Pro Wrestling Noah Roster Guide 2022
Noah's story starts in January1999 when All Japan's founder, Giant Baba, died of colon cancer. He had left the running of the company to Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa (who had formerly been Tiger Mask II) and was all but Baba's adopted son, took over as company president. Wanting to modernize All Japan and change it to his own style flew in the face of time honored tradition and immediately issues arose with Baba's widow and other members of the managing board who voted to strip him of his position. Misawa had seen this coming and had asked much of the roster to join him in a mass walk out, which involved two of the Four Pillars (Kenta Kobashi and Akira Taue), Referees Shu Nishinaga and Akihiro Fukuda, and the majority of All Japan's younger talent such as KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura. Yoshinari Ogawa also joined Misawa, as did Jun Akiyama.
The name of the new promotion, "Noah", which symbolized the chosen saved from the flood, was inaugurated in August 5th & 6th 2000. Yasutaka Yano, Noah's most recent Noah Born, was born on August 10th 2000, ironically in the gap between Noah's first shows and their first ever tag league.
Following Misawa's death, Naomichi Marufuji found himself in the position of Vice President. Misawa had not trained him for this role, although he had planned to, and Akira Taue was appointed President. The next few years bought scandal, (a Yakuza gang where discovered to have been selling tickets to fill out arenas), walk outs (Kenta Kobashi refused to retire following injury, and so walked out back to All Japan along with Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, Kotaro Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and the late Atsushi 
Aoki) and severe money worries. Akira Taue turned into an old man over night, his own salary cut down to that of a trainee shows how bleak things where. In Naomichi Marufuji's words "We have lived too long on the account of our seniors, and now there is nothing left". There was nothing left, and Noah where sold to BUSHIROAD. It was to be a disaster.
Invasion angles if done right, can be done well. This was one of those cases where it was not. New Japan's Suzuki Army ran riot over Noah, taking all the belts and beating up what was left of the roster week after week. Fans turned away a sour taste in their mouths as Takashi Sugiura turned on his old promotion, and joined The Suzuki Army. Naomichi Marufuji sent New Japan packing by selling Noah to EstBee, an I.T. company and they withdrew in 2016. The change in the promotion was like a breath of fresh air, but the future was uncertain. EstBee sold Noah to LIDET, (who can be credited with bringing Noah to the next level as the battered and bruised promotion made the way back up), who in turn sold Noah to CyberFight. CyberFight put Noah back to where they belonged, with a TV deal in the form of a streaming service, The Budokan, and a bridge mended with New Japan. Despite all the issues Noah had in the past with death, scandal, walk outs, money troubles, loss of audience and talent, they had survived somehow. CyberFight & DDT President Sanshiro Takagi had remarked that Noah wouldn't have survived the Coronavirus pandemic without CyberFight, but saving Noah was done for another reason, Mitsuharu Misawa had been a shareholder in and supporter of DDT and had there been no DDT, there would ultimately have been no Noah.
Links related to Noah's history
For the troubled relationship between All Japan and Noah please see "Four Days in April"
"The Testament of Misawa" - probably the most detailed account of what happened in Hiroshima in June 2009.
"Don-Mai, Don-Mai" (in progress): Mitsuharu Misawa's PKDX diary.
"Heir to The Ark" (partial): Naomichi Marufuji's biography
"The Last Bump" (partial): Mayumi Misawa's biography of Mitsuharu Misawa (her husband)
Noah Style
Giant Baba is often called "Noah's Grandfather", with Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu as it's uncles. Noah booking is still done along Baba lines, with his ideals alongside the teaching by Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta passed down to Noah dojo graduates and those who come into the promotion from elsewhere. Also passed on to Noah has been the Baba "sound". Baba would not let anyone debut until he was satisfied they could do this. So strong was this transmitted to Noah that when Genichiro Tenryu appeared for the promotion, he could not believe that this was not Baba's All Japan in the way that the wrestlers moved, how they took moves, and yes Baba's all important sound. Tenryu credits his own student, Yoshinari Ogawa, with this. Genichiro Tenryu has sometimes appeared on commentary for Noah, although this is admittedly rare. Keiji Mutoh says he has no idea what Tenryu is saying.
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| Takashi Sugiura's little dog. Kenta (a Shiba Inu), is the face of the unit. |
Annual events
"All Dog's Gather!" - Sugiura Army produce which traditionally is an end of year show. This has replaced the costumed rumble that Noah used to once have.
