(NOAH) CARD: ABEMA presents GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in SENDAI (Sunday April 16th, Xebio Arena Sendai)

Noah's big event will be broadcast on ABEMA (free, but no English commentary, you cannot watch any replays) and WrestleUniverse (subscription only, English commentary). The ABEMA broadcast will start at 15:30 JST with WrestleUniverse starting at 16:00 JST. For those lucky enough to be going, doors open at 14:30. The Noah Junior Regulars (Atsushi Kotoge and Seiki Yoshioka) and Kaito Kiyomiya will be on autographs. 

MATCH ONE

"Opening Journey"

Yasutaka Yano vs Taishi Ozawa

"Opening Journey" is an apt name as we start off on the road towards the main event, as two Noah Born open the show. 

MATCH TWO

"No Holding Back"

Hideki Suzuki, Timothy Thatcher & Saxon Huxley vs Yoshiki Inamura, Kinya Okada & Sean Legacy

Another apt name as this is going to be an all out war, which young Kinya Okada has found himself in. Saxon Huxley has been tearing up the heavyweight division, and in particular seems to be targeting Yoshiki Inamura and Sean Legacy. Matches have ended in count outs, he has bought chairs and tables into the ring, and Hideki Suzuki says he cannot control him. I think Inamura, Okada and Legacy are going to have to work together to bring him down. 

MATCH THREE

"Wild & Free"

Sumire Natsu vs Maya Yukihi

This will be the first time that Noah have run a women's match on any mainstream show, the others have been at the Mutoh/Muta retirement events. There has been whispers about a women's GHC Heavyweight, and I get the impression that Noah are/have been testing the water. It would not surprise me that if after this, the women's belt was announced. 

MATCH FOUR

"Might Makes Right"

Naomichi Marufuji, Kaito Kiyomiya & The Noah Junior Regulars (Ninja Mac, Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka) vs Jinsei Shinzaki & Kongoh (Kenoh, Shuji Kondo, Hajime Ohara & HI69)

Although both Kenoh and Jinsei Shinzaki are from Shikoku, Sendai has come to be associated with them both due to Michinoku Pro, which is Kenoh's original promotion before coming to Noah. Shinzaki is his teacher, and tonight he joins Kongoh for a match against Naomichi Marufuji, Kaito Kiyomiya and the Noah Junior Regulars. Manabu Soya is not joining Kongoh tonight due to his participation in All Japan's Champion Carnival. 

MATCH FIVE

"Lalapalooza Fiesta"

Doralistico, Dragon Bane & Alejandro vs Xtreme Tiger, Alpha Wolf & Lanzelot

LuchaFest as Doralistico returns to Noah along with the brothers Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf. Super Crazy has said, "This will be great lucha, do not miss this". 

MATCH SIX

"Volcanic Explosion"

GHC Heavyweight Tag Championship

Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba (Champions) vs Takashi Sugiura & Shuhei Taniguchi

Following on from a match with an apathetic Shuhei Taniguchi, Takashi Sugiura took it upon himself to train Taniguchi back up, which resulted in Taniguchi making a tag challenge to Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba. Kitamiya says that he is going to show Taniguchi that there is no future for him in this match as he generally does not rate Taniguchi very highly, but there is also the issue of Taniguchi himself. Noah fans have long said that Taniguchi not overly reliable when it comes to being a tag partner, true he never screwed over Kaito Kiyomiya or Funky Express (although he did leave the unit, but not in a way he attacked them), but we will see a return to the old Taniguchi, either as champion or with his old ways? 

MATCH SEVEN

"Time For A Change"

GHC Heavyweight Junior Tag Championship

Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita (Champions) vs Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke)

This match kicks off the first of four very nasty and very intense title matches with a grudge in one way or another. Longtime enemies, Eita and Yoshinari Ogawa, suddenly found themselves as tag champions. Matters have been left with Ogawa slapping Eita, and reconciling with HAYATA (who he has now fallen out with). The relationship between Eita and Ogawa has not had any kind of hint as to what this match is going to be like, although YO-HEY has said that he has no doubt that the two can work together if they need to. We shall see what happens between Eita and Ogawa, YO-HEY and Tadasuke (who have been speaking of their "bond" recently), and indeed between each of them, not just the people they are teaming with. I have a feeling that we may be in for both a surprise and a shock. 

MATCH EIGHT

"Sky's The Limit"

GHC National Championship

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr (Champion) vs Jack Morris

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr and Jack Morris have a broken friendship, which forms the basis of this match. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr had planned to team with Morris and challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Tag, but Morris joined GLG (Good Looking Guys) and then challenged El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr for the GHC National. Their pre matches have been vicious, at one point Wagner Jnr used a chair which bloodied Morris so much, he needed staples in his head. I don't expect this match to be anything other than a complete war. 

MATCH NINE

"Rise And Fall"

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship

AMAKUSA (Champion) vs HAYATA 

Quiet AMAKUSA and quiet HAYATA fight over the GHC Junior Heavyweight title, which HAYATA had to vacate due to injury, not give away due to being pinned and now he says he is coming to take his belt back. AMAKUSA hasn't done well in the pre matches, losing to HAYATA twice. He acknowledges that HAYATA is the "absolute champion" of the division, and has no doubts that HAYATA will give him a match that will "rise to the heavens", but despite all the flowery Heian language, the fact is that to retain he needs to win, which he knows is not going to be easy. 

MATCH TEN

"The Lunatic Gate"

GHC Heavyweight Championship

Jake Lee (Champion) vs Katsuhiko Nakajima

Jake Lee said when he first came to Noah, that Katsuhiko Nakajima was one of the people he most wanted to face, and Nakajima granted his wish by challenging him for the GHC Heavyweight. Champions are often thrown into the fire, in this case Jake has been thrown into hellfire. Both know from the pre matches just how dangerous the other can be, with Jake in particular getting a taste of Katsuhiko Nakajima's dangerous kicks and "shattering slap". There is nothing left now other than the title match, no other wrestlers in the ring other than them one on one. Nakajima says that he will show that he is Noah ("I'm Noah") and welcome Jake to his world by holding the door open with all his heart, while Jake has warned that while he is aware that Nakajima has the ability to end the match with one strike, he too can do that...hold on tight. 

Picture credit: ABEMA