(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: All Dogs Gather 3! The Sugiura Army produce (27th December 2021, Korakuen Hall)

Because Takashi Sugiura debuted on 23rd December, the traditional Sugiura Army produce at the end of the year has become like both his anniversary and Noah's wrapping up the last twelve months. You might think by reading that (and GLEAT'S flowers in the lobby) that today was just a produce/anniversary show. 

You would be very wrong.

411 people attended the show today in a cold Tokyo at Korakuen Hall. But I don't think that by the time the show finished, anyone even remembered the conditions outside. Today's show was going to be hot enough. 

The event was broadcast through ABEMA. You can only watch replays if you are a subscriber, which due to VPN issues, I do not suggest you do unless you are resident in Japan. The event will be placed on WrestleUniverse eventually. 

MATCH ONE

Perros Del Mal De Japon (YO-HEY & Ikuto Hidaka) vs Kai Fujimura and Yasutaka Yano

Poor young Yasutaka Yano is not used to YO-HEY'S inventive lock ups, so he kept backing off as he wasn't really sure what he should do. YO-HEY kept smiling and winding him up, until Yano bulldogged him into the ropes and he looked slightly angry. On the whole this was not the playful YO-HEY who had once had a big grin on his face when fighting them. This was a darker and angrier version. The young boys were not push overs however, they had their moment in the sun. Twenty-four year veteran, Ikuto Hidaka I don't think could believe these boys who were not even born when he debuted, were putting him in jeopardy of losing and actually making him sweat, but at the end of the day he is the veteran and soft flesh like Fujimura's had no choice but to tap.

WINNER: Ikuto Hidaka with the Sean Capture on Kai Fujimura (11 minutes, 20 seconds)

There was a big round of applause for the young boys. 

MATCH TWO

King Tani vs "Under Negotiation"

Everyone looked to the entrance after King Tani had come dancing out, half expecting to hear the drum beat followed by "The Champ is here". But what they got was a man dressed in a suit holding a briefcase. Tani was as confused as everyone else, but he didn't have time to wonder for too long as he was attacked by Kendo Kashin in a Maybach Taniguchi mask and wielding Maybach's old weapon, the Sasumata (an Edo period prong used for catching criminals by Samurai). Tani (after being choked by a red belt which was provided by Kashin's old friends at ringside Shinya Aoki and Yumiko Hotta, both who recently appeared in DDT and like Kashin have ties to MMA), ripped the mask off of Kashin and put it on himself. Kashin got a taste of Edo era justice as Maybach Taniguchi was back for a few minutes. 

The ref tried to fight Taniguchi for the Sasumata, but like old times he was shoved to the floor. Much to his seniors dismay, Taniguchi did not stay in the mask for the whole match and his usual luck as King Tani returned when he went to dive on Kashin, ended up with a face full of powder and was caught in a pin. 

WINNER: Kendo Kashin (6 minutes, 21 seconds)

As King Tani found out, like Kenoh before him, never ever trust Takashi Sugiura when he makes out that he has a special opponent for you. 

MATCH THREE

Naomichi Marufuji, Hajime Ohara & Masao Inoue vs Kazushi Sakuraba, NOSAWA Rongai & Daisuke Nakamura

The referee was sweeping the powder out of the ring as the two teams came out. This is the first time in a while that NOSAWA Rongai has teamed with The Sugiura Army. Naomichi Marufuji, always interested in someone new in the ring, immediately squared up to Daisuke Nakamura. Nakamura was going to get the traditional Marufuji seal of approval. While Marufuji squared up to Nakamura, Kazushi Sakuraba squared up to Masao Inoue. 

Because Nakamura is Marufuji's new toy, they started the match with swift take down attempts full of reversals which Nakamura won. When Nakamura went to kicking Marufuji, this did very little damage. Not because there is anything wrong with Nakamura, but Marufuji has spent his career being kicked; KENTA, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh...

NOSAWA (whose debut anniversary it was today) offered Hajime Ohara a handshake. Ohara is a very polite person, and so he accepted it. Things didn't turn out quite the way NOSAWA had hoped, as Ohara, who is generally faster than him, saw what he was up to and caught him off guard. 

Masao Inoue seeing that NOSAWA Rongai was softened up by someone much younger and in better shape than himself, tagged in at once. He hadn't reckoned that NOSAWA was going to tag in Sakuraba, who sauntered over to him. Inoue complained about his kicks, and then went to try and stamp on his toes. Inoue wears boots, Sakuraba doesn't. Inoue had thrown down the gauntlet, and his gouty feet were going to to suffer. NOSAWA later made another appearance when Marufuji chopped him all over the ring. NOSAWA begged for help that didn't come. Not because Sakuraba and Nakamura couldn't help. It's more because they didn't want to. It was a fun match with lots of laughter, with some crazy things happening such as this. Now, I don't know how to describe this, so I'm just going to let the GIF play out.

Sakuraba (who it should be noted once bought a futon dryer to warm his bed) also played the old man with Inoue, and then proceeded to choke him out. Inoue lasted a few seconds before tapping out and being thrown to the floor.

WINNER: Kazushi Sakuraba with the Front Neck Lock (13 minutes, 32 seconds)

As a kind man who cares for the elderly, Ohara took care of Inoue, while Marufuji and Nakamura where having a chop fight outside the ring. NOSAWA pointed to Nakamura's raw red chest when he got back in.

