(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: ABEMA presents MAJESTIC 2023 (Thursday 4th May, Ryogoku Kokugikan)
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Fortunately, there were no fan incidents tonight, but Noah did once again take the precaution of searching bags at the door and there was an increased presence of seconds at ringside (Seiki Yoshioka and Kai Fujimura), which fans said felt like they were running security.
WELCOME TO MAJESTIC (Dark match)
Mohammed Yone & Super Crazy vs Akitoshi Saito & Taishi Ozawa
Akitoshi Saito and Taishi Ozawa came out to a mash up of Saito's old Dark Agent music, and the Funky Express, which was odd as the screen showed a Disco theme. There was nothing funky about this match however, as when Mohammed Yone did his rope break he did it with some sass, and this caused a kick war with Saito. Yone even got down on the mat and told him to kick him. This set the tone for the evening. Start as you mean to go on.
The seniors were both watching young Ozawa keenly, and he and Saito worked well together, roaring as they tagged each other in. Ozawa came close to pinning Super Crazy, twice.
WINNER: Super Crazy with the Moonsault press on Taishi Ozawa (10 minutes, 58 seconds)
Yone and Super Crazy almost left via the wrong exit, the young boy at the gate had to turn them away and in the right direction by almost standing in front of them.
WELCOME TO MAJESTIC 2 (Dark match)
Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka vs Xtreme Tiger & Lanzelot
Noah fans were relieved to see Xtreme Tiger back in the ring and gave him a big applause and huge "Tiger" chants upon his return. The seeds of something which may be born in the future were sowed in this match (which was not an easy one for the victors), when Seiki Yoshioka accidentally kicked Atsushi Kotoge in the face. There was no comeback from this tonight, however.
Winner: Atsushi Kotoge with the Killswitch on Lanzelot (12 minutes, 42 seconds)
PREMIUM STAGE MATCHES (EVENT STARTS)
Kenoh came out to loudly open the show in usual manner (angry). He makes a very good MC as he has the ability to instantly connect with his audience. Noah could have not have made a better choice in Kenoh doing this or sending Kenoh out on promotion.
NOAH INTERNATIONAL VS GLG
Noah International (Sean Legacy, Stallion Rogers, Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf) vs Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris, Anthony Green, YO-HEY & Tadasuke)
A somewhat wild looking Tadasuke started the match, and naturally it did not take the other Noah Juniors long to join in. The heavyweights were a little more staid, that was until everyone started to do aerial maneuvers outside the ring and as the participants were young and gifted, it was a case of outdoing everyone else. A fun match.
WINNER: Anthony Green with the Alternate Ending on Stallion Rogers (9 minutes, 38 seconds)
The Good Looking Guys had won the opening match, and they set the tone for the night.
NEW FREEDOM BATTLE
Maya Yukihi & SAKI vs Sumire Natsu & Ryo Mizunami
Fortunately, Referee Nishinaga trained in the All Japan ring and has to control the Noah Juniors, which was good experience for this match as the girls were just as wild, and they even used weapons. Plus he got backchat from Ryo Mizunami.
WINNER: Maya Yukihi with the Youran on Sumire Natsu (13 minutes, 57 seconds)
Ryo Mizunami spoke about the match backstage, using the term "Noah's women division", which seems to becoming a thing and something she wants to be a part of. She also spoke about the possibility of the GHC Women's Championship (nothing was announced tonight) which I think will come into fruition when Noah start booking women's matches on shows other than big events (i.e. a "Sunny Voyage" at Korakuen or Yokohama Radiant etc).
After the women's match, Noah announced that the N-1 VICTORY ("Burning Summer Vacation") will return in August 2023. No names have been announced, but the league will run from August 6th to August 27th, with the finals taking place in Osaka (which has become traditional) on the 3rd September. N-1 always seems to symbolize the end of summer. This year, however, they will be heading up to Hokkaido and running two nights in Sapporo. Noah have not been to Hokkaido for about four years now, before the pandemic there used to be a kind of lost weekend in April when they shared a ring with Big Japan, and everyone got drunk.
