(NOAH) CARD: ABEMA presents NOAH "THE NEW YEAR" 2022 (1st January 2022, Nippon Budokan)

Noah's new year kicks off in a big way as they run the Nippon Budokan on New Year's Day. This is going to be a challenge for Noah as no one has before done this, but Naomichi Marufuji is optimistic, saying that it means they have to spend the year working towards the Budokan again. Noah hope to hold this event annually each year, tonight's show inaugurates this. 

Tonight's card is an explosive one, which could potentially change the face of both the heavyweights and the juniors by the time it finishes. I think we are going to see more tonight than just some factions fighting in the early matches, a title match between two units, a title match with a lot of jealousy, bitterness but somehow a lot of love, and an emotionally charged main event with an outcome with far more consequences than just losing or winning a title. 

The event starts at 4pm, and will be broadcast on ABEMA (Japanese commentary only and you cannot watch any replays) and WrestleUniverse. WrestleUniverse has English and Japanese commentary, and you will be able to switch between the two depending on your preference. While ABEMA may be a free worldwide broadcast, you will need to be a member of WrestleUniverse to view. I do not recommend that fans outside of Japan subscribe to ABEMA due to the difficulties of finding a compatible VPN.

MATCH ONE

Junta Miyawaki & Kinya Okada vs Kai Fujimura & Yasutaka Yano

Junta Miyawaki returns from a knee injury sustained in November to open the show with fellow Noah Born Kinya Okada against the rapidly growing Yasutaka Yano and the young boy that Noah have welcomed aboard The Ark, Kai Fujimura. In the past openers in big events like this would be between young boys and old veterans, in Noah these days only one of those groups now remains. 

MATCH TWO

Funky Express (King Tany, Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito) vs Kongoh Juniors (Manabu Soya, Tadasuke & Nioh)

No one at all is looking forward to this more than Tadasuke who loves fighting heavyweights, especially Akitoshi Saito, probably Mohammed Yone and King Tany if that monster rage can be provoked in him. 

Juniors are not meant to do this to heavyweights

Noah's Director, Narihiro Takeda, has joked that he wants to spray Tadasuke with a mist when he goes for his corner camera pose!

MATCH THREE

STINGER (Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu) vs Kongoh Juniors (Haoh & Aleja)

STINGER are going to be having a very interesting evening, and this is just the beginning of it. Seiki Yoshioka hasn't had a good few months, although he has managed to turn this around in the past few weeks. Beaten by sneak pins in previous matches, humiliated by NOSAWA & Eita in particular, Yoshioka got the win over Aleja and has warned Haoh, he is next. 

MATCH FOUR

Ultimo Dragon & The Noah Junior Regulars (Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara) vs Perros Del Mal De Japon (NOSAWA Rongai, Eita, YO-HEY & Kotaro Suzuki)

Ultimo Dragon last came to Noah in 2019, when he was part of a team (again with Hajime Ohara) when he was part of the team that defeated Tokyo Gurentai at the first Sugiura Army produce. NOSAWA Rongai naturally is out for revenge, and it seems to be a plan of Perros to do what they do best; humiliate him by tearing off the mask. Eita says he has done it once, but Hajime Ohara it appears has also done it judging by a picture he posted on his Instagram. 

What makes this match all the more poignant is the fact that YO-HEY and Eita are originally from DragonGate, and Hajime Ohara, who calls Ultimo Dragon, "Teacher" is from Toruymon. It's going to be an interesting mix of older and younger generations, dutiful students and rebels thrown in with the revenge that Daisuke Harada and Atsushi Kotoge want on their opponents. 

MATCH FIVE

The Sugiura Army (Kazuyuki Fujita & Kendo Kashin) vs Masakatsu Funaki & Ikuto Hidaka

Kazuyuki Fujita gets the pleasure of having to control Kendo Kashin as they take on Masakatsu Funaki from M's alliance and the sub branch of the Sugiura Army, Perros Del Mal De Japon's, Ikuto Hidaka. This will be part two of the rivalry between Fujita and Funaki, who last fought at the N-1 VICTORY with Funaki getting the win. 

