(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: GREAT VOYAGE 2022 in YOKOHAMA (Yokohama Budokan, Sunday March 13th)

When fans entered the arena today, YO-HEY was photographed filming something. I am not sure what, as Noah are keeping it under wraps for now. 

Katsuhiko Nakajima was absent today due to his eardrum injury, but Noah later confirmed on social media that they expect him back on the 20th March. Funky Express where also not on the card, not because they are injured or anything, but because the card was so saturated they were placed on commentary. King Tany (minus the crown, which perched awkwardly on his head on top of his headset initially), was dragged to ringside…

The event was broadcast live on WrestleUniverse. English language commentary is available. You must be a subscriber to view. 

MATCH ONE

Junta Miyawaki vs Kinya Okada

The show was opened with Junta Miyawaki, the reversal machine, and Kinya Okada, the roadblock. Miyawaki proved himself a true student of Yoshinari Ogawa's with his submissions and even an attempted pin/submission. 

WINNER: Junta Miyawaki via submission (10 minutes, 24 seconds)

This was a turning point for Junta Miyawaki, who got his first win by submission. 

MATCH TWO

Block A: GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Tournament

M's alliance (Naomichi Marufuji & Masaaki Mochizuki) vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Daiki Inaba

Kaito Kiyomiya walked to the ring, pointing out people in the crowd. It does not matter whether he knows them or not, it makes a good effect. Naomichi Marufuji debuted new ring-wear, with Hayabusa like shoulders on his gown. The change in ring wear was only the beginning of what changes where to come. 

Daiki Inaba squared up to Naomichi Marufuji, who left the ring and left Masaaki Mochizuki to Kaito Kiyomiya. Marufuji was being irritating, because after all, hadn't Kiyomiya said that he wanted Mochi? Inaba was not going to let this go, and baited Marufuji throughout the match. An angry stare when he had Mochi down on the mat in a headlock. When he did get the chance to face Marufuji, he refused to be knocked down by kicks. Marufuji, a veteran, was not going to take this from the next generation of heavyweights, and for good measure knocked Kiyomiya off the apron after knocking Inaba down. Inaba paid for his impudence by having his head repeatedly stamped into the mat. Mochi too did a "hit me" challenge. The seniors underestimated their juniors (here meant as younger wrestlers) and Daiki Inaba reversed the Shiranui for the win.

WINNER: Daiki Inaba via Shiranui Reversal on Naomichi Marufuji (15 minutes, 30 seconds)

Marufuji couldn't believe he had lost, and the poor ref was threatened. The two seniors left in disbelief and backstage Marufuji broke some news that overshadowed their loss of being knocked out of the tournament and advancing to the next round. 

The M's alliance where going on hiatus. 

Marufuji was at pains to explain that they weren't splitting up, but since they were so fractured (Masakatsu Funaki left for Kongoh, Keiji Mutoh on long term injury and possibly facing surgery, Yuko Miyamoto and Jurina Matsui not around and Masato Tanaka doing his own thing),  it made more sense to for now just go their own ways and regroup later. He and Mochi had both known this for a while, and symbolically they both removed their M's wristbands and laid them on the floor. As for Inaba, Marufuji will deal with him in a singles match on the 24th March at Korakuen Hall. 

MATCH THREE

Block B: GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Tournament

Kongoh (Kenoh & Masakatsu Funaki) vs The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki)

Hideki Suzuki returned to Noah today. Kenoh naturally gave him a warm welcome, marching to the ring and then verbally abashing him after posing with Masakatsu Funaki. Kenoh demanded that Suzuki start against him and then broke the hold on the ropes in usual manner. Funaki and Suzuki mat wrestled, with Funaki realizing Suzuki's power as soon as Suzuki stood up with Funaki wrapped around him, as if Funaki weighted nothing. Everyone in this match has some kind of background in MMA or a branch of it, and it showed. Kenoh and Takashi Sugiura, while fighting Suzuki and Funaki respectively in that form, didn't carry it through when it came to them and had a brawl of punches, kicks and throwing each other into the barriers. 

In the closing stages of the match, Suzuki went to choke out Funaki, his hands were like a coil on a tightening rope, Funaki later did the same, but he had more of an impression of iron. Kenoh kept Sugiura away and as soon as Suzuki reversed (and Sugiura too reversed to keep Kenoh away), the tide of the match turned. 

WINNER: Hideki Suzuki with the Double Arm Suplex Hold on Masakatsu Funaki (16 minutes, 24 seconds)

Kenoh, disappointed with the result, stalked off after yelling at his departing opponents. Fans noted he did not wait for Funaki, and did not seem very pleased with him either. 