NOAH JNR VS KONGOH JNR
Noah Juniors (AMAKUSA, Junta Miyawaki & Alejandro) vs Kongoh Jnrs (Shuji Kondo, Hajime Ohara & Hi69)
Junta Miyawaki started against Hajime Ohara to a wall of "Junta" chants. HI69 was seen looking grimly out at the crowd while this was going on. Ohara found that this was not the soft young boy who he had known before, and treated harshly when he joined Kongoh, instead of the usual consideration he used to show the younger wrestlers. HI69 quickly got in the ring with a cold eyed stare, and Junta coolly tagged in Alejandro. HI69 almost pinned Junta a few times throughout the match, at one point Junta's pants started slipping off and one more powerbomb would have brought them off. Fortunately, HI69 went for the Stuka Splash for both the win and revenge.
WINNER: HI69 with the Stuka Splash on Junta Miyawaki (7 minutes, 29 seconds)
CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE
Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba vs Kazuyuki Fujita & Masato Tanaka
Kazuyuki Fujita handed out his VIPER tonic, Masato Tanaka, who truly is hardcore, opened it and downed it by pouring it down his throat without flinching.
WINNER: Masato Tanaka with the Sliding D on Daiki Inaba (9 minutes, 35 seconds)
GHC MARTIAL ARTS RULE
Masakatsu Funaki vs Shinya Aoki
Josh Barnett joined the commentary team for this match which was a match with a history. Masakatsu Funaki said that he remembered their match IGF a few years ago. In particular he remembered it having what he termed as "a bad ending". Funaki had also mentioned at the press conference that this match would probably be the last time for him. Aoki is 39, which is not too old, but Funaki is in his 50s and he would make a comment later as to things ending.
Winner: Masakatsu Funaki with an ankle brace (6 minutes, 10 seconds)
After the match, Funaki thanked Aoki and not just for the match, he also thanked him for the past month when he had been in a frantic whirl of activity in preparing for the match. He then turned to Josh Barnett, and alluding to the fact that his career may be winding down, he said he may not have much time left in his career, but, he could still go and was therefore challenging him to a match.
Outside the ring, the two shook hands, with Barnett posting later on his social media that he couldn't not accept Funaki's challenge and "so it seems it's time to prepare for war once again". Noah have not announced a date for the match yet.
DEUS EX MACHINA
STINGER (Yoshinari Ogawa & Chris Ridgeway) vs Eita & Daga
As soon as he got in the ring, Eita attacked Yoshinari Ogawa, and the match started in the usual Noah Junior style i.e. melee fights outside the ring, and the referee counting to whoever would listen. Which was no one. Ogawa was furious, and couldn't stop himself from beating up on Eita. Chris Ridgeway had Eita in a hold at one point, and Ogawa was stamping on him. Eita was calling for Daga, but he did not come, and when he did, his coming to help Eita turned the tide in Ridgeway's favor, meaning that he just found more ways to torture him. As the match reached a crescendo, Ogawa ducked and Eita hit Daga with the Imperial Uno kick. However, Ogawa broke the pin and stood up slowly, dragging Eita up to a sitting position by his hair. Daga by now was back on his feet, and turned on Eita and joined STINGER.
Winner: Yoshinari Ogawa thanks to Daga's Diablo Wings (12 minutes, 34 seconds)
Before leaving, Daga beat up some more on Eita. Backstage, Ogawa announced that he, Chris Ridgeway and Daga were the "new STINGER" and in that STINGER, HAYATA and Eita (who fans wonder if they will team up) where not considered members anymore. As for Eita, after leaving the ring and shoving the seconds away and slamming the steel fences on his way out, he said that he didn't believe in having friends anymore and he was never going to trust anybody ever again. He also demanded a singles with Ogawa and Daga, and both of these matches have been made. Personally, I think that someone who once appeared at a press conference in the shower, sounds like a good fit for Good Looking Guys.
