Pro-Wrestling NOAH 2009 - Saving the Ark

[PL23]

It was quite the fall. From regularly selling out the Budokan and drawing the best crowd to the Tokyo Dome of any promotion in Japan, to being forced to rely on older, broken down ageing wrestlers to continue to draw. The attempted pushes of Naomichi Marufuji and Takeshi Morishima hadn’t worked as expected, and Jun Akiyama had repeatedly been booked to look just below the level of Mitsuharu Misawa or Kenta Kobashi. Excellent young Jr. Heavyweights had been trained, developed and succeeded, but Jr. Heavyweights aren’t what would draw the regular 16,000 to the Budokan several times a year.

Most importantly, the earlier booking mistakes of the mid 2000’s were beginning to catch up with NOAH. Throughout 2009, things were getting more difficult, with Misawa clearly trying to prepare Go Shiozaki as a future ace, making Shiozaki his regular tag partner, with the pair winning the Global Tag League and looking likely to win the tag belts. Then on the 13th of June 2009, Mitsuharu Misawa took a backdrop from Akitoshi Saito in a tag title match. As a result of the move itself and years of injuries that he had been unable to let heal, Mitsuharu Misawa passed away. The wrestling world was stunned. Pro-Wrestling NOAH had lost its owner, founder and standard bearer. The company would never quite be the same post-Misawa.

NOAH, 13.06.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Hiroshima Green Arena Small Arena

2,300 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Masashi Aoyagi (6:26) when he used a Reverse Cradle.
2. Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Bobby Fish (11:36) when he used a High-Angle German Suplex Hold.
3. Takashi Sugiura, Yoshinari Ogawa & Taiji Ishimori beat Takuma Sano, Masao Inoue & Ricky Marvin (16:36) when Sugiura used an Ankle Hold on Inoue.
4. Kotaro Suzuki & Genba Hirayanagi beat KENTA & Akihiko Ito (13:09) when Suzuki used a Blue Destiny on Ito.
5. Takeshi Rikio & Mohammed Yone beat Akira Taue & Yuto Aijima (13:23) when Yone used a Muscle Buster on Aijima.
6. Yoshihiro Takayama beat Chris Hero (10:28) when he used an Everest German Suplex Hold.
7. Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi & Shuhei Taniguchi beat Kensuke Sasaki, Takeshi Morishima & Kento Miyahara (17:47) when Taniguchi used an Everest German Suplex Hold on Miyahara.

8. GHC Tag Team Titles: Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith (c) beat Mitsuharu Misawa & Go Shiozaki (27:03) by Referee Stop (Saito beat Misawa) (3rd defense).

This is going to be a booking of the aftermath of Misawa’s death in 2009, taking control of Pro-Wrestling NOAH, booking the company without Misawa, trying to keep the company going, and prevent the downfall that eventually happened. This is Saving the Ark.

[PL23]

Roster

Pro-Wrestling NOAH Heavyweight Regular Army:
- Jun Akiyama – GHC Heavyweight Champion
- Takeshi Morishima
- Go Shiozaki
- Takashi Sugiura
- Akitoshi Saito – GHC Tag Team Champion
- Bison Smith – GHC Tag Team Champion

- Kenta Kobashi

- Akira Taue

- Mohammed Yone

- Yoshinari Ogawa

- Takuma Sano

- Shuhei Taniguchi

- Tamon Honda

- Jun Izumida

- Kentaro Shiga
- Masao Inoue

Pro-Wrestling NOAH Jr. Heavyweight Regular Army:
- KENTA – GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion
- Naomichi Marufuji - injured
- Taiji Ishimori
- Atsushi Aoki
- Ricky Marvin

- Akihito Ito

Kensuke Office:

- Kensuke Sasaki 

- Takashi Okita

- Katsuhiko Nakajima
- Kento Miyahara

Disobey:
- Takeshi Rikio
- Yoshinobu Kanemaru – GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion
- Kotaro Suzuki – GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion
- Genba Hirayanagi

Regular Outsiders:

- Yoshihiro Takayama (Freelance)

Titles and Tournaments

GHC Heavyweight Title:
14. [01.03.2009 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] Jun Akiyama (3) beat Kensuke Sasaki (22:46) when he used a Modified Sternness Dust Alpha.
1. [19.04.2009 @ Tsukisamu Alpha Court Dome] Jun Akiyama beat Go Shiozaki (27:21) when he used a Sternness Dust Alpha (1st defense).

GHC Tag Team Titles:
17. [23.05.2008 @ Niigata City Gymnasium] Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith (2/1) beat Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura (34:40) when Smith used an Avalanche-Style Bisontennial on Marufuji.
1. [25.10.2008 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith beat Jun Akiyama & Takeshi Rikio (13:39) when Saito used a Sickle of Death on Akiyama (1st defense).
2. [28.11.2008 @ Niigata City Gymnasium] Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith beat Akira Taue & Takeshi Morishima (28:10) when Smith used a Running Powerbomb on Morishima (2nd defense).
3. [13.06.2009 @ Hiroshima Green Arena Small Arena] Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith beat Mitsuharu Misawa & Go Shiozaki (27:03) by Referee Stop (Saito beat Misawa) (3rd defense).

GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title:
18. [01.03.2009 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] KENTA (3) beat Katsuhiko Nakajima (25:45) when he used a Go 2 Sleep.
1. [03.04.2009 @ Houston George R. Brown Convention Center, USA] KENTA beat Davey Richards (19:32) when he used a Go 2 Sleep (1st defense).
2. [04.06.2009 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall] KENTA beat Ricky Marvin (27:02) when he used a Go 2 Sleep (2nd defense).

GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles:
10. [13.07.2008 @ Hakata Star Lane] Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki (3/2) beat KENTA & Taiji Ishimori (31:13) when Suzuki used a Requiem on KENTA.
1. [27.09.2008 @ Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium] Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki beat Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (21:18) when Kanemaru used a Touch Out on Naito (1st defense).
2. [07.12.2008 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki beat KENTA & Taiji Ishimori (31:54) when Suzuki used a Requiem on KENTA (2nd defense).
3. [25.04.2009 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall] Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki beat Atsushi Aoki & Akihiko Ito (28:04) when Kanemaru used a Touch Out on Aoki (3rd defense).

Global Tag League:
2009. [06.05.2009 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] Mitsuharu Misawa & Go Shiozaki (1/1) beat Kensuke Sasaki & Takeshi Morishima (22:53) when Shiozaki used a Strong Arm Lariat on Morishima.

Global Jr. Heavyweight Tag League:
2008. [06.09.2008 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan] KENTA & Taiji Ishimori (2/2) beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki (12:32) when KENTA used a Go 2 Sleep on Kanemaru.

[PL23]

A press conference was held today at NOAH Headquarters at Differ Ariake to discuss the recent and tragic events surrounding the death of Mitsuharu Misawa. The press conference was held by Akira Taue, Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama. All three men spoke about their respect for Misawa and sent their thoughts out to Misawa’s family, and stated that they were planning a memorial show later in the year to truly commemorate Misawa, and that it would be a Budokan Hall show. Taue then stated that he had with a heavy heart accepted the role of NOAH’s President, and that he intended to guide the promotion through these difficult waters as best he could. Kenta Kobashi then stated that he himself would become a Vice President along with Mitsuo Momota and would work with Taue to keep Misawa’s vision alive, and allow it to thrive in coming years.

Jun Akiyama then spoke, holding the GHC Heavyweight Title. Akiyama stated his own story from the night of Misawa’s death, being in so much agony backstage that he was physically unable to come out to ringside. Akiyama said that after Misawa’s death he himself had checked himself out for injuries and had found out that he had a hernia between his L4 and L5 vertebrae. Taue then announced that in order to allow the roster time to heal both mentally and physically, NOAH would be cancelling the remainder of its Southern Navigation tour. Kobashi then announced that NOAH would re-open its doors on the 1st of August with a show where Misawa’s NOAH began, and where its heart is, at Differ Ariake. Kobashi and Taue then revealed the card for the show, titled DEPARTURE 2009 – FREEDOM AND BELIEF, the same as the very first NOAH show. Below is the full card.

It was later announced that NOAH's memorial show for Misawa at Budokan Hall would be held on 27.09.

NOAH “DEPARTURE 2009 – FREEDOM AND BELIEF “, 01.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Differ Ariake

1. Akihito Ito vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
2. Akira Taue & Atsushi Aoki vs. Kishin Kawabata & Ricky Marvin
3. Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & Jun Izumida vs. Makoto Hashi, Yoshinari Ogawa & Takashi Okita
4. Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kento Miyahara vs. Takeshi Rikio, Kotaro Suzuki & Genba Hirayanagi
5. KENTA vs. Taiji Ishimori
6. Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Kentaro Shiga vs. Mohammed Yone, Takuma Sano & Shuhei Taniguchi
7. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Go Shiozaki vs. Takeshi Morishima & Takashi Sugiura

NOAH "GREAT VOYAGE 2009 ~MITSUHARU MISAWA, ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS~", 27.09.2009 (G+)
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

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NOAH “DEPARTURE 2009 – FREEDOM AND BELIEF “, 01.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Differ Ariake
1,800 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Akihito Ito (8:36) when he used a German Suplex Hold.
2. Kishin Kawabata & Ricky Marvin beat Akira Taue & Atsushi Aoki (11:41) when Marvin used a Tornillo on Aoki.
3. Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & Jun Izumida beat Makoto Hashi, Yoshinari Ogawa & Takashi Okita (13:09) when Kobashi used a Lariat on Okita.
4. Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kento Miyahara beat Takeshi Rikio, Kotaro Suzuki & Genba Hirayanagi (15:06) when Nakajima used a Death Roll on Hirayanagi.
5. KENTA beat Taiji Ishimori (20:48) when he used a Go 2 Sleep.
6. Mohammed Yone, Takuma Sano & Shuhei Taniguchi beat Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Kentaro Shiga (18:04) when Yone used a Muscle Buster on Shiga.
7. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Go Shiozaki beat Takeshi Morishima & Takashi Sugiura (27:42) when Shiozaki used a Strong Arm Lariat on Sugiura.

