(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: REAL OVERTURE 2022 (SATURDAY APRIL 9TH, KORAKUEN HALL)

Noah held their much quieter second night (no drunken rampage) with an attendance of 422 people, which while it is not a sell out crowd or a packed house, it is a definite improvement. Event can be viewed on WrestleUniverse. Commentary is in Japanese. 

MATCH ONE

Funky Express (Mohammed Yone & King Tany) vs Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura

Funky Express came out dancing, with Mohammed Yone waving his blue boa around. This was in contrast to their staid opponents. Kinya Okada's Showa austerity in particular. As King Tany stood there with his usual grin, he found to his shock that the strict referee was not going to be doing any chain removing. Yone had to do it. 

King Tany's grin remained as he rubbed his hands. His smile vanished when Okada knocked him down and kicked him. Things got worse when Kai Fujimura wriggled out of his slam. Tany couldn't believe it, these boys weren't even half his size and didn't have half of his career. He ultimately did manage to do his slam, but there was no dancing. The monster was being provoked. With the young boys fighting back, Okada rising with a scowl and a scream against Yone, this was not an easy match for Funky Express. A loss here would be humiliating, but it wasn't something that happened. Okada left Fujimura with Yone, while he dealt with Tany. Yone decided he had enough of these upstarts and Fujimura was battered repeatedly. The boy kicked out though after a barrage of punches and fought back. A punch to the floor and the Kinniku Buster got Funky Express the win. 

Good opener.

WINNER: Mohammed Yone with the Kinniku Buster on Kai Fujimura (10 minutes, 20 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Alejandro vs Yasutaka Yano

Like Kai Fujimura before him Yasutaka Yano initially had the advantage over the more experienced wrestler. The more experienced wrestler, however, soon changed the tide of the match, but these Noah Born are stubborn and never make it easy. Yano has learned well from Ogawa, which is probably why he is his favorite student as fans say, pretending to be broken and then sneak attacking when their opponent least expects it. 

WINNER: Alejandro with a Swan type diving body press (6 minutes, 23 seconds)

Alejandro was pretty much like everyone else who fights a singles with Yano, leaves exhausted and wondering what just happened.  

MATCH THREE

Kongoh (Masakatsu Funaki, Manabu Soya & Nioh) vs THE TOUGH (Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura) & Haoh

Nioh led Kongoh out and stood suspiciously close to Haoh to do the Kongohrishi pose and then because they are Noah Juniors, they both attacked soon after the bell. Nioh was determined to avenge what had happened yesterday.  The ultra-heavyweights had their hoss fights, unfortunately Haoh is not an ultra-heavyweight and he ended up in the ring against Soya. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), Masakatsu Funaki tagged in. Ironically, Haoh was saved by Nioh. Haoh was not so lucky against Funaki the second time.

WINNER: Masakatsu Funaki with the Hybrid Blaster on Haoh (11 minutes, 43 seconds)

The two nights had ended in a stalemate for Nioh. Haoh had won one match, and tonight's match had ended with the win being got by someone else. Inamura left carrying Haoh on his back. No one has challenged for the GHC National as of yet. 

MATCH FOUR

Hideki Suzuki & Perros Del Mal De Japon (NOSAWA Rongai & Super Crazy) vs Kongoh (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara)

Hideki Suzuki and Katsuhiko Nakajima picked up where they left off yesterday, but they didn't even lock up. Nakajima soon grew bored and tagged in Hajime Ohara.

Ohara didn't appreciate NOSAWA'S kicks to the face and soon dealt with him, NOSAWA then got a taste of his own medicine from Katsuhiko Nakajima. Nakajima's smile grew larger and larger as he gave him the Soccerball kicks repeatedly. NOSAWA'S way to get away from him was via a groin shot. Hideki Suzuki had the pleasure of the Kongoh juniors teaming up on him. He got rid of Tadasuke and got the win over Ohara. 

WINNER: Hideki Suzuki with the Double Arm Suplex on Hajime Ohara (8 minutes, 43 seconds)

Suzuki walked over to Nakajima and held the belt up to him, Nakajima simply smiled and pointed. They had not exchanged even a punch in this match. 

MATCH FIVE

The Noah Junior Regulars (Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY & Junta Miyawaki) vs STINGER (HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu)

STINGER filed out looking as if they were  blinking in the brightness of the arena, their darkness was in contrast to the dazzling brightness and the high spirits of the Noah Juniors. Yoshinari Ogawa was there to greet them, especially YO-HEY, who was patting the belt at him, on the ropes.

STINGER attacked right away, everyone thrown out of the ring aside from Atsushi Kotoge, who Ogawa immediately put in the Figure 4 again. The melee fight outside the ring offered him no escape. He would either have to quit, grit his teeth and wait for help, or else get to the ropes. Ogawa was not going to let go. In the end Daisuke Harada managed to escape HAYATA and break the hold. Ogawa's next act was to rip the bandage from Kotoge's knee and attack it. STINGER wanted YO-HEY fresh and in mint condition, and so he didn't get the same treatment. In any case, Ogawa was not around to do it as he took YO-HEY'S dropkick to the head.

