(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: STEP FORWARD 2022 (25th February 2022, Yokohama Radiant Hall)

Tonight was the fallout show from what went down in Nagoya. The GHC Heavyweight Champion was not on the show, Katsuhiko Nakajima is absent due to ear injury sustained in the title match (perforated ear drum) and Akitoshi Saito was also absent. Noah have not given a reason for Saito's absence, but as he has not said to have been ill or injured, so I think it could well be for personal reasons. 

The crowd of 149 people was buzzing, and you could feel the atmosphere through the screen if you were watching at home. There was even a slight cheer when Kaito Kiyomiya's name was announced when Ally ran down the card. 

Today's event was streamed live on WrestleUniverse. You must be a subscriber to view.

MATCH ONE

Junta Miyawaki vs Yasutaka Yano

Yasutaka Yano won the first round of the lock up, bringing Junta Miyawaki down and then like any true student of Yoshinari Ogawa's he worked on Miyawaki's arm. He almost got his second big win (i.e. over someone not NOSAWA Rongai) but Miyawaki managed to kick out at the last moment. In catching Miyawaki like this, Yano showed himself to be becoming very skilled in reversals.

WINNER: Junta Miyawaki with the Falcon Arrow (6 minutes, 44 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Mohammed Yone vs Kinya Okada

Kinya Okada had a fixed scowl on his face, which was in contrast to the funkiness of Mohammed Yone, which is ironic because Disco actually started during the Showa era. The shoulder tackles began almost immediately and Okada knocked Yone down with a scream. He was initially dominant, and the crowd where clapping him when he had Yone in a submission and Yone crawled to the ropes with some difficulty. The tide of the match turned when Yone managed to knock Okada outside the ring. He could have let him get counted out and win that way, but to Yone (and Noah in general) a count out win is not a proper one. Yone threw Okada back in and shortly afterwards used the Kinniku Buster on him.

WINNER: Mohammed Yone with the Kinniku Buster (7 minutes, 31 seconds)

MATCH THREE

Haoh & Kai Fujimura vs Kongoh Juniors (Kenoh & Aleja)

No camera on the ring post today, so Tadasuke spoke to the static cam. 

Kai Fujimura's need for revenge set in motion a series of events. He attacked shortly after the ring bell went, and got beaten down by Tadasuke. Tadasuke fell to a couple of dropkicks to the applause of the crowd. With Tadasuke concentrating on Fujimura, Haoh took on Aleja and did his own (it was a little clumsy, but the second one was better) acrobatic taunt to Aleja. This had the intended effect as it wound up the easily wound up Kongoh.

Fujimura went so far as to knock Tadasuke off the apron. Not willing to take this from a rookie, or really anyone else for that matter, Tadasuke reacted by charging into the ring and throwing Fujimura outside of it and slamming him heavily into the concrete. The punishment continued inside when Aleja tagged him in and Fujimura paid heavily for his presumption. 

WINNER: Tadasuke with the Fuyuki Special on Kai Fujimura (10 minutes, 35 seconds)

(Note: FMW lives on in a small way in Noah. Junta Miyawaki won tonight with Hayabusa's Falcon Arrow, while Tadasuke won with the Fuyuki Special and also uses the Jidanda lariat. Both Hayabusa and Kodo Fuyuki had an association with Noah. Fuyuki was an old friend of Mitsuharu Misawa who arranged for both his retirement match and his pension, and Hayabusa was an old friend of Misawa's too, and also of Naomichi Marufuji and Mohammed Yone). Speaking of Hayabusa, Noah will be in Kumamoto this March, which was his hometown and as Hayabusa passed away in March 2016, Naomichi Marufuji plans to commemorate him by wearing his mask to the ring. 

Tadasuke refused to let go, so Aleja had to pull him off. Tadasuke was not quite finished with Fujimura yet and went to do the Jidanda Lariat. As Tadasuke advanced on Fujimura, Aleja (who had been holding him), shoved Fujimura out of the way and dropkicked Tadasuke.

Tadasuke retaliated by giving him a power bomb and then ripping his mask off. Atsushi Kotoge came to the rescue, and from ringside Tadasuke screamed on the mic

"You too betray me, and go over there! You are expelled from the Noah Juniors! IDIOT!"

