(NOAH): Boys are Boys (Fumihiko Saito's column)

Weekly Pro 

5th September 2000 (Issue No.993)

Noah's Ark has begun sailing on the emerald green ocean.

Differ Ariake is a lifehouse. 

All Japan's ring was infinitely blue, but that at Pro Wrestling Noah is emerald green. When the color of the canvas changes, you can clearly see that you are in a completely different ocean than where you were before. The green said to be the color of earth, which protects Mitsuharu Misawa. 

All Japan did not split up. Splitting up is like splitting up a certain unit, like the cells, wires, or organs of a living organism, but almost all of the wrestlers and staff who had been in the All Japan ring boarded Noah's Ark and set off into new seas. Only Toshiaki Kawada and Masanobu Fuchi refused to sail away, and so remained in the empty ring. Misawa and his companions left only the "All Japan" sign in the old port, and everything else was transferred to the new ring. They cannot set sail into the ocean while on the old ship. 

If the first two matches were Noah's launch ceremony, then the real voyage begins from here. 

The spectators who come to Differ Ariake are overwhelmingly young people in their early twenties. There are not many older men or women. The entrance gate is set up in the middle of the northern seating area, and the runway space itself is so close that spectators can reach out and touch the wrestlers' bodies. 

Just before the event begins, promotional videos of the participating wrestlers are shown on the nine panel LCD screen at the front of the west side. If Noah is about trying things that couldn't be done or shouldn't be done in the All Japan ring, it seems that the wrestlers' current motivation is being expressed in the form of their new ring costumes*. The standard six man tag, with Rusher Kimura, Mitsuo Momota and Haruka Eigen, is exactly the same as the match set up in the All Japan era. While it's easy to say that the flavor hasn't changed, the color of the canvas has, and so it feels a bit strange.

The lineup for the third Differ Ariake event was six matches in total, including three singles matches, a six-man tag match, and two tag matches. The four former members of the "Four Heavenly Kings plus 1*", Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue and Jun Akiyama, have each begun to form new units with the framework of their new promotion. 

The Kobashi & Takeshi Rikio vs Akiyama & Yoshinobu Kanemaru tag match, displayed a blueprint for Noah's near future. Akiyama, in white tights and white shoes, is strong, badass and cool, a heel who never lets his guard down, is the boss of the group. Kanemaru takes advantage of the referee's blind spot and uses a small package hold to pin Rikio, and as the bell rang, Takeshi Morishima and Makoto Hashi attacked Kobashi. A few seconds later, Yoshihiro Takayama appeared on the runway, and shook hands with Akiyama. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi also joined the fray, supporting Kobashi. A completely new layout of fighting is beginning to take shape.        

The emerald canvas of the ring suits Misawa, and in his mind as the captain of Noah, there are things that must be changed, and things that must not. The green long tights, the "Spartan X" theme song and the elbow smash are some of the things that must not be changed, and the positioning of Akira Taue and Junji Izumida as his opponents that day, is one of the things that must be. Misawa's tag partner, Yoshinari Ogawa, is in a position to build Noah together with Misawa.
Akira Taue and Junji Izumida entertained the audience with their kimono and waist bands, but the wrestling itself had a heavy All Japan style feel. Misawa quickly scored a win over Izumida with a right elbow smash. Captain Misawa, protected by the emerald green, can accelerate the speed of the ship even more. Noah's Ark is finally about to depart.

   

Notes

Ring costumes: You would never have seen the NO-FEAR T-shirts about "If it has a skirt or wheels, then ride it" in All Japan.  

Plus 1: Jun Akiyama, who was often considered to be the fifth member/fifth pillar.

NOAH'S ARKIVE! WEEKLY PRO & BOOK ARCHIVE