(NOAH) How Kenoh took Noah back to The Budokan

14th June 2022

Noah.note.co.jp

"I'll take all you assholes to The Budokan! It will be Kenoh who will build this era of Noah...follow me!"

This is what Kenoh said on the mic after winning the "Global League" match (now the N-1 VICTORY) at Noah's Korakuen Hall event on November 19th 2017. Now that the Nippon Budokan has been run for the first time in ten years and two months on February 21st 2021, you shouldn't be surprised. But, for Noah at that time, running the Nippon Budokan was unrealistic. On November 1st 2016, Pro Wrestling Noah Co., Ltd announced the transfer of business to Estby Co., Ltd (the company name was changed to Noah Global Entertainment Co., Ltd on the 7th). In December of the same year, the conflict with the Suzuki Army ended, and the aim was to revitalize the company. However, Noah, after the withdrawal of The Suzuki Army was, to put it bluntly, a promotion lacking in strength. It sounds good to hear that the company was being revitalized, but in the heavyweight division Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jnr and others left a vacant space. Although there were the mainstays of Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura, Go Shiozaki (who returned to his old home in November 2015) was still rejected by fans, and it was a time when Katsuhiko Nakajima's true value of GHC Heavyweight Champion was being questioned. 

Meanwhile, Kenoh turned to the heavyweight division in 2017. Since 2014 with Noah as his main battlefield, he was the main axis of the junior division, such as becoming the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion, but from the point of view of his original potential, this was not a satisfying activity. 

More higher...in other words, in order to aim for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, which is the pinnacle of Noah, he changed division to serve as a detonated for the heavyweights, who were lacking in strength. 

Kenoh breathed new life into the heavyweight division, which had been forced to rebuild since the withdrawal of the Suzuki Army. Suddenly at the Osaka event on January 21st 2017, he took the GHC Tag Team Championship (with partner Masa Kitamiya), and in July he left an impact in ZERO1's singles league "Fire Festival" which was coupled with his stimulating words and actions. He displayed his prominence one after the other. With that momentum, he made his declaration "I will take you to The Budokan" right after the first victory in "Global League". Fans were excited at the possibility of it happening, but they knew it wasn't possible right away. Kenoh was well aware of that. On top of that, although to Noah fans it may be impossible, but he dared to give hope to the dream that they all wanted to come true, even though it was delivered to "fucking assholes". 

So, why did Kenoh raise a Nippon Budokan event, which sounded like a pipe dream? He said this in an interview, 

"Speaking of Noah, it's not Ryogoku Kokugikan. It's not the Saitama Super Arena either. It's not the Tokyo Dome. Noah fans want to go to the Nippon Budokan the most. I don't have sweet thoughts of going in one month, two months, six months or even one year. I think that it can be done by building steadily from small things over two or three years. Don't get me wrong, all the wrestlers and the fucking assholes would like to go to The Budokan. My statement was in the sense that we should all walk together. Instead of talking about the goal in front of you, you should say something that touches the heart of customers with bigger dreams. Korakuen is a hurdle to The Budokan, but it's not just Korakuen. I want to store that Noah energy in Osaka, Nagoya and many other cities. It is the job of pro wrestlers, to present dreams to fans, and it's a pity that Noah wrestlers haven't said that until now. I think that because I know The Budokan, but I don't know Noah's past, I am a new face and I'll blow a new wind." 

At that time the top of the Noah heavyweight division was Marufuji, Sugiura, Shiozaki and Nakajima, who had experienced the withdrawal from the Nippon Budokan and given the situation at the time, they knew how difficult it would be to re-enter. In order to break the feeling of being in a bind and to clarify where Noah should go in the future, Kenoh talked big at the time. 

On December 22nd 2017, at Noah's Korakuen Hall event, Kenoh took the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Eddie Edwards and achieved the feat of becoming the champion in his first challenge and declared, "Noah was created with Misawa, but the guy who didn't know him, was able to take the belt for the first time." Kenoh became the 30th champion. For more than sixteen years and eight months since Noah's establishment in April 2001, the GHC Heavyweight belt has been worn by wrestlers who have had contact with Misawa. He carved a new page into history*.

Kaito Kiyomiya, who made his triumphant return from overseas training, announced his challenge to Kenoh after the match. It was a battle that made history as it was the moment when the major confrontation of the axis of the current heavyweight division was completed.

As GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kenoh had rejected the challenge of Kiyomiya and Yuko Miyamoto, but lost to Takashi Sugiura in March 11th 2018. In the middle of his ambition to re-enter the Nippon Budokan, he had to yield the belt. However, by talking bigger, and increasing the approval rating of the fans while the unifying force of the promotion was declining, he became an important wrestler who was indispensable for Noah's heavyweight division. Since then, Noah have stepped up as a group with the leap of Kiyomiya and the eruption of the legend generation, Kenoh has always played his part at the forefront as the leader of the rebel group "Kongoh". 

The major turning point was joining CyberAgent and the Coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020. Noah was forced to cancel events like all other promotions, and while taking measures against the infection such as the photographers wearing protective clothing, Noah found a means of survival in empty arena matches broadcast on Internet TV "ABEMA" and pro wrestling streaming service "WRESTLEUNIVERSE". 

