(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: N-1 VICTORY 2022 (Aichi-Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall, Saturday August 27th)
Current scores going into the event
BLOCK A
Kenoh = 7 points (3 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw)
Hideki Suzuki = 7 points (3 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw)
Kazuyuki Fujita = 6 points (3 wins, 2 losses)
Masato Tanaka = 6 points (3 wins, 2 losses)
Go Shiozaki = 6 points (3 wins, 2 losses)
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr = 4 points (2 wins, 3 losses)
Anthony Greene = 2 points (1 win, 4 losses)
Masaaki Mochizuki= 2 points (1 win, 4 losses)
BLOCK B
Takashi Sugiura = 8 points (4 wins, 1 loss)
Satoshi Kojima = 8 points (4 wins, 1 loss)
Katsuhiko Nakajima = 6 points (3 wins, 2 losses)
Kaito Kiyomiya = 6 points (3 wins, 2 losses)
Jack Morris = 4 points (2 wins, 2 losses)
Masakatsu Funaki = 4 points (2 wins, 3 losses)
Masa Kitamiya = 4 points (2 wins, 3 losses)
Kinya Okada = 0 points (5 losses)
"A precious time for Kansai people"
People were lining up before the doors opened, one fan said they bought a friend to see pro wrestling for the first time. They were in for quite an evening. Before the event, The Noah Junior Regulars signed autographs and posed for pictures (they also sold tickets for the N Innovation afterwards) and fans seem to have playfully shortened Kotoge's name to "Toge".
NOSAWA Rongai materialized on commentary, fortunately, he did not make himself a nuisance in the ring. He will leave that until the Captain's Fall match tomorrow, when he says his target is HAYATA and HAYATA alone.
Event was broadcast on both ABEMA and WrestleUniverse. You must be a subscriber to view.
MATCH ONE
Dark Match
Akitoshi Saito & Stallion Rogers vs Yoshiki Inamura & Kai Fujimura
Stallion Rogers got into the groove with Akitoshi Saito and did a kind of funky dance to the ring. Saito did his cat dance. Yoshiki Inamura and Kai Fujimura did not dance. All four competitors shook hands, and Stallion started against Fujimura. Then it was Hoss fightin' time, and Inamura and Saito charged at each other like bulls. Despite the long hangtime that Saito did on Fujimura, Fujimura was successful in fighting back and he almost stole the pin too. Fujimura was saved from the lariat by Inamura the first time, kicked out the second, but was not lucky the third
WINNER: Akitoshi Saito with the Suikuru Death on Kai Fujimura (11 minutes & 14 seconds)
To celebrate, the winners did a mini cat dance and then they danced their way back from the ring.
MATCH TWO
N-1 VICTORY - A BLOCK
Kenoh vs Anthony Greene
Although he is the GHC Heavyweight Champion who leads A Block and Anthony Greene is on 2 points, Kenoh understands the hunger to win and was not going to be taking any chances. It is rare Kenoh becomes cocky or complacent in matches to begin with. Greene lured Kenoh into kicking him outside the ring, and then capitalized on Kenoh's foot when he accidentally kicked the ring post. He was inventive in trying to defeat Kenoh, dodging the PFS so Kenoh hit his knees and turning pins into submissions when Kenoh kicked out. Greene even managed to reverse the choke that Kenoh goes for when he knows all else has failed, but Kenoh hung on and Greene tapped.
WINNER: Kenoh with the Dojime Sleeper Hold (11 minutes, 14 seconds)
Kenoh = 9 points (4 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw)
Anthony Greene = 2 points (1 win, 5 losses)
Kenoh wins, but he's not yet safe. His victory and tomorrow depends on what happens in the rest of the block. The N-1 is like a blackjack wheel, everything can change on just one spin.
MATCH TWO
N-1 VICTORY - B BLOCK
Masa Kitamiya vs Kinya Okada
For both of them the N-1 might be over, but to Kinya Okada that didn't matter as he wanted points and the fans were behind him to get it. Masa Kitamiya has been called "The Last Showa Born Heel", while Kinya Okada wrestles that era style, even dropping elbows on Kitamiya. A nostalgic move.
Okada caught Kitamiya on the momentum to go for the pin, but Kitamiya caught him in a sub which made it very difficult for him to go anywhere, and sadly he tapped.
WINNER: Masa Kitamiya with the Stretch Muffler Hold (6 minutes, 9 seconds)
Masa Kitamiya = 6 points (2 wins, 3 losses)
Kinya Okada = 0 points (6 losses)
MATCH THREE
N-1 VICTORY - A BLOCK
Hideki Suzuki vs El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr offered Hideki Suzuki a handshake, but Suzuki ignored it. He was right to be on his guard and not trust anything that his opponent did. He had said he was aware of how strong he was and how he had the ability to take the win out of nowhere. After mat wrestling, Suzuki used El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Junior's strategy of surprise against him.
