(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: N-1 VICTORY 2021 NIGHT 5 (26th September 2021, Korakuen Hall)

As autumnal dusk fell outside over Tokyo, there was the old buzz in Korakuen Hall as despite the Coronavirus restrictions, a sold out crowd gathered with a feeling of nervous tension and electricity in the air. The same day tickets were not the only things that went quickly, Kaito Kiyomiya's new t-shirt (which Jurina Matsui of the M's alliance was seen wearing) was on sale, as were some Kendo Kashin autographed bottle openers. 

The event was broadcast live on ABEMA, with the first two matches being streamed on Noah's YouTube. You will be able to view the event when it is put on WrestleUniverse, but you must be a subscriber to view.

MATCH ONE

Block D

Akitoshi Saito vs Masa Kitamiya

With both starting on zero points getting any points wouldn't make a difference to how their finished the N-1, but this match meant the chance to leave with something at least. The opener erupted with knock down shoulder tackles, punches and then back to slamming into each other. Akitoshi Saito repeatedly slamming Masa Kitamiya's wrist/arm into the ring post, wrapping it around the steel barrier and kicking it. I have to wonder if Saito employed anything he used against Masa Saito against Masa Kitamiya in this match, as they did have a history of fighting in New Japan. Whether he did or not is beside the point, it was a good hoss fight to open the show.

WINNER: Masa Kitamiya with the Saito Suplex (7 minutes, 58 seconds)

(Final scores: Masa Kitamiya 2, Akitoshi Saito 0)

MATCH TWO

Block A

Takashi Sugiura vs Manabu Soya

For the best part of a week Takashi Sugiura has been trolling Manabu Soya over the tag team "GET WILD" (which he was in during his All Japan days with Takao Omori), and Manabu Soya in true Kongoh fashion (unless you are Kenoh that is), has been ignoring him. When they finally met in the ring Soya went on the immediate attack, knocking Sugiura outside side and proceeded to rip Sugiura's arms open to power out of moves, and throw him around like few people ever have. Caught in the front neck lock, his strength meant that he simply picked Sugiura up on his shoulders and slam him. However, when Soya went to charge at Sugiura, Sugiura simply leapt up and caught him in the choke.

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the front neck choke (referee stop 10 minutes, 19 seconds)

(Final scores: Takashi Sugiura 3, Manabu Soya 0)

Backstage, Sugiura commented that this was a tough league and if you lose then the future is difficult, but he is a double champion and his goal is to be triple one and so his goal hasn't changed and he will focus on that. 

MATCH THREE

Block B

Daiki Inaba vs Kendo Kashin

Kendo Kashin came to the ring looking innocent and with no ladders, barriers he had dragged with him, chairs that NOSAWA Rongai was trying to remove. This is a bad sign. The more innocent Kashin acts, the worse he is going to be up to. Daiki Inaba took no chances and attacked as soon as the bell went as if Kashin (who refused to let the ref check him), isn't up to something now...what is he going to be up to later? Turns out Kashin was up to his usual tricks and had some kind of weapon (maybe one of his bottle openers), which he pulled out and put against Inaba's head when his back was to the referee. The long suffering referee knew he was up to something, but Kashin kept evading him. Then Kashin took Inaba backstage, the referee stayed in the ring to count, while the referee assigned to watch Kashin followed. True to form, Kashin decided to try and throw Inaba off of the balcony. The before the count could run out both came racing back, Inaba protesting the count as Kashin made it in on one count to spare. 

Inaba after going for submissions changed tactics. Usually Kashin being outside the ring is not a place you would want him to be, but Inaba was undeterred, even putting him in a hold there to hopefully get him counted out. Kashin got back on the apron but refused to budge when Inaba went to knock him down and in true fashion got himself tangled up on the ropes when one of his feet got caught. It took a gang of referees and trainees to dislodge him. 

WINNER: Daiki Inaba via count out (7 minutes and 7 seconds)

(Final scores: Daiki Inaba 2, Kendo Kashin 2)

Inaba left triumphant, Kashin left looking sulky. 

MATCH FOUR

Block C

Masato Tanaka vs Kotaro Suzuki

Kotaro Suzuki may have been overwhelmed at points, but he was in no way helpless. A long career has taught him that against bigger and strong opponents (and this one was like a brick), the best way to win is to catch them off guard and use momentum and that is exactly what he did.

WINNER: Kotaro Suzuki with the backslide pin (5 minutes, 26 seconds)

(Final points: Kotaro Suzuki 2, Masato Tanaka 3)

Masato Tanaka in a display of sportsmanship, shook hands with Kotaro and bowed to him. Backstage, Kotaro said his impact in the league might have been more of a needlepoint than a gaping hole, but he was grateful for the experience and now he would return to the Noah Juniors. NOSAWA says he has been inspired by Kotaro.

MATCH FIVE

Block C

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kazushi Sakuraba

This was a serious, unsmiling and non joking around Katsuhiko Nakajima. I think Kazushi Sakuraba was slightly unnerved by this as before he had said with the constant grin, he didn't know what Nakajima was thinking. Noah fans know that when the smile snaps off, it's he's not playing anymore. Like the wolf he is, Nakajima never once took his gaze off of Sakuraba. He did show a glimmer of the habitual hubris (which has cost him so much in the past) appearing, but for the most part he kept it in check. So, as Jurina Matsui took pictures on her phone from the commentary booth, Sakuraba dodged Nakajima's lock up and complained about the kicks he was given, afterwards he concentrated on taking Nakajima's knees out and ever the master of reversals, even managed to reverse the Vertical Spike, but he fell to it the second. 

WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike (12 minutes, 33 seconds)

(Final points: Katsuhiko Nakajima 4. Kazushi Sakuraba 3)

Sakuraba offered Nakajima a handshake, and got a hand-slap. Nakajima then sauntered backstage, and with the big Cheshire Cat grin said "I will be the only one in the final". From this match onwards, three other men were set to join him. 

MATCH SIX

Block B

Masaaki Mochizuki vs Kenoh

With Kendo Kashin now safely out of the way thanks to Daiki Inaba, Kenoh's path was clear in some respects and all he had to do was defeat Masaaki Mochizuki. He was under no illusions about how hard it was going to be, after all Mochi had eliminated him last year. In true fashion of one whose background is in Nippon Kempo (Kenoh) and one whose background is in Karate (Mochizuki) a kick war dominated the early stages of the match. Mochi took a novel approach in how to wear down Kenoh; rather than attack his legs, he attacked Kenoh's stomach by stomping on it, jabbing it and at one point applying pressure with his hands to wind him, slow him down and wear him down so he would grow fatigued. Unsurprisingly, Kenoh's stomach would hinder him throughout the match but exhausted and worn down by being winded, refused to submit, even when the PFS was met with a punch to the gut. But what goes around comes around, even in a wrestling ring, and Kenoh repaid Mochi in kind. 

WINNER: Kenoh with the Rear Choke Hold (16 minutes, 30 seconds)

(Final points: Kenoh 4, Masaaki Mochizuki 4)

Although they had both tied at 4 points, it was Kenoh who went through to the finals having been the one who won the points in the match. Mochi left telling Kenoh that this wasn't over, and payback was coming. Backstage Kenoh's post match interview was interrupted by the only person who scares Kenoh half to death; Kendo Kashin. Kashin wandered in, offered Kenoh a handshake, and then proceeded to talk to him about the Kongoh/Noah retirement home, and showing him the logo he had designed himself and put on his chest. Kenoh was not impressed by any of this. 

MATCH SEVEN

Block D

Masakatsu Funaki vs Kazuyuki Fujita

Masakatsu Funaki and Kazuyuki Fujita last had a singles match in Real Japan in 2019, which was won by Fujita who won both the match and the title, their history however stretches back to 2017. Funaki knew that today he had to use cunning against the might of Fujita, and so in an MMA style match, which somehow seems to work well in Noah's Kings Road style, dodged the soccer ball kick to the face and struck back with his own which knocked "the mountain" to the floor. 

WINNER: Masakatsu Funaki with a face kick (5 minutes, 5 seconds)

(Final scores: Masakatsu Funaki 6, Kazuyuki Fujita 4)

Three men were now going to the finals - Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh and now Masakatsu Funaki. Who would be the fourth? Kaito Kiyomiya or the wall he could not get around, Keiji Mutoh? 

MATCH EIGHT

Block A

Kaito Kiyomiya vs Keiji Mutoh

Kaito Kiyomiya started out by taking his time. He has been preparing for this match feverishly, the outcome was going to make or break his future. He needed to win, if he didn't then the future for him would be a very dim one. Keiji Mutoh, however, took a very different approach against the opponent he labeled "low risk", going for the Shining Wizard and the Leg Lock very early on in the match, and looking very nonchalant as he locked it in. If anything he had the manner of one tanning on the beach. He even went so far as to hold the ropes open for Kiyomiya to get back in the ring, a sure sign of sarcasm when a senior of his caliber does it to a much younger wrestler. 

Hubris belonged to Mutoh tonight, as much to his horror he found that Kiyomiya was not the idealistic dreamy young boy he fought before, this was a much darker and more jaded version. For Kiyomiya, if Mutoh wasn't pulling the feeble old man routine, was he letting Kiyomiya wear himself down by wearing him out? Kiyomiya knew that whatever he was up to the key with Mutoh is not to wait. Mutoh is capable of dangerous flashes of devastating attacks, short and hard, which can strike at any time so

Kiyomiya worked on wearing Mutoh down with submissions and suplex pins, Mutoh kept kicking out and Kiyomiya's mistake was not choking Mutoh out, and giving him time to re cover by going for the pin, it seems to be an almost vanity thing in Noah that people want to say they have pinned Mutoh, not made him quit or the referee stop the match. Kiyomiya in particular seemed consumed by it and in doing so he broke the cardinal rule - he gave him time. Whenever the tide of the match had turned o him, Mutoh had been working on one of Kiyomiya's knees to soften him up for the submission and ay one point he even told the cameras to get a close up as he went for the sub again, expecting that Kiyomiya would give up. Kiyomiya was using every last ounce of strength to kick out of everything, and not give into anything, what more could Mutoh do? 

Nothing. The time ran out. This meant that the victory was slight, but Kiyomiya had 1 point and that gave him the win.

Winner: Time limit draw, advantage Kaito Kiyomiya

(Final scores: Kaito Kiyomiya 5, Keiji Mutoh 4)

Mutoh did not stay and left as soon as he could. The ring was then entered by the three other men who would fight in the finals with Kaito Kiyomiya; Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masakatsu Funaki. They squared up to their opponents who they would face in the semi finals on the 3rd October; Nakajima vs Funaki, and Kenoh vs Kiyomiya. Nakajima was grinning, and Kenoh naturally was yelling. 

When the three others had gone, Kiyomiya spoke on the microphone. For the first time in months he actually seemed to be happy; he had won his block, he was going to the finals, Mutoh was now not an issue in the N-1, and as he put it "I didn't win, but I didn't lose!" As Noah fans have said about Kiyomiya and Mutoh, "to be continued".... but before all of that, it is the N-1 finals night with a Noah Junior component. 

GIF taken from ABEMA/Noah GHC

Noah's next event: Sunday, October 3rd - Korakuen Hall