In the main event, which went almost 30 minutes, the team of Akiyama and Shiozaki came away victorious over Morishima and Sugiura. Shiozaki did some noticeable tributes to Misawa at times, such as Misawa’s classic rope test during his entrance. Shiozaki and Akiyama showed some good teamwork at times throughout the match, but at times it did appear as if they were trying to outdo one another. Morishima seemed extremely motivated, throwing both Shiozaki and Akiyama around at times with Suplexes and Lariats, looking more like his ROH-self. Sugiura as always was a bundle of aggression, and went toe to toe with Akiyama and Shiozaki, having some excellent exchanges with Shiozaki, with Go hitting chops and Sugiura firing hard stiff elbows. Towards the end of the match things broke down and both sides were throwing effective haymakers at each other, but it was GHC Heavyweight Champion Akiyama and Shiozaki who came away with the win, with Akiyama being able to hit a Running Knee on Morishima that left the monster down, and after a Backdrop, Shiozaki was able to hit a Lariat which kept Sugiura down. Post-match there appeared to be some tension between Akiyama and Shiozaki, but they put that aside to bow to the picture of Misawa that had been hung above the ring before making their way backstage.

In the semi-final, Disobey member Mohammed Yone worked well with his tag partners, Shuhei Taniguchi in particular, with the pair working together with Taniguchi hitting a beautiful German Suplex that helped set Kentaro Shiga up for the Muscle Buster by Yone which got his team the win. After the match, fellow Disobey member Takeshi Rikio came to ringside and seemed confused by this, but Yone left with his tag partners after the victory.

In an extremely hard fought back and forth match, KENTA defeated regular partner Taiji Ishimori after his patented Go 2 Sleep. Ishimori did have moment where it appeared as if he could get the win, but the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion showed his class by being able to hit the Busaiku Knee Kick before the Go 2 Sleep. As Ishimori recovered, KENTA suggested that they work on challenging for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight tag belts, Ishimori hesitated, but agreed and shook hands with KENTA.

Katsuhiko Nakajima was impressive in the 4th match, tagging with Sasaki and Miyahara against Disobey. Nakajima was fantastic throughout the match, throwing hard strikes, and winning the match when he hits his beautiful Death Roll spinning heel kick on Genba.

[PL23]

NOAH have announced the cards for their next two dates, titled ‘WEEKEND NAVIGATION 2009’ with shows held at Kobe Sambo Hall, and Kyoto KBS Hall. The first date is main evented by a six-man tag featuring GHC Heavyweight Champion Jun Akiyama tagging with Takashi Sugiura and Tamon Honda to face Takeshi Morishima, Go Shiozaki and Shuhei Taniguchi. The semi-final will see Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith team with Akihito Ito to face the Kensuke Office trio of Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima and young Kento Miyahara. The third match sees Mohammed Yone back with Disobey as he tags with Takeshi Rikio and Genba Hirayanagi to face Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida and Ricky Marvin. The third match sees KENTA and Ishimori face the Jr. tag champs in non-title action, with the second match being Kishin Kawabata tagging with Atsushi Aoki to face Akira Taue and Takashi Okita. The show will be opened by Yoshinari Ogawa facing Kentaro Shiga. The card is still to be announced for Kyoto KBS Hall, so it would be assumed that matches for the show will be set up at Sambo Hall.

NOAH, 22.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)

Kobe Sambo Hall

1. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Kentaro Shiga
2. Kishin Kawabata & Atsushi Aoki vs. Akira Taue & Takashi Okita
3. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki
4. Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Ricky Marvin vs. Takeshi Rikio, Mohammed Yone & Genba Hirayanagi
5. Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Akihito Ito vs. Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kento Miyahara

6. Jun Akiyama, Takashi Sugiura & Tamon Honda vs. Takeshi Morishima, Go Shiozaki & Shuhei Taniguchi

NOAH, 23.08.2009 (G+)
Kyoto KBS Hall

[PL23]

NOAH, 22.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Kobe Sambo Hall

1,450 Fans

1. Yoshinari Ogawa beat Kentaro Shiga (10:21) when he used an Inside Cradle.
2. Kenta Kobashi, Kishin Kawabata & Atsushi Aoki beat Akira Taue, Takashi Okita & Makoto Hashi (11:19) when Aoki used a Cross Armbreaker on Hashi.
3. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Kotaro Suzuki beat KENTA & Taiji Ishimori (14:42) when Kanemaru used a Touch Out on Ishimori.
4. Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Ricky Marvin beat Takeshi Rikio, Mohammed Yone & Genba Hirayanagi (14:07) when Sano used a Northern Light Bomb on Hirayanagi.
5. Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Akihito Ito beat Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kento Miyahara (18:43) when Smith used a Bisontennial on Miyahara.

