(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: Sunny Voyage 2023 - Sunday July 9th (Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe)

557 fans came today to see the start of Noah's July 2023 events. They had a lot of questions - would Kongoh have new costumes? Would Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya co-ordinate theirs and how would they got along? Now that Ally has left, would there be a new ring announcer? Would there be any surprise title challenges? All questions were to be answered tonight, and in the case of the new ring announcer, Ally does not yet look to have been replaced. 

As fans arrived at the venue, Yoshinari Ogawa was finishing up a "classroom", and looked to be explaining something to LEONA, Kaito Kiyomiya and what looks like the new boy, Yu Owada, who will make his debut on the 15th July. There was also a long line for Kaito Kiyomiya's farewell autograph session, where fans wished him luck in New Japan's G1. Kiyomiya now will not retun to Noah until late August/early September. 

MATCH ONE

HI69 vs Taishi Ozawa

The pair attacked as soon as the bell with with Taishi Ozawa wearing HI69 down to the point he was looking weary. The Noah Born might start as rookies, but as they are Noah Born, they are stubborn, and Ozawa got a lot of applause for kicking out when he did. 

WINNER: HI69 with the Trans Rave (7 minutes, 6 seconds)

MATCH TWO

Yoshinari Ogawa & LEONA vs Super Crazy & Kai Fujimura

Yoshinari Ogawa was in one of his snitty moods, and decided to accuse the referee of bad refereeing. LEONA joined in with this, getting into the STINGER spirit, although as he was to find out, Ogawa wasn't in the most friendly moods. Whether it was complaining of the refereeing (and this was the young strict ref) or accusing Super Crazy of cheating (when he hadn't been), this was a good diversion tactic which bought time and sent Super Crazy out and the young Kai Fujimura in. Fujimura dropkicked Ogawa out of the ring and then dived on him. He was then tortured for his impudence. When the tide was good, Super Crazy kept Ogawa out of the ring, but the tables turned on him when the more experienced LEONA got the win via submission.

WINNER: LEONA with The Figure Four Leglock on Kai Fujimura (12 minutes, 59 seconds)

LEONA had a slight sadistic sneer on winning but Ogawa was not as pleased, and for whatever reason would not leave with LEONA, even walking around the apron of the ring to avoid him, but ultimately he did have to go the same way. Ogawa being Ogawa said nothing backstage, while LEONA again threated Eita who he did not clash with this evening, that he would break his leg.

MATCH THREE

Shuji Kondo & Seiki Yoshioka vs Hajime Ohara & Alejandro

Hajime Ohara has gone back to the black and white he had pre Kongoh, which isn't really any surprise when it comes to ring wear, but Shuji Kondo came out wearing blue (a very similar shade to Seiki Yoshioka) and even had parts of his hair dyed blue, and also red. The two ex Kongoh tore into each other even more than Alejandro (who almost botched) and Yoshioka.

WINNER: Seiki Yoshioka with the Crash Driver on Alejandro (9 minutes, 9 seconds)

Yoshioka went to shake hands with Kondo after the match, but he snatched his hand away and walked off. Backstage, Yoshioka made a proposal. Since Daisuke Harada's retirement and the fragmentation of The Noah Junior Regulars, Yoshioka has been hunting around for something to do, and so he asked "Kon-chan" to form a tag. Kondo (who the perpetually terrified Hajime Ohara would never have dared address in such a way), archly informed Yoshioka that he was a senior so his address was "Kondo-san", but fine yes, he would tag. Irrepressible, Yoshioka said "Okay Kon-chan". Personally, I wonder what Atsushi Kotoge (absent today due to a fever) is going to think of this as this now leaves him without a partner. 

MATCH FOUR

REAL (Saxon Huxley, Kazuyuki Fujita, Hideki Suzuki & Shuhei Taniguchi) vs Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone & THE TOUGH (Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura)

REAL came out in usual style with Shuhei Taniguchi looking to have taken Saxon Huxley's scissors and cut his t-shirt to his own style and changed the collar. Kazuyuki Fujita handed out his RED VIPER tonic (and took a very funny picture for Tokyo Sports of his holding a bottle and grinning, looking like an advert), and while everyone downed it with a grimace, Naomichi Marufuji stood pointing and complaining as if Fujita was handing out spinach to an army of Popeyes. He also didn't appreciate the ref being given one, as it looked as if Fujita was trying to bribe him. Yoshiki Inamura was not impressed, and stood scowling with his arms crossed, watching them. He was also seen to sigh and shake his head!