MATCH SIX

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

HAYATA vs Yoshinari Ogawa

The title matches start with a unit conflict between HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa. Who are also the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag title champions. HAYATA has the overwhelming score in the pre matches, with the last win being a shock one over Yoshinari Ogawa after only a few seconds. Ogawa retaliated by putting HAYATA in a clutch, which was broken up by Seiki Yoshioka, who was shoved away for his troubles. Noah are keeping something very quiet about this match, as neither HAYATA or Ogawa have been in the ring with each other since, not even appearing at The Sugiura Army produce. One thing is for certain, whoever here wins the the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship will make things very difficult for the title match on the 4th January. Can HAYATA overcome his teacher or will Yoshinari Ogawa prove that he truly is the only one left to challenge? 

MATCH SEVEN

GHC Heavyweight Tag Championship Match

M's alliance (Keiji Mutoh & Naomichi Marufuji) vs M's alliance (Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki)

A unit rivalry that is going to most likely be more civilized than the title match before, as the M's alliance go to war over the GHC Heavyweight tag titles. Keiji Mutoh (who refers to himself as "an old man from the Showa Era") has acknowledged that a lot is going to be left to Naomichi Marufuji, and that the biggest enemy here is himself. Their opponents are hungry for victory. Masaaki Mochizuki lost to Keiji Mutoh in the pre matches, and lost the GHC National to Kenoh after his first defense. Prior to this match Masato Tanaka will have fought Takashi Sugiura for the ZERO1 World Heavyweight at Korakuen Hall, so there is a good chance he may come into this match looking to be a double champion. Tanaka has been unsuccessful so far in capturing a Noah belt, so tonight he may walk out a double champion. WrestleUniverse will stream the ZERO1 event, which starts at 11.30 JST. You must be a subscriber to view.

MATCH EIGHT

The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba & KENTA) vs Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura

A break from the championship matches sees KENTA come home to Noah after seven years away (fans do not tend to count Hideo Itami at "Flight"), and much to his dismay he has to team with an overjoyed Takashi Sugiura (who he calls an "old man"), a bumbling Kazushi Sakuraba, who was introduced to him as "being in charge of laughing", given what he called a tacky t-shirt (credit, Metal Noah) and forcibly entered into The Sugiura Army. No wonder KENTA spoke of how he didn't know how he would feel or how he would act on the day. While the opponents are well known to Sugi & Saku (I don't know if KENTA is aware of the matching belts), only Masa Kitamiya was known to KENTA, and that was the Masa Kitamiya of seven or so years ago. Yoshiki Inamura is Noah Born, and I am wondering if we will see a similar situation of when Jun Akiyama told himself and Kaito Kiyomiya that he was entrusting Noah's future to them. 

Then again, this is KENTA. So he might just kick everyone in the head. 

MATCH NINE

GHC National Championship Match

Kenoh vs Kaito Kiyomiya

Aside from HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa, this is going to be one of the most bitter and emotionally charged matches on the card. Kaito Kiyomiya has had a difficult and frustrating 2021 with losses mounting up and his once light and dream filled persona changing to something more dark and jaded. Kenoh has commented that he wants to see this new Kaito Kiyomiya for himself, especially as Kiyomiya has said this is not the Kiyomiya that Kenoh has known before. Their matches have been intense in the past, but this is going to be something different, something darker, something angrier and something even more off the charts. 

MATCH TEN

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Go Shiozaki

What began as a rivalry between two former tag partners, one betrayed by the other, has gone far beyond just a fight over the belt over revenge. When Go Shiozaki returned to Noah and challenged Katsuhiko Nakajima, it was initially over whoever held the belt would be "Noah", and the pre matches were fought along those lines. Then when all of them were done and it was only the title match left, Go Shiozaki dropped a bombshell which took the match to a whole different level; if he won then AXIZ would get back together. Katsuhiko Nakajima, confident that this would never happen because he was going to win agreed to this, saying that if he, Nakajima, won then Shiozaki would never be allowed to use "I am NOAH ever again". With HAYATA vs Ogawa an emotional junior match, Kenoh vs Kiyomiya a bitter and emotionally charged one, plus KENTA'S return, this one will probably push fans over the edge. This match more than any other will change the face of Noah. 

GIF & Picture credit: Noah GHC 

With thanks to: Metal-Noah