(NOAH) Martial arts or entertainment? Which is Noah's direction?

Weekly Pro 

22nd August 2000 (Issue no 991)

Pro Wrestling Noah, led by Misawa Mitsuharu, launched on August 5th and 6th at Differ Ariake, Tokyo. On both days, 1800 spectators (a sellout) attended, and the venue was filled with incredible excitement. Amongst them, Jun Akiyama engulfed Mitsuharu Misawa, Akira Taue, and Kenta Kobashi, who were once known as the Four Heavenly Kings, proving the arrival of a new era of wrestling. So, what exactly is a new era of wrestling?

Laser beams and rules explained, the shadow of the new UWF is there....

Noah was launched by President Misawa who said, "I want to change professional wrestling to a more modern style." The scene before the inaugural matches was something I'd seen somewhere before.

 Laser lights flew around the room. There was an entrance ceremony for all the wrestlers. The sound system was outstanding*, and, surprisingly, the rules were explained to the fans by the ring announcer. This brings to mind the new UWF, which was launched in 1988 and created a boom throughout Japan. Not only was its style of match groundbreaking in the world of professional wrestling at the time, which focused on striking, throwing and pinning, but it also practiced the style that Noah introduced that day twelve years earlier.

 The new UWF also introduced the closed circuit* (free of charge), which opened the outdoor parking lot to fans, when they first appeared at the Tokyo Dome on November 29, 1989, with "U-COSMOS". Incidentally, on the same day, All Japan Pro Wrestling held the World's Strongest Tag League at the Sapporo Nakajima Sports Center, where Genichiro Tenryu won a historic pin-fall victory over Giant Baba. When it comes to the hardware side of things, should we say that the new UWF was at the forefront, or that All Japan was lagging behind? Either way, I never imagined that the specter of a new UWF would be revived at the Noah venue, but not only in terms of hardware, but also in terms of software, Noah's wrestlers have undergone drastic changes. While the three NO FEAR members are blonde*, many young wrestlers have changed their hair to brown. And most of the wrestlers have changed their costumes and gowns (please refer to page 24-25 of the color photo gallery). Furthermore, the number of wrestlers using up-tempo club music as their entrance theme has increased dramatically.

If you only saw the entrance before the match, you would not be able to tell whether you were in a pro wrestling venue or a club. But the real point is not the changing of costume. Certainly costume changes do catch the attention of the fans, but that is only the initial attraction. The real question is how much did the individual consciousness of the wrestlers change since the launch of the new promotion? That is what it all comes down to. The effects of this revolution in both the hard and the soft aspects of fashion are great, the most notable of which is that it attracts female fans. In fact, the two consecutive shows this week were filled with beautiful female fans.

 The Noah venue was filled with a sense of freedom and brightness, and truly captured the spirit of the modern era.   

What's important is essential change, as Akiyama demonstrated in a 3-way victory over the Four Heavenly Kings.

If the costumes were changed, but the contents remained the same, then it would be no more than changing the sign on the store*. Jun Akiyama stands out when it comes to this level of awareness, and if you listen to his responses in interviews, it's no exaggeration to say that Noah depends on Akiyama.

 Ultimately, Akiyama won both of his first two matches. In the main event on the first day, Akiyama won two matches by himself against Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue, and on the next day, he defeated Kenta Kobashi. Akiyama has won three matches in a row against the men who were once known as the Four Heavenly Kings. Although the end of the Four Heavenly Kings of Pro Wrestling has been a foregone conclusion since last year, when the reality of a generational change is presented in such a shocking way, one cannot help but feel Noah's determination. To be honest, before the match, the three men known as The Four Heavenly Kings*, were in the main event of the company's inaugural match, and there were many negative comments asking why Noah, which had left All Japan, was relying on the Four Heavenly Kings brand that had been created in All Japan to make a match*. However, in the end, the Four Heavenly Kings of Pro Wrestling did not exist to show their true colors in the two matches that were held at the launch of the promotion. However, in the end, the Four Heavenly Kings Pro Wrestling did not exist to demonstrate its strength in these two matches. It existed solely to be destroyed. Akiyama said aptly, "I can't prove my efforts, unless I win". 

