(NOAH) Akitoshi Saito's Personal Notes, February 15th 2024 - "LIMIT BREAK"

13th February 2024

Noah.co.jp

A few days ago on social media, "15th February 7pm Korakuen ~ finally, "LIMIT BREAK"

This match feels like when we were students. We worked hard in the same club, aiming for the national tournament, and after graduation we went our separate ways and won in the finals. That is why I came to have a strong will, and now aim for victory.

Nostalgia, not a class reunion, comes after an intense fight. 

Although it is expressed by the number of words on social media, each wrestler has their own thoughts and transmits their own personal opinions and statements, so when you face your opponent, it is important to know their history up until that point. The more you know about this, the more you will be able to convey that each movement has a meaning beyond what you see, and even if it is just a move like a stare down, a lock up or tackle, it should show more than that. The more time passes since you last faced each other, and the less contact you have in between, the more tense and meaningful it becomes. 

Neither your opponent or yourself are the same as when you last faced each other...

There is the history of my own journey. The past and the history remain the same, but from the moment the wrestlers step into the ring, the second hand of the clock which is their story, begins to move forward. The greater the accomplishments of each wrestler, the more likely the weight of each move will double or triple. Since the wrestlers thoughts are known only to themselves, and so while I accept what they say, I wonder if they really mean what they say. Whether its a provocation, or something with meaning, this can only be determined through a match. 

So, what does this match mean for Akitoshi Saito?

Here, I would like to share my thoughts on "LIMIT BREAK", the first performance as TEAM NOAH. I would like to write about this card again if I have the opportunity, but this match is actually a collection of things for me.

I don't think I've ever wrestled Honma, but I have teamed with him in Global Tag League. 

I have fought Fujita in singles mostly, but I have probably never teamed up with him. 

I once shared a room with Makabe at New Japan's training camp. 

Each of the three wrestlers will be meeting in a situation they have never experienced before. Unlike back then, each of them have a lot on their backs, which is why it is fresh, and because of their past, they won't even take a step back. I can't do that. I have a strong will, and I don't want to or can't deny my own path. 

What kind of a match will it be? 

Even I myself, someone fighting in this match, wonder what kind of fight it will be, how the match will be, and how the time will pass. 

I always look at my own matches objectively...but this time the cogs are so irregular that that things from the past to the present are mixed together too much. As you run through a crowded intersection with all your might, you have no idea on how your mind and body will move, or how your opponent will move. 

The only thing that all four have in common, is that they are "aiming to win on their own terms". However, the gears which have begun to move irregularly, seem to be producing something, and it feels like they're going to produce something. 

There is only one thing I can say about this: when the final gong sounds, I want you to look into the eyes of all the wrestlers. 

The meaning and the answer of this card should be reflected there...

Akitoshi.

Translated from Noah.co.jp

Picture credit: Noah.co.jp