(NOAH) Boys are Boys by Fumihiko Saito

Weekly Pro 24th October 2000

(Issue No. 1000)

Noah's ring is a place where you can experience true professional wrestling. 

 Vader suddenly appeared in the first match.

 For some reason, he entered first, followed by Takeshi Morishima. Before the opening bell rang, Morishima attacked Vader. There was a huge difference in their careers and achievements, but Morishima wasn't so far behind in terms of physical size. Vader secured the win over the energetic Morishima with just two Vader Attacks from the corner, two short close throws from the left, and a barrage of left and right "log-like" punches.

 In the second match, Scorpio and Richard Slinger took to the ring and used the full fifteen minutes to showcase a high-energy wrestling show against Naomichi Marufuji and Kenta Kobayashi. Scorpio, Marufuji, and Kobayashi combined a total of four backflips. Every 20 seconds, someone jumped off the top rope. Richard, who didn't perform any aerial manoeuvres, got the pinfall win over Kobayashi with a Japanese-style German suplex hold.

 Vader commented that he had chosen Noah to fight Misawa, and Scorpio described the new ring as "a company with some of the best wrestlers in the world." Richard smiled modestly and said he was "happy to be back in his second home." The three foreign wrestlers, whose contract issues with All Japan Pro Wrestling had been pointed out, stepped onto the green canvas with refreshing expressions. 

 "That's how it is with female fans" a female fan, regular at All Japan events said with a look that said, "Of course, that's obvious." When their favorite wrestler goes elsewhere, the other fans will naturally follow. The reputation of the promotion doesn't really matter. This is a new discovery. 

 One enthusiastic veteran male fan proudly declared, "I watch both. I love All Japan Pro Wrestling's history and tradition, but I especially love the wrestlers who have been active in All Japan." From now on, he plans to attend one All Japan and one Noah show each month, depending on his budget and time. Perhaps this is what they mean by the difference in sensibilities between "boys" and "girls."   

 No matter what mode of transportation you use, Differ Ariake is quite far. Sharing a taxi from a JR station somewhere in Tokyo with a few friends, or driving yourself, is probably the most convenient way to get there. However, the arena's dedicated parking lot is often not open to the general public. 

 For a stylish live music venue, the items on display at the shop are rather unremarkable. The only food items are curry rice for 500 yen and frankfurters for 300 yen, while soft drinks like cola, ginger ale, and oolong tea, as well as snacks, are all 200 yen. Draft beer is 500 yen, but for some reason, they don't have hot coffee. Beef jerky, which used to be 600 yen, was recently reduced to 500 yen.

 Having bento boxes, tea and sandwiches available would be a great help, but the area around the shops is more of a smoking area. There's a convenience store one block away from the venue, but even there, the food selection is extremely limited. That is another thing that makes you realize you are in Ariake. 

 Once you get used to it, the green canvas ring is easy on the eyes. There's no rule anywhere that says the ring has to be white or blue*. This is the ring created by Mitsuharu Misawa and his coterie, so the wrestlers who wrack their brains there to come up with ideas for pro wrestling, will become the new normal, the new tradition.   

 The matches, laid out in the green ring, are both old and new. Misawa's silver and green tights, while retaining the exact same design, have been subtly updated to look brand new. 

Notes

Differ Ariake: Mitsuharu Misawa commented in his diary on the area being built up as the years went by. As for it being out of the way, Takashi Sugiura who was exiled there by his family during a house move because he was being obstructive, and as a result had all his pornography packed away, said you could "hear wolves howling". 

White or blue ring: The blue ring was All Japan. Ironically, Noah's ring is currently white.