NOAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.165 ~ 25TH MARCH 2022


NEWS

It's been an eventful week in Noah. 

"I AM NOAH!" Kazuyuki Fujita retains against Masato Tanaka, challenged by Go Shiozaki
Following an epic stare down at the title match signing, which ended with Masato Tanaka snapping Fujita's glasses and walking off after just over 33 minutes, Kazuyuki Fujita defended the GHC Heavyweight in a brutal match on the 21st March in Fukoka. Go Shiozaki defeated the returning Katsuhiko Nakajima on the 23rd, and following an epic cry of "I AM NOAH", he called Fujita to the ring to challenge him.


Fujita's response was what fans are now saying is standard when being challenged for the title, with "I'm Noah". Fujita bowed and left the ring. The title match has been set for the final night at Sumo Hall, the 30th April. Kendo Kashin, however, believes a sinister force is at work behind the scenes that is influencing Fujita's unusual behavior. 

The Shampoo Incident
After an incident in which eternal enemies, Daisuke Harada and Yoshinari Ogawa clashed in Kumamoto and Ogawa made belt motions, both fans (and Eita) believed that Ogawa was going to challenge for the GHC Junior Heavyweight. 
Ogawa came to the ring in Fukuoka carrying a box, which he emptied to reveal was full of water bottles. He waited impatiently on the ring apron, motioning for Eita to hurry up and get in, as Eita was stalling for time and posing for pictures. When he did eventually get in the ring, the match was thrown out after 9 minutes as Eita hit Ogawa with the belt. With Ogawa down and dazed, Eita turned his focus to HAYATA. After being beaten up by Eita and Super Crazy, they dumped HAYATA in a chair and proceeded to humiliate him, not only by pouring water on him but also by giving him an an impromptu shampoo session.


One fan commented that he wondered whether they were using Dove! Afterwards, they forced HAYATA to the cameras, before throwing him aside and walking off laughing. Backstage Eita again lamented he had no challenger. 
He did not have to wait for long. 

HAYATA is quiet for several reasons, naturally (and painfully) shy he uses this to his advantage by incorporating a character who does his talking in the ring. HAYATA'S revenge came when like a dark shadow rising out of the floor, he attacked Eita from behind getting the match he was having with YO-HEY thrown out. Fans were a little disappointed, as was YO-HEY who had seen the advantage winning would bring, but he has other things to think about now. The ref was thrown aside, and bloodied by the GHC Junior belt, Eita was thrown in the ring. HAYATA'S beat down continued until both Perros Del Mal had come in to rescue Eita, and STINGER also came in. Yuya Susumu taking HAYATA'S arm and pulling him away as if to say that enough was enough. 


HAYATA then challenged for the belt in the usual manner saying simply "Next, me". The title match has been set for the Noah Junior night at Sumo Hall on the 29th April. 

Eita got another taste of HAYATA'S silent vengeance in their first pre match on the 24th March at Korakuen Hall. No messing around on entering, and wearing a bandage over the wound, Eita entered scowling. The match escalated into a melee brawl when Yoshinari Ogawa threw a bottle of water at Kotaro Suzuki, and then HAYATA pinned Eita with the devastating Headache in only one minute and forty-four seconds. After posing briefly with the belt and draping it over Eita, STINGER returned to the shadows. Eita later commented on social media that it had not been a good week.  

Kongoh and the "Red Belts"
Kongoh made a double title challenge at Korakuen Hall on the 24th March when The Kongoh Juniors (Tadasuke and Hajime Ohara) challenged for the GHC Junior tag titles, and Kenoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima challenged for the GHC Heavyweight tag titles. Ironically, both matches had ended in submissions with Atsushi Kotoge tapping out, and the referee stopping the match when Kenoh choked out Takashi Sugiura. 

By the skin of their teeth, the team of YO-HEY and Atsushi Kotoge had defended the tag titles against Perros Del Mal de Japon (NOSAWA Rongai and Kotaro Suzuki) in Fukuoka, and where challenged by The Kongoh Juniors. Tadasuke demanded the title match for Noah's next show, which will be the 3rd April in Gunma. Apparently the belt also spoke to him too...


