(NOAH) GHC Heavyweight Championship: The 28th October battle between men with an unshakable worldview. What Jake and Kenoh taste at the end of their resonating words.

25th October 2023

Noah.co.jp

In All Japan Pro Wrestling, where Jake Lee was a member until 2022, Kento Miyahara, the 62nd Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, was at the top of his game from October 2018 to March 2020. Although he lost to Suwama after having the most consecutive defenses which tied him with Toshiaki Kawada, he established his own unique world view during that time. No matter who wore the belt, the image of Miyahara = All Japan was unwavering. In professional wrestling, the values are on a different level than just winning or losing, but if you don't compete, then you won't be able to either match or surpass. Jake, who was aligned with both Miyahara and NEXTREAM, closely observed the absolute ace who captivated the audience from a close distance, and analyzed that it would be impossible to fight on equal terms unless they where the exact opposite, and searched for a way to do it. After leaving the unit, it was inevitable that he continued to act as a dissident. Through this, he established a worldview, which meant he was able to compete with Miyahara. As for his track record, he won his first Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in June 2021, marking the advent of the top two era. 

Looking back on this process, it overlaps with Kenoh's footsteps, who will compete for the GHC Heavyweight title at the Fukuoka International Center on October 28th. He has always stood in opposition to Kaito Kiyomiya, and despite being in the position of leading Kongoh, which is also a dissident unit, he has been getting the support of fans. In the late 1990s, Keiji Mutoh, who became a member of the nWo, a symbol of anti-establishment, said "Where I am is the main force". History has proven that if you provide something that resonates with the audience, you will gain support, as shown by Shinsuke Nakamura's charisma when he fought against Hiroshi Tanahashi as a member of CHAOS. Although their positions are different, Jake and Kenoh can be said to be the two who embody this in the current Pro Wrestling Noah. 

However, regarding this title match, the situation is that Kenoh, who carries Noah on his back, will be challenging Jake from All Japan. If anything, the exchange on the microphone at the Nagoya International Conference Centre on September 24th, turned into a similar exchange of words.

On November 19th 2017, Kenoh won his first Global League at Korakuen Hall, (Noah back then were still using the green mat), and declared "I'm going to take you fucking bastards all the way to the Nippon Budokan!" At the time, returning to the Nippon Budokan was just a dream, but it became a reality three months later on February 12th. Of course, Kenoh was not able to do this alone, but he gained the trust of fans by following through on his words. Although the potential for the sense of language has existed from the beginning, whether it can penetrate and move the audience, depends on the wrestlers own power of medium. The one thing that Kenoh said to Jake was, "Where do you plan to take the helm of Noah?", was a strong insult. This is the phrase that resonates, as he is someone who truly "took you" to the Budokan. Perhaps inspired by this, Jake, who has created an image of himself as "intellectual and pompous" (according to Kenoh), responded with some truly personal words, making him dig deeper into the word "return", that he has been using since before the match with Go Shiozaki. The words, "Even though everything I tried didn't work out, I quit (All Japan) shortly after debut...but now I am holding the belt. Don't you think I have a dream?" was an unusual inner voice for someone who had never relied on empathy. "It is impossible for me to be an orthodox person, and turn everyone's cheers into strength and say, "Thank you all, I won! Thank you!!" If you are going to support me, then you're going to want to support someone else. What I'm looking for is the atmosphere that's created in the venue. With that power, the opponent stands up, that's good, that's fine. Let's do more. If we can do that, than we can make more interesting dramas". 

Two years ago, when Jake had established his own worldview, he sought the heat that could be generated by turning his back on empathy. The ring he is now and the position he is in now are different, so even if he is using not exactly the same posture, the words he said that day are a far cry from the image of his pointing to the sky in the center of the ring and acting nobly in front of his opponent. If you were to describe this as complex, he might deny it, but it is true that the fact that he left All Japan was the driving force behind the formation of the professional wrestler that is Jake Lee. "I think that's probably because it stopped there. Even though I made my debut with the support and encouragement of many people, I want to wipe away the regrets of that time. That's what I'll really regret when I die. I think the biggest reason why I want to keep fighting is to get rid of that. While doing this, I realized that my life is a series of battles." I also heard these words two years ago. Even after returning as a professional wrestler, this "departure" has not disappeared. Jake, who went beyond in order to overcome that past, told his story by using these words in the fight against Shiozaki. 

It turns out that the person who has given that emotion even more stimulation, is Kenoh. Even though they are enemies, the words they spoke to each other stung, but however once they face each other in the ring, it becomes a simple battle that will require no explanation. 

This is a scene that can only be drawn by the two of them, which is different from the title matches we have seen so far. Kenoh won the N-1 VICTORY match two months ago in what was said to be one of the best matches in the tournament, but because their situations are different, their attitude to each other will also change, and it seems almost useless as a reference. Of course, the fate of the belt is important, but unlike Jake, who will enter the ring with the clear purpose of being at the helm of Noah, it will be interesting to see what happens inside Kenoh, when he experiences stimulation from outside. The intensity of the fight between those with an unwavering worldview will have some kind of effect on the viewers.

Translated from Noah.co.jp

Picture credits: Noah.co.jp