(NOAH) EVENT RECAP: STAR NAVIGATION 2023 (Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Friday 24th November)

November is coming to a close, and Noah now look towards the end of the year. Before that, there are titles to be defended and challenged for, and tonight saw both the GHC Junior and the GHC Heavyweight tag. Event can be viewed on WrestleUniverse (English commentary is available), but you must be a subscriber to view. 

MATCH ONE

Junta Miyawaki vs Taishi Ozawa

Junta got the win with an inventive submission, unfortunately Taishi Ozawa got to the ropes the first time, but Junta let go and dragged him back into the middle of the ring. 

Winner: Junta Miyawaki - Noah are calling this a Transformed arm master Indian deathlock (5 minutes, 11 seconds).

MATCH TWO

Los Golpeadores (Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf), X-Treme Tiger & Super Crazy vs Ninja Mack, Alejandro, TERRY YAKI & Hajime Ohara

A whirlwind touched down in the ring, and started by a shoving match breaking out between the two teams, which the referee had to break up. As you can imagine this match was somewhat aerial with everyone pretty much doing over the top rope spots. Hajime Ohara, (not as aerial as the others) nonetheless being part of the action. Dragon Bane could be heard to be saying, "Come on, you bastard!" when fighting Ninja Mack, and Ninja Mack and Alejandro took advantage of the moves that Los Golpeadores themselves did.

Winner: Ninja Mack with the Shooting Star Press on Alpha Wolf (9 minutes, 4 seconds)

Alejandro and Ninja Mack celebrated, Ninja Mack in usual loud manner as he made belt motions.  

MATCH THREE

Takashi Sugiura, Go Shiozaki & Kazuyuki Fujita vs REAL (Saxon Huxley, Timothy Thatcher & Shuhei Taniguchi)

REAL waited in the ring in their usual huddle. Kazuyuki Fujita came out with his RED VIPER tonic, which he handed out to a fan, the commentators (including Mohammed Yone, who was looking a little alarming with a grey beard and black afro), and even the referee. While Fujita was doing this, Go Shiozaki (who came to the ring looking like he was trying not to laugh) and Takashi Sugiura warily got in the ring. Fujita went to do his usual toast, but before that could happen, REAL attacked, kicked them out of the ring, and stole the tonic and drank it for themselves. Shuhei Taniguchi seemed wired by this, stamping on Takashi Sugiura to the point of exhaustion, while screaming loudly. Even the ref looked at him. Taniguchi, however, quickly sobered up when Fujita got into the ring and REAL kept throwing Taniguchi into him, then he got ganged up on with chops (Shiozaki), slaps (Sugi) and elbows (Fujita).

Winner: Kazuyuki Fujita with the Fujita Bomb on Shuhei Taniguchi (12 minutes, 15 seconds)

REAL left growling and snarling at the camera. 

MATCH FOUR

HAYATA & Eita vs LEONA & Kai Fujimura

No sooner had the bell gone, then it practically went again as after only three minutes and twenty-three seconds, Eita defeated young Kai Fujimura. This match had been changed with Fujimura drafted in at the last minute with Yoshinari Ogawa suffering a spell of dizziness, and being removed from the ring as a precaution. H

Winner: Eita with a dropkick on Kai Fujimura (3 minutes, 23 seconds)

Eita just left (naturally with HAYATA following), not even looking back or caring to look back. LEONA left in anger after checking on Fujimura, who he helped from the ring. Backstage, he vowed that one day, he would have his singles with Eita. However, Eita had other plans, and none of them involved LEONA.

MATCH FIVE

*The "Good Looking Gyoza" match*

Good Looking Guys (Jake Lee, LJ Cleary, YO-HEY & Tadasuke) vs Naomichi Marufuji, Titus Alexander, Atsushi Kotoge & Hi69

Following Jake Lee teasing Go Shiozaki about his ass (and attacking it) after Shiozaki ate spicy food, it seemed that the theme of today's match was all about eating gyoza, after Naomichi Marufuji had started a "Good Looking Gyoza" hashtag. Jake made a bet, if he (or one of his team) pinned Marufuji, then Marufuji would have to come to Tokyo's famous Kameido Gyoza restaurant. Marufuji was initially uninterested, but he said that if he himself pinned Jake, then he would. Marufuji took advantage of Jake's bow to go for the sneak pin, and then a melee brawl broke out. The two would make a beeline for each other during the match, with Marufuji at one point giving Jake the finger as he was targeted by members of Jake's unit. 

Speaking of some members of Jake's unit, Tadasuke was seen to be using YO-HEY'S fist to speak into an invisible microphone. In the RATELS years, Tadasuke had what fans called an "invisible friend" (someone he would shriek at backstage during interviews)...I guess now this friend has gone and left him with an unseen memento. 

Winner: LJ Cleary with Cow Killing on Atsushi Kotoge (11 minutes, 13 seconds)

Naomichi Marufuji left irritated, Good Looking Guys celebrated in the ring, and fans wondered what was happening in regards to the "Gyoza wars"?. Backstage, Titus Alexander (who made his main show debut today) said he had part one of his dream, which was teaming with Naomichi Marufuji, part two was a singles. Marufuji said he would do it any time, anywhere. 

