(NOAH) The skill of a mature star
18th December 2024 (Issue no 2332)
Kiyomiya struggles against Kendrick but achieves his personal best of seven GHC Heavyweight title defenses
Brian Kendrick made a surprise appearance on November 18th in Shinjuku as an "old American friend" of Assistant Director, NOSAWA Rongai. A former WWE superstar, his first visit to Japan was in 2002 under the ring name Leonard Spanky in ZERO1. He gained popularity for his resemblance to movie actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and with his solid skills he was active in Hustle, All Japan, and New Japan. In terms of his connection to Noah, he faced Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA in the 2nd Differ Cup in 2005. Kendrick became the challenger for the GHC Heavyweight Championship as a "Gift from the Magic of Monday." The current champion, Kaito Kiyomiya, took the belt from El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr in May of this year. He went on to compete in peak battles between new-generation wrestlers Gabe Kidd from New Japan, and YOICHI (Yoshiki Inamura), and in September he won his first N-1 VICTORY as champion. The finale was an ALL REBELLION showdown against Kenoh, with the belt on the line. On September 8th in London, he defeated Ricky Knight Jr., the future of European pro wrestling, and successfully defended his title for the fourth time. On October 14th at Korakuen, he defeated Masa Kitamiya, the demonic dorm manager, and on November 17th in Nagoya, he defeated Takashi Sugiura, the mainstay of Noah. In Kiyomiya's seventh title defense, which will also see him defend his title the most times in his career, he will face off against a former WWE superstar with outstanding global fame.
Kendrick fought in Japan for the first time since November 2013. Since leaving WWE in 2022, he has been active mainly in the United States. In this match, he took on Kiyomiya with a fighting style like that of a sage, making full use of his well-toned physique and cunning techniques. From the beginning, Kendrick slowly cornered the champion with the timing and tempo that only a veteran can have. Towards the end, he squeezed the champion with his favorite Captain Hook, and showed off some big moves that showed his awareness of Noah, such as the Sliced Bread No. 2, (which is the same type as the Shiranui), and Kenta Kobashi's Burning Hammer.
This was his first title match against a veteran, and even Kiyomiya struggled with the unfamiliar tempo and unique techniques. Although he is known for his stamina, he was worn down considerably from the beginning of the match and pushed to the limit. However, he took advantage of a momentary opening and got the three-count with a figure four pin.
It was a victory that seemed impossible.
"It was close. The world-famous Brian Kendrick is truly amazing. It was a very close call. I felt the scale of the world. This match broadened my horizons, and I want Noah to expand this fight to the world. I broke my personal record for most title defenses by seven times today, but I'm still not satisfied. My record of fourteen title defenses is still a little way off, but I'll keep my eye on it and fight each and every fight."
The record holder for the number of consecutive defenses of the GHC Heavyweight Championship is Takashi Sugiura with fourteen. While Kiyomiya has now jumped to fifth place in history, he has tied with Mitsuharu Misawa and Katsuhiko Nakajima with seven. In second place is Kenta Kobashi with thirteen, and KENTA is in third with with nine, and in fourth place is Takeshi Morishima with eight. It can be said that by defeating the challenge of the former WWE superstar, Kiyomiya gained a worldwide reputation. At the same time, it was in the magical ring of "MONDAY MAGIC" that Kiyomiya was able to have a thorough battle with the ever-more-matured and accomplished Kendrick, and this gave him truly valuable experience as the GHC Heavyweight Champion.
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