(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: SUNNY VOYAGE 2023 (Takaoka Ecole, Toyama, Sunday April 9th)

Today was the last show before the big event in Sendai on the 16th April, and the last chance for the champions and their challengers to either even the score or get one over the other, and this made for a wild night in both championship pre matches and non championship matches. 

Noah announced an attendance of 321, which included some new fans. Mitsuharu Misawa said that visiting the Japanese countryside was very important, as it not only gave little kids and elderly people, who could not travel out to Tokyo, Osaka etc easily to come and see Noah, but it also gave new fans a chance to come. Kaito Kiyomiya was in the ring doing neck exercises when fans arrived, during some matches, Kenoh was seen peeping out from behind the curtain which separated backstage from the main hall to watch, in the case of the main event, he had a towel around his neck. 

Masa Kitamiya, local Toyama boy, was on autographs and picture duty, while collection boxes for Yoshihiro Takayama and Shinjiro Otani were on display. 

Today's event was not streamed live, but will be available to view on WrestleUniverse from 18:00 on 12th April. You will need to be a subscriber to view. As the event was not streamed live, I have more information on some matches than others, and as ever I remain grateful to the local fans and the fans who travelled out to attend the show for information. 

MATCH ONE

Kongoh Juniors (Hajime Ohara & HI69) vs Kinya Okada & Taishi Ozawa

The Noah Born decided who would start the match in usual Noah Born way, with the senior putting the junior forcibly in the corner. 

Winner: HI69 with The Stuka Splash on Taishi Ozawa (9 minutes, 1 second)

MATCH TWO

Daiki Inaba vs Shuhei Taniguchi

Winner: Shuhei Taniguchi with a kick to the face (8 minutes, 1 second)

Tani won with what was described as "a punt kick from a half-nelson suplex"

MATCH THREE

Hideki Suzuki & Saxon Huxley vs Yoshiki Inamura & Sean Legacy

This was a wild match which ended with Yoshiki Inamura and Saxon Huxley getting counted out, and then a mass brawl between the two teams, which is rare for the heavyweights, but these are exceptional circumstances. 

WINNER: Neither, count out after 10 minutes and 1 second

On the way out, Saxon even shoved the trainee down. Hideki Suzuki had to hold Huxley back and forcibly take him backstage as he was attacking everyone. Referee Nishinaga followed on behind, but stopped to check on the trainee who had gotten kicked down by Huxley after he had gotten back to his feet. Afterwards, Inamura and Legacy limped off with the trainer following on behind with the trainee. Fans are wondering if the two might form a team. Backstage Suxley carried on the tussle with Suzuki, and threatened not to stop until he destroyed Inaba and Legacy. He ended by attacking the camera.

MATCH FOUR

Naomichi Marufuji, Super Crazy, Xtreme Tiger & Lanzelot vs Ninja Mac, Atsushi Kotoge, Seiki Yoshioka & Alejandro

Naomichi Marufuji pulled out a top rope somersault in an aerial match where pretty much all (if not all) of his opponents bought out their high flying moves. Afterwards, he said it had been a while, but it felt good to fly again. Like Misawa, Marufuji had loved being a junior because of the aerial skillset. 

Winner: Ninja Mac with the Ninja Bomb on Xtreme Tiger (11 minutes, 39 seconds)

As Atsushi Kotoge, Seiki Yoshioka and Ninja Mac made their way backstage. Ninja Mac somehow ended up on the floor (I think he did a roll or something) and managed to untie a fans shoelaces. Kotoge and Yoshioka were photographed nearby, with Kotoge looking to be laughing. Backstage, Kotoge seemed to announce/imply that he, Alejandro, Ninja Mac and Seiki Yoshioka were the new Noah Junior Regulars. 

MATCH FIVE

Yoshinari Ogawa & Yasutaka Yano vs Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke)

Even young Yasutaka Yano got in on the act, by yelling at Tadasuke when he got him on a hold, "What is GLG?". Yoshinari Ogawa, had ripped off Tadasuke's bandana and threw it away beforehand.

WINNER: YO-HEY with a dropkick to the face on Yasutaka Yano (10 minutes, 48 seconds)

After the match GLG made their way over to Ogawa, with Tadasuke sarcastically folding up and handing him the belt, before the two backed off grinning and making belt motions. 

MATCH SIX

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr & AMAKUSA vs Kaito Kiyomiya & HAYATA

As a singles champion, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr has shown he is ruthless and that he is growing a feud not only with Jack Morris, but also with Kaito Kiyomiya, who was out for revenge today and showed a sadistic side in that he savored every moment of it, we don't often see this side but it did come out when NOSAWA was winding him up. The referee had to control him at times. I can see Kiyomiya challenging should El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr retain the title against Jack Morris. Despite the vicious elements of this match, there was some comedy such as when HAYATA went to scoop slam El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, but couldn't even get him off his feet, and so he eye raked him. 

Winner: HAYATA with the Transformed Crucifixion on AMAKUSA (12 minutes, 8 seconds)

AMAKUSA had lost both the pre matches to HAYATA, and although he didn't get the win, Kiyomiya had an eerie grin on his team defeating El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr. 

MATCH SEVEN

Good Looking Guys (Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Green) vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya)

Katsuhiko Nakajima came into the match battered with a huge bruise on his back which looked like a stretched out boot print, and with his waist taped, but as he himself said backstage, he was always good no matter his condition, so Jake had better not let his guard down. During the match, Kenoh started complaining about one of the turnbuckles being removed. Referee Nishinaga (who had a rough night) asked YO-HEY if he knew anything about this? YO-HEY said innocently he did not, but he thought that it must have been a mistake when the ring was set up. 

Winner: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike on Anthony Green (14 minutes, 9 seconds)

Nakajima posed with the belt before handing back to Jake Lee (who he had taken out in the match by attacking his thighs), after folding it up and sliding it to him and then bowing sarcastically to him. Kongoh then posed together and Kenoh many belts dropped one of the AJPW ones, which Manabu Soya retrieved and put back on his shoulders. Naturally, camera hog Katsuhiko stayed for a few minutes longer to pose. 

MATCH EIGHT

Masa Kitamiya vs Takashi Sugiura

"Rugged professional wrestling is the best"

As he is a local boy, Masa Kitamiya was presented with flowers by a group of people when he got into the ring, who I think may have been his family (biological). The match was pretty brutal with shoulder tackles, slams, apron shots etc. 

Winner: Takashi Sugiura with the Olympic Qualifying Slam (21 minutes, 56 seconds)

After the match, Takashi Sugiura spoke on the mic and called Takaoka his "second hometown" (Sugi is from Nagoya, which is not in Toyama prefecture), backstage Tani once again refused to shake hands with Sugi. 

With thanks to: Kei, Tōsan udon, Nakitama, Omochi, Shiro gohan, Gagaga3

Picture credit: Noah Official Twitter, Pro Wrestling DX

Noah's next event: GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in Sendai, Sunday 16th April (live on WrestleUniverse)