MATCH FOUR

Kongoh (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Manabu Soya, Haoh & Nioh) vs Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Daiki Inaba & Momo No Seishun (Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge)

Kongoh came filing out, with Tadasuke accompanying them. After the pose, Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya squared up immediately. Go Shiozaki attempted to get Kiyomiya not to start first, but as Kiyomiya is an equally stubborn Noah Born, he was not successful. Kiyomiya flew across the ring at Kenoh with a flying punch making Kenoh fall back into the corner. He tagged in Nakajima, and grumpily, Kiyomiya tagged in Shiozaki. Nakajima and Shiozaki pretty much kept a low profile throughout the early stages and the middle of the match, leaving it to Kenoh and Kiyomiya (and the standard Noah Junior chaos), with Kiyomiya catching Kenoh off his guard and taking a kick to the head for his troubles. 

It's rare to see Nakajima gnash and bare his teeth, normally he either smirks or he gets that expression where his eyes go hollow, and his fight today against Shiozaki was more brutal than usual with vicious angry hate filled kicks. Even Shiozaki's rolling elbow was met with a kick to the face. In the closing stages of the match, with people fighting everywhere around the ring, and Kenoh wrapping Kiyomiya around the ring-post, Shiozaki and Nakajima closed out their last pre match before the Nippon Budokan on the 1st January. After a soccer ball kick to the head, Nakajima with an eerie grin dragged Shiozaki slowly to his feet, savoring the moment. He rose him up into the Vertical Spike and slammed him down after a long hang time. To rub it in, his took his time pinning him. 

WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike on Go Shiozaki (17 minutes, 44 seconds)

With chaos outside the ring, Kenoh and Kiyomiya fighting (Kenoh had once again held Kiyomiya's head up to the cameras) and the others attempting to break up the fight, with Kiyomiya being dragged away by his teammates. Katsuhiko Nakajima posed with one foot on Shiozaki's chest. He held the belt up as he spoke on the microphone and said;

"Hey, Shiozaki! The Budokan is next. Listen carefully. If you lose, NEVER say "I am Noah" again. I AM NOAH!"

When Shiozaki rolled out of the ring, the referee was doing a concussion test on him (he's fine by the way), and Yoshiki Inamura tucked an ice pack under his neck. Atsushi Kotoge, still devoted to Shiozaki, remained with Harada and they formed part of the team to try to haul him to his feet. Shiozaki would not accept their help in walking backstage. This was his only victory over Nakajima that evening. 

MATCH FIVE

Kazuyuki Fujita vs Masato Tanaka

Masato Tanaka is like a smaller but just as tough version of Kazuyuki Fujiya, and Fujita knew this. No one in Noah has ever dominated Fujita like Tanaka did. Tanaka almost made Fujita quit, but he got to the ropes. Fujita's revenge was brutal when it came, but Tanaka was in control for much of the first half of the match. Stone wearing down stone, they fought to exhaustion, both busted open by the time the bell rang for a draw. 

WINNER: Neither, time out draw (30 minutes)

Kazuyuki Fujita thought he had won, as did Tanaka and they got into a slight scuffle over it. Afterwards, Tanaka offered a handshake which Fujita refused to take, indicating that they would finish this another time. 

MATCH SIX

Takashi Sugiura vs Masakatsu Funaki

This match was not really very notable for anything that happened in it. It was usual wrestling/MMA match, with grappling in the early stages and then progressing to wrestling. The ref even once pulling Sugiura off Funaki when he was punching him in the corner. I think he might even have gotten a poke to the eye a second time. 

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the Olympic Qualifying slam (9 minutes, 51 seconds)

"The champ is here

The champ is here

The champ is here

The champ is here"

KENTA came home to Noah on the 27th December 2021 at Korakuen Hall. He wasn't under the umbrella of WWE with his name and appearance controlled by them, he was himself and he was his usual mixture of grumpy and cheeky. Sugi of course called him "Kobayashi-san" (given half the chance he probably would have called him "Kenchan"), and gave him a Sugiura Army t-shirt. These new t-shirts have all the members of The Sugiura Army on them, including KENTA. KENTA was not very complimentary about the t-shirt or the design, but Sugi was not going to take any argument about his not joining The Sugiura Army. KENTA said fine. He would join. But it would only be for the 1st and the 8th January. No doubt Sugiura thinks he would be a lifetime member. After their conversation in the ring, they went backstage, Sugi holding the ropes open for KENTA, who after all is his senior. Sakuraba burst in looking excited as he thought that KENTA had properly officially joined, and Sugi got a reluctant KENTA to pose. He was smiling too much to take much notice of KENTA'S glum look, which usually means he's been made to do something he doesn't want.

2021 has ended with KENTA coming home. He will still remain in New Japan as a freelancer, but thanks to the two companies building their bridges, we will probably see more of him in Noah from now on. It might not be that regular, but the way is now clear for him. Noah start their 2022 (and this includes KENTA with them) at the Nippon Budokan on the 1st January. 

With thanks to: Metal-Noah

GIF taken from ABEMA

Picture credit (Nakajima/Shiozaki): Tokyo Sports

Naomichi Marufuji watching KENTA'S return