(NOAH) Noah Series Second Half Digest
Weekly Pro 7th November 2000
(Issue No. 1002)
One Night Navigation = 22nd October, Differ Ariake
Ninety percent of the offense was driven by sheer spirit. The barrage of strikes caused him to collapse onto the mat.
Izumida tries to step in to help, but a sharp glare stops him in his tracks. Those eyes are terrifying.
The finishing blow, a slash to the neck, echoed through the arena.
A chilling, cold air hung in the ring. Yes—it was a murderous aura.
Akitoshi Saito secured his second consecutive victory in Noah, radiating a terrifying, murderous aura. From the moment he entered the arena until he left, that intensity never once faded. It was truly overwhelming.
Just why did Saito keep radiating such murderous intent?
Since he was venturing into enemy territory, he simply did what was necessary—all to compensate for a physique that could hardly be called large. There may well be other factors at play. But surely the primary reason was the conviction that, without taking such a step, he simply couldn't make it in Noah. I cannot shake the feeling that his fierce determination to keep competing manifested itself as a palpable, menacing intensity. The power of the kicks at which he excels is indeed tremendous. However, one must not forget that the opponent receiving them is also formidable. It is precisely because Izumida and Hashi possess such well-honed physiques that Saito’s kicks are all the more effective. Moreover, Noah boasts wrestlers like Takayama—men of imposing size who unleash powerful, impactful kicks.
In such a situation, to stand out and make one's presence felt, it is absolutely essential to add something extra to one's natural strengths. For Saito, that "something extra" is an aura of murderous intent.
"I want to charge forward, imprinting the greatness of the Noah wrestlers into my very being."
Speaking like that after the match, Saito had completely reverted to being a wholesome young man.
Meanwhile, Direvtor Aoyagi is completely confident.
"Those guy's aren't fired up! Are they messing with us!? Look, Saito alone is more than enough. Anywhere is fine next time. Just keep putting together more matches, and we'll slowly corner them."
There's no doubt that Aoyagi and Saito have brought a unique flavour to Noah. If they continue steadily progressing and face the top ranks, it will be interesting to see how they react to the bloodlust they inspire.
Picture notes
~ The crowd roared several times at the end, but that was only possible because Izumida had an unyielding physique.
~ Not a moment of weakness was shown! That's the kind of aura Saito had.
Marufuji was angered by Aoyagi's repeated remarks.
"Just a costume change"
"I want to see what Noah is really capable of"
Aoyagi's remarks kept rubbing Marufuji the wrong way, one after another. Furthermore, when he faced them in a tag-team match in Nagoya on October 11th, he suffered a defeat and was even asked, "President Misawa, is this really all Noah amounts to?"
The Kanazawa event provided the opportunity for Marufuji—who was seething with rage—to vent his emotions directly. He found himself facing Aoyagi in the one-on-one showdown he had desired. To be honest, the match really highlighted just how skilled a competitor Marufuji is; he clearly held the advantage in both stamina and speed.
But it was Aoyagi who won, carving out a path to victory by relying on his greatest weapon, and ultimately finishing off Marufuji with a jumping spin kick.
Marufuji, who was determined to get revenge and show his opponent the greatness of professional wrestling and the magnitude of Noah, suffered a heartbreaking defeat and the humiliation of being beaten again. However, there is absolutely no reason for Marufuji to mope around. While he must accept the result as it is, Marufuji was undoubtedly the center of this match. If he can transform that frustration into even more angry energy, and vow to get it right next time, then this defeat will have meaning and serve as seed for future growth.
Picture notes
~ Angered that his opponent was a young wrestler, Aoyagi (even though he had won the match) choked Marufuji with his belt.
Even more striking than the undeniably oddball pairing of Director Aoyagi and Scorpio (a combination that actually worked surprisingly well) was the group of seconds backing the team of Shiga & Kanemaru. Figures such as Morishima, Hashi, and Marufuji were intently watching the unfolding battle. Under normal circumstances, he would simply be acting as a second; however, the moment Kanamaru was taken down, he climbed into the ring and glared at Aoyagi—his eyes burning with the unadulterated hostility one directs at an outsider.
From their perspective, of course, that was only natural. It would be strange not to feel angry at Aoyagi, who had suddenly shown up demanding to deal with the seniors. It wouldn't be strange for them to think, "We should be the ones to take him on before the higher-ups do"—and since that is precisely what they *are* thinking, they openly display their hostility. They are trying to drive Aoyagi out of Noah using nothing but their own strength.
In other words, the idea was to crush him before he could reach the top, and Shiga was the prime example of this. As for Aoyagi, he would call him "You!" and even raise his voice when doing so.
"Honestly, you are not even a challenge for me—I'm ready to go anytime. Compared to what my seniors put me through, that's nothing."
The fact that Shiga has said all of this, proves that Aoyagi's participation is no ordinary matter. The young wrestlers have already formed a network to surround the Director!
Notes
"You": Very bad manners.
Aoyagi later told Misawa that he "did not wish to face young struggling wrestlers".
ELSEWHERE IN NOAH
Comic-chan "who frequents Differ Ariake" made an appearance.
Even Ogawa was surprised when Richard Slinger used the referee to perform a plancha.
Rusher Kimura told the crowd to "Please continue to support Noah in the future".
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