JUEGO DE LOS DIOSES
Dralistico vs Ray Escorpion
Ray Escorpion is a heel wrestler, and started the match by throwing Dralistico through the gate and then grabbing a chair. Dralistico showed that he could do the same, and the ref had a rough evening (this was going to get even rougher) keeping them both in control. The commentary table also had a rough evening, as not only had AMAKUSA come close to landing on it, it got trashed by Dralistico. It was Alejandro who was sitting there on commentary this evening, not an unimpressed looking Akitoshi Saito, and I can only imagine what Joe Higuchi's reaction would have been. The two fought in the wreckage and then got back into the ring to have a chop fest when the count almost ran out. Dralistico had his first mask ripped off and the second one torn slightly.
Winner: Dralistico with La Mystica (15 minutes, 58 seconds)
Ray Escorpion was waiting for Dralistico backstage, and the two got into another fight with Escorpion throwing something at him. Escorpion told Dralistico that it didn't matter if it was Mexico or if it was Japan, he was going to keep chasing him.
GLOBAL STAGE MATCHES
KEEP EXPLODING
GHC Heavyweight Tag Championship
Takashi Sugiura & Shuhei Taniguchi (Champions) vs Real (Saxon Huxley & Timothy Thatcher)
Saxon Huxley came out with his Real shirt tucked into his mouth, which he soon dropped on the floor. The challengers have the impression of waiting for the cages to open, and Huxley began the match by grabbing an iron gate and going to attack Shuhei Taniguchi with it, fortunately Taniguchi moved and he only hit the steel ringpost. Takashi Sugiura targeted Huxley more than Timothy Thatcher, even when he was in the ring with Thatcher. Like Marufuji, Sugiura's coming from All Japan and participating in Noah's Golden Era when there were big athletes, served him well against Huxley. He was seen at one point to grab his beard and pull his head down for elbows. Together, Taniguchi and Sugiura wore the monster down. While one monster was tottering, the other was awakening, but it was almost counter productive as Sugi was worn out by monster Taniguchi after being slammed by him twice.
Winner: Saxon Huxley with the Neck Hanging Bomb on Shuhei Taniguchi (15 minutes, 24 seconds)
The new champions celebrated by yelling into the camera, and Huxley started headbutting his belt. New powers are arising in Noah.
THE HIGHEST PEAK
GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship
HAYATA (Champion) vs Ninja Mack
Ninja Mack attacked HAYATA'S elbow almost right away, and while HAYATA had to do a lot of dodging in this match, he couldn't escape all the attacks as Ninja Mack combined aerial with submission techniques. He was even heard threatening to break HAYATA'S arm, but two can play at that game as HAYATA almost ripped his shoulder from his socket with a submission and then worked to wind him and take out his arms.
WINNER: HAYATA via modified arm lock (12 minutes, 34 seconds)
After the match, HAYATA spoke on the mic and named his second challenger, Dante Leon. Dante Leon had never actually faced HAYATA for the belt, but since he was the one who Ninja Mack had lost the belt to, HAYATA felt he had to challenge him. The match has been set for the 17th June in Nagoya. Dante says he will be coming back for "his belt".
Backstage, HAYATA went to return Ninja Mack's "gift" of athletic tape (he evidently kept the bandages) as Ninja Mack was in the comment booth. Ninja Mack made an irritated noise, and knocked the rolls out of HAYATA'S hand before walking off.
GLOBAL STANDARD
GHC National Championship
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr (Champion) vs Hideki Suzuki
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr started the match with a loud shout of, "Arriba Mexico!", which got him knocked down by Hideki Suzuki to a chorus of boos, this was not the first time that the referee would have to check on Wagner Jnr, Suzuki's attack was that vicious. Throughout the match, Suzuki remained emotionless, with not a flicker of emotion on his face.
Winner: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (12 minutes, 17 seconds)
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Junior is fast on his way to becoming probably the greatest GHC National Champion. Backstage, he said that Noah was his home.