6. Takeshi Morishima, Go Shiozaki & Shuhei Taniguchi beat Jun Akiyama, Takashi Sugiura & Tamon Honda (22:05) when Morishima used a Backdrop Suplex on Honda.

In the six-man tag main event, it was the younger generation team of Morishima, Shiozaki and Taniguchi that came away with the win over Akiyama, Sugiura and Honda. We are starting to notice that the wrestlers have noticeably toned down some of the more dangerous bumps that they take, and this was visible in the main event, without reducing the match quality. Once again, Shiozaki tested the ropes, seemingly as a tribute to Misawa. Morishima once again looked motivated and is beginning to look more and more the monster he was when he returned from America and became GHC Heavyweight Champion, throwing around Lariats and Suplexes for everyone involved, and had some interesting exchanges with Akiyama and Sugiura, with Sugiura going toe to toe with Morishima before eating a huge Backdrop. Taniguchi also showed clear development, and repeatedly seemed to want to test himself against Akiyama, and although Akiyama often came out on top – being the GHC Heavyweight Champion after all – Taniguchi did impress and did manage to get a nearfall on Akiyama with a German Suplex Hold. In the end though, it was the combination of Morishima and Shiozaki that got the win, with Shiozaki hitting a discuss chop on Sugiura before a Lariat, leaving Taniguchi to hold back Akiyama, and Morishima to hit Honda with a Backdrop Suplex that got the win. Post-match there again appeared to be some tension, mainly between the four main eventers from NOAH’s comeback show, but everyone went their separate ways.

The GHC Tag Team Champions came away with the win in the semi-final, as Saito and Smith tagged with Akihito Ito to face the Kensuke Office team of Sasaki, Nakajima and Miyahara. Nakajima once again was impressive and went straight in against the heavyweights, but it is clear he still remains very much a Jr. Heavyweight. Sasaki in particular had some great strike exchanges with Saito and Smith, and after Bison picked up the win for his team, defeating Miyahara with the Bisontennial, Sasaki seemed to indicate to Bison and Saito that he was aiming for their tag titles.

Disobey were on the losing end in the fourth match, and it was clear that there were communication issues between Rikio and Yone as several times it appeared that they were going for different moves, and often ended up being cut off by Sano, Izumida and Marvin. Post-match it was clear that neither Rikio or Yone were pleased with the performance, and looked annoyed as the heel group made their way backstage.

Despite their decision to go after the Jr. Tag belts on the comeback show, the team of KENTA and Taiji Ishimori did themselves no favours whatsoever, losing to the tag champions of Disobey, Kanemaru and Suzuki, with Ishimori taking the fall after a Touch Out by Kanemaru. Post-match, Kanemaru suggested that rather than KENTA and Ishimori coming after their titles, it would be he who would be coming for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight title once again. This clearly angered Ishimori, who made his way backstage on his own as KENTA held the title up in Kanemaru’s face.

NOAH have also announced the full card for tomorrow’s show:

NOAH, 23.08.2009 (G+)

Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Kentaro Shiga, Ricky Marvin & Kishin Kawabata vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara
2. Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda vs. Bison Smith & Akira Taue
3. KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Akihito Ito vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Kotaro Suzuki & Genba Hirayanagi
4. Takeshi Morishima & Jun Izumida vs. Yoshinari Ogawa & Shuhei Taniguchi
5. Takashi Sugiura & Takuma Sano vs. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Rikio
6. Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki, Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Aoki

[PL23]

NOAH, 23.08.2009 (G+)
Kyoto KBS Hall

1,200 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Kentaro Shiga, Ricky Marvin & Kishin Kawabata beat Katsuhiko Nakajima, Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara (10:32) when Marvin used an Inside Cradle on Miyahara.
2. Bison Smith & Akira Taue beat Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda (10:11) when Smith used a Bisontennial on Honda.
3. KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Akihito Ito beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Kotaro Suzuki & Genba Hirayanagi (13:44) when Ishimori used a 450 Splash on Hirayanagi.
4. Takeshi Morishima & Jun Izumida beat Yoshinari Ogawa & Shuhei Taniguchi (15:03) when Morishima used a Backdrop Suplex on Ogawa.
5. Takashi Sugiura & Takuma Sano beat Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Rikio (15:56) when Sugiura used an Ankle Hold on Rikio.

6. Kensuke Sasaki, Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Aoki beat Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi (22:28) when Sasaki used a Northern Light Bomb on Hashi.

