(NOAH/DDT) "DDT'S Shinya Aoki? Are you really that strong?" Kenoh bursts in and a match is decided

23rd November 2024

Tokyo Sports

At DDT's Korakuen Hall show on the 23rd, former KO-D Open Weight Champion, "Baka Survivor" Shinya Aoki (41) and Noah's Kenoh (39), had a dangerous encounter. 

It was Aoki who first sought contact. On the 16th, he told Tokyo Sports that he "had a revelation" from the Tohoku area*, and expressed his desire to face Kenoh, exchanging messages with him on social media. 

Then Aoki, who had won in the third match of the day by pinning Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a Full Nelson, said on the microphone, "On New Years Day 2025, I'm going to aim for Kenoh. I'm going to target him at Noah at the Budokan". 

Then, an enraged Kenoh appeared and threw a chair at him. 

When Aoki asked him, "What are you so angry about?", Kenoh refused to answer saying, "Shut up! January 1st? Noah's ring? You're not coming!". Furthermore, when Kenoh was asked to fight at the DDT event at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on December 28th, he was booed as he said insultingly, "There is no way I'm going to step into this cheap filthy ring! And all you bastards who came to see this cheap, filthy ring, are filthy too!". Kenoh then said, "Hey, Aoki! I'm okay with the "Mixed Martial Artist Shinya Aoki", but DDT's Shinya Aoki looks really cheap. DDT's Shinya Aoki, are you really that strong? My assistant is here today. You! Fight this guy, now!" Kenoh asked for a match with Yuu Owada, who he had brought with him. 

Aoki immediately accepted, and when the unexpected gong sounded, Owada attacked him with an elbow, but Aoki quickly captured him with his signature Full Nelson, and while holding his neck, he forced him to the mat and got the pin in a flash. As Kenoh and Aoki glared at each other, Keigo Nakamura appeared and attacked Kenoh shouting, "You stupid blonde bastard who insults DDT fans, I'll take you on". This escalted into a brawl. Kenoh was riled up and shouted, "I'll take you on!", and accepted the challenge at Ryogoku Kokugikan on December 28th. 

Aoki then declared, "We're not just going to beat Kenoh, we're going to prove that we're better." He continued with, "We're not inferior. We're not the same. We're the most interesting and the most strongest". 

Translated from Tokyo Sports

Picture credit: Tokyo Sports

Notes

Tohoku: Kenoh is from Shikoku, which is in this region.