BACK TO RING
Go Shiozaki's return match
Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya)
Go Shiozaki made his return wearing his "I Am Noah" ring-wear, which is his costume before he switched to the cloak, it is the costume best known for when he was guiding Noah through the pandemic. He was met by a grinning Katsuhiko Nakajima, who he knocked to the floor. The two others on Shiozaki's team, Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura were more than ever today ready to prove themselves to their senior. Inamura had a hoss fight with Manabu Soya (who he stood with arms crossed and glaring at, which the ultra heavyweights tend to do to each other), and scoop slammed him.
Shiozaki's target was Nakajima, the person who he has had a long (and emotional) history with. Nakajima was his usual cocky self, his slow grin coming back when he and Shiozaki had a chop/kick war, faking a faint to get Kenoh and Soya double team Shiozaki, and telling Keiji Mutoh to take his picture when he was doing the Shutter Chance on Inamura.
WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike on Go Shiozaki (16 minutes, 47 seconds)
Nakajima spoke on the mic after the match;
"What is this, Go Shiozaki? This awkward state? Is this "I AM NOAH?" Where did that strong Go Shiozaki go? Shall we do it again? Stand up!"
Shiozaki used Nakajima to pull himself up. Nakajima was loving this and went to grab Shiozaki's hair looking like he was about to hit him. But, instead, he offered him a handshake. Shiozaki took it and the two reunited. They did not let go of each other.
Kenoh looked as if he wanted to say, "What the fuck is this?" He and Soya gathered around Nakajima before finally leaving. Soya was shaking his head. Nakajima announced that "AXIZ is back". Backstage, he said that he had left as Kongoh didn't need him anymore, and Kenoh didn't need him anymore either and he didn't need them either. As for Kenoh, he said that Kongoh didn't punish people who left (the Kongoh juniors seem not to operate by that rule), he listed Nakajima as one of his enemies (along with DragonGate, Suwama and All Japan), who he would destroy. He will have a singles match with Nakajima on the 31st May.
HISTORICAL CROSSROAD
GHC Heavyweight Championship
Jake Lee (Champion) vs Naomichi Marufuji
To deafening "Marufuji" chants, (which he reveled in), the match started slowly with the two scoping each other out. This was about the past, the present and the future; for Marufuji this was a fight not only with Jake but the memories of his past. The memories of Misawa, being close to the same age that Misawa was when they had their title match, and the fact that he never beat Misawa. It was also the knowledge that Jake had seen a young him, which had got him into wrestling and therefore the reason why he was here tonight, and probably the reason why Marufuji bought out a lot of old moves; the Shiranui, the pole-shift Shiranui and even the one to the apron, plus his rope bounce which he did a lot of at one time, and older newer moves like the perfect Key Lock. For Jake this was a fight with the Marufuji of now, who was showing him both his present and his past self, but perhaps for Jake too it was a fight of his own, his dual heritage of coming from All Japan and being trained by Keiji Mutoh (A Young Lion, who was trained by Antonio Inoki) and Atsushi Aoki (a Noah Born, whose own lineage stretched back to Baba), which bridged both worlds and being relatively new to Noah and being the champion and the need to show that he could defeat one of the seniors, and cement his place on The Ark. After tonight, there would be no more fighting for the rudder. Only one man would steer the ship.
WINNER: Jake Lee with the Skewered Front High Kick (25 minutes, 28 seconds)
Jake made a moving speech on the mic when Marufuji was hobbling away from the ring. He asked Marufuji to wait and said that for someone like him who didn't know anything about wrestling, he found out what the voices around him had been saying where true, "Naomichi Marufuji is amazing".
By fighting with Kiyomiya he felt the future (of Noah), Nakajima represented the strength and Marufuji made him feel the history, and although it went almost unsaid, not only Noah's but Jake's also. But when Marufuji had gone, much to Jake's chagrin, no one came out to challenge him. Backstage, Marufuji said a few words, and ended with thanking Jake for coming to Noah.
Attendance: 2, 721
With thanks to: Metal-Noah
Noah's next event: STAR NAVIGATION 2023, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo - Sunday May 14th
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