NOAH The New Year Event Report: BYE BYE MUTA

Nakamura/Great Muta and Kiyomiya & KENOH double main event show. The long-awaited reunion of MARUKEN (Marufuji & KENTA).

January 1, 2023 Karen Peterson NEWS, RECOMMENDED, Show Reports
Pro-Wrestling NOAH's First show of 2023 at the Nippon Budokan; including The Great Muta's last match.

Happy New Year! Happy NEW NOAH! The first show of the company’s 2023 radiated from the Nippon Budokan with a packed house and a massive commentary team including guests like Jyushin Thunder Liger, Daisuke Harada (currently out due to injury), and professional kickboxer, Takeru. 

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

  • Opening Tag: The Future of NOAH is here – Recommended
  • 6-Man Match: Have a Fun & Funky 2023 – Worth a Watch
  • 6-Man Match: If you love the chaos of the NOAH Juniors, start here – Worth a Watch
  • 6-Man Match: So much Mochi on this New Year’s Special. Yes, that is a pun. – Recommended 
  • 8-Man Match: A Special New Years Present from X – Highly Recommended 
  • Special Singles Match: For Your CACC Lovers out there. – Recommended
  • GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship: The future of the NOAH Juniors is BRIGHT – Recommended
  • GHC Tag Team Championships: The MARUKEN Reunion Special – Highly Recommended
  • GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: The chaos in the NOAH Juniors continues – Recommended
  • Double Main Event I: “The GHC Heavyweight Championship is crying, Kiyomiya!!!” – Highly Recommended
  • Double Main Event II: A fantasy booking fever dream comes alive – Highly Recommended

Singles Match (1/15): Yasutaka Yano defeated Taishi Ozawa (4:01) – with a Fisherman’s Suplex

If you are a fan of rookie matches where you can visibly see the potential future of a company, I suggest you check out this opening match. 

What’s Next: 

  • Yasutaka Yano & Taishi Ozawa will tag together at New Sunrise (1/8) against Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba. They will each have a singles match on 1/9 with Ozawa facing Tadasuke and Yano facing Junta Miyawaki.

6-Man Tag Match (1/20): Masa Kitamiya, Yoshiki Inamura & Daiki Inaba defeated Shuhei Taniguchi, Akitoshi Saito & Mohammed Yone (8:48) – with Inamura pinning Yone

Another solid opening match to get the audience warmed up. I liked seeing the Funky Express have their unapologetic fun, and it counterbalanced the no-nonsense, all-business side of the trio of Kitamiya, Inamura, and Inaba. It wasn’t a match with any particular stakes, but still fun to watch.

What’s Next:

  • Yoshiki Inamura: Someone strap the rocket to Inamura in 2023. At a bare minimum, he should be GHC National Champion by year’s end. see below (for the sake of spoilers)
  • Daiki Inaba: I’m not sure, but I am wondering if he’s going to stay a junior or move into fighting openweight. He’ll tag with Kitamiya against Yasutaka Yano and Taishi Ozawa on 1/8, and they’ll reunite with Inamura on 1/9 for a 6-man against Naomichi Marufuji, Yone & Saito on 1/9.
  • Masa Kitamiya: Much like Inamura, I feel a singles run is in order for him as well, especially with the National Championship. (see above)
  • Funky Express: They’re just going to continue rocking on and having a good time in 2023. Saito & Yone will tag together against, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Jr & Timothy Thatcher on 1/8.
  • Shuhei Taniguchi: He’s still soul searching since quitting Funky Express. Taniguchi will wrestle Jack Morris on 1/9.

6-Man Tag Match (1/30): Dante Leon, Ninja Mack & Alejandro defeated Shuji Kondo, Hi69 & Tadasuke (8:11) – with Alejandro pinning Hi69 (Hiroki) after Cazadora Con Giro 

I don’t know what it is about Ninja Mack and Dante Leon, but something in their wrestling doesn’t resonate with me. I haven’t exactly figured out what that is just yet, but I often feel like they’re too invincible at times and not taking as much as they are giving when it comes to the receiving end in matches. The same goes for the KONGO Juniors. I’m still trying to figure them out. It was an exceptionally fast-paced match, and very action-packed, but for some reason, it wasn’t punching the right buttons for me. 