MATCH FOUR

STINGER (HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa & unofficial member Yasutaka Yano) vs Kongoh Juniors (Tadasuke, Hajime Ohara & Nioh)

Tadasuke entered in usual rockstar fashion, and did his corner camera shot, and was photobombed by both Nioh and Hajime Ohara. Then when STINGER entered, it was the usual junior match opening. A melee brawl in which Tadasuke was beaten down. Funnily, and this probably could only happen to Tadasuke, the dampness of his hair caused the corner camera to fog up and blur. 

The younger ref was in charge of the match today, and he was quite strict with them as the bodies jumped everywhere. He did get a slight shove from Nioh, however when Yasutaka Yano kicked out of a pin. Yasutaka Yano continued his amazing growth by grappling with Tadasuke and semi wiping the grin off his face by dropkicking him down. Tadasuke bounced back, and the poor boy got the triple Kongoh elbow and the stamp. During the melee battle, Yano was seen to fight Tadasuke, and probably would have gotten the pin via suplex had it not been broken. This chance for revenge was delicious to Tadasuke, and with a wild grin, that somehow grew even bigger once Yano had kicked out of yet another move, summoned his spirit guide, Kodo Fuyuki, and got the win. 

WINNER: Tadasuke with the Jidanda Lariat (12 minutes, 58 seconds)

Flush with victory and a cohesive team, Tadasuke wrote on Twitter about how he felt a connection with the others and that this was his ideal Kongoh Juniors. It's probably best he doesn't tempt fate in a volatile division that has gone an event with no major unit changes. 

MATCH FIVE

The Noah Junior Regulars (Atsushi Kotoge, Haoh & Alejandro) & Perros Del Mal De Japon (NOSAWA Rongai, Super Crazy & Ikuto Hidaka)

Atsushi Kotoge exuberantly jumped over the stairs to get down them. He remains the only roster member to do so. 

Super Crazy decided he would start, although Kotoge probably wanted NOSAWA Rongai, in the end Super Crazy got Alejandro (who for want of a better word, kind of spun Super Crazy about the ring), while NOSAWA being NOSAWA started complaining. In the end when Kotoge was tagged in, NOSAWA decided he didn't want to get in the ring, and Ikuto Hidaka got that honor. NOSAWA was up to usual tricks, jumping off the apron when Kotoge went to knock him down, interference, ref distracting and Perros in general ran roughshod over a team who pride themselves on not playing dirty. Kotoge finally got NOSAWA, and the others in Perros too as they travel in a pack, and when he had NOSAWA on his own, this was met with a swift pin. 

WINNER: NOSAWA Rongai with Super high school class La Mahistral on Atsushi Kotoge (10 minutes, 39 seconds)

NOSAWA could make YO-HEY tap and beat Kotoge easily. It was not looking good for the tag champions. Could YO-HEY turn the tables? 

MATCH SIX

YO-HEY vs Kotaro Suzuki

Kotaro Suzuki started the match by telling YO-HEY to attack him and the two got into it that way without the usual lock up. Kotaro can predict YO-HEY after periods of teaming with him and periods of fighting with him, and so outside the ring he threw him around, inside he softened him up with body jabs, knees and kicks and submissions. This time focusing on his midriff and not his knee. Humiliatingly, Kotaro stood on YO-HEY on a few occasions, even driving his knee into his chest and slapping him around. Kotaro dominated the match, but YO-HEY refused to give in even though everything he did, Kotaro turned into reversals.  In the end, with YO-HEY a dazed body on the mat, Kotaro dragged him up by his hair and went for his finisher

WINNER: Kotaro Suzuki with The Tiger Driver (14 minutes, 3 seconds)

This, and a later development would show that this was not a good night for the Noah Junior Regular Army. 

MATCH SEVEN

Go Shiozaki vs Manabu Soya

This was not a technical match by any stretch of the imagination, but Noah fans where not looking for that here and where not expecting it either. What they expected and what they got where chops, slams, punches and Manabu Soya targeting Go Shiozaki's neck and shoulder. This took some power out of the machine gun chops, but not enough to prevent them. A huge top rope slam from Shiozaki, caused the ring to shake. The Gowan was blocked by Soya, as was the rolling elbow, and he kicked put of the Go Flasher, which is probably the first since Shiozaki's return and I think for him to be able to do it on an ultra heavyweight like Soya was very important to Shiozaki, given his worry over his arm

WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the Strong Arm Lariat (17 minutes, 6 seconds)

This was Go Shiozaki's starburst moment. He walked from the ring in victory, rather than defeat, which he had suffered in the past, his true road back to the GHC Heavyweight had begun. 

MATCH EIGHT

The Sugiura Army (Kazuyuki Fujita, Kazushi Sakuraba & Kendo Kashin) vs Masato Tanaka, Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura

Kazuyuki Fujita made a dignified entry as befitting a GHC Heavyweight Champion, and wearing green, while Kendo Kashin made his entry by getting into a scuffle with King Tany, who he had dragged away either from commentary or out from backstage. Furthermore, he also had a picture of Tany on his chest. 

