Blog Archives

IMPACT Wrestling Partners with Major League Soccer (MLS) Team FC Dallas

6/26/2019

IMPACT Wrestling Partners with Major League Soccer (MLS) Team FC Dallas

DALLAS – IMPACT Wrestling is teaming up with FC Dallas for a series of promotions and events leading up to Slammiversary XVII, which will be held Sunday night, July 7, at Gilley’s Dallas.

IMPACT World Champion Brian Cage will attend the team’s home match on Thursday, July 4, at #ToyotaStadium in suburban #FriscoTexas, just outside of Dallas. Cage will cheer on the host club in its match that night against D.C. United, which is expected to draw about 20,000 fans for the holiday night match.

Cage will be interviewed at the game by #GinaMiller, who is the VP of Media & Communications for FC Dallas and has hosted/produced FC Dallas Live, a pre-game show that airs on #TXA21. Miller is an award-winning sportscaster who has worked in numerous markets, including Dallas and Los Angeles.

“We’re thrilled Brian will be at the July 4th game and is bringing the World Championship belt with him,” said Miller. “It will be great to see the title up-close and in-person.”

Cage also will be participating in a special halftime promotion, where he will attempt to score a penalty kick – against the team’s mascot, a bull named #TexHooper.

“I’m looking forward to going to the #FCDallas game on July 4th, cheering the team to victory and spending time with the strong fanbase, many of whom will be at Slammiversary on Sunday to root me on,” said Cage.

Cage also will participate in other in-stadium promotions with the team and meet with the players and coaches. In addition, he will meet with some of the soccer club’s youth teams.

IMPACT Wrestling presents #SlammiversaryXVII on Sunday, July 7, live on pay-per-view from #GilleysDallas. Brian Cage defends that World Championship at Slammiversary against #MichaelElgin.

For more information about #IMPACTWrestling or #Slammiversary #XVII, visit www.impactwrestling.com.

MEDIA: #BrianCage is available for in-person interviews on Thursday, July 4, in Dallas. He also will be available for phone interviews, time permitting.
About IMPACT Wrestling
IMPACT Wrestling is one of the world’s largest wrestling entertainment properties, creating more than 300 hours of original content annually across television and other digital platforms. IMPACT Wrestling specializes in creating premium content, events, products, merchandise and music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. Its highly successful flagship, IMPACT!, is broadcast globally, including Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Pursuit Channel and Twitch in the United States, Fight Network and GameTV in Canada, Sony ESPN in India, 5STAR and Fight Network in the United Kingdom, SuperSport in Africa, and MVStv in Mexico. IMPACT Wrestling is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp.

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ SUNDAY 23RD JUNE 2019, TAKAOKA EKOL, TOYAMA ("NOAH THE SPIRIT 2019, NIGHT THREE)

6/23/2019

Comments

Noah came to Toyama prefecture today for the final night of "Noah The Spirit" (name of interim tour between the leagues), to Takaoka Ekol. Local boy, Masa Kitamiya is from the prefecture (if not the city), and was welcomed today by a massive banner erected for him in the hall.
Kenoh said he is looking forward to teaming with a wilder than usual Kitamiya.

Before the event started, Yoshinari Ogawa held a training class for some of the roster, (in particular Kaito Kiyomiya, who had a bandaged knee, and the new trainee).

I am afraid that I don't have much information from today's show, so all I am really able to present is results with some small bits of news.

INFO
~ KAZMA got a hell of a kicking from Katsuhiko Nakajima. On winning, Nakajima stood over him with the tag belt. Afterwards, Nakajima walked around outside the ring, and posed for all four sides.
~ People are concerned about Kotoge as he seems so robotic and lifeless, and it is thought that he was probably a lot happier before.
~ Naomichi Marufuji "dog-eared" Daisuke Harada
~ RATELS had a standoff at the end of their match as Global Junior League is the next event, and for now, they are all enemies (its their twice yearly squabble which you can guarantee, the other being Global Junior Tag League)
~ Fight outside the ring after the match (vicious elbows thrown) between Go Shiozaki and Takashi Sugiura.
~ Yoshiki Inamura's power and presence said to have increased

RESULTS
Masao Inoue vs Kinya Okada (Masao Inoue with the schoolboy pin, 8 minutes & 33 seconds)
50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs Minoru Tanaka & Hi69 (Minoru Tanaka with a Hurrcanrunna on Quiet Storm, 8 minutes & 35 seconds)
Atsushi Kotoge vs Junta Miyawaki (Atsushi Kotoge with the Killswitch, 11 minutes & 31 seconds)
KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (Katsuhiko Nakajima with the Vertical Spike, 10 minutes & 29 seconds)
Naomichi Marufuji & Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki & Chris Ridgeway) vs RATELS (Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA & YO-HEY) (YO-HEY with the YO-ROLL on Yoshinari Ogawa, 14 minutes & 26 seconds)
The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura & Hajime Ohara) vs Kumaxis (Go Shiozaki & Hitoshi Kumano) (Hajime Ohara with the Muy Bien on Hitoshi Kumano, 18 minutes & 44 seconds)
Kaito Kiyomiya, Shuhei Taniguchi & Akitoshi Saito vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Yoshiki Inamura) (Kaito Kiyomiya with the Tiger Suplex on Yoshiki Inamura, 12 minutes & 8 seconds)

Attendance: 384 (overcrowded)
With thanks to: Tatsuya, Nakanishi, Takamura, Prowrestling Dining & BAR StO
Picture credit: Noah GHC

Comments

Brian Cage RETURNS and Goes on a Rampage! | IMPACT Wrestling June 21, 2019 | BRIAN CAGE RETURNS...