HAYATA was worried as it took Ogawa a long time to recover and he didn't appear on the apron with them. So with Kotoge rolling around outside and Ogawa absent, it became a three on three.  

WINNER: YO-HEY with the dropkick on Seiki Yoshioka (10 minutes, 43 seconds)

It wasn't a win over the challengers, but YO-HEY had managed to knock one of them out. HAYATA and Ogawa left, leaving Yoshioka and Susumu in the ring. Harada was thrilled at this victory. Yoshioka was again on a spiral downwards with two humiliating defeats after his return to the ring. Kotoge, who like Ogawa had spent the match outside of the ring, was gently helped up and taken out by the Noah Junior Regulars, who left to applause. Harada might have looked happy, but in reality he scolded Junta Miyawaki on social media when Miyawaki wrote of being inspired by Kotoge's courage and how he would cherish this time before Sumo Hall and make sure when the event came that it was a success. Harada replied that how was he going to do that? Yesterday it wasn't only him who felt frustrated at his loss to H.Y.O, both they and the fans did. Perhaps he needed more special training? If he was going to be responsible for the Noah Juniors, then he needed to think and change.   

MATCH SIX

Naomichi Marufuji, Masato Tanaka & Masaaki Mochizuki vs Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya & Daiki Inaba

Naomichi Marufuji picked up one of Kaito Kiyomiya's black feathers and threw it to him. It's kind of a standing joke in Noah that his gown sheds them. Kiyomiya very politely caught it, and gave it to one of the seconds. 

Seeing that Marufuji was starting, the opposition (wisely) gave him his own way and Daiki Inaba started the match. Marufuji kind of gave him an "almost, almost" mannerism when kicking out of a pin. Marufuji was determined to show his juniors who was boss today. Despite his grumpiness with his juniors (this term either means the division, a cruiserweight or in this situation the younger wrestlers to whom he is seniors), Marufuji also did a bit of comedy, rolling into the ring, lying on his back and holding out his arms for any of his teammates to tag in. Although they are not the M's alliance now, and Masato Tanaka is more of a Bullet Yankee when in Noah than anything else, they still work as a cohesive unit. The match focus was very much on Marufuji vs the younger generation, and his friendly rivalry with Go Shiozaki ("Shio" as Noah call him), with their chop competition. You get the sense that the wandering heavyweights, those without title matches that is, are wondering about their Sumo Hall cards. 

WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Double Arm Lock on Masaaki Mochizuki (submission, 16 minutes 51 seconds)

Another win for the youngsters over their seniors, who left in a huff. Marufuji brushing the dust off his chest. 

MATCH SEVEN

Takashi Sugiura vs Kenoh

Katsuhiko Nakajima and Hideki Suzuki accompanied their partners. This is somewhat rare for Katsuhiko Nakajima, but as he and Kenoh are challenging for the GHC Heavyweight Tag Titles and Hideki Suzuki was there, he had to. Suzuki got into a row with Kenoh during the match, and had to be held back by the ref. Nakajima, who half grew up in Noah, knows the old ways better and stayed out of any physicality or interference. 

Takashi Sugiura toyed with Kenoh, letting letting him do moves he knew he could duck and dodge, this threw Kenoh into a rage, but it also meant he did moves that Sugiura couldn't see coming. Perhaps this was also Kenoh's plan? If so, it worked better for Sugiura. 

Just as the bruised poster promised, Kenoh and Sugiura tore into each other; the dreaded ankle locks where reversed, Kenoh's head bounced back and forwards like a ball as Sugiura punched him on the turnbuckle, Kenoh took the chance for the PFS on thinking that Sugiura was knocked out after a kick, but there was life in the old dog yet. Kenoh went for a second PFS, but this was exactly what Sugiura had wanted and he rolled him into the front neck choke. Kenoh got out of it, but Sugiura trapped him in the ankle lock, laying it on thick by pinning Kenoh's leg down so that he could not even get to the ropes. Kenoh's ankle looked as if it was bent into an angle not designed for the human body. Ropes or tap? Ropes or tap? He reluctantly tapped. 

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the Ankle Lock (18 minutes, 44 seconds)

Takashi Sugiura spoke on the microphone as Kenoh struggled to remove his boot with the help of Katsuhiko Nakajima to put the ice pack on his ankle.

 

"I'm fooling around when I do pro wrestling? Hideki Suzuki and I are always serious. I take pro wrestling seriously! Kazushi Sakuraba is the only one who messes around!"

Sugiura then addressed the crowd;

"On the 30th April, I want you to come and see this serious fight at Sumo Hall, and I want you to come and see the juniors on the 29th."

Kenoh swore later on social media, he will avenge today's loss at Sumo Hall. 

With thanks to: Kei & OnameTK

GIF taken from WrestleUniverse

Noah's next event: REAL OVERTURE in NIIGATA (Sunday 17th April)