(NOAH) "I'm using it, so it's my technique!" with Mutoh finisher at full power, Kaito Kiyomiya defeats Kenoh towards the culmination of their five year story

ABEMA Times

16th September 2022

On September 25th, this years N-1 Champion, Kaito Kiyomiya, will challenge the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kenoh, at The Dolphins Arena (Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium) in Nagoya. It started with the event at Korakuen Hall on September 15th. 

The card for the first round of the pre matches was an eight man tag between Kenoh, Masakatsu Funaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Manabu Soya's Kongoh and Kiyomiya, Jack Morris, Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba. It was not just Kenoh vs Kiyomiya, it was also a pre match between the champions Funaki and Kitamiya, who will have a National Title match on the 30th September in Niigata. As this was also a pre match between Nakajima and Inaba, who are scheduled to face off at Yokohama Radiant Hall on September 19th, the match heated up from the start. The climax of the match was the clash between Kenoh and Kiyomiya. 

Kenoh and Kiyomiya locked up first. After 15 minutes, Kenoh, who had blocked Kiyomiya's Shining Wizard, made a pro-wrestling LOVE pose after flaunting his own Shining Wizard! At the 16th July, Nippon Budokan, Kiyomiya was given The Dragon Screw, The Figure 4 and The Shining Wizard from Mutoh, so this must have been an emphasize that "anyone can imitate". At the 16th July Nippon Budokan, Kenoh wrested the GHC Heavyweight Championship away from Satoshi Kojima with his new special move, "Enrin" (moonsault double knee drop), but Kiyomiya avoided this. Next, all eight wrestlers got into a melee, with Kenoh and Nakajima hitting Kiyomiya in the middle of them with kicks to the front and back, making Kiyomiya into a punching bag. Still, Kiyomiya's spirit did not break. After returning Kenoh's kicks by a kick out at the count of 2, he returned the PFS with a dropkick. Following this, Kenoh exchanged middle kicks and Kiyomiya elbow smashes, and Kiyomiya's jumping knee. Then the Shining Wizard from a Dragon Screw, and Shining Wizard from behind to the back of the head, and a variation on the original Shining Wizard, but holding Kenoh's head with both hands! Kiyomiya won the first round of the battle, by pinning Kenoh with his modified Kiyomiya-style Mutoh finisher. 

When he was given the "Three Sacred Treasures" by Mutoh, Kiyomiya said "While cherishing what I have learned from Mutoh-san, I want to create something that is unique to me and bring it out". Kiyomiya dared to prohibited using Mutoh's finisher, but however, after suffering two losses in a row to Morris and Kitamiya in the N-1, he lifted this prohibition with the take that, "I can't pretend anymore." After this, he advanced to the championship with 5 wins in a row over Nakajima, Funaki, Kinya Okada, Takashi Sugiura and Kojima. In the championship he erupted with the variation of The Shining Wizard on Hideki Suzuki, and won the championship. 

There is no hesitation in Kiyomiya now. So after the match he said proudly, "Everyone may have their own opinion about my match, but I am using this, and so it is my technique". He also said, "I want it, because it is the belt that Kenoh is wearing. I have been with Kenoh for a long time, and I feel there is a distance between us, I have been aware of that since I joined Noah. There are times when he has been a barrier, and there have been times when we have teamed together. I don't want to lose because he is an opponent I really care about".

Looking back, Kiyomiya has spent his professional life chasing Kenoh. From March to June 2017, before leaving to train overseas, he studied under Sugiura and Kenoh wanting to become stronger. On June 25th of the same year at Big Palette Fukushima, Kenoh and Kiyomiya faced off for the first time for Kiyomiya's indefinite overseas training farewell match. Kiyomiya, who lost to Kenoh's Diving Footstamp (now the PFS), revealed his frustration said "When I come back, I'll beat everyone". Kenoh shouted at Kiyomiya, "He will come back to Noah even bigger, and while he is gone, I will grow too. Kiyomiya isn't going to be Noah's face. It's me!", suggesting that he would eventually become his rival. 

From this point on, the story of the rivalry between the two began. 

Half a year later, on December 12th, at Korakuen Hall, Kenoh defeated Eddie Edwards to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time, and Kiyomiya appeared there. 

"I have returned from overseas. I think I can beat Kenoh-san now. Let me challenge". Kenoh willingly agreed with, "Your eyes are more real than Noah's dumbass wrestlers". On the 6th January 2018, in the Korakuen Hall GHC match, Kenoh won by KO with a right high kick. Using this match as an opportunity, Kiyomiya parted ways with Kenoh and Sugiura. 

At the end of 2018, on December 16th at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Kiyomiya defeated the then GHC Heavyweight Champion, Sugiura, with the Tiger Suplex, becoming the shortest and youngest champion in history at the age of 22 years and 4 months, with only a 3 year career. Kenoh raised the challenge with, "Make Kiyomiya the face of Noah" drawn by the company and proceeding according to the script, where is the stimulation?" Kiyomiya won his first victory against Kenoh with The Tiger Suplex at Korakuen Hall on January 6th 2019, and succeeded in defending for the first time. Kenoh's attitude of sensing the trend to make Kiyomiya into a ace and resisting that, has not changed. Following this, on November 2nd 2019 at Ryogoku Kokugikan, where the GHC champion Kiyomiya, defeated N-1 champion Kenoh, Kenoh's debut as National Champion for the first time at the Yokohama Budokan on November 22nd 2020, this years New Year's Day when Kenoh defended the National Championship...the two men have always clashed at Noah's milestone shows. 

The champion, Kenoh, declared rebelliously, "Wrestling superstar Keiji Mutoh is retiring. As a follower of Keiji Mutoh, he has been entrusted with his techniques, but at the same time as Mutoh's retirement, the company is trying to create a new star for Noah. Will this kind of company and the media be able to follow the beautiful story envisioned and be stimulated by it? I will destroy it and picture it. I don't go along with beautiful tales. The only who can take Noah to a newer and higher stage is me, who will win the title match this time!". Kiyomiya, who is looking at a future beyond Kenoh said, "While connecting with history, I will show you what I have in this battle, and I will wind that gleaming GHC belt that Kenoh has". 

The big match this time will be the culmination of the five year story of the two men. 

Translated from Times.Abema.TV

Picture credit: Times.Abema.TV