The match was part comedy and part serious. Kazushi Sakuraba was celebrating a little too soon after knocking Masa Kitamiya down, with Yoshiki Inamura not appreciating Kashin's slow chop attempts.

Even Fujita was later seen to be telling Inamura, who was on the opposite team, to sort Kashin out. 

Inamura did just that, and Kashin managed to escape and tagged in Sakuraba by hitting his legs. Sakuraba got out of the rest of strength with Inamura, only to lure him into another one and then take his arms down via submission. He was then thrown halfway across the ring and rolled out, complaining to the camera men, Kashin ended up the same way and as Sakuraba was thrown back in by Kashin, the crowd clapped for Fujita. Fujita's target was Tanaka however, they had had their first lock up and a vicious interaction, of huge elbows, slams etc. Tanaka has the taste of the belt in his mouth, and he's not going to let go. Fujita could throw at him what he wanted. He would take it, and he managed to make Fujita bleed from the mouth.  

WINNER: Kazuyuki Fujita with the Face Kick to Yoshiki Inamura (17 minutes, 3 seconds)

Masato Tanaka got on the apron after the match was finished, not too pleased that the one and only pre match had ended without his defeating Fujita. Fujita bowed to all four corners of the ring, ignoring Tanaka. When Tanaka forcibly got his attention, all he got was a bow and sight of Fujita's back as he was leaving. 

This would have caused an instant brawl in the Juniors. Backstage, Fujita spoke very politely to the press and refused beer offered by Kendo Kashin. Kashin muttered he had become influenced too much by Noah. Masato Tanaka was furious at Fujita's actions, and said that he would show him what comes of mocking him.   

MATCH NINE

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

Daisuke Harada vs Eita

Eita came out accompanied by all of Perros Del Mal, while Daisuke Harada was accompanied by everyone in the Noah Junior Regulars except for YO-HEY. Eita's entry into the title match was characterized by hair pulling, hanging out outside the ring, and eye raking to provoke and distract Harada. Harada was there to wrestle, and that's what he tried to do despite Eita's behavior and his nonchalant way of wrestling, which was to attack Harada's arm, twist his fingers and bite his palm.

Things settled down, with Harada fighting hard not to hand the GHC Junior over so easily to someone who had and continued to humiliate him. But Eita was just too strong, kicking out of everything, just when it seemed Harada had clinched the victory, even Dokan. Eita used his strength to his advantage by locking in the Numero Uno. Harada was trapped, he could go nowhere. Eita put all his might into the sub and Harada tapped.

Winner: Eita with the Numero Uno (17 minutes, 28 seconds)

Eita, the new champion, celebrated with Perros, who lifted him up on their shoulders. Backstage he said he would fight anyone who came for the belt, but no one who was a member of Perros Del Mal De Japon as he considered them friends. 

MATCH TEN

GHC Heavyweight Tag Match

The Sugiura Army (Hideki Suzuki & Takashi Sugiura) vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Daiki Inaba

The younger generation where fighting for their future, with a strategy to wear the veteran ream down and as much as the younger generation did this, their seniors did it back to them. The difference between them was shown in the early stages when Kaito Kiyomiya got Takashi Sugiura in an arm submission, which he skillfully got out of when Sugiura went for his beck. Sugiura made sure that when he did the same to Kiyomiya, there was no such chance for escape. Throughout the match, the venue was very much on the side of the youngsters. Inaba, who had attacked with the same intensity but not the same anger he had shown against Naomichi Marufuji, was caught eventually in the Takashi Sugiura front neck choke. Kiyomiya was trapped outside the ring by Suzuki, and so could do nothing. Inaba attempted to stand, but Sugi held on. In the end, the ref stopped the match. 

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura via referee stop (28 minutes, 27 seconds)

Afterwards, they spoke on the mic to the crowd. Sugiura was playfully calling Hideki Suzuki "Hachi" after his NXT/WWE name. Suzuki seems to not mind talking about his time there and poking fun at it by pointing out that he was fired, so this was hardly a triumphant return, but by right of his earlier win over Masakatsu Funaki, he challenged for the GHC National. The match has been set for 24th March at Korakuen Hall. For Masakatsu Funaki, whose 53rd birthday today was, it has not been a very happy day.  

Attendance: 905

Noah's next event: JUST FINE! 2022 - Sunday March 20th, Kumamoto City Distribution Information Center

(Katsuhiko Nakajima returns, Go Shiozaki's hometown, Naomichi Marufuji plans to honor Hayabusa)

With thanks to: Gong EX, Rembrant_kbs, Voyage_0217 & Metal-Noah