What’s Next: 

  • KONGO: The NOAH/KONGO Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament where each member of KONGO will be paired up with a member of NOAH for a single elimination tournament. The tournament will be held on January 8th with an afternoon and evening doubleheader. See below for the brackets and a complete list of match-ups.
  • Ninja Mack and Dante Leon will meet in a singles match on 1/8.
  • Alejandro will not participate in the NOAH/KONGO Tag Tournament. He will tag with Junta Miyawaki against Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita on 1/8. 

6-Man Tag Match (1/30): Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki & Mochizuki Jr. defeated Seiki Yoshioka, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Atsushi Kotoge (10:27) – with Susumu Mochizuki pinning Seki Yoshioka with an Mugen Package

Note: with a trio of Mochizukis, they will be referred to as Mochizuki (Masaaki), Susumu, and Junior (as Masaaki Mochizuki is his actual father).

I don’t watch Dragon Gate, but seeing the Mochizuki Trio roll up with razor scooters has me quite intrigued. I do love that Masaaki is openly referred to as a stupidly overprotective parent when it comes to his son, 20-year-old Mochi Junior. Kotoge in particular starts yelling at him during the match about getting in the way and letting his son fight his own battles during the match, but NOAH also noted it in the wrestler profile notes on the screen, too.  

This match was fast and chaotic in a really enjoyable way. The antics and trash-talking didn’t take away from the match at all. The Mochizukis put Yoshioka through the wringer before Susumu pinned him. A short match, but one that piques my interest not just with NOAH, but with regard to Dragon Gate as well. 

What’s Next:

  • M3K: I really enjoy Mochizuki’s work in NOAH, but seeing him work with his son and Susumu, does make me curious about watching more Dragon Gate. Masaaki will have a singles match on 1/8 against Jack Morris.
  • El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr: The GHC National Champion will tag with Timothy Thatcher on 1/8 against Mohammed Yone and Akiyoshi Saito and again the following night on 1/9 against Manabu Soya and Katsuhiko Nakajima.
  • Kotoge/Yoshioka: after losing the GHC Jr. Tag Championships in November, they’re in the mix for the NOAH/KONGO Shuffle Scramble Tournament on January 8th. Kotoge will team with Manabu Soya and Yoshioka with Katsuhiko Nakajima. WHEW!

8-Man Tag Match (1/30): Kendo Kashin, Kazuyuki Fujita, NOSAWA Rongai & Hiroshi Hase defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima, Manabu Soya, Masakatsu Funaki & Hajime Ohara (16:36) – with Hase pinning Ohara with a Northern Lights Suplex. 

X would be revealed as none other than Ishikawa Prefecture Governor, 61-year-old wrestling legend… Hiroshi Hase!! I liked Nosawa and Kashin tried tagging in Liger, who was busy on commentary raving over the arrival of Hase. 

While this match has plenty of antics by Rongai and Kashin, the star of the match is Hase. He double-teams Soya with Kashin, swings Ohara over twenty times, but also assists Nakajima in his popular Shutter Chance pose… appealing to Liger to join the fight… before tangling with Funaki. It’s said over and over again in the commentary, “this is an amazing New Year’s Present!” Literally, the match could just be Hase fighting Funaki and Nakajima and I would have been happy because he just went for it all.  

What’s Next

  • Nosawa Rongai: His retirement match will coincide with Keiji Muto’s on February 21st with a Final de Lucha tag match. Rongai will tag with MAZADA against NJPW’s Gedo & Taiji Ishimori. 
  • KONGO: will mix it up with NOAH in a scramble shuffle tag tournament. (See Below)

Special Singles Match (1/30): Jack Morris defeated Timothy Thatcher (12:16) – with a Tiger Driver/Pin combo

Thatcher and Morris have become solid mainstays in NOAH since their respective arrivals. If no-nonsense, technical wrestling is your jam, you’ll find this match quite lovely. After the wild antics in the previous match, this was a simple match, with Thatcher really crafting a journey for Morris. I hope that NOAH will keep them around because they make the Catch as Catch Can-style very accessible to new fans and new-to-NOAH fans. There isn’t any overly complicated story (that I am aware of). They just had a showcase match.  

A WILD JAKE LEE APPEARS! Lee finished up his contract with All Japan Pro-Wrestling last week, and many wondered how soon before he would show up as a free agent! Lee strolled to the ring in his full entrance gear and initially gave the impression he was in NOAH to pick a fight with Jack Morris… instead he extended his hand and it seems they might be striking up a working relationship! He will face Yoshiki Inamura in a main event special singles match on January 9th at Yokohama Radiant Hall. 

