(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: GREEN JOURNEY 2023 in NAGOYA (Aichi-Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall, Saturday June 17th 2023)

Noah announced an attendance today of 833 people for their early summer event in Nagoya. As fans arrived at the venue, Katsuhiko Nakajima was in the ring training, later the AXIZ interview played on the big screen. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr and Jack Morris were on autographs, and there was a very ("insanely") long queue for the merchandise, which of course includes the Mitsuharu Misawa memorial goods.

You can view today's event on WrestleUniverse. At the time of writing they are running a promotion, so you might be able to view it free, if not you will need to subscribe.

MATCH ONE

Taishi Ozawa, Alejandro & Mohammed Yone vs Akitoshi Saito, Seiki Yoshioka & Stallion Rogers

Stallion Rogers started the match by offering a handshake to Taishi Ozawa. Ozawa took it, as the heavyweights usually offer a handshake out of sportsmanship, unlike the Noah Juniors, but as the heavyweights have been acting like the juniors recently, Ozawa got slapped. Whilst the two juniors in the match didn't go this far, Seiki Yoshioka acted in kind as soon as Alejandro entered the ring, by pointing at him and drawing near. 

Funky Express, despite being a tag team, don't go easy on each other when they fight. They had a massive shoulder tackle and then a lariat battle. Their roles now seem to be in helping Noah in some way, Mohammed Yone is proud to work the opener as he sees it as bringing up the young and setting the tone for the show, while Akitoshi Saito enjoys being able to do commentary following the opener. It's also an easy payday for them, which they both have earned. Yone was complimentary about Ozawa after the match.

The match was won by Seiki Yoshioka who went for the pin before breaking it and winning via submission over Ozawa.

WINNER: Seiki Yoshioka with a crossface lock on Taishi Ozawa (7 minutes, 42 seconds)

Backstage, Yoshioka said he would be bringing out more moves like this. 

MATCH TWO

Hi69 vs Hajime Ohara

Hi69 was once again in his old XX costume, so he will probably be wearing it until he gets round to changing it again. Hajime Ohara did not go easy on Hi69, and pretty much met him at every turn he took. Fortunately for Hi69, he knows from close up experience how to counter the Mui Bien, but he could not escape Ohara forever.

Winner: Hajime Ohara with the Mui Bien (7 minutes, 44 seconds)

Backstage, Ohara said that it was because of Hi69 that he was in Kongoh today, and thanked him for the match. 

MATCH THREE

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, Yoshinari Ogawa & Kai Fujimura vs Kaito Kiyomiya, AMAKUSA, Super Crazy

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr, the GHC National Champion, returned to Noah today. Fans were both making the most of Kaito Kiyomiya while he is here, and were hoping that he would challenge for the title. I think El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr was also hoping too, but in the event of things Kiyomiya did not. Sadly, no one came forward. 

Yoshinari Ogawa pushed the camera screen away as he walked to the ring (classic STINGER move), and then proceeded to put Kiyomiya through his paces when they were in the ring together. I guess this was also a chance for Ogawa to give him a "classroom" before he heads to New Japan. And although it was Kai Fujimura who took the fall (the poor boy got mauled in the meantime) to Kiyomiya, it says a lot that Kiyomiya was willing to put him over somewhat.

Winner: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Double Arm Lock on Kai Fujimura (13 minutes, 52 seconds)

Ogawa was not pleased, he could be seen lifting his arms in despair! He made no comment backstage and neither did any of his team, but Kaito Kiyomiya (with a new aggressive and less polite attitude) spoke. Kiyomiya talked about the G1 Climax 2023 and said that as far as he was concerned, his first opponent, Yota Tsuji, an "inexperienced green boy", wasn't worthy of his notice, and he wasn't much impressed by the title challenges that he had in Japan or Mexico either. Kiyomiya's focus was on SANADA. 

MATCH THREE

Hideki Suzuki vs Shuhei Taniguchi

This match was more controlled than last time, and went to a conclusion at least as it wasn't so out of control that the referee had to warn them repeatedly about their behavior and then stop it as they were about to kill each other. What happened in this match, happened after it.

Winner: Hideki Suzuki with a Full Nelson Hold (6 minutes, 56 seconds)

Hideki Suzuki grabbed a REAL T-shirt, looked to be putting it on, but then handed it to Shuhei Taniguchi. Taniguchi snatched it from him, and then put it on, signifying that he had joined the unit. The two then shook hands. 

