What exactly is "I am NOAH"? 13th January Korakuen/GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh vs Go Shiozaki Special Feature (History spanning four and a half years)

11th January 2024 

Noah.co.jp

On January 13th 2024, the GHC Heavyweight Championship will be held at Korakuen Hall, where the current champion, Kenoh, and the challenger, Go Shiozaki, will compete for Noah's greatest treasure. 

On January 2nd, Go Shiozaki competed against Satoshi Kojima in his third straightforward match at the Ariake Arena on January 2nd, winning with the Gowan Lariat and achieving his first win in singles. He then called Mohammed Yone, Akitosho Saito, Atsushi Kotoge and Hi69 into the ring and formed "TEAM NOAH". After that, he announced a challenge to the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kenoh, who had just defended his title for the first time. At this years first Korakuen Hall event, a decisive battle will take place between Kenoh, who has announced his goal to reform Noah in 2024, and Shiozaki, who has exclaimed that they will be the one to change Noah's current "insufficient" status. 

A big card that will make Noah's year even more exciting, has been decided. In response to Shiozaki's challenge, Kenoh proposed one thing; 

"You say "I am NOAH". I want those words".  

"I am NOAH" is a significant phrase that Shiozaki has been inspired to call himself for some time. By acquiring not only the belt, but also Shiozaki's nickname, which the fans have continued to support, he has set out his ambition to reign at the top of the Ark both in name and reality. 

What exactly does "I am NOAH" mean?

The origins date back to 2019, about four and a half years ago. In this article, we will introduce the events that led to "I am NOAH", which will be a ket point in the next GHC Heavyweight Championship. 

The following is a re-edited version of a special feature article published in 2019.

(Note, you can read the whole article in English here) 

As a pupil of former GHC absolute champion, Kenta Kobashi, Shiozaki inherited the chop and the lariat, and has won the GHC Heavyweight title five times. Since his debut in 2004, great expectations have been placed on him as the ace who will carry Noah's future. There was a period during which he transferred to All Japan Pro Wrestling, but after his return he gradually regained support, and even now, fans have high expectations for him as a man worthy of carrying the future of Noah.

"Noah is you" (Shiozaki)

On May 2019 at Korakuen Hall, Hideki Suzuki told Shiozaki, "Noah is you". Kaito Kiyomiya, the GHC Heavyweight Champion at the time, was also there, but Suzuki looked only at Shiozaki. For fans, who have been with Noah since the start, Hideki Suzuki's words may have resonated with them, but at the same time, they may have felt that this struck a raw nerve. He was expected to be the future of Noah, and although there was a blank period, he was able to build up a solid career and mature, and then restart as the Ark's ace. At that moment, Kaito Kiyomiya, a rising star, appeared. The rise of the young ace, who wore the emerald that is the soul of Noah, and was clearly on his way to becoming a champion, threatened Shiozaki. 

After finishing the Sugiura Army Produce in December 2019, Shiozaki himself was not emotionless when he said, "There is a future because I give it my all in the pre-matches. I'll show everyone what's coming. That's my way, and I think that's Noah. I'll just show you the best fight ever for the GHC Heavyweight with Kaito Kiyomiya on January 4th 2020." Now is the time to take us to the "future of Noah" that everyone envisions, and towards that future, he came forward because he was the only one to pursue the dignified fight of the GHC Heavyweight Champion. 

To the new scenery beyond 

On January 4th 2020 at Korakuen Hall, Go Shiozaki defeated Kaito Kiyomiya to win his fourth GHC Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Shiozaki declared with all his might, "I am NOAH!" and the phrase, "I am NOAH" became popular among fans. With incredible momentum, he successfully defended the title against Kazuyuki Fujita, Akitoshi Saito, Naomichi Marufuji, Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Takashi Sugiura. On February 21st 2021, at the Nippon Budokan, he was defeated for the GHC by Keiji Mutoh. This match won the Pro Wrestling Award for Best Bout. Shiozaki's defense road from 2020 unfortunately coincided with the Coronavirus pandemic, and he also had to contend with no spectators and no cheering. It's not exaggeration to say that Shiozaki and his fans at the time had a deep desire to chant together, "I am NOAH" at the venue. He was absent from March 2021 due to injury, but made a surprise comeback in December of the same year, and with that momentum, he challenged the GHC Champion Katsuhiko Nakajima at the Nippon Budokan on January 1st 2022, but lost. In April of the same year, he faced Kiyomiya for the number one contender match for the vacant GHC Heavyweight Championship, (which had become vacant due to it being surrendered*), and won and took the belt. However, at the CyberFight Festival 2022 in June, he failed to defend against "The Greatest X in History", Satoshi Kojima. After suffering another injury*, Shiozaki returned in May 2023 to a venue where cheering had already been allowed, and finally chanted, "I am NOAH. We are NOAH" with the fans. 

At the same time that Shiozaki was struggling with injuries, the person who rose to become the leader of Noah, was the current champion, Kenoh. Kenoh's approval rating is now at an all-time high. Not only has he been active at venues, but he has also been active on his YouTube channel, "The Kenoh Channel", which has become his other main battleground. The reputation of the champion, who works hard for Noah both inside and outside the ring, has skyrocketed over the past few years, and Go Shiozaki's absolute reign has quietly come to an end. 

At Ariake Arena, the New Year show of 2024, Shiozaki shouted, "I need that belt for the fight I want, the fight Noah wants. Kenoh, fight me for the GHC". While Kenoh's absolute reign was steadily being built, it was the former absolute champion who took the stand. All those chosen for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, have risked their own lives to keep Noah alive and increase the value of the belt. The restoration of Noah will only begin when the forty-one year old Go Shiozaki has this crown, which is the crystallization of the blood and sweat of the predecessors. At the dawn of the restoration, he will begin reforming The Ark and turbocharging the recovery of Noah itself. 

Coincidentally, the next GHC Heavyweight Championship will be contested by two men who are behind the "Ark Reform". Last years N-1 finals match is still fresh in our minds, and as this is a Noah Golden Card, it is sure to be a great match. Who will win the "title" of Pro Wrestling Noah, both in name and reality, by winning the leading power showdown befitting the beginning of the reform, "I am NOAH Kenoh" or "I am NOAH Go Shiozaki?"

Translated from Noah.co.jp

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp

Notes

*GHC Heavyweight belt being vacated: Kazuyuki Fujita had COVID. Noah had a policy of having any champions vacate the belt, as no one knew how long someone would be ill for. In the event of things the two champions who had to give up their belts, Kazuyuki Fujita and Yoshinari Ogawa, both made swift recoveries.   

*Shiozaki's injuries: After piloting Noah through the pandemic, Shiozaki's body (especially his shoulder, which required significant surgery) was knackered and he spent a long time recovering. Fans felt he didn't really recover properly until the N-1 VICTORY 2023. Kenta Kobashi had to restrain him from returning to the ring too soon, and even Naomichi Marufuji told him firmly that when he returned would depend on what the doctor said.