"CyberFest" - the mega show featuring all the promotions under the CyberFight roster. Usually held in June.
"Departure" - usually two shows held in August to commemorate the founding of Noah. Misawa called them "Departure" as a way of holding up two fingers to All Japan.
"Diamond" - The Kongoh produce.
"Global Tag League"/"Global Junior Tag League" - Global Junior Tag League hasn't been held much in recent years, and when it is it is just as chaotic as the division. Global Tag League is usually held once a year. The event is in the form of a round robin tournament for tag teams, with the winners facing the tag champions for the belts.
"Great Voyage" - Usually advertised with the suffix of whatever town Noah will be holding it in i.e. "Great Voyage in Yokohama" etc. These are big one off events and usually the culmination of the months tours.
"N-1 Victory" - Replacing "Global League", Noah's elite heavyweights fight to be the strongest with the winner getting a shot at the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Kaito Kiyomiya set a precedent for the GHC Heavyweight Champion not appearing.
"N-Innovation" - monthly event held for the turbulent Noah Juniors which has pretty much replaced Global Junior League. The event is usually held at Yokohama Radiant Halls, but thanks to its innovator, Daisuke Harada, wanting to compete with the heavyweights, one event will have its own night at Sumo Hall in April 2022.
"NOAH the HOME" - dojo shows with no lighting, entrance themes etc which where originally started during Noah's empty arena era during the Coronavirus pandemic to give the younger wrestlers in ring experience in front of the camera. These shows still run twice a month or so on YouTube, with donations by the fans going towards maintaining the training centre and dormitories.
"Sanctuary" - Kaito Kiyomiya's mini produce which also started during the empty arena era, it often features the next generation of Noah (the younger generation). Kenoh, much to his chagrin, has not been invited yet.
"Noah The New Year" - Noah's New Year Nippon Budokan shows. The first was run in New Year 2022, which they hope will become an annual event with a second scheduled for New Years Day 2023.
"Mitsuharu Misawa, Forever in Our Hearts" - Noah's early June shows which remember the promotions founder.
Belts
GHC Heavyweight: The highest belt in Noah for heavyweights. Inaugurated by Mitsuharu Misawa in April 2001, the original belt was ruined when someone (probably Makoto Hashi) cleaned it with a detergent that stripped the gold off the plating, so Mitsuharu Misawa commissioned a second belt. This second belt was retired at Sumo Hall in November 2019, and is believed to be in Kenta Kobashi's possession. A new belt was inaugurated that evening, and was presented to the then GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kaito Kiyomiya, on his successful defense against Kenoh. This is probably the most sacred belt in Noah.
GHC Heavyweight Tag Belts: The heavyweight division is not known for being as chaotic as the juniors, but these belts are usually treated a lot rougher than the GHC Heavyweight is and have been used from time to time to attack people with. They have also had periods of being vacated when teams fall out or else a member is injured.
GHC National: The GHC National was inaugurated in 2019 by Riki Choshu, and was intended to be a belt that anyone could challenge for from any promotion, as long as the match took place in Noah. The belt has so far only been held by heavyweights. Unintentionally, the holders of this belt have all had some kind of background in MMA, and title matches are characterized by two extremes; short mixed martial arts type fights, or hour long matches when Kenoh challenges the GHC Heavyweight Champion belt for belt.
GHC Junior Heavyweight: The wild younger brother of the GHC Heavyweight. This belt is as chaotic as the division it represents. Unlike the GHC Heavyweight, this belt has been covered in blood, driven into peoples faces, thrown out of the ring, thrown in the ring, and usually gets draped over the champion after a challenger beat down or vice versa. Eita (of all people) gave the belt a much needed polish.
GHC Junior Tag Belts: Less chaotic than it's singles counterpart, it falls to the team wearing it to bring it into the turbulence of the division. These belts don't really get used as weapons too much (although it does happen), it's usually whoever is wearing them who is at war with the rest of the division.
The Grand Seniors
Mitsuharu Misawa: Noah's founder. Naomichi Marufuji & Kotaro Suzuki's teacher.
Kenta Kobashi: Misawa's sibling student, greatest GHC Heavyweight Champion in Noah history. Go Shiozaki & KENTA'S teacher. Very paternal relationship. Not impressed by the route Shuhei Taniguchi has taken.
Akira Taue: One of The Four Pillars, and former President of Noah. Now retired and running a restaurant.