With Hideki Suzuki in the main event, it fell to Takashi Sugiura to accept the challenge of the Kongoh heavyweights. In traditional style, Kenoh gave vent to his feelings about "old men" in Noah carrying all the belts and how he does not find that entertaining in any way shape or form. Kongoh where here to stop that, and they were going to take the belts from them. "They" being Kenoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima. 


Unlike the Kongoh Juniors, Kenoh could be patient and in any case, he wasn't going to pass up a title match at Sumo Hall. For Katsuhiko Nakajima, this might not be the GHC belt he wanted, but it was a championship belt. Stating repeatedly before the match with Go Shiozaki that he had no interest in fighting him, Nakajima was forced to taste bitter fruit afterwards when he found himself walking Shiozaki's path in losing a belt and returning from injury. Nakajima's path is different from the one Shiozaki took back to the GHC, but it is certain that their paths will cross over Noah's highest belt sooner or later. 

Somehow a match between The Noah Junior Regulars and Perros Del Mal De Japon had started off peacefully. All was going well, Daisuke Harada was about to destroy his opponent, when three masked and hooded men stormed the ring and attacked him, Alejandro and Junta Miyawaki. 


Standing over Harada, the leader with his boot on Harada's face, they revealed themselves to be the DragonGate Z-Brat unit of Shun Skywalker, SB KENTo and H.Y.O. Further complicating the issue of their presence in Noah is the fact that the current GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, Eita, was formerly a member of the R.E.D unit, which they had kicked him out of. Eita was not the reason why they were here, although KENTo said he couldn't believe that he of all people was the champion, they where here because they had heard the Noah Juniors where holding an event at Sumo Hall and they had come to prevent them from "polluting the ring" there. Backstage, taking off their masks and giggling, they elaborated. The N-Innovation (no one knew what that was) should be the Z-Innovation,  0 points for Eita being the junior champion, they knew who Harada and Alejando where...but who was Miyawaki? Oh right, he was the one with no presence and was therefore no one to be afraid of. This last point rankled with Miyawaki, as H.Y.O will appear in a singles match with him on the 8th April. The invaders where granted their match by an angry Daisuke Harada, who used the expletive statement "We will show you the awesomeness of the Noah Juniors, mutherfuckers."

Masakatsu Funaki vs Hideki Suzuki, LINE and Manabu Soya? 

Hideki Suzuki was defeated by Masakatsu Funaki in 8 minutes and 14 seconds, Funaki retaining the GHC National. GHC National matches, probably because all the title holders have had a background in MMA in some shape or form, has come to be characterized by swift short matches, mainly involving mat wrestling. What made this match different though was what happened after it as Funaki gave one of his characteristic speeches on the microphone, which for him means he can let off a little steam by a little humor. After the match today he handed the microphone to Kenoh, who handed the microphone to a bemused Tadasuke. Tadasuke asked for Funaki's support in the upcoming junior title match, which Funaki readily gave and then Funaki said that Tadasuke had asked for his phone number...as curious as this sounds, Kenoh elaborated on this later and explained that Tadasuke hadn't been asking for Funaki's number, but had been asking him to join Kongoh's LINE chat group. LINE is a Japanese social media platform, and as Funaki is unfamiliar with such things, he thought Tadasuke wanted his number. Kenoh says he will enroll Funaki on it when Kongoh win the two sets of tag belts. 
Regarding Funaki's next challenger, no one has come forward yet. Funaki had mentioned backstage that pretty much everyone in Kongoh was challenging for a belt. There where no junior belts for Nioh to challenge for, and either Funaki forgot that the GHC National was created as a belt that anyone could challenge for, or else he didn't think he would want to, and so he focused on Manabu Soya asking him when and if he was going to chase a belt? 
Soya was non committal and no challenge was made, Funaki said maybe a chance would come or maybe it wouldn't. Soya is as Go Shiozaki summed up, someone who betrays no emotions, and so Funaki may be challenged when he least expects it. 

Fukuda's retirement
Referee Akihiko Fukuda will referee his last match on the 3rd April in Gunma. Part of the walkout from All Japan with Mitsuharu Misawa in 2000, he has been with Noah throughout all the ups and downs of the past twenty-two years. He is retiring from refereeing, but not from Noah. Fukuda will remain with the promotion as a backstage agent. 