6/23/2019

Comments

Brian Cage RETURNS and Goes on a Rampage! | IMPACT Wrestling June 21, 2019... #BrianCageRETURNS #IMPACTWrestling #IMPACTHIGHLIGHTS

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ SATURDAY 22ND JUNE 2019, NAGANO ARCS, NAGANO ("NOAH THE SPIRIT 2019, NIGHT TWO)

6/22/2019

Comments

Noah arrived in Nagano today on what looks like a brand new tour bus. Nagano has had a rough week, as an earthquake triggered a Tsunami warning and an evacuation of coastal towns. Fortunately, the damage was relatively mild with the Shinkansen stopping (its passengers were evacuated), and some households losing power, and with much relief, the sea only swelling in some places. Sadly there were reports of injuries and landslides in some areas, and Nagano suffered some structural damage in places.

I am afraid that I don't have too much information on today's event, so in some places more than others, I have only been able to give results.

MATCH ONE
Daisuke Harada vs Kinya Okada
WINNER: Daisuke Harada with the brainbuster (7 minutes and 36 seconds)

MATCH TWO
Fifty Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs The Return of The Dark Agents (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue)
WINNER: Quiet Storm with the 50cm Lariat on Masao Inoue (9 minutes and 50 seconds)

MATCH THREE
Takashi Sugiura vs Hitoshi Kumano

Kumano very excited ahead of their first singles match, and said that hasn't slept as he's so happy (Sugiura is his hero). His hero, Sugiura, however spent the afternoon taking a picture of Masao Inoue at the urinal.

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the Olympic Slam (12 minutes and 11 seconds)

MATCH FOUR
Naomichi Marufuji vs Junta Miyawaki

Naturally, Junta came out with a red chest after being chopped (the sound echoed around the venue)

WINNER: Naomichi Marufuji with the Perfect Key Lock submission (11 minutes and 58 seconds)

After the match, Marufuji went to shake hands with Miyawaki. Miyawaki refused!

MATCH FIVE
The Sugiura Army (KAZMA SAKAMOTO & Hajime Ohara) vs AXIZ (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Go Shiozaki)
WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the lariat on Hajime Ohara (12 minutes, 48 seconds)

MATCH SIX
Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki & Chris Ridgeway) vs RATELS (HAYATA, YO-HEY & Tadasuke)
WINNER: Yoshinari Ogawa with the Boston Crab on YO-HEY (16 minutes, 26 seconds)

After the match Daisuke Harada got in the ring, and probably went to do their pose (to be honest I'm not really sure why he did), but Tadasuke (who is all ready in Global Junior League mode) walked off angrily, leaving the other three watching him and looking at each other.

MATCH SEVEN
Kaito Kiyomiya, Maybach Taniguchi, Minoru Tanaka & Hi69 vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura)
WINNER: Kenoh with the diving footstamp on Hi69 (14 minutes, 57 seconds)

ATTENDANCE: 219 people (full)
WITH THANKS TO: Shishikazu
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ 19TH JUNE 2019, AIZU WAKAMATSU CITY CULTURAL CENTER ("NOAH THE SPIRIT 2019, NIGHT ONE)

6/19/2019

Comments

"The Green Ray"
A 1986 French film.
Based on the book by Éric Rohmer. "When the sun sets on the horizon, there are times when the light turns green."
It is said that whoever sees it, gains happiness.
I looked at the young people who were shining in the ring, and I remembered the beautiful end of the movie."

The event today was held in a venue which was set up as a theater, so the audience sat in static seats facing the stage and not around it. Naomichi Marufuji called it "a unique feeling". Despite the uniqueness of the venue, and the fact that it is a weeknight, Noah managed to sell it out. There was said to be a good ("happy") atmosphere today, which I think was part caused by relief that the predicted tsunami from the earthquake that shook the Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in north at 11.30pm on the 18th June, caused only some sea swell in some areas, and no lasting damage (some households lost power though).

A trip to Aizu, however, would not be complete without both fans and Noah visiting the famous White Peacock restaurant, and eating the specialty fried pork in crumbs.

I am afraid it is one of those times when I have more information on some matches than others, but I have tried to put together a comprehensive report.

MATCH ONE
Yoshiki Inamura vs Kinya Okada

The growing rivalry between Inamura and Okada continued today in Aizu.

WINNER: Yoshiki Inamura with the Boston Crab (7 minutes, 27 seconds)

MATCH TWO
50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs The Return of The Dark Agents (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue)

WINNER: Akitoshi Saito with the Suicludees (10 minutes, 43 seconds)

MATCH THREE
Hi69 vs Junta Miyawaki

Hi69 took his revenge on Junta Miyawaki for pinning him during Global Junior Tag League

WINNER: Hi69 with the Stuka Splash (9 minutes, 48 seconds)

MATCH FOUR
Naomichi Marufuji & Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki & Chris Ridgeway) vs RATELS (Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA & YO-HEY).