So, farewell Four Heavenly Kings of Pro Wrestling. Of course, it is true that the conditions were favorable for Akiyama, with Misawa being swamped with his duties as president and Kobashi having just had knee surgery, but, the men known as the Four Heavenly Kings were not so easygoing as to just sit back and allow Akiyama to win all by himself. However, after two consecutive matches since Noah's launch, it is certain that the door to a new era of professional wrestling has opened*. 

So what exactly is New Century Pro Wrestling? It is important to show this in concrete terms, but before that, an incident occurred that cannot be overlooked.

 The leading role was played by none other than Masahito Kakihara*. on the first day he teamed up with Yoshinari Ogawa and Ikeda Daisuke in a six-man tag team and faced NO FEAR. Because many wrestlers are changing their costumes, Kakihara, entered the ring in his traditional style of yellow uniform costume and leg guards with UWF written on them, and I couldn't help but notice that he exuded a mood of expectation. On both hands he wore open fingered gloves, and his amazing physique*, was exactly like his time in UWF International, when he was at his most brilliant. 

 Immediately after the match started, Kakihara, like a wild animal released from a cage, overwhelmed Omori with a barrage of violent punches. He then mercilessly slammed in a left kick, immobilizing Omori. Even after he tagged in Takayama and retreated to the corner, Omori remained crouched for a while, so the damage was obvious. But, if professional wrestling is a sport that is based on mutual trust, then it is open to debate as to whether Kakihara's attack crossed that line or was merely a false flag. Not only did Kakihara attack in the opening stages of the match, but he also stubbornly refused to join forces with Ogawa* even after the match ended, and retreated to the locker room by himself. Then, on the following day, the 6th, Kakihara was removed from matches. President Misawa didn't say much about this, saying, "He's in poor health, and is worried about various things related to his style*". However, in terms of traditional All Japan values, Kakihara's actions could be seen as going too far. But, shouldn't we at least acknowledge that Kakihara stuck to his guns, knowing that he would be criticized, and that he just wanted to move up? Even without that, President Misawa has often spoken about "respecting the freedom of the wrestlers." 

 However, the tricky thing here is that the Kakihara issue has raised a serious issue regarding the future of Noah. In other words, will Noah go for martial arts wrestling or entertainment wrestling?

PICTURE BLURB (CROWD)

The opening day wrestlers' entrance ceremony was held amidst a flurry of cocktail light laser beams. A free closed circuit was held in the outdoor parking lot, with about 1300 fans viewing the event. 

PICTURE BLURB (KAKIHARA PUNCHING OMORI)

Other than Akiyama, Kakihara's match stood out on the first day. He beat up Omori with punches using open-finger gloves. 

Takayama, Akiyama and Kakihara hold the key into taking PRIDE into consideration 

This can be rephrased as "new professional wrestling" or "pure professional wrestling". The former refers to the PRIDE style, and the latter refers to the current style of New Japan and All Japan. Given President Misawa's view of professional wrestling, it is true that the latter is the correct answer, but if they simply follow the traditional All Japan style of wrestling, then, even if they now have changed costumes, they will eventually revert to the Four Heavenly Kings style of wrestling, and in order to prevent this from happening, they have no choice but to go out and compete in other styles. 

 It just so happens that Akiyama and Kakihara are keenly aware of the current trend of supporting PRIDE, whether they like it or not, and Akiyama inadvertently said, "From now on, we have to compete with the outside world". This doesn't mean that Akiyama will immediately join PRIDE, but rather that the situation is different from the closed-off days of All Japan, and from now on he must adapt to the times with a broader perspective. This is the realization that Akiyama has. In the main event on the first day, we saw a glimpse of his amateur wrestling style, and his defeat of the Four Heavenly Kings of Pro Wrestling was certainly impressive, but at the same time, it is also worth noting that we could sense the stirrings of a martial arts style in Akiyama. The great thing about Akiyama is that he is not only good at fighting, but also in the entertainment industry, and his pose on the runway when he makes his entrance is electrifyingly cool. If he can attract as many female fans as Kobashi, then he will be perfect.

