(NOAH) The Supernova of Pro Wrestling, the future of The Ark as created by Kaito Kiyomiya.
Rolling Stone (Japan)
Note: This was written before the card change the next day.
Pro Wrestling Noah was established in 2000, with Mitsuharu Misawa as the core. Kaito Kiyomiya, "The Supernova" in the fifth year of his debut, has received great expectations as the entity that embodies the "Noah-ness" inherited through the history of the promotion over twenty years. While he must envy the position of legends such as Keiji Mutoh, Kazuyuki Fujita and Masakatsu Funaki showing a new scenery in Noah currently, his brilliance has never been lost.
What does "The Ark's Child", who is about to have a big match at Ryogoku Kokugikan think? From Kiyomiya's words we explore his current position, and the future ahead.
The Ark's Supernova who stood at the top in the third year of his debut
Kaito Kiyomiya decided to become a professional wrestler when he was thirteen years old.
Kiyomiya: I think the reason who I got hooked on pro wrestling was when I watched a match on rental video when I was in elementary school. It was a match between Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshihiro Takayama to determine the first GHC Heavyweight Champion. Even though I was a child, I was overwhelmed by the appearance of them standing up no matter how many times they were beaten up by each other. Misawa died in an accident when I was thirteen years old. When I heard the news, the first thing I thought was "Just as if I had got the courage and power of Misawa, I want to help someone next, no, I want to help Noah."
Since then, he continued training to become a pro wrestler in his own self taught manner. In fact, although qualified for Saitama Sakae High school, a prestigious wrestling school that had produced Noah's great senior, Naomichi Marufuji, he purposely entered public school
Kiyomiya: I had a strong desire to join Noah and become a pro wrestler, but Saitama Sakae was a private school, and the tuition fees were high. I couldn't think of bothering my parents with my selfishness, so I started going to the kickboxing gym because I thought I had to do something before taking the introductory test, but I misunderstood the time and couldn't go for half a year after all (smile)
Although this is a casual anecdote, a glimpse of the individuality of pro wrestler Kaito Kiyomiya can be seen. In any case, Kiyomiya entered Noah with almost no martial arts experience shortly after graduating from High School. He was nineteen years old. Six months after his entry, he made his debut. Although he lost to his senior, Hitoshi Kumano, who used a Boston Crab on the new trainee, it was his emerald green tights that left an impression on the fans. It goes without saying that this color, which is the key color of the costume worn by Mitsuharu Misawa, is the symbol of Noah. This alone conveyed the magnitude of the expectations of the promotion placed on Kiyomiya. In fact, less than two years after his debut, he was sent to Canada for overseas training.
After returning to Japan in January 2018, he challenged for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Despite losing, it was not an unusual story for a young man in the second year of his debut to challenge Noah's pinnacle*. Furthermore, in April of the same year, he won Global Tag League (his partner was Go Shiozaki) and in November he won the singles Global League*. He achieved the feat of winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship, setting the record as the youngest in history. He noticed that the nickname "Supernova" had been attached.
Outgrowing the mission of "Emerald Green" which he imposed on himself
Three years after his debut, he was at the top of the promotion.
Kiyomiya: I think it was because I was blessed with encounters. Yoshinari Ogawa, a grand senior, who taught the basics of pro wrestling to someone with no experience in martial arts, and it was a valuable encounter for me to be able to know the wider world through overseas expedition. It was also valuable to learn from Takashi Sugiura.
While Kiyomiya is definitely one of the "geniuses" of the pro wrestling world, on the other hand, his words and actions have always had an refreshing honor student impression. It is also fresh in my mind that a certain wrestler pointed out that Kiyomiya's "individuality" was "insufficient". Currently, in Noah, legends such as Kazuyuki Fujiya, Keiji Mutoh and Masakatsu Funaki are sweeping the heavyweight front, and in the junior front, individualistic wrestlers such as Eita & YO-HEY etc are fighting each other. At the centre of each are wrestlers who are not the so called "Noah Born", and unfortunately there is no Super Nova there. Of course, this "new blood" is exciting to the current Noah and leading to an increase in fans, but there are many who have a sickening feeling about it. Above all, it is Kiyomiya himself, a Noah Born who is always professing to "stand in the centre of Noah" and "enliven Noah", who has a feeling of sadness.