RATELS made their first appearance in a tag all together today since YO-HEY came back, and since Global Junior Tag League finished (they will be friends until Global Junior League starts).
Ageless 52 year old Yoshinari Ogawa appeared clad in shades and a denim jacket, and flashed the "devil horns", which in no way made him look like an old man, and Marufuji's entry was said to have "changed the atmosphere of the venue."

WINNER: Daisuke Harada with the rotation variation on Chris Ridgeway (14 minutes, 6 seconds)

There was an eight man brawl after the match, with RATELS posing as Kotaro and Ogawa lay on the floor outside the ring.

In the post match interview afterwards, RATELS again once appeared all together, and the usual craziness broke out with Tadasuke yelling at, well, no one about aiming to win. YO-HEY being his usual incoherent self (he seems to think he has reached Spain)...and HAYATA just walking off without saying anything.
Despite his craziness, one fan said that Tadasuke was today's MVP

Naomichi Marufuji was reflective, commenting on Twitter that there was no place for him in RATELS or in Stinger...

IPW have also announced that their Jnr Heavyweight title (which Daisuke Harada holds) is due to be defended soon, and that Noah will announce it...

MATCH FIVE
The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura, KAZMA SAKAMOTO & Hajime Ohara) vs AXIZ\KUMAXIZ (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Go Shiozaki & Hitoshi Kumano)

AXIZ appeared wearing t-shirts with "AIZU" on them, much to the crowds delight. When AXIZ are with Hitoshi Kumano, they get known as "KUMAXIZ" (which is Go Shiozaki's play on words using Kumano's name and the team name). Hitoshi Kumano came away from what was a somewhat heavyweight dominated match inspired and saying that he is going to train to have a body that does not lose to the heavyweights, and that would cause havoc among the juniors.
KAZMA SAKAMOTO bought his Dragongate tag belt with him today
Poor Takashi Sugiura got the brunt of AXIZ today by taking both the kick\chop combo (which seems to being rapidly known as "the sandwich chop and kick") and being machine gun chopped by Go Shiozaki.

WINNER: KAZMA SAKAMOTO with Palm Bottom* on Hitoshi Kumano (13 minutes, 51 seconds)

MATCH SIX
Kaito Kiyomiya, Shuhei Taniguchi & Minoru Tanaka vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Atsushi Kotoge).

WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Tiger Suplex on Atsushi Kotoge (15 minutes, 9 seconds)

After the match, Kiyomiya spoke on the microphone and of his dream of making Noah first in Japan, but for now, it was an aim to be second.

ATTENDANCE: 376 people (full house)
WITH THANKS TO: Anne da arc, Nishizawa Masatomo, Dragon, nj45
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC, PKDK,
GIF CREDIT: Noah GHC

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ GLOBAL JUNIOR TAG LEAGUE 2019, FINAL NIGHT (13TH JUNE, EDION ARENA 2ND STADIUM) ~ MITSUHARU MISAWA MEMORIAL NIGHT

6/13/2019

Comments

"Crying from start to finish
It was really good to go today."

The 13th June has come around again, and this year it is the ten year anniversary of the death of Noah's founder, Mitsuharu Misawa. As they had done in Tokyo, Noah erected a flower altar for him, and fans bought offerings such as green and white flowers, cans of his favorite drinks (especially Sapporo beer and his favorite grapefruit sour and Green Tea High), plus packets of his favorite cigarettes (Parliament). His robe was also on display, and as ever, his spirit was watching over Noah, and his portrait was erected over the wrestlers entryway looking down on the ring, staring back at us from a vanished era in Noah.
Noah's choice of venue today was not entirely caused by wanting to bring the show to a big city other than Tokyo, but out of a sense of following the footsteps of the past, as The Osaka Edion 2nd Arena was the last place that Misawa wrestled at on 11th June 2009, two days before the accident in Hiroshima.
The atmosphere was said to be feverish, and the attendance reached standing room only with some fans unable to even return to their seats.

Misawa Memorial

"I already knew the impact Misawa-san had on everyone’s life, especially within NOAH but being there firsthand today showed to me how much he means & how he motivates everyone’s so heavily to this day.
As Ogawa-san said, "Don’t forget the wrestler known as Misawa."
Chris Ridgeway

The memorial today in Osaka differed from the one in Tokyo.
As per tradition, the lights dimmed, the bell sounded, and the ring announcer called "GHC Heavyweight Champion, Mitsuharu Misawa!", and the paper tape (which had Misawa's name on it) was thrown by fans into the empty green ring as "Spartan X" played (some fans were in tears as they chanted "MISAWA! MISAWA! MISAWA!" at the intro). The slight change today was that the roster came out, which they hadn't done in Tokyo, and stood protectively around it, as the green and white paper tape whizzed over them. Ironically, the old Noah, the "Golden Era" Noah (Takashi Sugiura) stood next to the new Noah, "The Turbulant Era" Noah (Kaito Kiyomiya).
Afterwards, Aerosmith's "Dream" played as the seconds removed the streamers from the ring, and the roster went to the back. Out of all the thirty or so guys around the ring, only ten people remain in Noah who knew Misawa.