 On the other hand, there is Kakihara, and regardless of the right or wrong of the incident, when he landed a small kick on Omori's stomach, a shudder ran through the air and the roar that erupted was clearly different from anything that had happened up until then. What's interesting is that Takayama reacted immediately to Kakihara. That is, when Takayama got the tag from Omori, he instantly unsheathed his sword. With a storm of fierce knee kicks and palm strikes, this was not NO FEAR Takayama. This was the UWF fighter, Takayama. But the more you follow the times, then the more UWF-like things start to appear. 

 Of course, the pure pro-wrestling view is that each pro wrestling promotion should continue to pursue the style of wrestling that they each aspire to, and in any case, the fact that each individual can pursue their own style is all thanks to President Misawa's liberal policy. With that in mind, Noah's direction is either martial arts or entertainment...which color will Jun Akiyama's pure white tights be dyed!? 

Notes

Sound system: Until fairly recently (in 2000 that is), the sound system (as in music) was done by holding a microphone to the tape deck, and then rewinding if the music ran out.

Closed Circuit: A circuit used for racing cars and motorcycles, which general vehicles (i.e. HGV lorries) cannot pass through.

Blonde hair: Yoshihiro Takayama said they did this to signify a new beginning, and while the other two did not keep it up, Yoshihiro Takayama remained blonde for the rest of his career. 

Changing the sign on the store: Case in point to what this means. An Italian restaurant near me shut down, did refurbishment work, and opened as a different name, while keeping their old menu. 

Three men known as The Four Heavenly Kings: Toshiaki Kawada was the fourth, but he did not come to Noah, and stayed with All Japan. 

Noah & The Four Heavenly Kings: These people were right, and ultimately, it would cost Noah. 

Masahito Kakihara: Pro Wrestler and MMA fighter. He wasn't used much in All Japan, although Misawa wanted him to be pushed, as Baba felt he was too small and hadn't paid his dues. Part of the walkout to Noah, he left on day damn one due to personal problems with Takao Omori (they got into a shoot fight in the ring)

Amazing physique: In Japanese this is described as an "inverted triangle", which basically means he is ripped. I have chosen to leave this out as there is no direct translation, and I didn't think that it would be necessary or add to the article. 

NO FEAR: Yoshihiro Takayama, Takao Omori and Satoru Asako (Asasko now works as a trainer, having to retire due to injuries, Misawa sponsored him in his new role and he stayed with Noah for a time. He runs a clinic, where they still visit him). 

A new door to professional wrestling opening: Although it went largely uncommented on by Weekly Pro at the time, a new era was starting, especially in the south as Dove Pro sprung up round about this time in Hiroshima. They too like Noah, would do things their own way, and unlike anywhere else...including having a company construct their ring, leave it in a park, and then they had to bury it when the police told them to take it away, and then dig it up at night and paint it to prevent it from rusting, before reburying it. They couldn't take the ring away either as back then no one drove, everyone rode bikes (and where probably drunk).

Ogawa: Kakihara's behavior was extremely disrespectful to a senior, especially one who would drill into his students for the next twenty-four years a strict etiquette towards seniors, Kakihara's behavior did himself no favors not just towards Omori. 

Misawa's statement: The truth was that Kakihara was having stresses in his private life, due to his father, and the unfortunate Omori was used as a valve to let off steam. Joe Higuchi encouraged Kakihara to make amends, but unfortunately a lot of the Noah roster did not want to talk to him, and hung up on him when he tried. Kakihara later expressed remorse for his behavior, reflecting that this was not the way a responsible member of society should act. 

PICTURE BLURB (AKIYAMA VS MISAWA)

Akiyama showed a glimpse of amateur wrestling moves against Misawa