NOAH "DESTINY", 7/18/05

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

 

NOAH "DESTINY", 7/18/05

Tokyo Dome

 

1. Takashi Sugiura, SUWA & Masashi Aoyagi vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mitsuo Momota & Katsuhiko Nakajima

2. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima vs. Tamon Honda & Go Shiosaki

3. Akira Taue, Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Haruka Eigen vs. Akitoshi Saito, Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue & Kishin Kawabata

4. Mushiking Terry Debut Match: Mushiking Terry vs. Black Mask

5. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: Yoshinobu Kanemaru © vs. KENTA

6. GHC Tag Team Title: Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji © vs. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Hashi

7. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takeshi Rikio © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

8. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Genichiro Tenryu

9. Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki

10. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada

 

Starts at 2 AM EST. I'm pumped.

[Toshiaki Koala 0]

8. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Genichiro Tenryu

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What a beautiful, wonderful squash this will be. As much as I fear for Ogawa's life, I can't wait to see this.

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

Results thus far:

 

1. Takashi Sugiura, SUWA & Masashi Aoyagi beat Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mitsuo Momota & Katsuhiko Nakajima when SUWA used the FFF on Kikuchi.

2. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima beat Tamon Honda & Go Shiosaki when Yone used a Muscle Buster on Shiosaki.

3. Akitoshi Saito, Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue & Kishin Kawabata beat Akira Taue, Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Haruka Eigen

4. Mushiking Terry Debut Match: Mushiking Terry beat Black Mask

[SinToxic 0]

KENTA beat Kanemaru for the strap with Busaiku Knee Kick. Said to have been a great match, close to 30 min.

[Cuban Linx 0]

Full results:

 

 

NOAH "DESTINY", 7/18/05

Tokyo Dome

 

1. Takashi Sugiura, SUWA & Masashi Aoyagi beat Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mitsuo Momota & Katsuhiko Nakajima () when SUWA used the FFF on Kikuchi.

2. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima beat Tamon Honda & Go Shiosaki () when Yone used a Muscle Buster on Shiosaki.

3. Akitoshi Saito, Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue & Kishin Kawabata beat Akira Taue, Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Haruka Eigen ()

4. Mushiking Terry Debut Match: Mushiking Terry beat Black Mask ()

5. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: KENTA beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru © () with the Busaiku Knee Kick to become the 10th champion.

6. GHC Tag Team Title: Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji © beat Jun Akiyama & Makoto Hashi when Marufuji used the avalanche Shiranui (25:55)

7. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takeshi Rikio © beat Hiroshi Tanahashi with The Muso.

8. Genichiro Tenryu beat Yoshinari Ogawa () with a lariat.

9. Kenta Kobashi beat Kensuke Sasaki with 5 Lariats.

10. Mitsuharu Misawa beat Toshiaki Kawada with a Running Elbow.

 

Unofficial crowd estimate of between 50,000 - 52,000. Misawa/Kawada also apparetly went 25-30 minutes.

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dangerous A 0]

That first pic looks like Kawada hit the Ganso Bomb again.

[Guest Brian]

Anyone know about how good stuff was?

 

The GHC tag match looks HOT.

[SinToxic 0]

Aside from KENTA vs Kanemaru being awesome, the crowd was very vocal for Hashi and Akiyama and went bazookas for Sasaki's and Kobashi's chop sodomy, which burnt out the fans by the time Misawa and Kawada came up which was said to have be full of big/nasty spots, but lacked a certain flow.

 

As much as I wanted for Kawada to win, I got a quick taste of faygo when I read that Tenzan lost the belt again. NOAH proves its consistency over and over again.

[TheInsane 0]

1. Takashi Sugiura, SUWA & Masashi Aoyagi vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mitsuo Momota & Katsuhiko Nakajima

 

Good opener. Im not to excited about NOAH under-card (and especially not the 3 and 4 tag matches). This was good though. Perfect opener for a card like this.

 

2. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima vs. Tamon Honda & Go Shiosaki

 

I liked this as well. Nothing special but everything was good.

 

3. Akira Taue, Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida & Haruka Eigen vs. Akitoshi Saito, Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue & Kishin Kawabata

 

First bad match of the evening. Alot of the older gues were in this one. I had no expectations and they didnt surprise me at all. Boring stuff.

 

4. Mushiking Terry Debut Match: Mushiking Terry vs. Black Mask

 

I thought this was ok. Childish but good. The opening part of the match was good I think. Then I didnt really feel for it but they turned it up a notch towards the end.