MATCH ONE
Yoshiki Inamura vs Kinya Okada

Kinya Okada (local Osaka boy, like Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke) faced off against Yoshiki Inamura, who calls him "my rival". Noah have never specified exactly why Okada was injured (an injury also delayed his debut too), but on his return today he looked far more toned than before (he had been working hard for his return and older and wiser heads in Noah had cautioned"Chunky" to slow down).
Inamura warned him previously in true Kongoh style, that he may be a local boy and have the power of the fans on his side, but he should not expect to win...and he (Inamura) would never lose to him.
There was the usual chop battle between them, with Inamura (the more experienced) doing the vet thing of no selling.
The match left fans wanting more.

WINNER: Yoshiki Inamura with the Boston Crab (6 minutes, 44 seconds)

In the post match interview, Inamura admitted that he had felt the power of the newly returned Okada.

MATCH TWO
50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs The Return of The Dark Agents (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue)

Fifty Funky Powers came out to a streamer of neon colored (neon blue and psychedelic purple) streamers.

WINNER: Mohammed Yone with the lariat on Akitoshi Saito (8 minutes, 21 seconds)

It was thought that Akitoshi Saito was overtired and overemotional, especially at the end of the match when he seemingly lost the tremendous nerve he has displayed for the past ten years, especially on this day, and broke down hysterically as he faced Misawa's portrait and bowed. Masao Inoue was very tender with him, as was Referee Shu Nishinaga.
Fans have asked that now he simply rest.

MATCH THREE
Minoru Tanaka, Hi69 & The Sugiura Army (NOSAWA Rongai & Hajime Ohara) vs Hitoshi Kumano, Chris Ridgeway, Junta Miyawaki and Seiya Morohashi.

Junta Miyawaki (who will be 22nd on the 14th June) almost got his third win, and this time again over Hi69.
The match may have been short, but it was said to be impressive.

WINNER: Hi69 with the Stuka Splash on Junta Miyawaki (7 minutes, 52 seconds)

In their post match interview, Chris Ridgeway thanked Hitoshi Kumano for teaming with him and for what he had learned from him, and proposed a singles match between them.
NOSAWA, however, complained about the referee for some reason.

MATCH FOUR
Kaito Kiyomiya & RATELS (Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke) vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Atsushi Kotoge).

"Only two months ago, two wrestlers teamed up here in the place where they are now in direct conflict".

Naturally, Kenoh and Kaito Kiyomiya made a beeline for each other. Kiyomiya going up to Kenoh, and holding the belt up, there was also something defiant in the way he threw off his ring coat when finished. Kenoh is the only person who Kiyomiya dares to be (mildly) rude to.
There was a kick war between Ridgeway and Kenoh.

WINNER: Kenoh with the diving footstamp on Tadasuke (15 minutes, 28 seconds)

Afterwards, Kenoh got on the microphone and started shrieking at Kaito Kiyomiya and asking him if he had reached his limit, he also told the audience ("assholes of Osaka") that if they didn't know what "Kongoh" meant, they should go home and look it up.
There was no challenge for the GHC Heavyweight title.

MATCH FIVE
GLOBAL TAG LEAGUE 2019 FINALS
Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki) vs HAYATA & YO-HEY

Fierce match by all accounts which, considering what was at stake, kept the audience on the edge of their seats. If the crowd where whipped up and emotional before, it was the finisher who drove them into a frenzy.

WINNER: Kotaro Suzuki with the Tiger Driver 91 on YO-HEY (24 minutes, 16 seconds)

Afterwards, Yoshinari Ogawa (who doesn't really do this), got on the microphone and spoke briefly. He thanked everyone for coming today, and asked that no one "ever forget that there was a wrestler called Misawa".

In their victory promo, Stinger announced they had a new member, and revealed it to be Chris Ridgeway. Needless to say that fans were both excited and stunned. This is a tremendous opportunity for Ridgeway to learn from two veterans of Noah, especially Yoshinari Ogawa.

MATCH SIX
Naomichi Marufuji vs Shuhei Taniguchi

In tribute to Atsushi Aoki (whom he had trained and graduated with), Shuhei Taniguchi used the Assault Point, he also wore wristbands of green (Misawa) and blue (Aoki).

WINNER: Shuhei Taniguchi with the Modified Camel Clutch (17 minutes, 52 seconds)

Marufuji tapping out is rare, not even master of nasty submission moves, Yoshinari Ogawa could get him to tap out, but Taniguchi did. Taniguchi in the after match interview said that today he had been fighting for both Misawa and Aoki. Marufuji lamented that he had lost twice in a row, and said Taniguchi was strong.

MATCH SEVEN
GHC HEAVYWEIGHT TAG CHAMPIONSHIP
AXIZ (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Go Shiozaki) vs The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura & KAZMA SAKAMOTO)

This was said to be an insanely tough match, and at one point it went into the crowd with Nakajima and SAKAMOTO fighting, and Nakajima throwing him into some chairs. Inside the ring, Sugiura was later caught in Shiozaki and Nakajima's kick chop.

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the front neck lock on Katsuhiko Nakajima (TKO in 28 minutes)

KAZMA SAKAMOTO and Takashi Sugiura are now the 50th heavyweight tag team champions in Noah. KAZMA, who currently holds a belt in Dragongate, was emotional about the win (this is his first Noah title) and kissed his green wristband.
Sugiura spoke on the microphone and said he would always fight for Noah.