“Why did I show up here (in Pro Wrestling NOAH)? There are plenty of guys I want to fight… (Inamura approaches and offers himself as the first challenge) …See this guy gets it. You know why? Wrestling against me will garner substantially more interest…” – Jake Lee (Backstage Comments via Puroresu DX)

What’s Next?

  • Jack Morris will face Masaaki Mochizuki (1/8) and Shuhei Taniguchi (1/9) in NOAH’s New Year’s Series.
  • Timothy Thatcher will tag with El Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Jr against KONGO’s Manabu Soya & Katsuhiko Nakajima(1/9)
  • Jake Lee will face Yoshiki Inamura in the main event on January 8th. It is unclear how long or how many matches Lee will have in NOAH. There was no information related to if he signed a contract or if he will freelance, so he can wrestle in as many promotions as possible as well as pursue other projects.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship (1/60): AMAKUSA ©  defeated Junta Miyawaki (15:00) – with a modified figure four leg lock; the 52nd Champion’s first successful defense

Miyawaki is back from his excursion in Mexico and what better way to make a statement than to come after the new Junior heavyweight champion. I really liked this match, especially because it put two significantly younger talents in the upper card, meaning the championship felt like it had weight and importance, just like all the other dream matches and title matches. I hope NOAH throws a lot of energy into future singles programs for both AMAKUSA and Miyawaki because they really stood out on the show. 

What’s Next?

  • AMAKUSA goes into the Scramble Shuffle Tournament as KENOH’s partner, and they will face Satoshi Kojima & Shuji Kondo on 1/8. He will have a non-title main event match against Kaito Kiyomiya on 1/9. His next GHC Junior Heavyweight challenger is TBA. 
  • Junta Miyawaki is finally back after being on an international excursion in Mexico. He definitely will become a contender in the future of the NOAH Juniors. He will face Yasutaka Yano on 1/9. He will not participate in the NOAH/KONGO Tag Tournament.

GHC Tag Team Championships (1/60): Satoshi Kojima & Takashi Sugiura © defeated Naomichi Marufuji & KENTA (18:40) – with Satoshi Kojima pinning Naomichi Marufuji after a Western Lariat; the 62nd Champions’ third successful defense

Hatsu yume (the first dream of the New Year) would be the best way to describe this match up. A year ago, KENTA tagged with Takashi Sugiura, who was junior to him in the NOAH Dojo, but this year, the former NOAH Ace stands in the opposite corner. The last time we saw KENTA in a NOAH ring was last year at NOAH THE NEW YEAR, where he teamed with Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba against Daiki Inaba, Masa Kitamiya, and Yoshiki Inamura. He was scheduled to participate at Wrestle Kingdom in Yokohama, but his injuries sustained in his No Disqualification match against Hiroshi Tanahashi several days before on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom sent him to the hospital with multiple injuries, including a dislocated hip. 

Prior to that the last time KENTA was seen in a NOAH ring was for Naomichi Marufuji’s 20th Anniversary Show as Hideo Itami in 2018. As it turns out, the Magic of Marufuji Anniversaries summoned KENTA once more as the reunion of MARUKEN (2001-2008) for this show, would be the first day of Marufuji’s 25th Anniversary celebration year. Never underestimate the power of the Heir to the Ark!!

As a long time KENTA and Marufuji fan, it was hard not to get all emotional about their long-awaited reunion. The handshake alone before the start of the match was more than enough to get me into my fangirl feelings. I know that there’s the refrain that the median age for competitors in NOAH is a little on the… senior side, but man-oh-man these guys in their forties and fifties refused to coast at all in the match. I loved the layers upon layers of NOAH history, but also the additional ones involving Kojima and KENTA from NJPW, especially when we think back to 2020-2021 when KENTA had a certain red briefcase they fought over at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in lieu of the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. 

This match had all the hits: plenty of shirainuis, so many chops, Olympic slams, a massive Go 2 Sleep, lariats, and kicks for everyone…  Did we get to scream ‘Icchauzo, Bakayaro?’ You bet your bottom dollar I sure did before sunrise, but with the packed house at the Budokan, it was just Bread Club Leader doing his most!! I loved this match, and while MARUKEN didn’t fulfill my fantasy booking dreams by winning the tag championships, I certainly hope that KENTA will visit NOAH again sometime soon!