Yoshihiro Takayama: Part of the walk out from All Japan with Mitsuharu Misawa in 2000. Known for his great size and strength, sadly an accident in 2017 has caused him to become paralyzed.
Jun Akiyama: The unofficial "fifth pillar" of The Four Pillars, played a huge role in Noah until walking out with Kenta Kobashi. After a match with Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura, Akiyama reduced Kiyomiya to tears by telling him that he entrusted Noah's future to him.
Yoshinari Ogawa: As stated Ogawa is Noah's oracle, and the most respected man backstage, who the veterans still go to for advice on technique. His gimmick is a heel, and his manipulative powers are so great that people don't often realize they are doing what he wishes until long after they have done it. Ogawa is a man in his 50s, but he can still keep pace with wrestlers half his age.
Noah staff
Narihiro Takeda: Noah's director
Referees: Nishinaga, Nakayama & Tsukagoshi. Referee Nishinaga is the most senior, Referee Nakayama seems to get manhandled by the Noah Juniors the most, and Referee Tsukagoshi (the youngest at only 25) is the most strict.
Ally: Noah's ring announcer and time keeper
Mr Orange/Orange-san: Noah's long suffering bus driver who got drawn into Kendo Kashin's scheme to scare Kenoh.
Wakako Miyaki: Noah's photographer
Stewart Fulton & Mark Pickering: Noah's English language commentators
Other Noah associated people
Funky Kato: Musician who wrote the theme song for the Noah Budokan, "Voyage", sometimes appears on commentary
Jurina Matsui: Idol, actress and former member of the M's alliance. She was kind of their boss and gave consent for title matches between them. Memorably slapped Masahiro Chono and also Masao Inoue. Thought to be carrying a secret torch for Kaito Kiyomiya.
Kuniko Yamada: Comedienne and musician (she plays the Samisen, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument), who sometimes appears on commentary. Seiki Yoshioka once accidentally destroyed her announce table with a moonsault. She always has the latest Noah gossip, and said her favorite Noah member is Masa Kitamiya, "as he likes chubby girls."
Current Roster
(Please note that some people fall into more than one category)
Heavyweights
A lot more staid than their junior counterparts. the Heavyweights embody the "Pure" fight of Baba or the "Wrestling with aesthetics" (i.e. wrestling with beauty). Unlike the juniors they don't tend to often screw each other over, fight before the bell goes, fight after the bell goes, intrude into matches or get into mass brawls. However, they are known to be the ones to get into fights at press conferences/match signings.
Misawa generation
(The people who where his contemporaries, not his juniors)
Akitoshi Saito
Came to Noah from originally "the dirt indies" (W*NG) and New Japan, where he had been a member of Heisei Ishingun. At the time of writing he is in "Funky Express" following a unit has to disband match.
Keiji Mutoh
Signed with Noah after the collapse of W-1 and has held the GHC Heavyweight and the GHC Heavyweight tag titles. Currently on long term injury due to hip problems affecting his artificial knees.
Mohammed Yone
Originally a BattlArts guy and known for having some vicious matches during Noah's early to mid years, he has now settled down to being a Funky Disco dancer. Noah these days is an easy payday for Yone, and he rarely takes part in leagues or title challenges.
Seniors/Veterans
(The trainees who walked out of All Japan with Mitsuharu Misawa, and now are the roster veterans. For example, Mohammed Yone warned King Tany not to go too overboard with his King gimmick as his seniors, who where in the ring, did not approve)
Naomichi Marufuji
Like Mitsuharu Misawa, he enjoyed being a junior, and enjoys his interactions with the division. Remains eternally curious about wrestling new people coming to Noah, and is interested in bringing up (paternal Noah uses "nurturing") Noah's young. Marufuji (and Sugiura) learnt by bitter experience the fallout from their own younger years when their own seniors failed to build up the younger guys. Vice President of Noah as per Mitsuharu Misawa's wishes.
Takashi Sugiura
Leader of the disorderly Sugiura Army, but don't let that fool you, Noah's "Killing Machine" lives up to his name. There is a reason why Noah chose to use pictures of Sugiura and Kenoh bruised for their upcoming pre match in a poster.