Afterwards gold and silver streamers came down from the ceiling with personal messages from the Noah roster on them.

In the backstage interviews, Nakajima said that he wanted a rematch, which Takashi Sugiura granted.

ATTENDANCE: 885 (Overcrowded)
WITH THANKS TO: Nanarin, Real N Green, Noah GHC, Sarico-chan, U-SHI, Tommy, Kobayashi, Omiso, T. Ogawa,
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC, PKDK, Tadasuke

Comments

Smash This Podcast | IMPACT / A NIGHT YOU CANT MIST REVIEW!

6/13/2019

Comments

#IMPACT #ImpactWrestling #ECWArena #HOH #HouseOfHardcore #ANightYouCantMist
Leave your thoughts on the show in the comments below!!

The NEW Smash This Podcast Merch is now Available!
https://represent.com/smash-this-podcast-2019

For a FREE MONTH of Powerslam.TV to NEW Subscribers
Please use Coupon Code SMASHTHISFREE!!!
This code is ONLY able to be used at Powerslam.TV
and NOT on any of the apps.

Thanks for watching!
Ring that bell for notifications!!
Like Share Sub!!!
Visit WrestlingWithWrestling.com AND RantWithAnt.com AND WrestlingWorld.net for more great content in the world of Professional Wrestling!
Follow me on Social Media:
@JAYBONE5150 on Twitter
@SmashThisPod on Twitter &
@SmashThisPodcast on Facebook
@smashthispodcast on Instagram

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ GLOBAL JUNIOR TAG LEAGUE 2019, NIGHT SEVEN (9TH JUNE, KORAKUEN HALL, TOKYO) ~ MITSUHARU MISAWA MEMORIAL NIGHT

6/9/2019

Comments

"We will enjoy it to our utmost so that this year's Noah's intensity will reach Mr. Misawa!"

It has been ten years since that day in Hiroshima.
Ten years since Noah's "Golden Era" ended and the turbulent era began, but to look at Noah today you would never have thought that things had ever been that hard. Sadly, they had been, and in some ways they still were, but there was a real "Golden Era" feel in the air today as the queue for tickets stretched far in a line down past the elevators at Korakuen Hall. The remaining seats were quickly sold out, and then standing room only went, and people crammed the balconies (which Noah had closed off in the past).
The mat had reverted to the original green, (and will be too in Osaka, before going back to the black and white), which added to the feel of Noah when it was in its summertime.

"I'm still crying, but I'm not sad anymore. Mr. Misawa is always here"

In the main lobby, (with Naomichi Marufuji signing autographs), Noah had erected a Misawa exhibit along with the traditional flower altar. Misawa's robe was on display, and next to it fans could leave offerings of green and white flowers, beer, liquor and touchingly, his favorite cigarette brand too.
Even the hand-wipes that The Leave gave out were green.

The traditional portrait of Mitsuharu Misawa was hung above the ring, the lighting on it was soft and beautiful, and it would remain this way throughout the whole event.

Kenta Kobashi came out to the ring first of all accompanied by the two other Noah commentators to a rapturous welcome and "Kobashi" chants. He spoke to Misawa, spoke of his memories and spoke of the title match this evening. It seemed he was a little concerned about the title match, given the ages of the parties involved and the task of leading Noah, but he wanted to see a good fight.

Then there came always the most emotional part of the evening.
The lights dim, and the ring announcer calls, "Mitsuharu Misawa, GHC Heavyweight Champion", Spartan X plays, and the fans throw green and white streamers to welcome him back to the ring. Afterwards, "Dream on" by Aerosmith played, and the event started.

MATCH ONE
50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) & Rocky Kawamura vs The Return of The Dark Agents (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue) & Mitsuya Nagai.

Akitoshi Saito entered the ring alone, and on entry bowed deeply to Misawa's portrait.
It was also noted that Saito and Mohammed Yone were wearing green armbands instead of wristbands. Everyone on the roster usually wears something, however, Yoshinari Ogawa generally doesn't.

Masao Inoue and Rocky Kawamura started the match, Inoue getting gut punched by Kawamura!
Mitsuya Nagai as ever was up to his old ways, and used the chain.

It was fun opener, and probably one that Misawa would have enjoyed.

WINNER: Mohammed Yone with the Funky Buster Bomb on Masao Inoue (10 minutes, 18 seconds)

After the match Nagai, Saito and Inoue bowed to Misawa.

MATCH TWO
Global Jnr Tag League 2019
The Sugiura Army (Hajime Ohara & NOSAWA Rongai) vs Junta Miyawaki & Seiya Morohashi

Attacking as soon as the bell sounds is rare\unusual for Hajime Ohara, but he and NOSAWA Rongai did this today, with Nosawa using a chair on Seiya Morohashi outside the ring to isolate Junta Miyawaki.
However, Miyawaki fought back, and managed to get his biggest win (and his second win) of his career so far.

WINNER: Junta Miyawaki with the schoolboy on NOSAWA Rongai (5 minutes, 27 seconds)

MATCH THREE
Katsuhiko Nakajima, Shuhei Taniguchi, Hitoshi Kumano & Chris Ridgeway vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura)

"Korakuen's on fire"

Katsuhiko Nakajima entered the ring, and slipped his wristband off of his wrist and threw it to the crowd.