No new challengers appeared for Kojima and Sugiura after the match. 

What’s Next?

  • Satoshi Kojima will tag with Shuji Kondo vs. KENOH & AMAKUSA int he NOAH/KONGO Tag Tournament on 1/8. 
  • Takashi Sugiura will take with Hajime Ohara against  Masakatsu Funaki & YO-HEY in the NOAH/KONGO Tag Tournament on 1/8. He will also tag with Nosawa Rongai against KENOH and Hajime Ohara on 1/9.
  • Naomichi Marufuji will team with Hi69 (Hiroki) against Katsuhiko Nakajima & Seki Yoshioka in the first round of the NOAH/KONGO Tag Tournament. He’ll be in a 6-man tag with Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura on 1/9. No details on his 25th Anniversary Show just yet, but since he debuted in late August, perhaps around that time? 
  • KENTA doesn’t have a scheduled match for Wrestle Kingdom 17 on Wednesday, but that isn’t to say that he won’t show up for the KOPW Rumble or at New Years Dash the following day.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships (1/60): Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita defeated YO-HEY & Kzy © (19:17) – with Eita pinning YO-HEY after an Imperial Uno/pin combo; the 54th Champions dropped the titles on their first defense & Ogawa/Eita become the 55th Champions

As someone who doesn’t keep up with NOAH as much as she would like, the pairing of Ogawa and Eita felt very much like “can they co-exist (but yes, there is some backstory there).” With the dissolution of Los Perros de Mal in NOAH, I was wondering if Eita would still hang around or return to Dragon Gate full-time. It seems like he’ll be around for a little longer, which is perfectly fine. It was a dizzying match with a lot of showboating. With the abundance of Junior Heavyweights in NOAH, I love that they had Liger there. 

What’s Next?

  • Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita – As new GHC Jr. Tag Champions, we’ll have to wait and see who challenges next and how long the odd couple pairing can hold onto the titles. Trying to learn a little more about their history together. They’re scheduled to face Junta Miyawaki and Alejandro on 1/8, so now it could easily become the champions’ first title defense. 
  • YO-HEY & KZY – While their entrance was long, like really long, they do complement one another in wrestling style and looks. YO-HEY will team with Masakatsu Funaki vs. Takashi Sugiura & Hajime Ohara in the Scramble Shuffle on January 8th. Maybe he’ll tag again with KZY either in NOAH or in Dragon Gate since the companies seem to have a solid working relationship.

Double Main Event I: GHC Heavyweight Championship Match (1/60): Kaito Kiyomiya © defeated KENOH (19:23) – with a modified Shining Wizard/Pin combo; the 41st Champion’s 3rd successful defense

Any time there is a “Double Main Event,” it always feels like a way to compensate for displacing a company’s top championship out of the final match which closes the show. This point was driven home by both KENOH and Kiyomiya prior to the match, between KENOH admonishing Kiyomiya in the ring, yelling, “[This belt] is CRYING…” implying that Kiyomiya as the top champion isn’t strong enough to represent the company in the actual main event of their first big show of the new year.   

That being said, both Kiyomiya and KENOH put on their angsty working boots and put on a clinic. You could genuinely feel the frustration throughout the match that they weren’t the main event when they were supposed to be the future of the company. Their heated battle was very much a command and not a demand of the spotlight. They likely went harder than they should have purely to prove a point, if they aren’t the main event of their own company, what future does the company have? Granted they were up against a long-awaited dream match between Muta and Nakamura, who only got even more popular when he exited to Japan and went to the WWE. Of course, this is an extreme exception with regard to Nakamura, but KENOH’s been very open and adamant in his frustrations with “old men” (over fifty) in the twilights of their careers stealing opportunities and the spotlight from guys who are trying to take the company into the future.

Some might think KENOH has been particularly unfair to 26-year-old Kiyomiya, but if he can’t inspire people as the company’s top champion, the argument becomes “well, why are you champion then?” I want to believe that KENOH is intentionally harsh with Kiyomiya in the absence of Mr. I AM NOAH, Go Shiozaki because someone needs to help Kiyomiya further develop as a champion putting the company on his back. I was a bit concerned when Kiyomiya crashed onto the apron ribs first, but then he decided to do a running tope con giro over the corner post and throttled KENOH instead. There were many moments in this match where I felt a sense of desperation in order to prove a point to the audience, especially since it was Kiyomiya who smashed the brake pedal on KENOH’s second run with the GHC Championship on the first defense back in September 2022. While I love seeing KENOH as GHC Champion, after the consistent hot potato-ing of the title in 2022, I need Kiyomiya to bring back a little more stability to the championship. Maybe they can revisit this outstanding Budokan burner in the summertime, should there be another big annual event like CyberFight Festival.