"Golden Era/mid generation"
(The people who debuted during Noah's "Golden Era")
Go Shiozaki
Noah Born. Shiozaki is in a grey area when it comes to whether he should be with the veterans or whether he should be in the "mid generation". The fact is that he should probably be in both, but he doesn't really belong with the seniors as they are his seniors, although he is senior to the younger Noah Born. Shiozaki in a recent poll ranked third as the greatest GHC Heavyweight Champion, just behind Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa. After an inauspicious title reign following Misawa's death, and a couple of non consequential ones, he rose to the challenge of leading Noah through the pandemic which was the title reign he always should have had. Now back on the GHC path following injury, he looks to regain his spot. Shiozaki is the chairman of the Noah Wrestlers Association, and he is the heir to Sugiura and Marufuji, who look to him to run Noah when they are gone.
Katsuhiko Nakajima
Noah's wolf, who gives the impression that he is eternally waiting in the long grass for prey. Formerly in AXIZ with Go Shiozaki he turned against him to join Kongoh, but there is still the impression that he has never truly left him behind despite Nakajima's refusal to talk about him during Shiozaki's absence and assertation that Shiozaki is living in the past when he was back and wanted to reform AXIZ. Nakajima is characterized by vicious kicks, an evil Cheshire Cat like grin, and although he is part of Kongoh, a feeling that he is going his own way. Nakajima came to Noah from Diamond Office/Kensuke Office and is the "older brother" (sibling student) of Masa Kitamiya.
King Tany
Noah Born. The eternal question of "What to do with Taniguchi", has remained unanswered for years with Taniguchi being variously himself, the monster Maybach Taniguchi, and now a Funky Disco King complete with unlit cigar, gold crown, gold chain and yellow boa. His seniors and grand seniors have not viewed this favorably. Tany seems to be having the time of his life, although Funky Express cannot be said to have gotten any significant results.
Noah's younger generation/next generation
(These are those who are set apart from the "Mid generation/Golden Era" as either they were not in Noah at the time or debuted afterwards)
Daiki Inaba
Inaba first showed up in Noah at "Noah Sanctuary" in 2021 with a challenge to Kaito Kiyomiya, with whom he has since formed an alliance with. Inaba signed with Noah in 2022 as a full time roster member, and despite his conflicts with Naomichi Marufuji, was encouraged to break out of his shell, show his former W-1 members that he was a champion there and would be one here too.
Kaito Kiyomiya
Noah Born. The prince of Noah, The Supernova, and the leader of Noah's next generation. Kiyomiya holds the record for being Noah's youngest GHC Heavyweight Champion at only 22, but since then has not been able to capture the crown for the second time. Falling from the path for a while and into a period of despair, he is back with a newer and wiser attitude, not as idealistic as he was but tougher in outlook.
Kazuyuki Fujita
"The Beast" signed with Noah in early 2022 soon after winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship and much to Kendo Kashin's surprise, became less a beast and more a human. Polite to the press, declining beer, and visiting the dojo to present luxury foods to the trainees, Kashin suspects that there is more going on here than just Fujita turning over a new leaf. Despite the infamous hour stare off with Go Shiozaki, and the parodies that have followed, in the ring Fujita is all business.
Kenoh
Noah's most angry man came to the promotion from Michinoku Pro in 2014 as a junior, teaming with Hajime Ohara as Kenohara. With the dissolution of Super Violent Army, he went heavyweight and won the GHC in 2017. Kenoh having once been a junior brings that element to the heavyweight division, as it is usually him who will cause backstage fights, or intrude into matches. Kenoh is the leader of "Kongoh", a rebel group who claim to act according to what they believe in, but in reality it's groups like The Sugiura Army (who Kenoh characterizes as "old men" who have a good time), who seem much happier. Kenoh is also the only original member left.
Kinya Okada
Noah Born. Somewhat of a lone wolf, Kinya Okada is still chasing that first win. Taught by Katsuhiko Nakajima how to kick, he is developing his silent and deadly character. Heavily influenced by Showa era wrestling (another hark back to Noah's Four Pillars/Baba/Tsuruta & Tenryu All Japan roots), his style continues to develop.
Manabu Soya
One of the ultra heavyweights, one thing Noah fans love seeing is his interactions with the others in that league, matches with Fujita and Inamura especially. A terse and silent wrestler, Go Shiozaki commented that he is the perfect opponent as his emotions are displayed right there and then in the ring when fighting him. Fans hope that one day the team of himself and Masa Kitamiya will be resurrected.
Masa Kitamiya
The incarnation of his mentor, Masa Saito, Kitamiya embodies both his look and style. This is not some imitation however, this is a resurrection. Kitamiya continues to grow stronger and stronger, much to the chagrin of the veterans who find they can't knock down he who was once a "cute junior" and to his opponents.