In a world where self-restraint has become commonplace, Noah continues to provide pro wrestling powerfully and pro-actively. Finally, on December 6th 2020 at the opening of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium No 2 in Tokyo, it was announced that the Nippon Budokan would be held for the first time on February 2020. Oddly, at that time Kenoh was building an era as the GHC National Champion with a fight which had a strong reminiscent color of the former UWF. At the Yoyogi event, where the re-entry of the Nippon Budokan was announced, he also rejected the challenge of Kazushi Sakuraba, who is a legend of MMA and was demonstrating a new ground as a pro wrestler in Noah. Incidentally, it is said that Keiji Mutoh also praised the content of the match. 

Regarding the official decision to run the Nippon Budokan, Kenoh said; 

"What I have been saying for a long time, will finally come true. I'll tell all you assholes this, there is no dream that won't come true! Dreams are there to become true! Dream very big, if you don't speak out then it shrinks. Did you think that Noah could return to the Nippon Budokan three years ago? Hey, I kept saying it and you started to keep it in mind a little, right? From there, the dream gradually approached. Okay, I will say this to you and all the fucking assholes, there may be inconvenience in the world today, but don't give up on your dreams. Keep chasing your dreams, and then they will come true."

Certainly, it was a dream story when Kenoh shouted, "I'll take you fucking assholes to The Budokan". However, after about three years of the microphone becoming the power of words, the Budokan was officially decided. 

On February 12th 2021, The Nippon Budokan was run for the first time in ten years and two months. Kenoh faced the dream stage for the first time as a pro wrestler* and the GHC National Champion, and rejected the challenge of Masakatsu Funaki, a child of UWF, at the end of a martial arts match. In the main event, Keiji Mutoh won the GHC Heavyweight Championship of Noah following the IWGP Heavyweight of New Japan and the Triple Crown of All Japan and highlighted that he had achieved the feat of conquering the three major titles in Japanese pro wrestling as the third person in history. However, in the semi final Kenoh had defeated the legend Funaki and "raised Noah to the top of the industry again". It was the epoch making of the pro wrestling world. 

When the second Nippon Budokan event was announced to be held on New Years Day of that year, Kenoh took a surprising action. Ironically, January 1st is Kenoh's birthday. The dream stage which equals The Nippon Budokan, which he has been talking about for a long time, was held on his 37th birthday, but there wasn't much to commemorate. Kenoh, who defeated Masaaki Mochizuki at the Yokohama Budokan on November 13th 2021, and became the GHC National Champion, said "My dream is the Nippon Budokan, but I have another one; to stand in the main there. But, in order to stand in the main, I need the GHC Heavyweight belt."

It was to be win or lose at the Yoyogi event on November 28th, but it came to a 60 minute draw and with both sides defending* as a result, Kenoh missed the main event appearance at the Nippon Budokan on his birthday. But, it must be said that he did make me feel extraordinary enthusiasm for the dream stage. 

On January 1st of this year, Kenoh defeated Kiyomiya as the GHC National Champion, and brilliantly said this after defending the belt on his birthday;

"It wasn't possible to enter at the end of the main event*, but it has been decided that two more shows will be held at The Nippon Budokan. There are still many opportunities, and I haven't given up and that is why I defended today. From now on, I will continue to get this belt and I will also get the GHC Heavyweight. And in July and next January, at the Nippon Budokan event, I will be the last to enter in the main"

At the same event, the Nippon Budokan was announced for Saturday July 16th this year and for Sunday January 1st next year. Kenoh's line of sight was already focused on the next dream stage. 

Following this, Kenoh lost to Masakatsu Funaki at the EDION Arena 2nd Stadium event in Osaka on January 22nd, and lost the GHC National Championship. At the GHC Heavyweight Championship, which was held at "CyberFight Festival 2022" at the Saitama Super Arena on June 12th, New Japan's Satoshi Kojima defeated the champion Go Shiozaki and achieved the fourth "Grand Slam" in history. Kenon took action at the very beginning of the crisis of the leaked gold. 

"Satoshi Kojima, I am very sorry that you are tired, but listen to just one word. Noah is not the destination for cushy jobs for New Japan! I have been thinking about this for the past few years. Keiji Mutoh, Kazuyuki Fujita and many others" Kojima, Noah is not the destination for New Japan to have cushy jobs! It looks like you have a surplus of past glory, and the future of Noah and CyberFight can't be seen! I will open up that future. Let me challenge for the most prestigious belt in Noah". 

Kojima, the new champion, agreed to the challenge and Kenoh's GHC Heavyweight bid was arranged. The stage of the decisive battle will take place at the Nippon Budokan event on July 16th. He cannot enter the third dream stage at the end, but if he defeats Kojima, then he can finally withdraw as the GHC Heavyweight Champion. To regain the gold at the main event of the Nippon Budokan, for Kenoh there is no situation that is so inspiring. Furthermore, if he can continue to defend as champion, then he will be able to enter at the Nippon Budokan event on January 1st next year, which will be his 38th birthday. 

On July 16th, it will be the responsibility of the "fucking assholes" to share the moment with Kenoh when his dream story becomes a reality together. Now is the time to keep up with Kenoh, who will build this era of Noah. 

Notes 

*At the time of writing, there have only been three GHC Heavyweight Champions who did not know Misawa: Kenoh, Kaito Kiyomiya and Kazuyuki Fujita.  

*He had only ever been here as a student as he had his graduation ceremony here.

*Belt vs Belt match, the winner won the GHC Heavyweight (which was held by Katsuhiko Nakajima) and the GHC National.

*"Enter at the end" - i.e. entering as champion who always makes the final entry and the final exit. 

Translated from an article by Hikaru Inoue of Weekly Pro, published on Noah.note.co.jp

Picture credit: Noah.note.co.jp