(NOAH) CARD: ABEMA presents DEMOLITION STAGE 2022 in FUKUOKA (Fukuoka International Centre, Sunday October 16th )

Tonight's event starts at 3pm JST (doors open at 2pm) and will be broadcast on ABEMA from 14:30 JST. Please note you can only watch this live, you cannot watch any replays. The event will be put up on WrestleUniverse soon afterwards. Please do not subscribe to ABEMA to watch any replays. The first three matches will be streamed live on Noah's Official YouTube (and the third match is a point of interest).  

MATCH ONE

Manabu Soya vs Taishi Ozawa

Young Ozawa continues his heavyweight education. I think Noah are looking for him to eventually join the ultra heavyweights with his cycling of matches between Manabu Soya, Yoshiki Inamura and Shuhei Taniguchi. You know Ozawa will be being assessed when Naomichi Marufuji or Yoshinari Ogawa faces him, for now, let the boy learn as much as he can before that time comes. 

MATCH TWO

Masa Kitamiya & Shuhei Taniguchi vs Funky Express (Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito)

More heavyweight action as fans are treated to both a feud (Shuhei Taniguchi vs his former teammates) and a hoss fight (both teams). Shoulder tackles, slams, stiff punches and roaring heavyweights galore. 

MATCH THREE

STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & Yasutaka Yako) & Kai Fujimura vs Perros Del Mal De Japon (NOSAWA Rongai, Eita & Super Crazy)

Over the past couple of events, Yoshinari Ogawa has been offering Eita a handshake. He first did it in Kumamoto, much to NOSAWA's horror (Eita brushed it off) and then did it again the next day in Sendai. Eita went to accept again, but NOSAWA prevented him. On social media, Eita dismissed NOSAWA'S "?????" and suggested they go out to dinner. What's also interesting about this match is that it's only Ogawa and young Yasutaka Yano. HAYATA and Chris Ridgeway are elsewhere, and Yuya Susumu has a neck injury. Will tonight see a massive development leading to Ariake Stadium on the 30th? 

MATCH FOUR

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Chris Ridgeway

Chris Ridgeway will face a Noah Heavyweight in Noah for the first time (technically this is his second singles match with a Noah Heavyweight as he faced Kenoh a few years ago), and he has spent the last few events imitating the Shutter Chance with both Nakajima style grin and hand motions. Nakajima hasn't said anything, but I'm sure his kicks will. Ridgeway hasn't said anything about going heavyweight (it's unlikely as he seems very proud to be a Noah Junior), but he has said about wanting to challenge for the National Title and bring it to the juniors, so this may well be the first step on the road. 

MATCH FIVE

Kaito Kiyomiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura vs Kazuyuki Fujita, Takashi Sugiura & Masato Tanaka

Unusually for the GHC Heavyweight Champion he is not appearing in the semi main or the main event, and today takes a quieter role in the mid card. Whatever the position on the card, he has a Beast to slay tonight as after tonight there is no more chances. From here on in for all the champions (save the GHC Heavyweight Tag who were destroyed in their last one yesterday) and their challengers, these are the final pre matches before all belts go on the line on the 30th. As well as Kazuyuki Fujita, and his hero Takashi Sugiura, Yoshiki Inamura goes another round against his nemesis Masato Tanaka. 

MATCH SIX

ELIMINATION MATCH

The Noah Junior Regulars (Atsushi Kotoge, Seiki Yoshioka, YO-HEY & Alejandro) vs Kongoh (Shuji Kondo, Tadasuke, Hajime Ohara & Hi69)

I don't know what the status of Perros will be by the time this match rolls round or if NOSAWA is going to materialize and try and lure Shuji Kondo away from Kongoh, but what I do know is that this is the final GHC Junior Heavyweight tag between Atsushi Kotoge, Seiki Yoshioka and their challengers Tadasuke and Hi69. Hi69 lost in Sendai to Yoshioka, but Tadasuke has been dominant over them both. The other question here is YO-HEY, who has been randomly attacking STINGER, to be met with Perros interference, so given that and what may have happened earlier (whatever that may have been if anything), will he have his own repercussions tonight? 

MATCH SEVEN

PRO-WRESTLING LOVE FOREVER .EX FUKUOKA FINAL ~TRANS MAGIC~

Keiji Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima & Ninja Mack vs Naomichi Marufuji, Jack Morris & HAYATA

Fans demanded that Keiji Mutoh have a last match in Fukuoka and so this match was not originally meant to happen. Mutoh was meant to do commentary and sign autographs only. The reason why the fans were so vocal was because it was at the Fukuoka Dome that Keiji Mutoh defeated Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Championship in 1995, and Fukuoka was also the location of the "Greatest 18 Club" Championship match between The Great Muta and Masahiro Chono, which took place at in a bloody match (Muta hit Chono with a beer bottle) at tonight's venue in 1991. You can see why the fans wanted to see Mutoh one last time. 

HAYATA (as well as getting to fight his hero, Keiji Mutoh) fights the final pre match against Ninja Mack. Ninja Mack has probably been the most puzzling opponent, and even more of a threat than the powerful Shuji Kondo and the evolving YO-HEY as he is slippery and unlike everyone else, the dreaded Headache doesn't work on him. 

For the others in this match Jack Morris gets the honor of fighting Keiji Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima gets to say goodbye in the ring and Naomichi Marufuji gets to be Mutoh's opponent, perhaps for the last time.   

MATCH EIGHT

DOUBLE BOUT RULE

Kongoh (Kenoh & Masakatsu Funaki) vs Kazushi Sakuraba & Hideki Suzuki

This match will be held under unique rules

Winning is by KO, TKO or submission only with no pinfall. No referee stops as long as you can stand.

The match will be stopped by three strikes in leaving the ringside area (I believe the referee may present yellow cards), crotch kicks, eye rakes, use of belt, biting & breaking opponents submissions.

It's going to be a very MMA/Nippon Kempo style of match as each of the competitors has a background in either mixed martial arts or catch wrestling. It will also be the second and final title match for the GHC National between Masakatsu Funaki and Kazushi Sakuraba. 

Picture credit: ABEMA & Pro Wrestling DX