(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: ABEMA presents N-1 VICTORY 2023 (Wednesday August 9th, Korakuen Hall)

Knowing that it is the summer holidays and mid week, Noah only put a certain amount of tickets on sale (not the whole hall was available), and a total of 622 people came to Korakuen tonight, and they were a very lively crowd. Kenoh was on fan club pictures. Takashi Sugiura, (who was being rude on Twitter the other day, which means he's feeling better), will be on duty tomorrow.   

Noah had announced a card change on the 8th August as Shuji Kondo has been taken ill, Hajime Ohara would be taking his place. 

Event can be viewed on WrestleUniverse. English and Japanese commentary is available. 

MATCH ONE

N-1 VICTORY 2023

B BLOCK

Manabu Soya vs Daiki Inaba

Noah had run a poll as to the winner of this match, and fans overwhelmingly voted for Manabu Soya. You could tell how much the crowd was behind Soya due to the scream they let out when Daiki Inaba went for a submission, and the sigh of relief when Soya got to the ropes. Soya was like a brick wall, and gave absolutely no reaction to Inaba's chops, his own sent Inaba flying. Inaba didn't make things easy, and wore Soya down with body shots, and anticipated his movements by reversing a lariat and locking in a second sub.

WINNER: Daiki Inaba with DDD (13 minutes, 50 seconds)

Score: Daiki Inaba 2 points, Manabu Soya 2 points

MATCH TWO

N-1 VICTORY 2023

A BLOCK

Masa Kitamiya vs Adam Brooks

Masa Kitamiya was on form, although Adam Brooks dominated the initial stages of the match. Brooks's mistake came when he went for an amazing apron attack when he dived from the top turnbuckle, and took Kitamiya down with both knees. This worked against him, as after he kicked out of the Saito Suplex, Kitamiya locked in a manic Prison Lock, which he then turned into a choke, Noah have called this move "Prison Lockdown".

WINNER: Masa Kitamiya with the Prison Lockdown (11 minutes, 2 seconds)

Score: Masa Kitamiya 2 points, Adam Brooks 2 points

Jack Morris, who will be facing Masa Kitamiya in the 10th, got into the ring afterwards and he and Kitamiya got into a brawl after Morris shoved his face away and Kitamiya attacked him as he was walking off. 

MATCH THREE

N-1 VICTORY 2023

B BLOCK

Go Shiozaki vs Yuma Anzai

In what seems to be an ongoing tradition, Go Shiozaki came to the ring with the Gentian flower in his lapel. There was no Rina Matsuki today, so the sprig was given to Akitoshi Saito. I'd certainly like to see what happens when Saito is not on commentary, and someone hostile like Kenoh is....

With Yuma Anzai being from All Japan and obviously Noah's roots in All Japan, this match felt on some levels like it could have been something you would have seen during The Four Pillars era. Although Yuma Anzai did not win (he only debuted in September 2022), he put up a fight that would have done Baba proud. 

Winner: Go Shiozaki with the Gowan Lariat (21 minutes, 15 seconds)

Score: Go Shiozaki 4 points, Yuma Anzai 0 points

Shiozaki pulled Yuma to his feet and offered a handshake. Yuma, however, slapped his hand away and left the ring. Backstage Yuma said that he would shake Shiozaki's hand only when he became a wrestler who truly represents All Japan, and at that time, he would be seeking a revenge match. 

MATCH FOUR

N-1 VICTORY 2023

A BLOCK

Yoshiki Inamura vs Timothy Thatcher

Timothy Thatcher came out of the curtain, looking even more grim than usual. He had lost to Jake Lee on the first night, but was prepared to claw back some points and take everything out on Yoshiki Inamura. Inamura was under no illusion as to who he was facing, and as the crowd chanted for him, he powered out of the first armbar. However, there was more where that came from, and he tapped to the second. 

WINNER: Timothy Thatcher with the Fujiwara Armbar (13 minutes, 12 seconds)

Score: Timothy Thatcher 2 points, Yoshiki Inamura 0 points

MATCH FIVE

N-1 VICTORY 2023

B BLOCK

El Hijo del Dr Wagner Jnr vs Lance Anoa'i

The match, between two people of similar size, strengths and even family background, started off with good intentions with a handshake, but it soon became clear that they were like two boulders bumping off of each other, and sooner or later one of them had to give way to the other.