Old friends & new friends return to Noah
Noah made a massive announcement regarding the two nights at Sumo Hall in April. Now that travel is less restricted, the following will be returning; Rene Dupree, El Hijo De Dr Wagner Junior, Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf. Also coming to Noah for the first time would be Ninja Mack, confirmed to be participating in a Lucha three way at Sumo Hall with Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf. 

When talking about a foreign wrestler he wanted to bring over, Daisuke Harada said he couldn't say much, but it would be someone who "made everybody happy". Fans had guessed it would be Chris Ridgeway, and this was confirmed on the 23rd March. Ridgeway says he will be fighting as part of STINGER. 

Noah had some further announcements, although these were not made via video presentation. Don Fuji would be participating at Sumo Hall, teaming with Masaaki Mochizuki. Slex, who was last in Noah in 2013 will be returning as will Extreme Tiger, who was in Noah in 2010. NOSAWA (who said he was going to announce it as he is in a bad mood) announced that Texano Jnr will be the new member of Perros Del Mal De Japon. Texano Jnr was/is an original member of Perros Del Mal, alongside Super Crazy. 

Note: Alpha Wolf, Noah fans knew as “El Hijo de Canis Lupus”, and playfully shortened his name to "Cani", which ironically means "Crab" in Japanese. 

When discussing Sumo Hall, Harada mentioned that he wanted to create a special training camp which would harness the "power of nature". Japan with it's mountains, seas, and varying terrain of the tropical warm south and the cold snowy north (snow remains in some parts until May), the icy waterfalls and the hot springs mean the landscape is ideal to do this in. Harada did not say whether this would be just Noah Junior Regulars or not, but he did hint that foreign wrestlers where welcome to join in if they wanted. 

EVENT RECAPS AND POST MATCH INTERVIEWS

"JUST FINE 2022!"

Sunday March 20th, Kumamoto

Wednesday March 23rd, Korakuen Hall

Thursday March 24th, Korakuen Hall

"GREAT VOYAGE 2022 in FUKUOKA"

ELSEWHERE IN NOAH
- Daiki Inaba has now joined Noah as an official roster member. 
- Following his singles match with Yasutaka Yano, Naomichi Marufuji said he has very high hopes for him as a Noah Junior. Marufuji had to force him into a handshake. 
- Yuya Susumu has announced that he is leaving FREEDOMS. Fans expect that he will sign full time with Noah. 
- Kendo Kashin seems to be making a point of scuffling with King Tany before matches, usually by dragging him out of the locker room and to ringside. 
- Kazushi Sakuraba's seconding stint did not go well. He was scolded for not holding open the ropes for Hideki Suzuki, and a comical picture was taken backstage of him being berated by Suzuki and Takashi Sugiura. It was comical though when Sugi handed his three belts to him, and Suzuki his one too. 


- Akitoshi Saito said on commentary that he thought that deep down, there is still friendship somewhere between Shiozaki and Nakajima. Fans echo this by saying they feel Shiozaki is not only challenging Fujita for himself, but also to avenge Nakajima. 
- Naomichi Marufuji wore a red Hayabusa mask to the ring at Kumamoto as he had promised. Fans said "The falcon has returned". Marufuji said afterwards he felt his "older brother" (non biological, and non sibling student but more in the way of an elder who he was close to), was watching him from heaven.  
- Due to earthquake damage to the venue, Noah will be cancelling their Fukushima date in May. 

CURRENT CHAMPIONS

GHC Heavyweight Champion: Kazuyuki Fujita
Challenger: Go Shiozaki
"MAJESTIC 2022", Sumo Hall, Saturday 30th April

GHC Junior Champion: Eita
Challenger: HAYATA 
"MAJESTIC 2022 - N-Innovation", Sumo Hall, Friday 29th April

Challengers: Kongoh (Kenoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima)
"MAJESTIC 2022", Sumo Hall, Saturday 30th April

Challengers: Kongoh Juniors (Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara)
REAL OVERTURE 2022, G Messe Gunma, Sunday April 3rd

GHC National Champion: Masakatsu Funaki
No challenger as of yet

THIS WEEK IN NOAH

Sunday March 27th: Kenta Kobashi (55)
Tuesday March 29th: Kai Fujimura (27)

LINKS
"Donmai! Donmai!" Mitsuharu Misawa's diary, which gives a fascinating insight into Noah's "Golden Era". 

With thanks to: Metal-Noah & Flame286
GIF taken from WrestleUniverse

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