Kiyomiya: (On being told that I lack individuality) Even if I have feelings, I feel that I lack the power to convey them. It may not be an interesting answer, but in the end you have to keep saying what you believe, and keep showing it with your body. No matter what people say, I think it's a good idea to keep going. Of course, I am not satisfied with the current situation. I have to break through the extremely thick layer that includes people from outside such as Fujita, Funaki and Mutoh, as well as people who have protected Noah like Sugiura and Marufuji. I don't think I can stand in the centre of Noah otherwise.
His determination is shown in his current costume. He took off the emerald green that he had worn as proof of being "Noah's child" who inherited Misawa's wishes.
Kiyomiya: For the past year or two, I haven't seen much results and I didn't understand my own pro wrestling. My feelings of "standing in the centre of Noah" and "enhancing Noah" have not changed, but it may have come too heavy. This is also a story of encounter, but at that time I had the opportunity to fight Mutoh and was able to learn about the "richness" of pro wrestling. First of all, he taught me that "fighting for myself" is "for Noah". The fact that I took the plunge and changed my costume, is the manifestation of the change in feelings.
Following this, Kiyomiya literally developed a fight where he put everything behind him. Although, he missed out on the championship, he had a series of good matches that revealed his emotions in last years "N-1 Victory", just like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, pro wrestling Kiyomiya exploded his new individuality in the ring by stripping away the emerald green.
The day when Kiyomiya's individuality becomes tomorrow's Noah-ness
What is waiting to come is the big event "MAJESTIC 2022" at Ryogoku Kokugikan, which will be held for two days on April 29th and 30th 2022. The battle card group is exactly the "extremely thick layer" that stands in front of Kiyomiya. On the 29th, which spotlighted the momentum of the junior division, Kiyomiya has only one match therefore on the 30th. Moreover, his match is a non title match before the semi final. In addition, one of the opponents will be an "X", who will be unknown until the start of the match.
Kiyomiya: It's frustrating. In short, the existence of "X" is at the centre of the topic of this match. In fact, the reaction of the fans is only about the identity of "X", but the important thing about this match is not "X".
As Kiyomiya says, this match is actually of particular important in predicting Noah's future, because out of all twenty one matches over the next two days, this is the only battle that is composed of genuine Noah Born* with the condition that "X" is excluded. Moreover, opposite, is also Naomichi Marufuji.
Kiyomiya: Over two days there will be big matches at Ryogoku Kokugikan, it is the biggest event in Noah currently. I think this will be a really weighty match, because I am going to team with Yoshiki Inamura, who is Noah Born like me, and fight against Marufuji who has been carrying Noah. It goes without saying that we are particular about winning, but more than that, we want to attack Marufuji's wrestling head on and absorb it all. That is the only way I can move to the next stage. I want "X" hopefully to be a wrestler, who has a connection with Noah*, but no matter who the opponent is, the theme of showing "Noah-ness" will not change.
What I would like to pay attention to here is the keyword "Noah-ness" that Kiyomiya used. Since the establishment of Noah in 2000, the wrestlers in the ring have been particular about fighting with "Noah-ness". Fans who love Noah have been visiting the venue in search of "Noah-ness". By the way, what is "Noah-ness?". Mitsuharu Misawa, the founder of the promotion, described it as "sports-like". There was a time when "Only Noah" was used to describe the style of fighting violently and going beyond the limits by fans. In the words of the wrestler at the forefront, "commitment to results" that Go Shiozaki, the challenger to the GHC Heavyweight, repeated many times at the press conference it can be said that he clearly shows the "Noah-ness" that has been passed down to the present. So, how does Kaito Kiyomiya perceive "Noah-ness?"
Kiyomiya (after thinking about this for a moment): It's very difficult to put into words, but the fact that there is no "Noah-ness" that can be defined, may be the "Noah-ness" for me now. Of course, in terms of technique and mental aspects, there are things that have been passed down since Misawa's era. However, I wonder if that is the only thing that is "Noah-ness". I think that the individuality of each wrestler standing in Noah's ring should create the ongoing "Noah-ness", not just inheriting it. In that, I want to show the "Noah-ness" that I believe in. At the press conference held earlier, "X" was announced as "the most important person in Noah history". Expectations are high because of the touch you will only know who it is when you hear the entrance theme. In any case, there is no doubt that Kiyomiya will be the very best to stand at the centre of Noah by breaking through the "extremely thick layer". I would like to witness the moment when Kiyomiya's new individuality becomes "Noah-ness" at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Notes
*At that time Kenoh was the GHC Heavyweight Champion
*Global League became N-1 Victory
*Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura
*It was New Japan's Satoshi Kojima
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