogawa didn't get involved, and NOSAWA was caught by the ref. Ogawa came round to chase NOSAWA off, but Hidaka decided to get involved, and the ref had to cool the situation

It was like trying to put out a building fire using a garden hose. 

NOSAWA soon got involved again by trying to get HAYATA counted out by hanging on to him, Ogawa took care of this, and NOSAWA slammed him into the ring post. 

WINNER: STINGER (HAYATA & Yuya Susumu) after NOSAWA intruded into the ring (14 minutes, 32 seconds) 

Then the usual chaos broke out, as Ogawa took out the opposition with the title belt, and then a fight broke out backstage, which started with Ogawa throwing water, and included the second face off between Yuya Susumu and Kotaro Suzuki, before STINGER stamped away. NOSAWA, naturally, looked unconcerned about Ogawa sitting on him and strangling him out of pure rage, saying that he would wear the belt by any means. 

MATCH SEVEN

Naomichi Marufuji & FULL THROTTLE (Seiki Yoshioka & YO-HEY) vs Momo No Seishun (Atsushu Kotoge & Daisuke Harada) & Kaito Kiyomiya

FULL THROTTLE came to the ring in usual exuberant manner, YO-HEY especially as he said he had a plan, but it seemed to be more Daisuke Harada than Atsushi Kotoge that he was interested in, especially as he responded to him with a sarcastic nod when Harada approached him and then later when tagged in, he told Kaito Kiyomiya to get out of the ring as he wanted Harada. Not Kotoge. Harada dealt with the usual exuberant lock up of YO-HEY'S (probably hated by each and every junior), by distracting him by clapping in his face. 

Whether it is a junior facing a heavyweight or a heavyweight facing a junior, the champion is always a target, with Marufuji (again, not YO-HEY), making a beeline for Kotoge. Kotoge had his chest chopped red, which YO-HEY and Seiki Yoshioka joined in with. Marufuji ended the match fighting with Kaito Kiyomiya outside the ring, while YO-HEY had his moment with Kotoge.

WINNER: Atsushi Kotoge with a knee kick on YO-HEY (21 minutes and 20 seconds)

Despite his Harada interactions, YO-HEY left the ring pointing at Atsushi Kotoge, "the pinkish person", who he said had a belt he was interested in. Atsushi Kotoge closed out the event, addressing the crowd saying

"Thank you very much for visiting us today! Noah fights hard at such a time, and I also will fight hard! Please show your fight together! The end will definitely come. Let's do our best!"

Attendance: 151

GIFS taken from WrestleUniverse

With thanks to: Abeshin, Metal Noah

Noah's next event: "Noah The Glory 2021",  Thursday April 29th