(NOAH) Neither Misawa or a copy of Mutoh! Kaito Kiyomiya talks about his N-1 Resolution

ABEMA TIMES

22nd July 2022

Five days from the Nippon Budokan on July 16th...from Korakuen Hall on July 21st, Pro Wrestling Noah has begun to move towards the biggest league of the year, the N-1 Victory 2022 (August 11th Yokohama Budokan - 3rd September Edion Arena Osaka 1st Stadium.) 

Kenoh, who defeated Satoshi Kojima at the Nippon Budokan and regained the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time in four years and four months, fought against Mohammed Yone, Yoshiki Inamura & Daiki Inaba as Kongoh with Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya. Kenoh, who insists that, "if you rely on veteran wrestlers, you can't see the future", defeated Yone with a deadly PFS. About Inamura and Inaba, who were not entered into the N-1, Kenoh blasted them with "You guys in the reserves, can never reach the top of the GHC. If it frustrates you, then move up a little!"

Although he lost the GHC Heavyweight Championship after losing to Kenoh, Kojima, who is making his first appearance in the N-1, fought against the foreign wrestler duo of Anthony Green and Stallion Rogers together with Atsushi Kotoge. In the match, Kotoge was defeated by Green's "Alternate Ending" (a modified pile driver) has entered into A Block , but although "I lost my championship belt, I can't help but throw myself into Noah's fulfilling battle, and have a lot of fun. Having entered into the N-1 League Match, I have been living a really happy life as a pro wrestler. Kenoh, Katsuhiko, Sugiura, Marufuji...there are many other attractive wrestlers in Noah. I will take it all in, and take the best in Noah again."

The wrestlers in B Block where Kojima has entered are the GHC National Champion Masakatsu Funaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Nakajima, Takashi Sugiura, Masa Kitamiya, Timothy Thatcher and Jack Morris. No matter who he fights, the combination is fresh. On the 11th August, he will clash with Takashi Sugiura in the opening match at the Yokohama Budokan.

The main event of the day was a six person tag with wrestlers shuffled from A and B blocks, which was named the "N-1 Scramble 6 Person Tag Match", Sugiura (B) & Kazuyuki Fujita (A) and Kiyomiya (B) and Go Shiozaki (A) & Masato Tanaka (A) and Kitamiya (B) fought. In terms of combination, Sugiura vs Kitamiya, Fujita vs Shiozaki, Fujita vs Tanaka and Kiyomiya vs Kitamiya are pre matches, but it was Fujita and Shiozaki who created sparks. Originally, the two were supposed to fight in the GHC Heavyweight Championship where Shiozaki challenged the champion Fujita at Ryogoku Kokugikan on April 30th. The match was canceled after Fujita returned the belt because he was infected with coronavirus. The story started when Shiozaki, destroyed Kiyomiya with a Gowan Lariat in the championship match, and became the new champion. Following that, the current flow when from Shiozaki to Kojima, and then Kojima to Kenoh. 

Fujita and Shiozaki will suddenly fight in the opening round at the Yokohama Budokan on the 11th August. Therefore, from the basic offense and defense such as arm and leg holds, there where tingles. Five minutes later, Fujita, who had caught Kitamiya in a Boston Crab, provoked Shiozaki who was waiting in the corner, by saying "Shio, come on! Come!". Later when Kiyomiya was attacked by Shiozaki, who blasted him, "Kiyomiya, return it! Did you beat Mutoh?!" 

As the match progressed, the six wrestlers heated up regardless of the N-1. Sugiura threw Tanaka following an elbow battle when he hit him with a German Suplex, Tanaka stood up immediately and did the Sliding D. Fujita and Kitamiya fought each other in shoulder tackles, and when Fujita hit Kitamiya with a forcible brainbuster, Kitamiya did not give an inch and fought back with a spear. 

In the end, it was a huge fight. 

Kiyomiya countered a Shiozaki German with a dropkick, which Shiozaki counterattacked with a powerful lariat, but Sugiura, who jumped into the ring, shot Shiozaki with an Olympic Qualifying Slam, Tanaka did a Sliding D on Sugiura, Fujita kicked Tanaka in the face, Kitamiya launched a Saito Suplex against Fujita, and the six of them lay spreadeagled out in the ring. From here on, the leading role was Kiyomiya's, who had defeated Keiji Mutoh in their fourth match which took place at the Nippon Budokan on July 16th. Sparks flew between Shiozaki's chops and Kiyomiya's elbows. When Shiozaki had Kiyomiya on the ropes, Kiyomiya countered with a jumping knee, running at tremendous speed. Without a break, he hit another jumping knee and then a Tiger Suplex! Shiozaki kicked out at two, but Kiyomiya moved to do a double armlock. He took the submission in the form of revenge for Ryogoku Kokugikan. Kiyomiya had been given three sacred treasures from Mutoh, who said "As a reward for winning against me, I will give him the Dragon Screw, The Figure Four and The Shining Wizard." But Kiyomiya won without using them at all. Kiyomiya's strong resolution was reflected in this. 

Following Mutoh's remarks, fans voiced pros and cons and of course there were some who welcomed them and some who said, "He will be a copy of Mutoh, won't he?" and "I want you to compete as original." Under such circumstances, Kiyomiya, who won, said on the microphone "I think I am still immature, and I think there are some parts that I haven't reached yet. But from now on, I want to make the pro wrestling of our generation. I will show you our wrestling!" 

Backstage Kiyomiya said, "I want to cherish what I learned from Mutoh, and take the N-1 by myself. I have thought about that day at The Budokan very much, but ultimately I want to make something that is unique to me. I want to bring it out, so I want to find it by the N-1 at all costs". 

Actually, Mutoh's transfer remarks had a preface, saying "Speaking of his weaknesses, the finisher is not good. It's just the Tiger Suplex and the small missile." In addition, Mutoh has always said about Kiyomiya, "Dexterity is poor. It's a strong claim that it is like a powder burn, and so I think there is something a little lacking."

Kiyomiya may have perceived this as an issue posed by Mutoh, rather than a statement made at transfer, so it may be when he is convinced that he has established Kaito Kiyomiya that he can use the three sacred treasures. 

Expected to be Mitsuharu Misawa II from the time of his debut, he is now said to be the successor to Keiji Mutoh, but Kiyomiya strives to create original works that are not copies of anyone and to create pro wrestling for his own generation. That is the future of Pro Wrestling Noah. 

Translated from ABEMA TIMES

Picture credit: ABEMA TIMES