WINNER: Hideki Suzuki with the European Clutch (12 minutes, 46 seconds)
Hideki Suzuki = 9 points (4 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw)
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr = 4 points (2 wins, 4 losses)
MATCH FOUR
N-1 VICTORY - B BLOCK
Masakatsu Funaki vs Jack Morris
"A different confrontation"
A clash of styles with the ever adaptable Jack Morris being taken down to the mat. I don't think there is any style that Morris cannot do, and he countered by using quick strikes. Funaki, the master chess player as Akitoshi Saito likened him to, countered with the same.
WINNER: Masakatsu Funaki with the Hybrid Blaster (8 minutes, 44 seconds)
Masakatsu Funaki = 6 points (3 wins, 3 losses)
Jack Morris = 4 points (2 wins, 2 losses)
MATCH FIVE
Dragon Bane, Alejandro & YO-HEY vs Atsushi Kotoge, Seiki Yoshioka & Alpha Wolf
Wild Noah Junior match, but with very new melee brawls. It was not wild in the way that things get when two rival units face each other, but more in the way that everyone was excited, so it wasn't like the warring states. Seiki Yoshioka was a little less hesitant as I think he knows now what to expect when facing YO-HEY and Atsushi Kotoge used his MMA training, especially in his use of ground submissions.
WINNER: Dragon Bane with Arras de Inferno on Alpha Wolf (12 minutes, 18 seconds)
MATCH SIX
N-1 VICTORY - A BLOCK
Kazuyuki Fujita vs Masaaki Mochizuki
Work the knees Masaaki Mochizuki and work the knees Kazuyuki Fujita. Fujita had the advantage here due to his size and strength, while Mochi utilized what he could, even the ringspot. Mochi hung on in the ankle lock, but breaking it seemed to fire Fujita up and after he screamed "come on", Mochi went for a kick, a pin and Fujita kicked out by practically throwing him half way across the ring. Mochi knew that he had to be inventive against Fujita and turned the palm slap into a sliding weapon. Fujita showed him how it was done and they got into a war which ended with Fujita punting Mochi's head off his shoulders.
WINNER: Kazuyuki Fujita with the Face Kick (8 minutes, 43 seconds)
Kazuyuki Fujita = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
Masaaki Mochizuki= 2 points (1 win, 5 losses)
Mochi, dazed, was rolled out of the ring carefully and taken backstage supported between Yoshiki Inamura, Kai Fujimura and a trainee who held an icepack to the back of his neck.
MATCH SEVEN
N-1 VICTORY - B BLOCK
Kaito Kiyomiya vs Takashi Sugiura
Takashi Sugiura found that this was a very different Kaito Kiyomiya to who he knew in the past, but the Noah seniors encourage this in their younger wrestlers. Kiyomiya went for the flashing elbow early and some variations of The Shining Wizard, which he says he is adapting to make his own. He knew that if he lost then he was out, Sugi was determined to bring that eventuality nearer and even removed the mats outside the ring and drove Kiyomiya's head into the concrete. Kiyomiya was fighting to win and the luck he seems to have when fighting Sugiura came through again, with the help this time of about five Shining Wizards.
WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with Shining Wizard (19 minutes, 30 seconds)
Takashi Sugiura = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
Kaito Kiyomiya = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
MATCH EIGHT
N-1 VICTORY - A BLOCK
Go Shiozaki vs Masato Tanaka
Go Shiozaki has never defeated Masato Tanaka before, tallying up in the past a catalogue of league and title losses, tonight that was all going to change however and the two put on a war when elbows met chops in this match that would not have looked out of place in Noah's Golden Era.
WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the Strong Arm Lariat (15 minutes, 54 seconds)
Go Shiozaki = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
Masato Tanaka = 6 points (3 wins, 3 losses)
MATCH NINE
N-1 VICTORY - B BLOCK
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Satoshi Kojima
Katsuhiko Nakajima hunted Satoshi Kojima in the opening stages of the match, never once taking his eyes off of him and watching his every movement. Nakajima had said that as a young boy he would watch Kojima wrestle in New Japan, and now as a wrestler himself, he has happy to find that Kojima has lost none of his brilliance. But that is where the lingering nostalgia for the past ended, this was no cherished retirement match dream, this was the N-1 and Nakajima was here to win. He kept his ego in check for the most part, although he did allow himself a Shutter Chance tour of the ring, and when Kojima flexed and Nakajima did the same, it was like a wolf baring his teeth.
Kojima was able to break through at various points, most memorably the vicious apron shots between the two which followed Kojima capitalizing on Nakajima being half on the apron and half in the ring, and being told off by the referee. The Western Lariat was kicked sky-high almost.
WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima (24 minutes, 44 seconds)
Katsuhiko Nakajima = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
Satoshi Kojima = 8 points (4 wins, 2 losses)
Nakajima addressed the crowd;
"Everyone in Nagoya, did you enjoy this year's hottest N-1? Only I can show this year's N-1 "Three consecutive victories", I'll show you. Keep an eye on it! Thank you"
With thanks to: Hiro, Sekidon & Take
Noah's next event: N-1 VICTORY Qualifying Night (Kultz Kawasaki, Sunday 28th August 2022)
GIF taken from: Atsushi Kotoge's Instagram & WrestleUniverse
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