In the main event it was the team of Sasaki, Shiozaki and Aoki that came away with the victory over Akiyama, Saito and Hashi. We once again saw some interesting exchanged between Akiyama and Shiozaki, with there still clearly being tension between the two, and partway through the match we got a really nice segment with Akiyama throwing hard elbows, and Shiozaki firing back with a combination of elbows and chops, showing the combination of his mentors Misawa and Kobashi, in the end Shiozaki seemed to win the exchange with a chop that knocked Akiyama down, but the GHC Heavyweight Champion immediately got back up and fired back with a jumping knee which left both men down. We also saw some really nice technical work from Atsushi Aoki, after his excellent performance in this year’s Best of the Super Jr. tournament in New Japan, almost submitting Hashi at one point, leaving the veteran scrambling for the ropes which got an applause from the crowd. We also saw some nice exchanges between Saito and Sasaki, after Sasaki teasing a possible challenge for the tag titles on the last show, and they had some great fiery segments with Sasaki throwing heavy chops to Saito’s chest. In the end it was Sasaki’s power that got his team the win, as he took Hashi down with a huge Lariat, before executing a picture perfect Northern Lights Bomb for the win, as Aoki held back Saito, and Shiozaki held back Akiyama. Akiyama and Shiozaki had some afters but eventually went their separate ways, with Sasaki once again stating that he was looking to challenge Saito and Smith along with his regular tag partner, Takeshi Morishima (who is noticeably starting to lose weight, back down to the weight he was in during his peak). Sasaki also threw out a challenge to face either Saito or Smith in singles competition.

Disobey once again came away with a loss in the semi-final, as they were defeated by the ultra-stiff team of Sugiura and Sano. Yone and Rikio seemed more on the same page today than on the last show, but it has still been clear since the return of NOAH that something is off in Disobey. Sugiura was fantastic in this match and has really roved himself this year as someone NOAH can build with following his great performance alongside Misawa vs. Nakamura and Goto at Wrestle Kingdom. Sugiura is looking like a wrestling machine, throwing Yone and even Rikio around with suplexes and utilising hard strikes, very King’s Road. Sano also used his classic solebutts repeatedly to keep his team on top, and he and Sugiura did seem to work effectively together. In the end, it was Sugiura’s sheer power and wrestling technique that picked up the win for his team, executing an Olympic Slam on Rikio, before locking in an Ankle Hold that forced Rikio to submit. Post-match Yone and Rikio once again looked unhappy as they made their way backstage.

In the 4th match, Takeshi Morishima was once again very impressive and continuing to look more and more like his old self (and importantly slimming back down to his ideal level). What was of note in the match was that Taniguchi seemed to be far more effective for his team with Yoshinari Ogawa, who at times seemed overmatched, especially when against Morishima. In the end he was the one who took the fall for his team, succumbing to a huge Backdrop from the monster. Ogawa was clearly unhappy post-match as he made his way backstage.

The Jr. Heavyweights battled in the third match, and again we saw more tension between KENTA and Ishimori throughout, as well as some clear competition between KENTA and Kanemaru, with Kanemaru clearly stating he wants to go for KENTA’s GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title. However, in this match it was clear that Ishimori was repeatedly trying to prove himself, wrestling aggressively, and at times being reluctant to work with KENTA too much. In the end, it was Ishimori that came away with the win for his team, taking Genba down with a 450 Splash as KENTA battled Kanemaru on the outside. Post-match as his team shook hands, Ishimori seemed more focused on making his way to the back, without outright ignoring KENTA.

[Celexa Bliss]

I know next to nothing about NOAH, beyond being familiar with some of their talents' US endeavors. But this has been a fascinating read and I look forward to more.

[PL23]

Mar 26, 2021 14:18:48 GMT -5 Celexa Bliss said:

I know next to nothing about NOAH, beyond being familiar with some of their talents' US endeavors. But this has been a fascinating read and I look forward to more.

Thanks for that, appreciate the comment! As the booking continues, if you have any questions about who the wrestlers are or their stories, feel free to ask. 2009 was the year I really got into Japanese wrestling, so a lot of it sticks in my mind.

[PL23]

Pro-Wrestling NOAH have released their next card for their next standalone show, titled “GENESIS” at NOAH’s home of Differ Ariake. The show will be main evented by a singles match between Akitoshi Saito and Kensuke Sasaki. Sasaki threw out a challenge on the last show at Kyoto KBS Hall and has been talking about a tag title challenge, so it would seem that this last singles match is a precursor to any title challenge from Sasaki and Morishima. GHC Heavyweight Champion Jun Akiyama will face Go Shiozaki in tag competition following the tension that has been steadily building over the last few shows, with Akiyama paired with Atsushi Aoki and Shiozaki paired with Akihito Ito. The 5th match will see the newly reinvigorated Takeshi Morishima tag with Taniguchi and Katsuhiko Nakajima to face the Disobey unit of Yone, Rikio and Suzuki. The Jr. section of Disobey has been successful lately, but the heavyweight team of Yone and Rikio have really struggled, with Yone looking better on NOAH’s comeback show when he was away from Disobey. We may continue to see issues between KENTA and Taiji Ishimori as they tag in the fourth match to face the Disobey team of Kanemaru and Genba, with Kanemaru still clearly aiming for KENTA's GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title. In the third match we will see six man tag action as Takashi Sugiura, Takuma Sano and Makoto Hashi face Yoshinari Ogawa, Jun Izumida and Ricky Marvin. The second match sees Kenta Kobashi tag with Tamon Honda to face Akira Taue and Kishin Kawabata, and the opener will see the other half of the GHC Tag Team champions Bison Smith tag with Kentaro Shiga to face the Kensuke Office duo of Takashi Okita and Kento Miyahara.