It must be said that Taniguchi has been rudderless for a long time and no one has ever really known what to do with him. King Tani, the ruler of Funky Express with his disapproving seniors (and Grand Seniors) glowering at him, was never going to last long or go anywhere, and the short program with Takashi Sugiura only went so far to resolve the issue. REAL, a unit with people of similar backgrounds, may be a good move.  

MATCH FOUR

Naomichi Marufuji & Eita vs Daiki Inaba & Atsushi Kotoge

Eita burst through the curtains overexcited, and although Naomichi Marufuji's music was playing, he was nowhere to be seen. Eita had to go back and then get him to come out from the curtain. This was only the start of the comedy between the two as in the ring, Eita forced a handshake by grabbing Marufuji's hand. Marufuji's reaction was to immediately wipe his hand on his pants! All of this was lost on Eita, who got an exuberant "Marufuji" chant going. He was helpful too, but this helpfulness got him told off by the referee for lurking at ringside, and Marufuji appreciated his help so much, that he tagged him in by chopping him. There was some seriousness, but not from Eita however, this happened when Marufuji and Daiki Inaba fought. During their last entanglement, Marufuji had encouraged Inaba to grow and change, and I think today Inaba was showing him his fight.

Winner: Eita with the Imperial Uno on Atsushi Kotoge (10 minutes)

After the win, Eita threw himself on Marufuji to hug him in celebration. Marufuji looked like when Keiji Mutoh was trying to avoid Honma, or else when HAYATA used to try and escape YO-HEY. After that Marufuji refused to even leave the ring the same place as Eita (and at one point got in the ring and rolled to the other side), but found he had to and the pair got into a squabble about who would go first. A display of being chums led to Marufuji attacking Eita and throwing him backstage. Backstage, they both walked far away from each other, Eita excitedly talking about how he won because of "Senpai Marufuji". Marufuji said he didn't trust him.

MATCH FIVE

Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris, YO-HEY & Tadasuke) vs Sean Legacy & STINGER (Chris Ridgeway & Daga)

This was a wild match between the heavyweights and the feuding juniors. Bodies flew everywhere on all sides, and Tadasuke and Daga got into a vicious slap match. At the end of the match, the juniors outside the ring could be heard rattling against the gates as Sean Legacy and Jack Morris fought in it. The camera panned out to reveal Chris Ridgeway torturing YO-HEY and Tadasuke being repeatedly punched by Daga.

WINNER: Jack Morris with the Tiger Driver on Sean Legacy (12 minutes, 34 seconds)

At the side of the ring, YO-HEY and Ridgeway were squaring up. Ridgeway snatched the belt from the staff member nearby and held it up to YO-HEY, YO-HEY snatched the belt from him and shoved it in Ridgeway's face. YO-HEY remained holding the belt high, even when walking backstage. On the way back, Daga, angry at losing to their opponents (even if not a technical win over YO-HEY or Tadasuke), was seen to kick Sean Legacy, who had fallen on the walkway, in the butt. Later, Daga blamed Legacy for the loss and wondered why they were even teaming with him. They also threatened that they would be putting GLG in the hospital.

MATCH SIX

AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima) vs Kongoh (Kenoh & Manabu Soya)

Nothing really much to say about this one other than it was a taster between Kenoh and Go Shiozaki for their singles match. Worryingly, Shiozaki's leg is now as bandaged as his arms normally are, although he was wearing only one arm band today. He also seemed to have back problems. No wonder Kenoh commented later that his (Shiozaki's) body was already wrecked. 

Winner: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike on Manabu Soya (12 minutes, 19 seconds)

Backstage, Katsuhiko Nakajima said that he was going to do something interesting, as Kenoh and Kongoh had lost the World Tag to All Japan, and that thing was to challenge Kento Miyahara (one of the trio of the dysfunctional Kensuke Office Brothers), to a singles match on July 15th at Noah's "One Night Dream". 

This will be their first singles match in about ten and a half years. Nakajima won the first one by knock out kick. Once the match was made official and the match card posted, Nakajima posted with a smirking face. Miyahara later said that this was nothing to do with All Japan or Kensuke Office, this was their story and it going to "begin again at the land of memories, Korakuen Hall". 

