(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: N Innovation (Saturday March 5th 2022, Yokohama Radiant Hall)

Today's N Innovation (a Noah Junior show with any heavyweights that Daisuke Harada will permit) was the last one held before the division holds their own day at Sumo Hall in April. 134 fans where in attendance. Unfortunately, today we did not see anyone coming in from outside to announce they were competing, so hopefully we will see this further down the line, especially as Noah at the Yokohama Budokan next. 

Event was streamed live on WrestleUniverse. You must be a subscriber to view. Static cam, no commentary.

MATCH ONE

Super Crazy vs Yasutaka Yano

The two circled each other before lock up, Yano almost like Yoshinari Ogawa in mannerism in assessing his opponent first. He was wise as the bigger and more experienced Super Crazy had the advantage. Yano was not going to give up though and found his way to the ropes when Super Crazy went for a submission, and was applauded by the fans when he went for his own. Albeit it was short, as Super Crazy soon threw him out of it. It didn't stop Yano going for it again, but Super Crazy reversed. Fans clapped for him not give up. Yano knew he probably couldn't pin Super Crazy, and he wasn't going to make him tap out, but maybe if he endured he could make the match go to a time limit draw. He also made clever use of reversals and speed, but it could only end one way and by one person.

WINNER: Super Crazy via submission (9 minutes, 3 seconds)

Super Crazy applauded the boy for his efforts and then offered him a handshake. Yano, however, being a Noah Junior and knowing to never trust another Noah Junior (especially a member of Perros) when they offer a handshake, gave Super Crazy a hand slap. 

MATCH TWO

Kongoh Juniors (Tadasuke & Nioh) vs Alejandro & Kai Fujimura

Things move quickly in the Noah Juniors when there is a unit shift, and Alejandro not only changed his name, but also his ring wear. Shedding the Kongoh red, he appeared in the white of the Noah Junior Regulars and the Emerald shade of Misawa's Noah. Nioh studied him silently with a long stare when he came to the ring. 

Tadasuke came out waving around the red Aleja mask which he had stolen from him, which he placed on the turnbuckle. During the match, Tadasuke didn't use the mask for anything in particular, all he did was show it to Alejandro, and then throw it into the crowd. 

The match naturally started in a mass brawl. Nioh vs Kai Fujimura and Tadasuke vs Alejandro. Tadasuke took pleasure in beating up on Fujimura when it was his turn. Fujimura, although he hasn't really done anything in particular, being only a rookie who Tadasuke beats up on, was used by Kongoh against Alejandro. Fujimura was in for a rough night, he had no way to tag Alejandro in most of the time due to the attack by Kongoh and Alejandro being knocked off the apron, but he did manage it through sheer determination. Fujimura got his own back by keeping Nioh out. Tadasuke knew that while he couldn't match Alejandro's speed, Alejandro couldn't match his strength. There was an extra loud applause for when Alejandro held Nioh and Fujimura missile dropkicked him. In the closing stages of the match, Fujimura went for those desperation pins. The applause grew louder each time he kicked out against Nioh. 

WINNER: Nioh with the Stuka Splash on Kai Fujimura (11 minutes, 22 seconds)

The crowd were a little disappointed, so the applause for Nioh was sadly muted. Everyone knew it was a one sided match, and one that was going to be hard for Alejandro to win. Tadasuke had one last thing to do. He picked up the mask and threw it at Alejandro, who was outside the ring. 

MATCH THREE

Kaito Kiyomiya & Daiki Inaba vs Perros Del Mal De Japon (Kotaro Suzuki & Ikuto Hidaka)

Kaito Kiyomiya and Kotaro Suzuki had some kind of verbal battle after Kiyomiya had entered. I think Kotaro was telling him to get on with it, and to stop wandering around the ring. It didn't stop there, Kiyomiya was baiting Kotaro when he rolled outside the ring following a quick pin attempt from Kiyomiya which he barely kicked out of, to get back in it.

Kotaro was determined to take this brash Noah Born down. Kiyomiya might be the leader of the next generation, but Kotaro is Noah's firstborn, and he was going to remind him of that, even with a very Yoshinari Ogawa style of breaking the pin with a kick to the head. 

Perros as ever didn't play fair, and Ikuto Hidaka intruded into the ring and broke pins. But the ever polite Kiyomiya and Inaba can also play rough, double teaming when the refs back was turned after distracting him, which is a new thing for them, which gives the fans a little insight into how they are going to function as a team when it comes to the tag title tournament. 