Then, in what was a very funny and somewhat silly match, REAL handed their empty bottles to Hideki Suzuki and then attacked their opponents and fights went all over the arena. Someone handed Marufuji a Marufuji towel, which he used to attack Taniguchi with, and Taniguchi then choked him with. Taniguchi was good enough to return it though, and Marufuji later commented that hitting Taniguchi with it felt good.

The ref bought order by hoarsely screaming the count and back in the ring, Taniguchi refused to be knocked down by Marufuji's kicks and then slammed Mohammed Yone on to him, he even beckoned his unit into the ring and after slamming Hideki Suzuki, Saxon Huxley slammed him on to Marufuji. Taniguchi very nearly almost got the pin, and Takashi Sugiura, (if he's not having a sponge bath) was probably laughing.

WINNER: Saxon Huxley with the Neck Hanging Bomb on Mohammed Yone (13 minutes, 31 seconds)

Saxon Huxley and Shuhei Taniguchi bounced around after the match, Fujita was outside the ring and Hideki Suzuki looked on wearily. 

MATCH FIVE

Adam Brookes & Ninja Mack vs Stallion Rogers & Dante Leon

Adam Brookes made his Noah debut today, but he wasn't here to make friends, particularly not with any of the other heavyweights, and his target was Stallion Rogers, whom he beat up while yelling "This is MY ring!". Ninja Mack was on form, flipping around and even walking on his hands between Stallion Rogers and Dante Leon, who pushed him back and forth between them. Dante even used Ninja Mack's hand to wave at Brookes with a "Hi! Hello!", but Noah were saving Brookes for a big entrance and his first move in was a big boot to Stallion's face. He then proceeded to destroy Dante by hammering him repeatedly. Capable of sudden lightning fast movements and technical prowess, he proved that while Ninja Mack and Dante might have been here to mess around today. He wasn't.

WINNER: Adam Brookes with the Aussie Buster on Stallion Rogers (10 minutes, 51 seconds)

Brookes made it very clear. He's not here to form alliances, and even kicked away the friendly Ninja Mack when he asked for a handshake. 

MATCH SIX

Good Looking Guys (Jake Lee, Jack Morris, YO-HEY & Tadasuke) vs AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima), HAYATA & Eita

Eita was delighted to be able to make some new friends and in his usual oblivious style, tried to rope in AXIZ and gathered everyone together for a picture, with himself grinning in the middle. HAYATA (who had hid behind hood, mask and Eita when they walked to the ring) was standing to the side looking as if he wanted to sigh (he would do this again after the match and leave as he knew AXIZ were probably going to beat up the over enthusiastic Eita), although he was seen to laugh during the match. 

There was a further bit of Eita comedy at the start when everyone stood on the apron, and AXIZ waved Eita in. Katsuhiko Nakajima went to go but Go Shiozaki held him back and then went himself and started against Jack Morris. HAYATA seemed to want Tadasuke, and Shiozaki played up to the crowd for this. After a skirmish between them, Nakajima tagged in and seeing the look on his face, Tadasuke thought it was better to tag in Jake Lee. Tadasuke couldn't escape Nakajima forever, fortunately for him though Nakajima had just been dropkicked in the butt by GLG, which made things a little easier, but it was poor YO-HEY who was mauled by AXIZ, given the Endless Love and then pinned with the PK.