MATCH SEVEN

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

HAYATA vs Dante Leon

Very sadly this was not the kind of GHC Junior Heavyweight match that Noah fans are used to seeing. Or judging by their reaction that they even wanted to see, as they were the type of quiet where you could hear the commentary teams voices echoing. The problem was the style that Dante said he was going to use to win the match, which involved tables, ladders and chairs. Naturally people have used these objects before, and the GHC Junior has been fought for in a hardcore match once (Hi69 vs Daisuke Harada), but this match fell flat because this wasn't normally how a title match is done when someone says they are going to use their "own style". Unfortunately the match was dull, and HAYATA even ended up doing a ladder spot, which following doing ladder matches in FREEDOMS led him to say that due to the effect they had, he wasn't going to do another. All you can really say otherwise is that the ref got roughed up, and Dante is good at predicting and countering HAYATA in an unfortunately boring title match that even the most devoted fans wound up not caring about. 

WINNER: HAYATA with the Cross Style 403 Impact (19 minutes, 3 seconds)

Backstage, HAYATA said that now that he was done getting revenge on all the people who had been champion while he was absent, he was going to be looking outside of Noah for a challenger. 

MATCH EIGHT

GHC Heavyweight Tag Championship Match

REAL (Saxon Huxley & Timothy Thatcher) vs THE TOUGH (Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura)

THE TOUGH got put through hell, slammed around by Saxton Huxley and then their muscles and joints attacked by Timothy Thatcher, but they gave as good as they got. The crowd were firmly behind Yoshiki Inamura as a Noah Born, and you could feel them willing him to win. Inamura refused to quit to the Fujiwara Armbar, and even tried to power out of it by lifting Thatcher. The first time caused Thatcher to lock it in even more and then the second time, the crowd screamed and erupted in cheers and applause when he slammed him down. There was a cry of horror when Masa Kitamiya was the one pinned.

WINNER: Saxon Huxley with the Neck Hanging Bomb on Masa Kitamiya (17 minutes, 6 seconds)

As Thatcher and Huxley paraded wildly with their belt, THE TOUGH left. It was a heartbreaking loss, especially since the dynamics in the team were now changed; Inamura was the one who had made the challenge as he had defeated the champion and Inamura was not the one who had been pinned. In the past it had been Kitamiya winning and challenging and Inamura letting the side down, now the pupil was overtaking his master, and the pupil was leaving the ring screaming in rage. No challengers have come forward as of yet for the GHC Heavyweight Tag.

MATCH NINE

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match

Jake Lee vs Takashi Sugiura

Jake Lee soon struck hard and fast out of nowhere, which changed the match from a brawl, and sent a message to Takashi Sugiura to never grow complacent and always be on guard. Sugiura soon showed him that two could play at that game, and indeed two could, but their styles in how they did it were different. When Jake trapped Sugiura in submissions, he proved masterful and did it with such grace, he even looked as if he could take his time and was savoring it as he moved Sugiura's fingers around and locked the move in. There was almost something erotic about the sigh he took and the "Sssh" he made to the crowd after Sugiura had got to the ropes. It was like an exquisite torture. Almost sublime and with something aristocratic about it. Sugiura, although in a manner more rough, dragged Jake back from the ropes, his fingers only being allowed to brush them. 

What Jake could play at Sugiura could too. 

Jake could not avoid the Front Neck Lock, but even here he was devious, rising up and fooling Sugiura into thinking he had him, and slamming him easily. This set Sugiura up nicely to aim at and charge at, Sugiura reversed, but Jake's Jujitsu background with some kicks to the arm he had attacked earlier, got him out of another lock and it was another fast reversal that got Jake the win. 

WINNER: Jake Lee with the FBS (30 minutes, 28 seconds)

Sugiura's dream of facing Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight for what was probably going to be one last time, was over for now. But he wasn't going to give up. He had been through too much and seen too much in Noah to give up and he said he would keep going forwards. Jake thanked him and said he was lucky to be able to fight Sugiura, and while at the press conference he had said that the only people fighting in the ring where them, he could feel the others that Sugiura was carrying with him. 

But, what should the champion do next? 

No challenger had come forward (there were a few calls for Kenoh, but he didn't come out), so Jake turned his attention towards the N-1 VICTORY, and he "made a decision here in Nagoya" that he would enter as GHC Heavyweight Champion and win all his matches. No wrestler before had ever won the N-1 VICTORY as the GHC Heavyweight Champion, and he was resolving to be the first.

With thanks to: Kai, Abeshin and Metal-Noah

Picture credits: One Night Dream graphic (Pro Wrestling Noah)

Noah's next event: SUNNY VOYAGE 2023 (Osaka ATC HALL, Sunday June 18th) - broadcast at a later date