Yoshiki Inamura
Noah Born. Noah have never had a strongman before, and Inamura has introduced elements of that into the Noah dojo with both juniors and heavyweights training with his tires. Go Shiozaki and Tadasuke in particular. Like most wrestlers in their early years it took Inamura a while to find who he wanted to be; being variously a tag team with Masa Kitamiya, a member of Kongoh, and a member of Kiyomiya's new generation. Inamura has settled into form with continuing the tag with Masa Kitamiya, while being part of Kiyomiya's new generation. As well as competing in the ZERO-1 Fire Festival, Inamura has received high praise from Jun Akiyama, KENTA, Masato Tanaka and Kenta Kobashi.
Ultra heavyweights
Akitoshi Saito
Kazuyuki Fujita
Manabu Soya
Masa Kitamiya
Yoshiki Inamura
Juniors
(The juniors do not have the hierarchy that the heavyweights do, but what makes this division different is the fact that it is often complete chaos; fights break out before and after matches, people attack each other backstage, mass brawls break out between the entire division from time to time, championship belts are used as weapons, matches are intruded into, referees get roughed up, screw overs and switches and unit changes are common)
Alejandro
High flyer. Formerly silent member of Kongoh known as Aleja, he is now a member of the Noah Junior Regulars.
Atsushi Kotoge
Kotoge made the rare move from being a heavyweight back to being a Noah Junior a couple of years ago, and since has become swept up in the maelstrom of the division. Currently a member of the Noah Junior Regulars, Kotoge is one half of the Noah Junior tag champions with YO-HEY.
Daisuke Harada
The former leader of RATELS, the leader of The Noah Junior Regulars, and kind of the unofficial leader of the Noah Juniors as a division (whether they like it or not). Harada is brilliant. His matches with Hajime Ohara are a rare jewel that Noah keep tucked away for special occasions, and he rarely has bad matches. Harada is the instigator of the N-Innovation, and the main force behind not letting the heavyweights overshadow the juniors. Harada has stated that he has one final goal in Noah, the GHC Heavyweight Championship, but has no plans to leave the juniors any time soon.
Hajime Ohara
Ohara has undergone a metamorphosis recently. Heartbroken over the dissolution of FULL THROTTLE when YO-HEY joined Perros Del Mal De Japon and Seiki Yoshioka joined STINGER, he himself found a measure of happiness in The Noah Junior Regulars. That was until YO-HEY joined, and Kotoge and he challenged for the junior tag belts. Ohara left for Kongoh and is now challenging for the junior tag belts. Once an oasis of calm in the midst of a sandstorm, Ohara is now dark, angry and vengeful, even towards the trainees, the people he was once the most sympathetic towards.
Haoh
Haoh left Kongoh and joined with the Noah Junior Regulars, sparking a backlash from Nioh, which has never really ended. One of the smallest on the roster and in the division, Haoh relies on his speed when facing larger opponents.
HAYATA
It's ironic that quiet shy HAYATA should be chosen as the division ace. Naturally reticent, HAYATA says he does all his talking in the ring, and when he does it's usually in a dark and sadistic manner, and with a grin when beating up on opponents. HAYATA is a member of STINGER, a silent and secretive unit.
Junta Miyawaki
Noah Born. Miyawaki is recently starting to come into his own. Targeted by H.Y.O in the DragonGate Z-Brat invasion, who basically said he had no presence, Miyawaki has a big singles match coming up to defend the Noah Junior pride. Debuting shortly after Kaito Kiyomiya, he is kind of like his second in command when it comes to the younger trainees.
Nioh
Silent member of Kongoh, who lets the wilder Tadasuke speak for him. Nioh's character has been given a boost by the defection of Haoh, in which he displayed some more focused and enthusiastic wrestling than he has done for a while. This has stayed with Nioh's character, which has pushed him a little more into the forefront and made him into more of a force to be reckoned with.
NOSAWA Rongai
Leader of Perros Del Mal De Japon, the Noah Junior heel group, hated by every Noah Junior. NOSAWA wears the name of "Tezcatlipoca" on his trunks, who was the Aztec god of darkness, the night and of trickery. Like Tezcatlipoca, NOSAWA also wears two lines on his face. More of a thug than a sadist, and not afraid to break the rules by cheating, NOSAWA does not always come up on the winning side however.