 

5. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: Yoshinobu Kanemaru © vs. KENTA

 

MOTN!!!!! Totally awesome match. KENTA is so damn good and I marked out so much towards the end. See this one, its amazing.

 

6. GHC Tag Team Title: Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji © vs. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Hashi

 

I tend to hate Suzuki and I dont really like Akiyama that much anymore either. This was damn good anyway. I know Akiyama is able to pull off great matches (he's just lazy at times). This was great though. Especially the last part of the match.

 

7. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takeshi Rikio © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

 

Rikio does not work as the champion. I thought he would after the Kobashi match but they need to take the title off of him. Not a bad match though. Its just that people dont buy Rikio as champ.

 

8. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Genichiro Tenryu

 

I did not like this. Not a good build and the end came out of nowhere and felt misplaced and mistimed. Not very fun.

 

9. Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki

 

Awesome match. Second best of the show I think. The chopfest went on a little long but I liked it anyway. Everything was done well and the crowd was really hot for this. Simply awesome!

 

10. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada

 

A big let down. Looking back and I see that Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki should have main evented. I think people will rate this higher than it deserves because of who's involved. It wasnt bad but it wasnt great either. A good match but the audience was burned out from the Kobashi match and this one never really got on the right track towards **** territory.

 

 

Conclusion. Easily the best big show of the year from the organizations that I watch (WWE, NOAH and TNA). Bot Kobashi vs Sasaki and KENTA vs Kanemaru was MOTYC. Nothing stuk the house up totally even if there are two matches I'd rather not see again. Still the best show of 2005. Awesome job NOAH.

[Angle-plex 0]

I've seen most of the matches, and I'd say Kobashi/Sasaski was the best match; ridiculous chop battle aside. Kenta/Kanemaru was second best, although I would rank it best if Kenta's armwork from the beginning wasn't forgot midway through the match.

 

I'd love to see Taue/Kawada vs Misawa/Kobashi at the next show.

[The Buzz 0]

Kobashi / Sasaki is the first heavyweight puro match I've ever seen, which I decided to download off the ROH boards. It impressed me so much that I decided to buy the whole dvd. Thanx for the reviews guys as I'm looking forward to it arriving now.

[Epic Reine 0]

Anyone got a time on how long the Misawa/Kawada match went?

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

27 minutes and four seconds

[Guest JebusNassedar]

Have yet to see the first half of the show, but I saw some things that I STRONGLY disagree with.

 

5. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: Yoshinobu Kanemaru © vs. KENTA

 

MOTN!!!!! Totally awesome match. KENTA is so damn good and I marked out so much towards the end. See this one, its amazing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

True: KENTA is so damn good.

 

False: Totally awesome match.

 

I'm sorry, but the champion throing out the same three moves for about ten minutes during the finish does not equal a good match. Yoshinobu Kanemaru isn't really good for anything. He has a nice moonsault, I guess, but so does Kenta Kobashi, and he's way more beaten up. The short version is: Kanemaru's lazy, and has no excuse for it. That's what hindered this match.

 

However, the go 2 sleep is still the greatest pro wrestling move of this decade.

 

6. GHC Tag Team Title: Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji © vs. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Hashi

 

I tend to hate Suzuki and I dont really like Akiyama that much anymore either. This was damn good anyway. I know Akiyama is able to pull off great matches (he's just lazy at times). This was great though. Especially the last part of the match.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here's the first point of strong disagreement, and that's all the Makoto Motherfucking Hashi hate. Makoto Hashi held this entire match together, and the fact that no one realizes it just speaks for the disrespect the man is given. Just because he's a junior that doesnt do fourty thousand dropkicks and three dozen superkicks a match like Marufuji doesnt mean he should be overlooked. Without Makoto Hashi, this match would have had nothing. Akiyama had so little time in the ring in comparison that to pin the match on Akiyama is just inane.

 

Also: Minoru Suzuki is the worst wrestler eeeeever.

 

7. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takeshi Rikio © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

 

Rikio does not work as the champion. I thought he would after the Kobashi match but they need to take the title off of him. Not a bad match though. Its just that people dont buy Rikio as champ.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Rikio DOES work as a champ. It's just that, for challengers, he's been given absolutely nothing. Who cares if he can beat Akitoshi Saito or some outsider with the least convincing Face in Peril act ever? The problem with Rikio is not Rikio, it's his opposition. Give him guys like Taue and Tamon Honda to start. Eventually, build him for wins against upper tier wrestlers like an Akiyama or a Tenryu, build Rikio/Morishima, then have him pull out a win against Misawa. Then, at the end, have Kawada or Sasaki take the title. NOAH does need an outside champion to add intrigue, but not Hiroshi Tanahashi.

