(NOAH) "The Supernova of Japanese Wrestling" faces the N-1 with a new look. Has he finally escaped from the long tunnel?
Yahoo Japan/Encount
"Noah's pride" Kaito Kiyomiya is steadily progressing on the come back path.
Sixteen wrestlers were divided into four blocks and competed for victory with the best four being decided. It was Kiyomiya who survived A Block, which was said to be the group of death.
Kiyomiya, who defeated Takashi Sugiura and Manabu Soya, faced a "decisive battle" with Keiji Mutoh. Mutoh had suffered two losses in a row so far. The reason why Kiyomiya could not get out of his dark tunnel, was because he could not overcome the high wall of the generational struggle with Mutoh. Although he did not win the third match, he secured first place in the block with a 30 minute time out draw. Not only in the result but also in the content, such as repeatedly hitting Mutoh with a German suplex etc he showed off the savage attack which has been fed by the past two losses. He told Mutoh, "I am getting tough. I was studying."
There is no doubt that Kiyomiya has grown in his third match with Mutoh, he has changed his hairstyle to black, and he is wrestling in a costume that is black with long tights. By throwing off one armor in a good way, I feel like I am closer to a more realistic Kaito Kiyomiya. If you think about it, Kiyomiya won the GHC Heavyweight Championship in late 2018 before Mutoh joined Noah. Just three years after his debut he reigned at the top of Noah at the age of twenty-two. In 2019 he defended the belt six times, which he lost at the beginning of 2020. For Noah, no, Japanese wrestling, he was a big success like a Supernova. After losing the belt, it was Mutoh who dealt a devastating blow to Kiyomiya, who seemed to be in a slump. In February 2021, Mutoh was crowned GHC Heavyweight Champion, and bought the veteran whirlwind to Noah although he was defeated by Naomichi Marufuji in June. On top of all of that, Kendo Kashin has accomplished a veteran's kingdom called "Care Home Noah". In the N-1 this time it is not only Mutoh, but a veteran unit such as Masaaki Mochizuki, Kendo Kashin, Kazushi Sakuraba, Masato Tanaka, Akitoshi Saito, Masakatsu Funaki and Kazuyuki Fujita who are fighting. Ultimately, the best four turned out to be in a showdown of Kenoh vs Kiyomiya, and Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Funaki. With the current generation being only of three people, it is an undeniable fact that they agitated the veterans by backing up words with actions. With three people emerging, the current generation is evenly matched.
"I will be the only one", Kenoh and Nakajima imply self confidence with the one surviving veteran, Funaki, calmly thinking "tested by fighting the wrestler with the most juicy meat right now". On October 3rd they will be aiming to get through to the finals at the Korakuen Hall event.
Kiyomiya declared (with almost divine favour*), "Just two more. Once again (he looked up to the heavens), I will definitely stand here." He bottled up his feelings of annoyance over Mutoh, and vowed that he would win the N-1. Beyond that is the recapture of the GHC Heavyweight title.
Kiyomiya now enters in a black t-shirt instead of a beautiful long gown. He has been wearing short pants since his debut, because he was particular about showing his legs. Kiyomiya says that the basics for pro wrestling is that the legs get thinner as soon as they don't do squats, and this will be immediately noticeable to the customer. In choosing long pants for the first time, the occasion to show his legs again may come. Kiyomiya has vowed to train further, saying "At that time, I want to have more attractive legs than now."
The black outfit...the change to the costume, which can be said to be called combat mode is a sign of Kiyomiya's unwavering determination. I felt Kiyomiya again in this new "combat uniform".
The blonde hair...even if he does not have a magnificent costume, he has a "shine". Before the doors to the event opened, he responded to a chat with a stern look. When the match was approaching I met him again, but he was completely in combat mode and as his face was so angry, I couldn't speak. But, the moment he appeared in the aisle, the surroundings became brighter. It was as if a spotlight where shining on him. This is what "aura" means and he has both "shine" and "aura". Glory suits him. The medal for the "N-1 Conquest" has been prepared for Kaito Kiyomiya.
*Original Japanese phrase was "heaven trade", which doesn't have a direct meaning in English.
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