Seiki Yoshioka
The man with the kicks in the Noah Junior division, Yoshioka came to Noah from W-1 during the pandemic as a freelancer, and eventually signed with the promotion as a full time member. He was first in The Sugiura Army as a member of their now defunct junior division, then he joined FULL THROTTLE. However, he soon grew tired of YO-HEY'S "Perron" and Hajime Ohara's "Mui-Bien" and turned on them to join STINGER whereby he changed look from nice boy to bad-boy. He is currently injured due to broken bones in the foot.
Tadasuke
The Noah Junior who wrestles with the strength of a heavyweight. No one else in this division is able to throw such devastating lariats as Tadasuke, who has taken a lot of inspiration in technique from Kodo Fuyuki. The loudspeaker of the Kongoh Juniors, and the tag partner of Hajime Ohara, Tadasuke hopes to take the tag titles from YO-HEY and Atsushi Kotoge.
Yasutaka Yano
Noah Born. Noah's most recent trainee debut, and Yoshinari Ogawa's favorite pupil. Yano has had a meteoric career for one so young; momentum wins over NOSAWA Rongai, a singles win over Kai Fujimura, a singles match at Noah vs New Japan, and an unofficial member of STINGER too. His hero is Kotaro Suzuki.
YO-HEY
The seemingly perpetually happy and high flying YO-HEY, has finally found a unit he fits into since the dissolution of FULL THROTTLE. He was not a good fit into Perros Del Mal, who turned on him over a title challenge that NOSAWA did not want to do, and so he joined the Noah Junior Regulars. Hajime Ohara has warned them not to trust YO-HEY as he changes units on whim, but for now, reunited with RATELS member, Daisuke Harada and one half of the current junior tag champions, it doesn't seem like a change is too imminent.
Freelancers, outside wrestlers & foreign wrestlers (I have included Eddie Edwards as he is a Noah wrestler, and those who are scheduled to come to Noah in 2022)
Alpha Wolf
Formerly in Noah as "El Hijo de Canis Lupus"
Chris Ridgeway
Ridgeway came to Noah pre pandemic, fitted in so well to the Noah Junior division as a member of STINGER, fans consider him to be part of the division. He will return as part of the unit in April 2022 at Sumo Hall.
Dragon Bain
Luchadore and brother of Alpha Wolf, formerly in Noah with his brother pre-pandemic.
Eddie Edwards
"Golden Era Gaijin", who is considered to be Noah Born. The last one left from that era in Noah as far as gaijin go, and the only one to be a GHC Heavyweight Champion. Edwards refers to Noah as "coming home" when he does appear, and outside of Noah proudly holds the distinction of being a Noah wrestler. Edwards belongs in the same category as dojo friend Go Shiozaki, part a Noah veteran and senior, and part mid generation. He was also a Noah junior at one time, which like Kenoh, probably counts for the havoc he causes in IMPACT.
Eita
DragonGate. At the time of writing he is the current GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. Powerful, smug, malicious, Eita has carved out a path for himself humiliating Yoshinari Ogawa by pouring water on him. Typical behavior for members of Perros Del Mal De Japon. Following his appearance in the shower via video stream at a press conference, Eita went one step further soon after winning the title by humiliating HAYATA not only with water, but by a "shampoo session", in which HAYATA was soaped and then forced to look at the cameras. HAYATA challenged for the belt by intruding into Eita's next match and bloodying him. This is going to be a dark and vicious war between the two of them.
El Texano Jnr
A member of "Perros Del Mal" (Mexican) and a friend of NOSAWA Rongai and Super Crazy, he will be coming to Noah in 2022.
Extreme Tiger
Will be coming to Noah in 2022. Daisuke Harada remembers him from Osaka Pro.
El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jnr
Before the pandemic, El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jnr and Renee Dupree, as members of The Sugiura Army, won the GHC Heavyweight Tag Championships. However, they had to leave Noah due to Coronavirus and so were stripped of the titles. Returning to Noah soon and with a promised shot at the titles by Noah, he and Dupree may find the champions are their own team or else Kongoh's Kenoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima.
Hideki Suzuki
One half of the current GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions. Suzuki left Noah to go to WWE NXT. His time overseas was frustrating as not only did he lose his job, he was also a victim of card fraud and a hit and run accident when someone hit his car and drove off. Returning, he teamed with Takashi Sugiura and won the belts. A good fit into The Sugiura Army as he does have an air of sarcasm and don't care, and a good fit for the Noah heavyweights due to both his size and his background in catch wrestling which also compliments his unit.