NOAH have also announced that they will be going on their first tour since the passing of Mitsuharu Misawa following this show, with the tour titled “EXCEEDING OUR DREAMS 2009”. It is also worth reporting that there have been rumours circulating regarding the continuing involvement of the Kensuke Office wrestlers in NOAH.

NOAH "GENESIS", 29.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Differ Ariake

1. Bison Smith & Kentaro Shiga vs. Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara
2. Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda vs. Akira Taue & Kishin Kawabata
3. Takashi Sugiura, Takuma Sano & Makoto Hashi vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Jun Izumida & Ricky Marvin
4. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi
5. Takeshi Morishima, Shuhei Taniguchi & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Mohammed Yone, Takeshi Rikio & Kotaro Suzuki
6. Jun Akiyama & Atsushi Aoki vs. Go Shiozaki & Akihito Ito
7. Special Singles Match: Akitoshi Saito vs. Kensuke Sasaki

[PL23]

NOAH "GENESIS", 29.08.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Differ Ariake
1,800 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Bison Smith & Kentaro Shiga beat Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara (10:06) when Smith used a Bisontennial on Miyahara.
2. Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda beat Akira Taue & Kishin Kawabata (11:07) when Kobashi used a Strong Arm Lariat on Kawabata.
3. Takashi Sugiura, Takuma Sano & Makoto Hashi beat. Yoshinari Ogawa, Jun Izumida & Ricky Marvin (13:54) when Sano used a Northern Light Bomb on Marvin.
4. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi (15:02) when Ishimori used a Vertical Drop Brainbuster on Hirayanagi.
5. Takeshi Morishima, Shuhei Taniguchi & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Mohammed Yone, Takeshi Rikio & Kotaro Suzuki (14:22) when Morishima used a Backdrop Suplex on Yone.
6. Jun Akiyama & Atsushi Aoki beat Go Shiozaki & Akihito Ito (15:34) when Akiyama used an Exploder on Ito.

7. Special Singles Match: Kensuke Sasaki beat Akitoshi Saito (18:04) when he used a Lariat.

In the main event, it was Kensuke Sasaki who came away with the win, outlasting Akitoshi Saito in a little over 18 minutes. After the rumours surrounding Kensuke Office’s ongoing involvement in NOAH, Sasaki came out in his classic Kensuke Office colours, and the match itself was an extremely hard hitting affair, with Sasaki lighting Saito’s chest up with stiff chops throughout the match, especially in the early going. Saito gave as good as he got through, and almost had Kensuke beat at one point, hitting the Sickle of Death on Sasaki for a nearfall, as well as a picture perfect Backdrop. In the end though, it was Kensuke’s sheer power that helped him come out on top, with the former GHC Heavyweight Champion fighting off a German Suplex attempt before hitting a Lariat, then a Northern Light Bomb, followed up by a Running Lariat for the three count. Bison Smith and Takeshi Morishima had seconded their tag partners for the match, and after the match, Sasaki and Morishima officially challenged Saito and Smith for the GHC Tag Team Titles, which the champions accepted before making their way backstage. It was later announced that this match would take place at Budokan Hall, at the Misawa memorial show.

There was still clear tension between Jun Akiyama and Go Shiozaki in the semi-final, but this time they didn’t end up clashing as much in the ring, with a lot of the work being done by their Jr. Heavyweight tag partners. Ito showed quite a different side to him throughout the match, showing a huge amount of fire, even in the face of stiff looking elbows and stomps from the GHC Heavyweight Champion Akiyama, firing back with hard elbows each time, but always being outwrestled by the veteran. Atsushi Aoki was again impressive with his excellent technique, and Akiyama seemed particularly impressed by him at several points, with the duo working very well together through the match. In the end, it was Akiyama who came away with the win over Ito, with the youngster’s fire getting him in trouble, as he succumbed to a running knee from Akiyama, followed up by an Exploder that kept him down for three. Again there was clearly issues between Akiyama and Shiozaki, but they seemed to keep them bubbling just below the surface after this one.