Chris Ridgeway (who has said today was a "life goal" - being at a sold out Korakuen on Noah's traditional green mat) started the match against Atsushi Kotoge. Later he was to suffer all four of Kongoh attacking him at once, but the crowd were behind him though.

Shuhei Taniguchi entered the ring, and became what the fans called "The Suplex Machine" as he started suplexing ALL of Kongoh, each time they tried to rush him. They also tasted some pretty nasty elbows too.

The former "Aggression" faced off, with Nakajima smirking.

WINNER: Kenoh via diving footstamp on Hitoshi Kumano (14 minutes, 17 seconds)

MATCH FOUR
Global Junior Tag League 2019
Hi69 & Minoru Tanaka vs HAYATA & YO-HEY

In this match, everything was on the line for HAYATA & YO-HEY. If they wanted their dream of a third win in a row, (and thus beating the record of KENTA & Taiji Ishimori), then they needed to win today.

It was an amazing match with several close falls (i.e. HAYATA kicking out of the Minoru Special), and moments with YO-HEY returning to his old self and doing the lock up where he waves his arms around.Fans said he worked well with Tanaka in particular.

RATELS fans got their wish....

WINNER: YO-HEY with the Super Facial G on Minoru Tanaka (14 minutes, 42 seconds)

MATCH FIVE
Global Junior Tag League 2019
Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki) vs Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke

Yoshinari Ogawa entered the ring, threw water over Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke, and then after Kotaro Suzuki had attacked Harada and got rid of Tadasuke, pinned him with the schoolboy.
Harada threw a tantrum.

WINNER: Yoshinari Ogawa with the schoolboy on Daisuke Harada (2 minutes, 27 seconds)

The two teams who will go to the finals in Osaka will be HAYATA & YO-HEY (who came to the ring afterwards to have a face off) and Stinger.
RATELS fans will have to wait another year for the RATELS showdown.

When YO-HEY & HAYATA had gone, Ogawa & Suzuki unfurled a Mitsuharu Misawa banner and posed with it.

MATCH SIX
Naomichi Marufuji vs Go Shiozaki

Go Shiozaki until today, had never beaten Naomichi Marufuji in a singles match. Not once. Not in all the eight matches they have had since Shiozaki debuted in 2004.

For the match today, Naomichi Marufuji wore the same outfit that he had worn for the memorial in Hiroshima (Noah are not going to go back to the arena any time soon to do another one there, it was just too painful). He will also wear it in Osaka too.

The streamers thrown were so dense, that Marufuji was buried under them and several fan photographs were captioned that he was invisible.

Katsuhiko Nakajima seconded Shiozaki.

This match didn't mess around; a shoulder tackle by Shiozaki, led to a knee by Marufuji. A vicious chop war which went around the ring, and could be heard in all four corners of Korakuen, and of course Marufuji targeting Shiozaki's shoulder. Even the "Perfect Key Lock" came into use, but Shiozaki would not quit.

WINNER: Go Shiozaki with the Gowan Lariat following an Emerald Fusion (17 minutes, 6 seconds)*

*Marufuji later said that the Emerald Fusion that Shiozaki had used on him, was the same Mitsuharu Misawa had used on Jun Akiyama

After the match, Marufuji limped out of the ring, and shook hands with and bowed to Kenta Kobashi. Go Shiozaki emotionally addressed the audience and said, "There is a Noah now because of Marufuji, and that is why I came back. Thank you. Thank you Misawa too, I can breathe the same air"

For those of you who don't know let me bring you up to scratch briefly - Shiozaki walked out of Noah in 2013 with Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi, Atsushi Aoki, Kotaro Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in protest over Kenta Kobashi's firing. Shiozaki returned in 2016.

The President of "The Leave" came to the ring, and was given a gift by Shiozaki. Despite his association with Noah for such a long period (nineteen years), the poor man looked a little shy.
Before I move on to other things, I will explain briefly who, "The Leave" are. They are a letting company who have been with Noah since the start, and they have never abandoned them, even when all others did.

MATCH SEVEN
GHC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Takashi Sugiura vs Kaito Kiyomiya

There was a handshake before the match, lots of paper tape which swamped them, and both were wearing new ring gear, but then all niceties went out the window, and Sugiura gave Kiyomiya a total beating, losing his mouthguard in the latter stages of the match. Kiyomiya didn't start fighting back for about ten minutes. "The 22 year old boy with the three year career" (as Kenoh terms him) held his own against the 49 year old veteran (who for all we know was made by SKYNET), and refused to back down, even when he was choked, battered with elbows, suplexed off the apron and hit by a massive spear.

WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya with the Tiger Driver (33 minutes, 53 seconds)

Kiyomiya didn't make a victory speech, instead he held his belt up and pointed to the sky (I seem to remember another champion wearing green doing this), as ribbons fell from the ceiling. Each ribbon had a message from a Noah wrestler on it.

After the event, Noah wrestlers were on hand to give the departing fans some candy which The Leave sponsors. Akitoshi Saito was amongst them, and for the first time in a long time in what is such a terrible day for everybody, but which for him is worse, he looked somewhat happy.

Thank you Misawa-san for giving us Noah.

