(NOAH) A look back to the time when the company was launched 22 years ago by Pro Wrestling Noah Referee Shuichi Nishinaga

Note.Noah.Co.Jp

5th August 2022

Hello everyone, I am Referee Shuichi Nishinaga.

The anniversary of Pro Wrestling Noah's founding is coming again this year, and for my first note I will look back on the time of when the company was launched 22 years ago. 

As you know, on August 5th and 6th 2000, Pro Wrestling Noah launched at Differ Ariake in midsummer. Tickets for the first two days were sold out in less than an hour as soon as they went on sale. 

Brilliant stage lighting.

Pyrotechnics

Signboards covering the entire stage

And now it's commonplace to enter from the center ramp*

At that time all of these were first attempts and were a great success. But the preparations were a lot of work. 

President Mitsuharu Misawa announced the establishment of Noah on June 16th. On August 5th and 6th, it was announced that two consecutive battles would be held. The office was still under construction on one floor of Differ Ariake, and had no partition doors or walls. In less than two months, we started from nothing. 

I was entrusted with the poster and ticket design. 

I was told by President Misawa, "First of all, I want you to get ready". But I didn't have the wrestlers publicity photos to make a design, there was only a logo designed by manga artist Tsuyoshi Adachi. 

First, we started with the costume shoot. 

We had the wrestlers gather at Differ Ariake, which has not yet been completed, and we shot it over two days. At that time, it was still in the age of film and not digital so it took several days from the time from the photo is taken until it was ready. I chose the pictures that arrived, scanned the pictures of the twenty-four wrestlers on my home computer, converted them into data and then there was the straight forward work of cutting them out. 

(As of 2022, Yoshinari Ogawa and Naomichi Marufuji are the only two left in Noah now out of a roster of twenty-four)

"Because it is Noah's Ark, how about being at sea?"

I still remember that when I asked President Misawa about it, he smiled at me and said "Meow". After several days and nights, the design was completed. I put the data onto an MD (not called a USB memory or SD card) and went to give it to a printing company, but it was hard to find a place that would do business with a newly established company...when I was a loss there was the printing company from the All Japan era, who said "Right now, the company cannot co-operate with Noah, but if Misawa, Eigen (Haruka)* are in trouble, I will personally co-operate" and he introduced me to a printing company. I managed to submit the manuscript, and a few days later, the poster was completed. 

Then there was a ring. 

You cannot have matches without a ring. 

The ring used to practice at the dojo, was purchased second hand. I managed to make a forcible request to the ironworks, an acquaintance of the staff at the time, for the ring for the match. 

A friend of President Misawa's introduced to me to a famous stage effects company. 

The brand "REVOLVER", which was launched by the now popular actor Arata Iura, designed and produced the wrestler uniforms* and t-shirts. 

And when Nippon Television could not relay the TV broadcast, it was likely to be a launch that wasn't shown on TV, but with the co-operation of Samurai TV through a certain person, broadcasting on SKY Perfect PPV was arranged. 

With the co-operation of various people, The Ark managed to set sail. 

It has been twenty-two years since then, the captain has changed and so has the crew. We were attacked by pirates and almost sank in stormy seas many times, but still thanks to the people who co-operated with us, and above all, the fans who supported us, thanks to you we have been able to come this far without lowering the sails. 

On August 5th, The Ark starts a new logbook. 

We will continue to sail together with everyone who supports us. 

Thank you for your support. 

Notes

*Before then the wrestlers had run the gauntlet and gone through the crowd in All Japan. Misawa soon did away with this in Noah, although it did happen in the early days at times. 

*Passed away in November 2016

*Back then the wrestlers would be given a specially designed tracksuit for the tour, this is another tradition that is no longer used. 

Translated from Note.Noah.Co.Jp 

Picture credit: Note.Noah.Co.Jp