WINNER: Daiki Inaba with the DDD on Ikuto Hidaka (15 minutes)

MATCH FOUR

YO-HEY vs NOSAWA Rongai

NOSAWA was being difficult about letting the ref check him as he was more focused on YO-HEY entering. He didn't attack him though, the ref heralded that saying "Woah woah woah"  as YO-HEY leapt off the turnbuckles, his music still playing, the bell not even having rung, to dropkick NOSAWA. Following a kick by YO-HEY which felled YO-HEY, NOSAWA played dead, ducked the Gamen-G and then proceeded to attack YO-HEY'S knee. Even smashing it into the concrete outside the ring. NOSAWA worked YO-HEY'S knee this during the match mercilessly. Taunting YO-HEY to hit him, making spooky hand gestures, and retaliating with knee attacks when he did. Despite this, YO-HEY showed his grit and could still pull out dropkicks, but they cost him and he never shied away from doing his aerial moves to prove to NOSAWA that he wasn't going to stop him. But that said, in the end, YO-HEY had no choice but to quit. 

WINNER: NOSAWA Rongai with a variant leg lock (9 minutes, 47 seconds)

NOSAWA wouldn't let go. The bell kept ringing, and the ref managed to remove him eventually. NOSAWA left to complain about the N Innovation, while YO-HEY rolled out and was helped to the back by Yoshiki Inamura. 

MATCH FIVE

The Noah Junior Regulars (Daisuke Harada, Haoh & Junta Miyawaki) vs STINGER (HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa & Yuya Susumu)

Haoh kind of let the door slam on Daisuke Harada! 

It might have been a couple of years since RATELS and STINGER went to war, and HAYATA turned on them to join with Yoshinari Ogawa, and Daisuke Harada and Yoshinari Ogawa fought over a belt, but time has not lessened the bitterness between them. Ogawa reminded Harada of this (not that Harada needed any reminding) by walking over to him after the glare Harada gave him on getting in the ring. 

The usual mass brawl outside the ring turned bloody when Junta Miyawaki was hit with the GHC Junior Heavyweight belt, which was tossed back inside the ring by Yoshinari Ogawa, which was retrieved by Harada with a grimace. The ref resorted to counting, which bought Ogawa and Miyawaki back in. Miyawaki was bleeding heavily, and the ref had a hard time keeping Harada and Haoh out of the ring, this of course gave Ogawa time to exploit it, something the others in STINGER joined in with.

Miyawaki was a crimson mess, blood flowing from his head down his arms, his chest and even his legs.

STINGER exploited their handiwork and it got to the point where Miyawaki became immobile, and the ref had to check on him, but he rallied and fought back and was eventually able to tag in Harada. He soon re-emerged, taking STINGER out with a loud scream and dropkicks. Ogawa was waiting for him, and to a loud clapping for Miyawaki not to quit when Ogawa was practically ripping his knee off and neither Harada or Haoh could help. He was eventually saved by Harada. As soon as things settled down, Ogawa returned with a vengeance. Miyawaki looked for a second like he was going to tap, but got to the ropes. Then Ogawa came back again, and worn down from constant knee attacks and blood loss, Miyawaki quit, to a slight groan from the crowd.

WINNER: Yoshinari Ogawa with a Modified Boston Crab (22 minutes, 15 seconds)

Harada looked appalled at what had been done to Miyawaki as the medic came into the ring to check on him. Never before where the repeated words "I'm bleeding, scum of the earth" more apt.

MATCH SIX

Atsushi Kotoge vs Hajime Ohara

Atsushi Kotoge came to the ring looking very cotton candy pink, while Hajime Ohara contrasted him by looking dark, red and like a burning coal. The match was very much mat wrestling, and as the official Noah GHC Twitter put it, Kotoge had to prove his own "belief" to Ohara and pull out something that he wouldn't expect. They know each other well. 

Ohara was angry in wearing Kotoge down, which is not something we have often seen from Ohara's usually controlled wrestling style. That and the streak of nastiness. Before when Ohara had held an opponent's arm away from the ropes it was done because he had thought of it both to stop them from getting to the rope and to increase the severity of the hold, now it seemed to be done out of a more spiteful reason.

WINNER: Atsushi Kotoge with the Killswitch (24 minutes, 15 seconds)

Kotoge spoke on the microphone to close out the show, pledging that Sumo Hall would be more hot than the event today. He had a request for the fans, asking them to come and see it on the 29th April and promising that the juniors would do their best to make it a success. 

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse

Noah's next event: GREAT VOYAGE 2022 in YOKOHAMA, Sunday March 13th, Yokohama Budokan.