Disobey were again defeated in the 5th match, with Takeshi Morishima once again outstanding in picking up the win for his team with a Backdrop on Mohammed Yone. Shuhei Taniguchi also showed he is becoming more comfortable at that level as well, working well with Morishima at times, whilst Nakajima was impressive as always with his striking ability, and had some excellent exchanges with Suzuki. Post-match, Yone walked off on his own, and said backstage that maybe the time was coming for him to leave Disobey, himself stating he feels he performs much better without the group alongside him.

There was still visible issues between KENTA and Ishimori in the fourth match, with Ishimori still clearly trying to outdo KENTA, and refusing to tag KENTA in at various points through the match. However, this more aggressive approach worked very well for the former Toryumon graduate, as well as a new finishing move he used, a Vertical Drop Brainbuster that kept Genba down for three. After the match, Kanemaru officially threw out a challenge for KENTA’s GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, but Ishimori stopped him and pointed out it was he who had won the match, and himself directly challenged KENTA. NOAH announced that on the first date of the upcoming “EXCEEDING OUR DREAMS 2009” tour, Ishimori and Kanemaru will face each other to determine who will challenge KENTA at Budokan Hall.

The updated card for Misawa's memorial show at Budokan:

NOAH "GREAT VOYAGE 2009 ~MITSUHARU MISAWA, ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS~", 27.09.2009 (G+)

Tokyo Nippon Budokan

1. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: KENTA (c) vs. X
2. GHC Tag Team Titles: Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith (c) vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Takeshi Morishima

[PL23]

Today Pro-Wrestling NOAH held a press conference to release the dates for their upcoming tour (and first since the passing of Mitsuharu Misawa), titled “EXCEEDING OUR DREAMS 2009” which will be held from 12.09 to 25.09, beginning at Korakuen Hall. NOAH only revealed the full card for the first date of the tour at Korakuen, with the results from that show presumably leading to the booked matches for the remainder of the tour. The Korakuen show will see a six man main event of Jun Akiyama tagging with Shuhei Taniguchi and Atsushi Aoki to face Go Shiozaki, Takashi Sugiura and KENTA. KENTA’s challenger for Budokan Hall will be decided in the semi-final as Taiji Ishimori and Yoshinobu Kanemaru face each other in singles competition. Ishimori has displayed a competely different approach lately, but Kanemaru will certainly be a major test for the former Toryumon trainee. We then see Disobey in six man action as Yone, Rikio and Genba face Kobashi, Honda and Marvin. Akira Taue will then tag with the currently struggling Yoshinari Ogawa to face Takuma Sano and Kishin Kawabata in the third match, with the second match see Jun Izumida and Kentaro Shiga facing the Kensuke Office duo of Takashi Okita and Kento Miyahara. The opener will see Akihito Ito face Disobey’s Kotaro Suzuki.

In other NOAH news, it was also announced at the press conference that contrary to many of the rumours, the Kensuke Office affiliated wrestlers had all signed full time contracts to remain members of the NOAH roster long term, whilst still retaining their Kensuke Office affiliation but now as full-time members of the roster. It was also announced that this came with a stake in ownership for Kensuke Sasaki. It has also been hinted that despite still being unable to wrestle due to injury, Naomichi Marufuji will be appearing at the Misawa memorial show at Budokan Hall following this tour.

NOAH, 12.09.2009 (G+ LIVE)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Akihito Ito vs. Kotaro Suzuki
2. Jun Izumida & Kentaro Shiga vs. Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara
3. Akira Taue & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Takuma Sano & Kishin Kawabata
4. Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & Ricky Marvin vs. Mohammed Yone, Takeshi Rikio & Genba Hirayanagi
5. Kensuke Sasaki, Takeshi Morishima & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Makoto Hashi
6. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Contendership: Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
7. Jun Akiyama, Shuhei Taniguchi & Atsushi Aoki vs. Go Shiozaki, Takashi Sugiura & KENTA

NOAH, 16.09.2009
Oita Event Hall

NOAH, 18.09.2009
Acros Fukuoka

NOAH, 19.09.2009
Toyohira Acorn Village Wing

NOAH, 21.09.2009 (Samurai! TV)
Nagoya International Conference Hall

NOAH, 22.09.2009
Takaoka Techno Dome

NOAH, 23.09.2009
Act City Hamamatsu

NOAH, 25.09.2009
Kamisu Citizen Gymnasium

[PL23]

NOAH, 12.09.2009 (G+ LIVE)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1,800 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Kotaro Suzuki beat Akihito Ito (9:55) when he used a Blue Destiny.
2. Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara beat Jun Izumida & Kentaro Shiga (10:35) when Okita used a Jackhammer on Shiga.
3. Akira Taue & Yoshinari Ogawa beat Takuma Sano & Kishin Kawabata (11:29) when Ogawa used a Backdrop Hold on Kawabata.
4. Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & Ricky Marvin beat Mohammed Yone, Takeshi Rikio & Genba Hirayanagi (12:09) when Marvin used a Tornillo on Hirayanagi.
5. Kensuke Sasaki, Takeshi Morishima & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Akitoshi Saito, Bison Smith & Makoto Hashi (15:04) when Nakajima used a Death Roll on Hashi.
6. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Contendership: Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Taiji Ishimori (19:03) when he used a Touch Out.