Ikuto Hidaka
Member of Perros Del Mal De Japon. Former BattlArts guy who Mohammed Yone is dismayed by his thuggish look. Yone and Masaaki Mochizuki discussed their shared background, and how if anything was different, the three might reunite.
Kai Fujimura
Former W-1 rookie who has come to Noah. He's kind of been adopted by the Noah Junior Regulars, and has blossomed under their teaching. Still a little behind Yasutaka Yano, who he has a friendly rivalry with, Fujimura continues to make strides including a small feud with Tadasuke.
Kazushi Sakuraba
A member of The Sugiura Army. Good natured Sakuraba, was introduced by Takashi Sugiura to KENTA as "the one who brings the comedy". I'm not sure how Sakuraba gets through the day as he asks Sugi's advice on how to watch VHS tapes or whether a machine to dry futons when he wanted to warm one was good for purpose, but in the ring he's focused enough when he brings down opponents with MMA style holds.
Kendo Kashin
If Noah had a poltergeist, then thy name would be Kendo Kashin. Wherever Kashin goes, trouble follows usually in the form of King Tany who he has dragged from the locker room and is scuffling with, a chair or even a steel barrier that he has bought to the ring, or a balcony who he is trying to throw someone off. Kashin is probably also the only person who can truly scare Kenoh, as during his challenge for the GHC National he practically stalked him.
Kotaro Suzuki
Noah's very first Noah Born and the person who knows Yoshinari Ogawa best. Their relationship has often been volatile, and usually Ogawa cannot stand the sight of him as he knows that Kotaro knows how to get into his head better than anyone. Recently, Ogawa has taken to wrestling while pointedly staring at Kotaro, and provoking arguments between NOSAWA and himself. Fans have said that it will only take one more argument however as the relationship between them is fragile. Aside from Ogawa and NOSAWA, Kotaro is growing recently to resemble Misawa.
Masaaki Mochizuki
DragonGate. One of the heavyweights who utilizes kicks, and a former member of the M's alliance. He remains close to Naomichi Marufuji, but is currently without a unit.
Masato Tanaka
A former member of the M's alliance, he kind of gravitated more towards Takashi Sugiura whose tag partner he is in the "Bullet Yankees" and now seems to be an unofficial member of The Sugiura Army. Tanaka is on a quest to capture a belt in the heavyweight division, but has so far been unsuccessful. It is only a matter of time. His greatest rival, aside from Kazuyuki Fujita, is probably Yoshiki Inamura who he says that each time they fight, Inamura becomes stronger and more difficult to beat.
Masakatsu Funaki
Funaki left the M's alliance to join Kongoh. He is not your classic member with an axe to grind against authority, but rather he seems to want to bring some fun to the unit. Kenoh, with his hatred of old people, refuses to admit that Funaki is in that category, even if Funaki does not know what LINE is as he does not use social media, and is in his 50s. Despite his Kongoh associations, Funaki remains loyal to his old unit in some ways by saying he wants to hold on to the GHC National until Keiji Mutoh returns as he wants to fight him for it.
Masao Inoue
Masao Inoue has not been seen in Noah recently, but I have included him on the list for now. A member of "Funky Express", he is the target of pretty much everyone in Noah due to his bumbling ways. Takashi Sugiura stalks him with his camera, Naomichi Marufuji stole his chocolates (and according to Takashi Sugiura his subject), Masakatsu Funaki destroyed him in under a minute, Akitoshi Saito tea-bagged him, and Inoue once tried to outwit Yoshinari Ogawa. Inoue is the unlikely student of Toshiaki Kawada, who once threatened him with divine retribution for autographing over his face by accident.
Ninja Mac
Junior wrestler, masked high flyer. Coming to Noah in April 2022 for the Junior night at Sumo Hall initially.
Rene Dupree
A former GHC Heavyweight Tag Champion, Dupree will return to Noah in 2022. Known for his speed, his size and his power in the division, he was equally beloved backstage by his solution of using beer (usually a different brand) to smooth over any difficulty in The Sugiura Army.
Simon Gotch
Coming to Noah in 2022. Fans are looking forward to his interactions and saying that Misawa would have enjoyed his work too.
SLEX
SLEX was last seen in Noah in the summer of 2013. He will be returning in 2022.