MATCH SIX

Kenoh, El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr & Stallion Rogers vs Manabu Soya, Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa

Manabu Soya watched Kenoh get into the ring, staring at him and then squaring up with a wild look in his eyes. El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr offered Kaito Kiyomiya a handshake. Kiyomiya, who is both polite (because he's a Noah Born) and a heavyweight, took it, and they had a friendly competition, albeit El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr took down his straps. 

Winner: Manabu Soya with the Jumping DDT on Stallion Rogers (15 minutes, 45 seconds)

Although he hadn't won directly over Kenoh, Soya loomed over Kenoh in celebration, looking down at him from the ring apron. Kenoh was outside the ring, and had the belt on his shoulder. Soya's team might have had the win, but again, it wasn't a win over Kenoh. Backstage, Kenoh did some stirring, alluding to the fact that the relationship between Manabu Soya and Tatsumi Fujinami is "in shreds" (according to Kenoh at least), following Soya's departure from Fujinami's Muga to All Japan, and comparing them to his own tag (with Jinsei Shinzaki), which he called a tag with "parental love". 

Before Noah got to the title matches, they released a card for the New Year show at the Ariake Arena. Zack Sabre Jnr will be reuniting with Yoshinari Ogawa, to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi and HAYATA. Tanahashi and Ogawa last met in a tag in 2004, when Mitsuharu Misawa and Ogawa took the GHC Heavyweight tag from himself and Yuji Nagata, but Tanahashi has never teamed with or had a match against HAYATA. One fan said that this was a teaming of the sun (Tanahashi) and the moon (HAYATA). Naomichi Marufuji called them "HAYATANAHASHI" 

MATCH SEVEN

GHC Tag Championship Match

Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris & Anthony Green) vs Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba

Korakuen Hall went into overdrive as the two teams clashed as if they were freight trains smashing into each other. The match was so charged, even the referee escaped being taken out (genuinely) when Jack Morris was thrown back and stumbled into the corner. Out of everyone, Anthony Green had the most to prove in this match given his performance in the singles pre matches, Jack a little less so, but he and Daiki Inaba fought just as hard as the others. Masa Kitamiya in particular, could not be kept down, even getting to his feet, and swearing with both fingers in Greens face and locking in the Prison Lock. When all looked hopeless as Green could go nowhere, it was Jack who saved the day by powering back and slamming Inaba on to Kitamiya and breaking the hold. 

Winner: Anthony Green with the 450 splash on Daiki Inaba (20 minutes, 54 seconds)

Good Looking Guys retained, but at the time of writing, no challengers have come forward and in any case, Jack Morris is now looking towards the GHC National match with Hajime Ohara on the 2nd December at the Yokohama Budokan. Masa Kitamiya spoke about the match, and said that unfortunately, this was wrestling; you win some, you lose some, but he wasn't going to give up, and neither was Inaba. 

MATCH EIGHT

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

Daga vs Shuji Kondo

As Junta Miyawaki looked on from ringside, Korakuen Hall broke out into dueling chants, which meshed together to sound something like "Konga", "Konga". Not strangers to each other, Daga and Shuji Kondo knew exactly who they were facing; in Daga's case he was facing someone more powerful than him, and in Kondo's case, he was facing someone who played human chess with his opponents. Daga attacked Junta Miyawaki, which lured Kondo out of the ring, but this was exactly where Daga wanted him as it meant that he could utilize the steel barriers and use them to work on Kondo's arm and take some of that power away. Kondo got back at the attack that Daga was putting on his arm, by ramming his neck into the barrier and then calmly returning to the ring to wait for him. This was a novel way of winding someone, and Kondo was not finished here and carried on his attack in the ring, at one point he dangled Daga in a semi chokehold while standing on the top turnbuckle. Daga's attack on Kondo's arm worked, if it didn't slow him down, it made him vulnerable and he had a struggle getting the ropes when he locked in a submission, later Kondo softened Daga up with mini lariats before moving on to the big guns, but Daga's attack had done it's work and he treated Kondo as if he was stone, and he wore him down. 

Winner: Daga with the Diablo Wings (22 minutes, 29 seconds)

As Junta helped Kondo out of the ring, Eita appeared to challenge. There was no one to stop him now, except for of course Daga's boot, as Eita got no further than saying he was the next challenger before and exhausted Daga attacked him and limped off without closing out the show, leaving Eita sprawled out on the mat. 

However, Eita has got his way, and the title match will take place on the 2nd January at the Ariake Stadium, the site of Noah's first home, Differ Ariake. Fans are eagerly anticipating the pre matches. 

Backstage, Kondo found much to his surprise, that Miyawaki still wanted to stick with him, even though he had failed to get the GHC Junior Championship. Kondo promised that he would do everything he could to help Miyawaki, even helping him get a championship. Daga also spoke. He felt that today he had proved that he was the "King of the Jungle", and told Noah to "feed the Lion" who was always hungry. Eita was his next prey. 

Attendance: 801

Noah's next event: MONDAY MAGIC Episode 4 (Monday 27th December) - live on WrestleUniverse