ATTENDANCE: 1,710 (Sold out capacity)
WITH THANKS TO: Metal Noah, Yu-Tsui, S. Masanari, Take, Abeshin, Shinya, Taiki Enomoto, Akiringo, Shishikazu, Fuji, Kei, Munehiro Hashimoto, Ninomy
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC, PKDK

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ GLOBAL JUNIOR TAG LEAGUE 2019, NIGHT SIX (8TH JUNE, YOKOHAMA RADIANT HALLS, YOKOHAMA)

6/8/2019

Comments

The Japanese wrestling world was devastated on June 3rd, when it was announced that All Japan wrestler, Atsushi Aoki, had been killed in a motorcycle accident in Tokyo while travelling through the expressway of Kitanomaru Park, when his motorcycle hit a side wall.
Aoki had been part of the roster who had walked out of Noah in protest in 2013 over the firing of Kenta Kobashi, he returned to Noah one last time in September 2018 for Naomichi Marufuji's "Flight". At the time of his death he had been All Japan's Junior Heavyweight Champion. Despite the problems with Noah in the past, and his affiliation with (former bitter) enemies All Japan, Aoki was Noah born.

Noah held a ten bell salute for Aoki today in Yokohama. His theme music played (I am afraid I don't know which of his three themes), as the roster stood around the ring, and the crowd rose to their feet. Shuhei Taniguchi (in visible tears) did the honors of holding the picture. Aoki and Taniguchi had both come through the Noah dojo together, and debuted on the same day, December 24th 2005.
As Taniguchi left the ring, Mohammed Yone (with usual kindness) put his hand on his back to comfort him.

MATCH ONE
Mitsuya Nagai & Kouki Iwasaki vs Junta Miyawaki & Seiya Morohashi

This match was changed as old veteran from the Misawa generation (and by that I mean the same generation as Misawa, not Marufuji et al), Shiro Koshinaka was injured. I don't know the extent of his injury, but he wasn't at the event either and so the "Noah's Ark" Fanclub pictures were done only by Akitoshi Saito & Kaito Kiyomiya.

WINNER: Mitsuya Nagai with the ROD on Seiya Morohashi (9 minutes and 24 seconds)

Later, a delighted Junta Miyawaki said he was "so happy" with the autographs he had been asked for at the interval when he came out to sign autographs.

MATCH TWO
Global Junior Tag League 2019
Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke vs The Sugiura Army (Hajime Ohara & NOSAWA Rongai)

Fans noticed that Hajime Ohara has put on a lot of muscle tone, and really looks to be bulking up.

WINNER: Hajime Ohara with the MuiBien on Tadasuke (10 minutes and 32 seconds)

However, this is not the end for either team (despite Tadasuke throwing a tantrum on losing, and Harada looking murderous), and if Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke win tomorrow, they go to the finals.

MATCH THREE
Global Junior Tag League 2019
HAYATA & YO-HEY vs Hitoshi Kumano & Chris Ridgeway

Lots of streamers for HAYATA & YO-HEY today as this match for both teams was make or break.

HAYATA is well known for his low tolerance when it comes to submission moves (but not hardcore matches, which he has done in the past), and Kumano and Ridgeway quickly singled him out for this. HAYATA, however, refused to quit today.

YO-HEY did his "Getz" move\taunt on Ridgeway. Ridgeway gave the correct answer, which is to look slightly confused. This is YO-HEY after all.

This was a match with very close falls, and where Hitoshi Kumano used Atsushi Aoki's "Assault Point" in tribute to him.

WINNER: HAYATA with the Crossfix on Hitoshi Kumano (15 minutes and 27 seconds)

The last block now for HAYATA & YO-HEY is to beat Hi69 & Minoru Tanaka at the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial show, and then to the finals, which means they could possibly face Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke, for a huge RATELS showdown....

MATCH FOUR
The Return of The Dark Agents (Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue) & 50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura)

MASAO WORLD was on top form today with his usual bumbling old vet antics.
KONGOH were also on top form, so much so that senior referee, Shu Nishinaga, had to herd them back to their corner as they were so tightly wound facing the veterans, even before the bell went (Kenoh is now free of the taping, but Yoshiki Inamura was noticed to have his arm taped).
Atsushi Kotoge continued with his somewhat graver and more somber demeanor.
Said to be a fun match.

WINNER: Masa Kitamiya with the Prison Lock on Masao Inoue (16 minutes, 18 seconds)

MATCH FIVE
Global Junior Tag League 2019
Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki) vs Minoru Tanaka & Hi69

WINNER: Minoru Tanaka with the Heat Clutch on Kotaro Suzuki (12 minutes, 18 seconds)

After the match, Tanaka and Hi69 made the "challenging for the belt" motions to Stinger.

MATCH SIX
"Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Pre-Match"
Kaito Kiyomiya & AXIZ (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Go Shiozaki) vs Takashi Sugiura, Naomichi Marufuji & Shuhei Taniguchi.