For those keeping track at home, in 2022, Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Go Shiozaki at last year’s NOAH THE NEW YEAR to continue his reign from 2021. In February, he would lose it to Kazuyuki Fujita, who defended it once against Masato Tanaka before vacating the title due to illness. Shiozaki and Kiyomiya fought for the vacant title, which Shiozaki won, and then lost on the first defense to Satoshi Kojima at CyberFightFestival 2022. Kojima would in turn, lose it to KENOH on the first defense a month later. KENOH would have two months with the belt, but then lost it to Kiyomiya on his first defense, which takes us to Kiyomiya’s second and current reign. He defended against Fujita who had previously vacated the belt earlier in the year and then against Timothy Thatcher, so needless to say, it’s finally starting to feel like a proper reign. 

What’s Next

  • Kaito Kiyomiya will face GHC Junior Champion AMAKUSA on January 9th at Yokohama Radiant Hall. He will tag with KONGO’s Tadasuke in the Scramble Shuffle Tournament. 
  • KENOH will tag AMAKUSA in the Scramble Shuffle Tournament. He’ll also continue his wildly popular YouTube channel.

Double Main Event II: “BYE BYE MUTA” (1/60): Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The Great Muta (18:19) – with a Kinshasa/pin combination

To piggyback off the frustrations of Kiyomiya & KENOH, Keiji Muto went as far as to flatly state that The Great Muta versus Shinsuke Nakamura had much more drawing power than the GHC Championship. Since Nakamura’s arrival in NXT in April 2016, his star completely took off! So was pleasantly surprised when WWE greenlit Shinsuke’s return to Japan for this significant retirement in the country.

The pageantry of the entrances alone felt ripped out of a Jidai Geki (period drama) complete with traditional instruments like the giant taiko drum and Nakamura bringing famed violinist, Lee England, Jr., who turned many heads by playing Nakamura to the ring in the WWE. Shinsuke’s white robe felt like a hero coming to exorcize a demon, yet his black and red costume matched Muta’s red and black mask. Knowing that Shinsuke Nakamura not only returned to Japan, but to wrestle his idol carries an exceptional gravity, and from the first note of the match, I had chills. Nakamura and Muto have wrestled a handful of times, but their last singles match was in 2008. However, throughout his entire career, Shinsuke Nakamura never crossed paths with The Great Muta, his childhood idol. 

I will be the first to admit that Muto matches aren’t particularly my cup of tea. However, in this farewell series as both Muto and Muta, I find myself getting caught up in the wrestling and the stories he is telling as he counts down to his retirement next month. Perhaps it’s the bittersweet finality of it all that is making me try to understand the scope of Muta/Muto’s impact on the industry. Along this retirement countdown, he’s wrestled Kaito Kiyomiya, Hiroshi Tanahashi & GBH, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Masakatsu Funaki, United Empire’s Jeff Cobb Great O’Khan and Aaron Henare and now Shinsuke Nakamura… honestly, many of the wrestlers I respect and cheer for. Knowing what wrestling Muta/Muto means to them, makes me as a fan want to understand more of their history and his influence.   

Although the match was less than twenty minutes, it was exceptionally emotional and rather satisfying. While a lot of things happened in the match, it didn’t run overly long and was timed rather well. I was surprised by the multiple mist sprays. Credit to Nakamura for catching on by the third time, and using it against Muta. I held my tears back until Nakamura exited the ring and looped his arm under Muta’s shoulder and walked up the ramp, side-by-side. Some may say, never meet your heroes, but the more I see matches like this, I want to not only meet them but work with them to create something amazing. 

What I love about Shinsuke Nakamura is how humble he is, despite being one of the biggest names to come out of Japan. He’s been so positive, constantly expressing his gratitude that WWE and NOAH came together to make this match happen. I know that WWE can be a little… challenging when it comes to dispatching their talent on non-WWE-related events, but I am happy that they gave proper consideration and effort to make a childhood dream for one of their superstars come true. 

What’s Next?