Winner: Lance Anoa'i with the Samoan Splash (10 minutes, 56 seconds)

Score: Lance Anoa'i 4 points, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr 2 points. 

MATCH SIX

GHC JUNIOR TAG NEXT CHALLENGER TOURNAMENT (1ST ROUND)

Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke) vs Seiki Yoshioka & Hajime Ohara

This was a wild match with an unintentional backstory that came into play. Originally, it should have been Seiki Yoshioka and Shuji Kondo challenging YO-HEY and Tadasuke for a place in the finals. However, Shuji Kondo has fallen ill, and he was replaced by Hajime Ohara, which made this both a FULL THROTTLE reunion and a FULL THROTTLE grudge match. The reunion was between Yoshioka and Ohara, the grudge was between Yoshioka, Ohara and YO-HEY. Ohara from the dissolution of FULL THROTTLE (YO-HEY left the unit for Perros Del Mal De Japon) and Yoshioka for YO-HEY screwing the Noah Junior Regulars over to join Good Looking Guys. I should also note that it had been Seiki Yoshioka who had triggered the FULL THROTTLE break up by kicking YO-HEY in the head and joining STINGER. 

Hajime Ohara and Seiki Yoshioka worked well together, Ohara being a little more aerial than he usually is, and Yoshioka moving at a speed even more than that of light when he went for tornado kicks, moonsaults and keeping Tadasuke out of the ring when Ohara had YO-HEY in a sub, but in the end it was the team that Tadasuke had said "will do their best if they trust each other", which won.

WINNER: YO-HEY with a drop kick (this followed a tandem move with Tadasuke) on Seiki Yoshioka (17 minutes, 34 seconds)

Backstage, Yoshioka said he felt a bond with Hajime Ohara, not just as a tag, but as a tag team, so perhaps we will see a new unit. While YO-HEY and Tadasuke swore they would reach the finals and take back the belts. Fortunately, YO-HEY did not repeat his ambition of taking the belt to the beach, having all the girls scream at him, and then having tan marks from where he had been wearing the belt.... 

MATCH SEVEN

N-1 VICTORY 2023

A BLOCK

Jake Lee vs Yuki Yoshioka

Jake Lee was for some reason, not in the best of moods, although he gave no indication of this when he got into the ring and brushed the mat with his lips. In both size and in difference of experience, Jake towered over Yoshioka no selling his chops, although later in the match, Yoshioka did fight back to such a degree that Jake was almost in danger of losing. 

During the match, Jake got into a row (more of a shouting match as they got in each others faces) with the referee, when he wouldn't allow him to do the cocky pin. The crowd even booed him. Then came the sick sound of Jake's boot hitting Yoshioka's face. Yoshioka went down like a sack of bricks. 

WINNER: Jake Lee with FBS (16 minutes, 8 seconds)

Score: Jake Lee 4 points, Yuki Yoshioka 2 points. 

MATCH EIGHT

N-1 VICTORY 2023

B BLOCK

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Saxon Huxley

Saxon Huxley dominated the match, even though at times Katsuhiko Nakajima was in control and leading him around by his beard. Nakajima must have remembered when he was GHC Heavyweight Champion and he had defeated Brian Cage, but whatever had worked then against an opponent who was strong enough to lift up Go Shiozaki and exercise with him, was not going to work against this wildman. For Nakajima, it was another sadly frustrating night for someone who had won the N-1 in the past, and not just once. 

Winner: Saxon Huxley with the Neck Hanging Bomb (12 minutes, 37 seconds)

Points: Saxon Huxley 2 points, Katsuhiko Nakajima 0 points.

It had been a good night for REAL, but a bad night for Nakajima. Nakajima spoke backstage about all he could say was that he had lost twice, which tied him with "All Japan's green boy" (Yuma Anzai).

Scores after Night 2

Block A

Jake Lee - 4 points

Masa Kitamiya - 2 points

Jack Morris - 2 points

Timothy Thatcher - 2 points

Adam Brooks - 2 points

Yuki Yoshioka - 2 points

Kenoh - 0 points

Yoshiki Inamura - 0 points

Block B

Go Shiozaki - 4 points

Lance Anoa'i - 4 points

El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr - 2

Daiki Inaba - 2

Manabu Soya - 2

Saxon Huxley - 2 

Yuma Anzai - 0 points

Katsuhiko Nakajima - 0 points

Noah's next event: ABEMA presents N-1 VICTORY 2023 (Thursday August 10th, Korakuen Hall)