Despite the fact that this is a match between rival generations, there was tension in the veteran team between Naomichi Marufuji (who had earlier gotten hold of some kind of multicolored toy chicken and announced that he was going to the hairdressers to get his hair dyed red), and Shuhei Taniguchi when Marufuji got into the ring, and they briefly squared up, with their issues resurfacing again. There, was, however said to be a distance between all three vets. However, it never came to blows between them, and the match in particular belonged to Taniguchi, who was said to be on fire today, who threw stiff elbows at Go Shiozaki during the match lock up.
Shiozaki and Marufuji (who will clash tomorrow in a singles match, which Shiozaki has never beaten Marufuji in), had a chop war which sounded like someone was firing pistols, and the sound echoed all over the arena. Shiozaki also managed to bust Marufuji's chest open, which is rare that anyone does that. Marufuji worked on Shiozaki's damaged shoulder and arm in true fashion.
Shiozaki later said that even with one arm he will still stand in the ring at Korakuen.

As for Takashi Sugiura and Kaito Kiyomiya, tomorrow is the title match and so tensions were running high between them. There was a brutal fight in the ring, and a brutal one outside of it too. After the match, Takashi Sugiura got on the microphone and told Kiyomiya (who was limping off being helped by Junta Miyawaki and referee Ben), that he was looking forward to tomorrow at the "new view" at Korakuen Hall.

WINNER: Takashi Sugiura with the Olympic Slam on Kaito Kiyomiya (29 minutes and 55 seconds)

Attendance: 360 (full house)
With thanks to: Metal Noah, Abeshin, Neirero, Iwasborn, Shin-G, Ribasuto
Picture credit: Boku Pro, Noah GHC, PKDK, YO-HEY
Share

Comments

(NOAH) EVENT RECAP ~ GLOBAL JUNIOR TAG LEAGUE 2019, NIGHT FIVE (2ND JUNE, ACT CITY, HAMAMATSU)

6/2/2019

Comments

Noah announced there would be a card change today, and so Yoshiki Inamura vs Quiet Storm didn't happen. Originally it was thought that Yoshiki Inamura may have suffered a concussion after the high kick from Katsuhiko Nakajima yesterday, but Noah had decided to scrap the singles match, and put them both in the main event making it an eight man. It is unusual (especially since Quiet Storm teamed with Yoshinari Ogawa which is unusual in itself), and admittedly fans were a little confused by it, as cards are changed like this at the last moment when there are injuries.

Not surprisingly after five days in a row, it was noticed that the roster looked tired.

I am afraid I only have sporadic information coming out of today's show, so I have only been able to give more information on some matches than others, on others, I have only been able to give results.

AXIZ were on merchandise duty today, and as you can imagine, there was a long line.

MATCH ONE
Global Junior Tag League
HAYATA & YO-HEY vs Junta Miyawaki & Seiya Morohashi

"We will fulfill the mission this time"

Fans have been determined to welcome YO-HEY back to the ring with the streamers that were originally planned for Korakuen Hall, but never have gotten the chance so far. They succeeded today.

WINNER: HAYATA with the moonsault on Seiya Morohashi (8 minutes, 43 seconds)

MATCH TWO
Global Junior Tag League
Hi69 & Minoru Tanaka vs The Sugiura Army (Hajime Ohara & NOSAWA Rongai)

WINNER: Minori Tanaka with the Hi-tech Ground Cobra Twist on NOSAWA Rongai (9 minutes, 51 seconds)

MATCH THREE
AXIZ (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Go Shiozaki) & Shiro Koshinaka vs Akitoshi Saito, Shuhei Taniguchi & Masao Inoue.

Go Shiozaki (who is still very bandaged) called his team today, "the chop, the kick, and the ass" ("the ass" being a reference to the hip attacks that Shiro Koshinaka does).
The two oldest vets (Akitoshi Saito & Shiro Koshinaka) faced off first
Masao Inoue tried to plead with AXIZ not to hurt him.
It didn't work.
Nakajima looked as if he was hunting him down, and the poor old vet with gout got caught in the middle of their kick\chop.

WINNER: Shiro Koshinaka with a Powerbomb on Masao Inoue (10 minutes and 2 seconds)

MATCH FOUR
Kaito Kiyomiya & Mohammed Yone vs The Sugiura Army (Takashi Sugiura & KAZMA SAKAMOTO)

Vicious match up between Kaito Kiyomiya and Takashi Sugiura, with the fight continuing outside the ring after the match. Sugiura later commented that he felt the champion put up a fight today.

WINNER: KAZMA SAKAMOTO with the running knee on Mohammed Yone (16 minutes, 22 seconds)

MATCH FIVE
Global Junior Tag League
RATELS (Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke) vs Hitoshi Kumano & Chris Ridgeway

WINNER: Daisuke Harada with the backslide pin on Hitoshi Kumano (12 minutes, 59 seconds)

MATCH SIX
Naomichi Marufuji, Quiet Storm & Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki) vs Kongoh (Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya, Yoshiki Inamura & Atsushi Kotoge.)

Intense battle (as expected) between Marufuji and Kenoh. After the match, Marufuji posted on Twitter saying he was looking forward to the match at Misawa's memorial, and calling Kitamiya, Inamura and Kotoge, "Kenoh's three dogs", who he would also deal with.

WINNER: Kenoh with the diving footstamp on Quiet Storm (16 minutes, 10 seconds)

ATTENDANCE: 355 (full)
WITH THANKS TO: Susu, Noah GHC, Kai, Chaos
PICTURE CREDIT: Noah GHC

Comments

<<Previous

Archives

Categories