Tadasuke threw the mic down and stamped backstage, shoving one of the trainees out of the way for good measure. This bullying of Kai Fujimura and Tadasuke's conduct towards the trainees, was part of the reason why Aleja had chosen to leave, and he spoke on the microphone for the first time ever;

"I'm not going to fight in Noah's ring with that purpose. I want to fight as a member of the Noah Juniors!"

Atsushi Kotoge agreed to his joining and after saying that they would show amazing things, he and Haoh took the new member, Aleja from the ring. Aleja would later change his name back to Alejandro. With Aleja's expulsion, the juniors left in Kongoh are Tadasuke, Nioh and Hajime Ohara. 

MATCH FOUR

STINGER (HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa & Yuya Susumu) vs Perros Del Mal De Japon (Kotaro Suzuki, Ikuto Hidaka & Super Crazy)

The mass brawl that broke out between the two teams at the start, didn't stop Yoshinari Ogawa working his voodoo on Kotaro Suzuki. A few sharp words when everyone was back on the apron, looking at him while beating up Perros and biding his time for Kotaro to come near. He never actually attacked him from the apron though, although he did swipe at him. 

STINGER, a far more cohesive team than Perros, worked using the quick tags which meant that they spent only a few minutes in the ring at a time, never getting too worn out and this tactic worked. 

 

WINNER: HAYATA pinned Ikuto Hidaka (11 minutes, 18 seconds)

The match ended suspiciously quietly. Susumu posted cryptically on his Twitter "I'm waiting pal". 

Who is he waiting for? Perros Del Mal have nothing STINGER want. Did he mean he was waiting for Seiki Yoshioka to return? Or does he mean someone else, who was his former partner? 

MATCH FIVE

Go Shiozaki & King Tany vs Kongoh (Manabu Soya & Nioh)

Mohammed Yone and King Tany have probably done some shopping, to which Tany has come away with a pink bag. The referee when he entered with it looked as if he wanted to say "What is this now?" Tany took his cigar out of it and then (to some chuckles in the crowd) very neatly folded up his yellow boa and put it in the bag, then his cigar and Noah light, and then when told by the ref, his crown and then his golden chains. Go Shiozaki turned away. This usually means he was trying not to laugh. Tany then decided as he was King, Shiozaki should start the match without any consultation and just went to stand on the apron. 

Shiozaki, after a chop war with Manabu Soya which rang out like gunshots, soon grew weary of Tany's antics. Not outright hostile and disapproving like the veterans (his own teacher Kenta Kobashi, is known to be highly displeased with Tany's direction), Shiozaki made it very clear he was more interested in fighting and no, he wasn't going to dance around with him. Tany even did it in his face!

Shiozaki got to the point where he told Tany not to mess around and to fight Soya, who was outside the ring. Tany was still dancing, even when holding on to Soya. Nioh got a huge applause when he kicked out of two Shiozaki lariats, Shiozaki with the "Izuka" cry flattened him. 

WINNER: Go Shiozaki with a lariat on Nioh (10 minutes, 19 seconds)

Shiozaki and Soya squared up briefly after the match. Noah later advertised a singles between them for the 13th March. Tany was determined to get Shiozaki to dance with him, but Shiozaki just walked off. Tany practically chased him backstage! 

MATCH SIX

The Noah Junior Regulars (Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY) vs Perros Del Mal De Japon (NOSAWA Rongai & Eita)

YO-HEY, now much happier being out of Perros Del Mal and teaming with Atsushi Kotoge, came out wearing the tag belt slung over one shoulder like he did once upon a time when in the GinGin Boys. If you don't know what that was, look it up. Eita and Daisuke Harada started the match, NOSAWA Rongai was desperate to tag in and stood on the apron his hand out stretched and staring at Eita. This tactic delayed things a bit as Eita refused the tag. NOSAWA then became threatening and acted as if he was going to get in. He didn't and left them to fight, although Harada kept the eyes in the back of his head on him. As usual, Perros bought out all the old tricks; tagging in and out immediately, Eita throwing YO-HEY down by his hair and then dusting his hands, kicking him in the head, eye raking and then throwing him into the chairs, double teaming him and gouging the headwound. They even removed the turnbuckle padding. Harada was kept outside the ring, so he could not help YO-HEY much of the time. But, it was not YO-HEY who took the pin.

