Pro Wrestling NOAH (Discussion)

[pol]

Shoulda watched 2000-2005 instead

[ayaashm]

So, I watched the 12/24 show live, Here's how I rated the matches :
1. Kenoh & Hajime Ohara vs. Taiji Ishimori, Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano ( ***1/2)
2. Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Alejandro Saez (***1/4)
3. Go Shiozaki & Maybach Taniguchi vs. Muhammad Yone & Akitoshi Saito (***1/2)
4. GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [28th Champions] Jado & Gedo vs. [Challengers] Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada (***3/4)
5. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Takashi Sugiura (****)
6. GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Masa Kitamiya (****1/4)

[ayaashm]

Some Notes :
That opener was really good. Ishimori and Ohara both looked great.

► Show Spoiler

Kenoh stated that this was the final match for him and Ohara as a team. That 2017 will be the year that he makes NOAH the best promotion

Kiyamiya has been lost in the conversation of great rookies but he's also developing and he was good in his match with Saez,who did a crazy Spiral Tap as his finisher. Mohammad Yone looked goddamn great in his match. He was awesome. Everybody except Taniguchi was good to great in that match.
The Jr.title match was really,really good. Harada and Kotoge worked their ass off in this match and the crowd was totally behind them. Gedo was also good but Jado sucked in this match mostly because he was out of breath due to not being in good physical condition. They did a great tease for Kotoge tapping out to Jado's crossface,he barely made the ropes twice before he countered it into a roll up.

► Show Spoiler

The finish wasn't as hot but it was the desired finish with Kotoge pinning Jado. Kotoge is now a double champion and announced that he was moving to heavyweight next year and wanted to be the first person ever in NOAH to hold both Junior and Heavy belts.

Marufuji vs Suguira was an absolutely great match. Went 20 minutes. Some stiff as hell elbows from Suguira and Maru looked great in the match as well.

► Show Spoiler

Suguira pinned Marufuji with the Olympic Slam but the last 5 minutes of the match were aweome especially when they were doing an elbow-chop battle and out of nowhere, Maru hit Suguira with two devastating jumping knees. That was some great stuff.

Nakajima x Kitamiya was the best match on the show. Went almost 27 minutes. If you're short on time,watch the last two matches,they were absolutely tremendous.

[Jacob's Bawks]

Really wasn't expecting that high a rating for the Jr. Tag match. The idea of a 28 minute Gedo and Jado match seemed like a nightmare to me. I guess I'll be watching it now. Thanks for the write-up, bud.

[ayaashm]

It was greatly enhanced by the crowd who were really behind Kotoge & Harada.

[packerman120]

Nakajima vs. Kitamiya was so incredible. Loved the whole dynamic of Kitamiya working Nakajima's legs to try and soften the blow of the kicks, but Nakajima just doesn't give a single s**t. This also made me fall in love with Kitamiya. He looks like a superstar, he has facials like a superstar, and he just feels like he has that unique presence, to me at least. I feel like these two are going to have many matches in the future, and they will definitely be two incredibly valuable pieces to NOAH's future. Final thought: Nakajima kicking Kitamiya's arm was brutal.

[Joe Lanza]

Nakajima blocking the lariats with the kicks and meathead Kitamiya trying it over and over was so aweome.

[pol]

That match had several moments I enjoyed, but it felt like it peaked at the wrong times, and they lost the crowd because of it. They'd do a high-intensity sequence, then back to some lower-intensity stuff where you can't possibly buy anything as a finish, then ratchet it up again, etc. Finish felt anticlimactic because of it.

Thought Kitamiya came off like a much bigger star than Nakajima, even if the sheer extent of the Masa Saito cosplay is still a little cringey at times.

[Jacob's Bawks]

http://dx-sp.gsj.bz/dxnews.Index/detail ... tents_id=2

Kotoge vacates both of his titles, and is teaming with Marufuji against Shiozaki and Taniguchi on the 7th. Ishimori and Ohara fight for the vacant singles title on the same show, and the Nakajima/Sugiura match is happening then too.