7. Go Shiozaki, Takashi Sugiura & KENTA beat Jun Akiyama, Shuhei Taniguchi & Atsushi Aoki (23:31) when Shiozaki used a Strong Arm Lariat on Aoki.

It was a controversy filled main event as Go Shiozaki’s team came away with the win, but it was again the conflict between Akiyama and Shiozaki that dominated the main event at Korakuen. The match had continued as a normal six man tag event, largely with KENTA and Aoki doing the work for their team (with Aoki again impressing and showing more fire and attitude), until Shiozaki came in against Taniguchi and was pushed towards the corner of Akiyama, where the GHC Heavyweight Champion went to get involved, only for Shiozaki to turn round and fire a stiff Kobashi like head chop that sent Akiyama off the apron and down to the mat outside! Akiyama took a good while to recover as the match continued in the ring, and when he did, he immediately rushed the ring whilst KENTA and Aoki were facing off and went for Shiozaki. A brawl then ensued between all six men as the official struggled to keep control with the Korakuen crowd chanting for both Akiyama and Shiozaki, with all six men eventually being forced back to their usual spots. With all that commotion, it then wasn’t long until Shiozaki got the win for his team with a Lariat on Aoki. Again, after the match Akiyama clearly looked to continue the fight with Shiozaki, but both men were kept separated despite the chants of the crowd. After the event, it was confirmed by NOAH that at Budokan Hall, Akiyama will defend the GHC Heavyweight Title against Shiozaki, and the pair will face off in tags for the remainder of the tour, in what are sure to be heated battles.

There was an intermission between the semi-final and the main event, and during it Holy War began to play and Toshiaki Kawada made his way out to the ring to a huge ovation from the NOAH crowd! Kawada said that although he hadn’t been in a NOAH ring since 2005, Misawa was not only his greatest rival, but he had been a great friend. Kawada announced that he would be wrestling at Budokan Hall, and as Akira Taue made his way out to ringside, Kawada announced that he and Taue would reform the Holy Demon Army in memory of Misawa and closed by hoping that everyone would be at Budokan Hall before he and Taue made their way backstage.

In the semi-final, it was Yoshinobu Kanemaru that came away with the win and the right to challenge KENTA for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, using veteran tactics throughout the match to get the win. This was clearly a motivated Kanemaru and Ishimori was desperate to prove himself on the level of Kanemaru and KENTA. Ishimori continued with his more aggressive approach that he has been adopting as of late, but on several occasions it was clear that Ishimori still needed that extra step of development as Kanemaru would cut him off with some veteran counters in important spots. Crucially, Ishimori was never able to hit his new Vertical Drop Brainbuster finisher, as late on in the match after a flurry of strikes from the Toryumon trainee, Kanemaru countered it into one of his own, before hitting the Touch Out which kept Ishimori down. Post-match, Kanemaru actually showed respect to Ishimori, shaking his hand before KENTA made his way out and got in Kanemaru’s face, raising the title. This clearly angered Ishimori as he made his way backstage alone.

The challenger team of Kensuke Sasaki and Takeshi Morishima (along with Katsuhiko Nakajima) came away with the win in the 5th match, with the Jr. Heavyweights doing the bulk of the lifting for their teams, and Nakajima the one who came out on top, winning with his beautiful Death Roll finisher. Backstage, Sasaki and Nakajima both stated how happy they were to now be full-time members of the NOAH roster, and stated that they would work together to make the Kensuke Office group the strongest in NOAH.

After another loss, Mohammed Yone walked off on his own without Disobey and backstage stated his decision to officially leave the group and go it alone as part of the NOAH home army. Rikio was clearly displeased with this decision, and said he and Disobey would prove Yone wrong.

Ogawa showed a little more craft than he has lately in the third match, but also a little more underhanded tactics as he defeated Kishin Kawabata after a Backdrop.

Takashi Okita put in his best performance in a NOAH ring in the second match, showing his potential as a heavyweight in the second match, defeating Kentaro Shiga with a nice looking Jackhammer. Backstage, both he and Kento Miyahara stated their desire to rise up the ranks in NOAH.

The now updated card for Budokan Hall, with Kanemaru set as KENTA’s challenger, the reunion of Holy Demon Army and the Akiyama/Shiozaki GHC Heavyweight Title match:

NOAH "GREAT VOYAGE 2009 ~MITSUHARU MISAWA, ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS~", 27.09.2009 (G+)

Tokyo Nippon Budokan

1. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: KENTA (c) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
2. GHC Tag Team Titles: Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith (c) vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Takeshi Morishima
3. Special Tag Match: Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. X & X
4. GHC Heavyweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) vs. Go Shiozaki