WINNER: Eita with Trauma on Daisuke Harada (12 minutes, 30 seconds)

(Nice touch here in throwing Harada to the floor)

Eita wasn't going to waste water on Harada, he went to pour his bottle but then decided against it. He asked for the mic and made his title challenge

"Hey! Do you remember, Harada? You lost to me the other day, and today you lost again! Next is a bet* on that belt. Harada, the next challenger is me, Eita!"

*Means kind of "bet my abilities"

Perros Del Mal left the junior tag and junior singles champions sprawled in the ring, and spoke some more backstage. Eita said that if Daisuke Harada wants to stand at the top of the Noah Juniors, then he had better get round him first, and he's a pretty big wall. NOSAWA spoke about his singles match with YO-HEY. It was no fun to just have another match that was going to finish like all the others, so how about he mixes it up and makes it a no DQ, or even a handicap match? YO-HEY says he sees no reason to decline. 

MATCH SEVEN

Naomichi Marufuji, Masaaki Mochizuki & Daiki Inaba vs Takashi Sugiura, Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura

Daiki Inaba and Naomichi Marufuji have not had the best relationship recently, and Inaba refused to shake hands with him. Inaba did let him start the match though, which Marufuji did against Takashi Sugiura, doing a rare flip in the process. Every now and again, Marufuji likes to remind himself and everyone else, that he is still capable of doing some moves from his youth. Yoshiki Inamura was someone that Marufuji was not prepared to go against, and was happy to remind everyone of that, when after pulling a sumo stance together by crouching and placing one fist on the floor, Marufuji tagged in Masaaki Mochizuki to deal with him. If Inamura has a weakness, then it's kicks. Particularly to his legs. Matching him to tests of strength is pointless as Mochizuki found out early on, and Marufuji knew. 

Masa Kitamiya is almost invincible; he refused to be knocked down by Marufuji, posing and flexing each time Marufuji tried. As could be expected of someone who grew up with, teamed with and fights against Katsuhiko Nakajima, kicks have very little effect on him. 

WINNER: Daiki Inaba with the Extreme Warp* on Yoshiki Inamura (19 minutes, 59 seconds)

*Submission*

Daiki Inaba celebrated in Naomichi Marufuji's face. Inaba didn't feel he had won for the team, he had won for himself (and Kaito Kiyomiya who he will team with in a small tournament to compete for the GHC Heavyweight tag titles against Marufuji, Sugiura and Kongoh). Marufuji clapped him and then offered a handshake. Inaba gave him a handslap. Marufuji later wrote that wasn't Inaba the man who was at the top of his previous promotion? Well then, he should show him that, and something that made his former colleagues jealous. 

MATCH EIGHT

Kaito Kiyomiya & Atsushi Kotoge vs Kongoh (Kenoh & Hajime Ohara)

Fans had been waiting for the reunion of Kenoh and Hajime Ohara, who had been known as the "Kenohara" during Kenoh's junior days. Hajime Ohara had probably waited for this moment to switch to his red costume, and it made an effect when he and Kenoh shook hands. 

Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya did the usual round of verbal threats and trash talking when Kiyomiya got in the ring. I think Kiyomiya needs a little more practice at it...

Hajime Ohara and Atsushi Kotoge started the match. Ohara's dark red matching his new darker persona. The same Ohara, who had once upon a time decried the foul play that other teams used in their matches was now not above attacking opponents from the ring apron, in a complete break with his former character. 

In a wild match, Kiyomiya and Kenoh had a vicious and bitter fight. The crowd screamed as Kiyomiya kind of hip tossed Kenoh out of the ring. But they were both fine and the fight continued. Neither of them would get the win leaving them at a stalemate for now.

WINNER: Hajime Ohara with the Finnish Forearm on Atsushi Kotoge (20 minutes, 12 seconds)

Kenoh growled on the mic afterwards.

"Kongoh's Hajime Ohara in a red costume is cool, isn't it? Aleja left before the match? "Do not chase those who leave, welcome those who come"

After quoting this proverb and mentioning Katsuhiko Nakajima who was injured and Masakatsu Funaki who is absent today (he is a freelancer), Kenoh said the usual phrase he uses to close out events, "Follow us, Kongoh"

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse

Noah's next event: N Innovation, 5th March 2022, Yokohama Radiant Hall