[elloziom]

NOAH "THE FIRST NAVIGATION 2017", 07.01.2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Hitoshi Kumano
2. Hi69 vs. Alejandro Saez
3. Daisuke Harada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
4. Masa Kitamiya & Kenou vs. Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito
5. GHC Jr. Heavweight Title, Decision Match: Taiji Ishimori vs. Hajime Ohara
6. GHC Tag Team Title: Go Shiozaki & Maybach Taniguchi (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge
7. GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Takashi Sugiura


NOAH "THE FIRST NAVIGATION 2017", 08.01.2017
Isawacho Hotel Sekitei

1. Hajime Ohara vs. Hitoshi Kumano
2. Atsushi Kotoge vs. Rionne Fujiwara
3. Mohammed Yone vs. Hi69
4. Go Shiozaki & Maybach Taniguchi vs. Taiji Ishimori & Daisuke Harada
5. Battle Royal: Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, Taiji Ishimori, Daisuke Harada, Mohammed Yone, Hi69, Atsushi Kotoge, Rionne Fujiwara, Hajime Ohara, Hitoshi Kumano, Yoshinari Ogawa, Junta Miyawaki
6. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Akitoshi Saito vs. Takashi Sugiura & Alejandro Saez
7. Masa Kitamiya & Kenou vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Kaito Kiyomiya


NOAH "THE FIRST NAVIGATION 2017", 09.01.2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Daisuke Harada vs. Yoshinari Ogawa
2. Akitoshi Saito vs. Hitoshi Kumano
3. Taiji Ishimori vs. Hi69
4. Mohammed Yone vs. Hajime Ohara
5. Masa Kitamiya vs. Alejandro Saez
6. Takashi Sugiura vs Kaito Kiyomiya
7. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenou
8. Go Shiozaki vs. Atsushi Kotoge
9. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Maybach Taniguchi


NOAH "THE FIRST NAVIGATION 2017", 11.01.2017
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Taiji Ishimori & Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada & Yoshinari Ogawa
2. Hi69 vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
3. Mohammed Yone vs. Akitoshi Saito
4. Kenou vs. Alejandro Saez
5. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Hitoshi Kumano
6. Takashi Sugiura vs. Atsushi Kotoge
7. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya vs. Go Shiozaki & Maybach Taniguchi

Some of those matches are amazing. Looks like a NOAH wants to start 2017 with a bang.

[Joe Lanza]

They've torn everything apart and are starting from virtual scratch. This is the proper tact. Everything feels fresh.

And the temporary solution to a thin roster? Lots of singles matches. The long term issue with that is you burn through everything. But with the roster i the state that it's in, it's the best course of action without using indie scrubs.

Hi69 was the clear standout of the indie trouts, so I'm not shocked he seems to have hooked on. Saez has been a GREAT addition, too. He delivers in every match that I've seen him in.

Real shame about Tomoyose. He had some real upside, and this was the worst time to lose someone to retirement,

[packerman120]

For the first time in.... 10 years, I am excited for a new year of NOAH. Incredible.

[pol]

I hope the less crowded junior division means Ogawa gets to do something other than opening tags again.

[Jacob's Bawks]

1,077 for what was said to be a pretty good show with two great final matches. Kotoge had new attire and his exchanges with Go were a highlight of the show. After Go pinned Kotoge, Kenou and Kitamiya challenged the champs for the 1/21 show. There was no Kenou sighting in the main event, but whatever's brewing between him and Sugiura, Kitamiya's probably involved.

Speaking of the main, a great, brutal, and no-bullshit war. The length didn't seem to drag the match down. Nobody came out to challenge Nakajima so it's possible he'll eat a pin from someone to set up the next shot. He fights Kenou in a non-title singles match tomorrow.

Ohara was challenged by Harada for the 1/21 show. Saez vs. Hi69 was probably a lot of fun, but it came out this morning that Saez is having to pull out of a few shows due to a family emergency. I only assume Ogawa will soon be getting a serious run soon.

[pol]

Color me extremely skeptical of those top two matches warranting their length, but the rest of the card looks fun.