Super Crazy
Super Crazy has been appearing in Noah since 2012, and is currently a member of Perros Del Mal De Japon. Super Crazy is a former GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion, and has recently been looking to add to his list.
Yuya Susumu
Susumu came to Noah as a masked and silent companion of Kotaro Suzuki as"Salvahe de Oriente", who would team with him against STINGER. Unfortunately for Kotaro, his companion didn't turn up at the title match signing stating "traffic" and then in the title match turned on him. HAYATA unmasked him as Yuya Susumu, his old friend from WrestleGate. Susumu then joined STINGER and with the later addition of Seiki Yoshioka, the three "Hiroshima boys" where back together. Susumu's in ring style is brutal. He can rival Yoshinari Ogawa and Hajime Ohara as a technician, and fans cannot wait for a singles match.
Note: At the time of writing, Susumu wrestled his last match for FREEDOMS, and it is expected that he will join with Noah full time. Nothing further has been said about this though.
Terminology
"Noah Born": Name given to Noah's homegrown talent i.e. boys who have debuted in Noah. This is not applied to anyone who has come to Noah from the outside.
"Junior": This term can mean anyone who is junior to the veterans, or the Noah Junior division who are cruiserweights.
Current units
Funky Express
Leader: Mohammed Yone
Current members: King Tany, Akitoshi Saito, Masao Inoue
About: Noah's Disco Kings. Unfortunately unlike the other units they don't have a history of title belts held or title challenges, despite their talk. Their win ratio has been dismal with wins over much less experienced wrestlers, not usually bigger and more experienced ones. They are complete fan favorites though with fans loving to cosplay in the big afro wigs and the flashing glasses.
Kongoh
Leader: Kenoh
Current members: Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masakatsu Funaki, Manabu Soya, Tadasuke, Nioh, Hajime Ohara.
About: Rebel unit who dress in red. Kenoh declares that they do what they want in their own way, but people actually seem happier when they leave to join other units.
Perros Del Mal De Japon
Leader: NOSAWA Rongai
Current members: Eita, Super Crazy, Kotaro Suzuki, Ikuto Hidaka
About: Offshoot of The Sugiura Army. Junior members didn't really fit in to The Sugiura Army, so NOSAWA created his own in the Noah Juniors naming it after a heel unit in Mexico, of which Super Crazy is/was a member. Characterized by thuggishness, underhand tactics and cheating.
STINGER
Leader: Yoshinari Ogawa
Current members: HAYATA, Seiki Yoshioka, Yuya Susumu, Chris Ridgeway (unofficially Yasutaka Yano)
About: Created by Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki and YO-HEY, but now only Ogawa is left. STINGER are known for being dark and reclusive. A hidden undercurrent is the connection between HAYATA, Seiki Yoshioka and Yuya Susumu, which Yoshinari Ogawa does not share.
The Noah Junior Regulars
Leader: Daisuke Harada
Current members: Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Junta Miyawaki, Alejandro, Haoh (unofficially Kai Fujimura)
About: Characterized as "a unit who pick up members their own units have dumped in the trash" by Kotaro Suzuki, the Noah Junior Regulars do have a way of picking up those who have been cast out for any reason. The unit which lies most closely to the heart of the division, they have been responsible for protecting the divisions interests such as the N-Innovation project.
Note: Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge together are known as "Momo No Seishun" (The Peaches of Youth).
The Sugiura Army
Leader: Takashi Sugiura
Current members: Hideki Suzuki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin, Kazunari Murakami, Daisuke Nakamura, KENTA (the most reluctant and embarrassed member, who told Sugi that the t-shirt was corny), Masahiro Chono
About: Kenoh passes them off as a bunch of light hearted old men who see Noah as giving them pocket money, but The Sugiura Army are probably the happiest unit in Noah. Known for doing as they please, they continually wind up Kenoh with their antics i.e. Sugi and Saku going out for a drink, and Saku claiming he's forgotten his wallet. The Sugiura Army are characterized by members who have a background in MMA or else a variant like Hideki Suzuki's Catch.
Current title holders
GHC Heavyweight Champion: Kazuyuki Fujita
GHC Junior Champion: Eita
GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki)
GHC Junior Tag Champions: The Noah Junior Regulars (Atsushi Kotoge & YO-HEY)
GHC National Champion: Masakatsu Funaki
Even as an avid watcher of NOAH the last 2 years I really enjoyed this read. Thanks so much for taking the time to write it!
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