WINNER: Katsuhiko Nakajima with the PK on YO-HEY (13 minutes, 37 seconds)

AXIZ refused to shake hands with Eita, he was lucky that was all he got as Shiozaki warned him not to push it, as during the match, Eita had gone a little over the top with a bewildered looking Nakajima. This was lost on Eita (once again) and backstage he thanked "Katsu-chan" and "Go", who refused to shake hands with him and walked off silently. As for HAYATA,  new challenger appeared. A few weeks ago, HAYATA had said that he wanted a challenger from outside Noah, preferably one of the champions he had teamed with at ALL TOGETHER, and he got his wish, as the young man was Atsuki Aoyagi, who HAYATA had fought against. He spoke on the mic;

"Today I have business with the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, HAYATA. Atsuki Aoyagi lost the World Junior Belt, and is bored. That's why I want to challenge for that belt you have. "

He also added;

"After entertaining all the Pro Wrestling Noah fans, I will win that belt from you"

HAYATA responded typically, shortly and to the point, "You are next". Backstage he said there would be no pre matches and he was looking forward to the match. Title match has been set for 20th July at Shinjuku FACE.

MATCH SEVEN

GHC National Championship Match

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr vs AMAKUSA

AMAKUSA knew that there wasn't much he could do against El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr. He didn't have his power and he didn't have his size, so he had to rely on speed and in taking him off guard. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr knew this, and even challenged Amakusa to a test of strength, knowing he couldn't possibly reach his hands. Each time AMAKUSA went for a strike, it bounced off, each time he went for a dive, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr caught and slammed him. This was no squash match however, but it was painful to watch AMAKUSA, especially when he took El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr down outside the ring, but had to get him back in it. Inside he was inventive, very inventive, but the differences between them were too much and in El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr's favor.

WINNER: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr with the Wagner Driver Special (13 minutes, 2 seconds)

Backstage, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr praised his plucky little opponent, and said that now he was concentrating on the N-1 VICTORY. A dominant champion was going to win. 

MATCH EIGHT

Kaioh (Kaito Kiyomiya & Kenoh) vs Manabu Soya & Daiki Inaba

Manabu Soya debuted new gear. He had turned up in his last All Japan appearance in the garb of a rookie, (black hair and black pants), but today he was wearing blue and red, somewhat like Shuji Kondo had been actually. But it was Kenoh who gave the fans the biggest surprise by ditching his habitual red (aside from the lions) and wearing blue. Despite this being a Kaioh reunion, in the early stages of the match the two pretty much ignored each other, although they did work together in the latter stages. Too much had happened in Noah to make them ever be anything than rivals, dignified as it was in this situation, or not. Soya was Kenoh's target, and the two did a tandem move, but they didn't do the one they used to when teaming briefly together. You could say that it was a cold and indifferent reunion which was played out on a stage far removed from Global Tag League 2019.

WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Transformed Shining Wizard on Daiki Inaba (22 minutes, 9 seconds)

Two were alone in the ring together after the win, not as enemies this time, but fans could sense an uneasy alliance. Everyone knew something was coming as after Kiyomiya had said that he would win the G1 Climax and be the star, Kenoh snatched the mic from him and launched into a tirade; 

"Will you take the lead in the G1 CLIMAX? The leading role? The leading role is to win, right? Now, let me say something exciting for Noah and the world of Pro Wrestling; the N-1 winner and the G1 winner, will have a fresh singles match! Isn't that exciting! Only in the Noah ring can that be done, and Kiyomiya and I are the only ones who can do it, right? It's up to us if that ends up with just an empty boast, or if it really does come true. HEY! KIYOMIYA! Go to the G1 with the will to win the championship at any cost! I will win the N-1! And then, Kiyomiya and I, lets have a singles match between the N-1 and the G1 winners in the Noah ring. That's today's promise between myself, Kiyomiya and all you mutherfuckers here who support Noah and all you mutherfuckers supporting Noah and watching WrestleUniverse!"

Kiyomiya agreed, then they shook hands, which was something Kiyomiya said he didn't expect. Backstage, he vowed to return victorious from the G1 climax, while Kenoh said "from now on follow us", the N-1 champion himself and the G1 champion, Kiyomiya, both whom had promised the fans a dream match that could only be seen in Noah. 

With thanks to: Kenta & Ninja Tack

Noah's next event: ONE NIGHT DREAM (Saturday July 15th, Korakuen Hall)

Picture credit: BBM Mobile, Pro Wrestling DX