Personal Thoughts

While it is exceptionally rare that WWE permits their performers to work in other promotions, it’s typically only in special circumstances like a retirement (like Muta/Nakamura), a milestone anniversary (think Hideo Itami-era KENTA participating in Naomichi Marufuji’s 20th Anniversary show), or in a memorial show (KAIRI attending the first Hana Kimura Memorial show in a non-wrestling capacity, but auctioned off her umbrella from WWE Raw after Kimura passed).

I keep examples like those finishing up outstanding show commitments, like Karl Anderson (current NEVER Openweight Champion), as he was a freelancer when NJPW put the championship on him, but then he was re-hired by WWE in the interim. Finishing out agreed-to time commitments is a professional courtesy, and not an automatic working relationship. When one talent appears in a promotion, it doesn’t automatically mean they’ve got commitments in other promotions or that other talent should be sent in reciprocation. It doesn’t mean that they can’t go watch the show and support their friends, but assuming that they’ll ‘make the rounds while over there,’ sets unrealistic expectations.

Medical Absentees – The second half of 2022 was unlucky for NOAH when it came to injuries of several of their popular baby faces. Without any announced return timetable or information, fans will have to patiently wait and see who returns in 2023. It made me a little sad when I went to my first NOAH show in November, and multiple talents I wanted to finally experience live where unable to participate. 

NOAH’s Next Shows 

NOAH NEW SUNRISE (Korakuen Hall; 1/8; noon start) – I am really curious about 1) Jake Lee in Pro-Wrestling NOAH and 2) the NOAH/KONGO Scramble Shuffle Tournament!

  • Tag Match: Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba vs. Yasutaka Yano and Taishi Ozawa
  • Tag Match: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Jr & Timothy Thatcher vs. Mohammed Yone & Akiyoshi Saito
  • Singles Match: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Jack Morris
  • Tag Match: Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita vs. Junta Miyawaki & Alejandro
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 1st Round: Naomichi Marufuji & Hi69 vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Seki  Yoshioka
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 1st Round: Kaito Kiyomiya & Tadasuke vs. Manabu Soya & Atsushi Kotoge
  • Singles Match: Ninja Mack vs. Dante Leon
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 1st Round: Masakatsu Funaki & YO-HEY vs. Takashi Sugiura & Hajime Ohara
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 1st Round: Satoshi Kojima & Shuji Kondo vs. KENOH & AMAKUSA
  • Main Event: Yoshiki Inamura vs. Jake Lee

REBOOT 2023 (Korakuen Hall, 1/8; 6PM Start)

※All matches outside of the Scramble Shuffle Tournament between NOAH and KONGO will be announced the day of by the participants’ entrance music. 

  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 2nd Round Bracket A: Winner of Marufuji/Hi69 vs Nakajima/Yoshioka versus Winner of Kiyomiya/Tadasuke vs Soya/Kotoge
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO 2nd Round Bracket B: Winner of Funaki/YO-HEY vs Sugiura/Ohara versus Winner of Kojima/Kondo vs KENOH/AMAKUSA
  • Scramble Shuffle Tag Tournament: NOAH/KONGO Finals: Winner of Bracket A versus Winner of Bracket B

NOAH SUNNY VOYAGE (Yokohama Radiant Hall; 1/9)

  • Singles Match: Tadasuke vs. Taishi Ozawa
  • Singles Match: Jack Morris vs. Shuhei Taniguchi
  • Tag Match: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Jr & Timothy Thatcher vs. Manabu Soya & Katsuhiko Nakajima
  • 6-Man Tag Match: Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura
  • Singles Match: Junta Miyawaki vs. Yasutaka Yano
  • Tag Match: Takashi Sugiura & Nosawa Rongai vs. KENOH & Hajime Ohara
  • Non-Title Main Event: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. AMAKUSA

Key Dates in NOAH 2023

  • 1/22/23: Great Muta Final BYE BYE – Yokohama Arena
  • 2/21/22: Keiji Muto Retirement Show: Puroresu Love HOLD OUT – Tokyo Dome

For more information on Pro-Wrestling NOAH, follow @NoahGlobal or check out the hashtag #noah_ghc for content in both English and Japanese.

About Karen Peterson 108 Articles
Occasionally drops by wrestling podcasts, but remains rather elusive. Joined the Japanese wrestling fan scene in summer 2017, and continues to work on bridging the language gap between fans. Outside of wrestling, she’s a dog mom, perpetual Japanese learner, and when conditions permit, world traveler. Never skips dessert.
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