 

8. Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Genichiro Tenryu

 

I did not like this. Not a good build and the end came out of nowhere and felt misplaced and mistimed. Not very fun.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, close to the same feel here. I blame Ogawa. Tenryu beating up people is ALWAYS fun, but this just wasn't.

 

9. Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki

 

Awesome match. Second best of the show I think. The chopfest went on a little long but I liked it anyway. Everything was done well and the crowd was really hot for this. Simply awesome!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Again, I agree. This was my favorite match of all of them, as it had incredible drama, action, and a crowd that made this into something special.

 

10. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada

 

A big let down. Looking back and I see that Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki should have main evented. I think people will rate this higher than it deserves because of who's involved. It wasnt bad but it wasnt great either. A good match but the audience was burned out from the Kobashi match and this one never really got on the right track towards **** territory.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, Kawada/Misawa wasnt good as their matches ten years ago. Okay. No one expected them to be. But to write it off as a let down because they're not thirty anymore is preposterous. And to say it shouldn't have main evented is the dumbest suggestion I've ever heard. This is the match that the people came to see. This is the match that got NOAH nearly twice the attendance of recent New Japan dome shows. This is the match that made the show worth watching, when it comes down to it. Last year's Dome show was just NOAH going "hey, we can run the dome!" But this year's dome show was an incredible, one of a kind show. Was talking to Spunk about the whole show and we reached the conclusion that, while NOAH's regular cards are ful of tag matches and normally meaningless, they book incredible "big" shows. This was an incredible "big" show.

 

Another thing Spunk and I have been talking a whole bunch about is this match and what it was. When it came down to it, Misawa/Kawada was better in story telling than Kobashi/Sasaki, and Kobashi/Sasaki is far more accessable.

 

But, that only holds up if you've seen most of all of the Misawa/Kawada feud, plus the early nineties when Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi, and Taue were breaking out and rising up. Misawa winning with a regular ol' elbow doesnt seem like a good American finish, yes, but Misawa's elbow has had now over a decade of overness. That elbow is probably the most over move in Japan, simply because people know that with the elbow, Misawa can end any match in just one strike. That is overness, and that is how the finish works.

 

This match is not the greatest match ever like 6/3/94. But it's arguably more important. The story it told is that, five years, after NOAH rose and All Japan fell, after five years, Misawa and Kawada are still out for eachother. Simply put, it's a comeback match, and a successful ressurection of THE feud of the 90s.

 

Besides, Kawada did the HUSTLE pose. That alone makes it great.

 

Conclusion. Easily the best big show of the year from the organizations that I watch (WWE, NOAH and TNA). Bot Kobashi vs Sasaki and KENTA vs Kanemaru was MOTYC. Nothing stuk the house up totally even if there are two matches I'd rather not see again. Still the best show of 2005. Awesome job NOAH.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And again, we agree. I have a good feeling that, once I see the whole thing, it'll be the best top to bottom wrestling show this year.

 

Unless Survival of the Fittest 2005 is as awesome as the first. Then, I dunno.

 

EDIT: adding the spiffy little "shrink quote" bit to all quotes.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

There's already a music video up of this show on zerovids.cjb.net. No idea how the guy got the tape already.

[TheInsane 0]

True: KENTA is so damn good.

 

False: Totally awesome match.

 

I'm sorry, but the champion throing out the same three moves for about ten minutes during the finish does not equal a good match. Yoshinobu Kanemaru isn't really good for anything. He has a nice moonsault, I guess, but so does Kenta Kobashi, and he's way more beaten up. The short version is: Kanemaru's lazy, and has no excuse for it. That's what hindered this match.

 

 

Well, I dont think a review should be objective. Its subjective and this was the match I enjoyed the most on the card.

 

 

Here's the first point of strong disagreement, and that's all the Makoto Motherfucking Hashi hate. Makoto Hashi held this entire match together, and the fact that no one realizes it just speaks for the disrespect the man is given. Just because he's a junior that doesnt do fourty thousand dropkicks and three dozen superkicks a match like Marufuji doesnt mean he should be overlooked. Without Makoto Hashi, this match would have  had nothing. Akiyama had so little time in the ring in comparison that to pin the match on Akiyama is just inane.

 

Also: Minoru Suzuki is the worst wrestler eeeeever.

 

I never complained about Hashi. I liked his work here and I think he can be pretty good in other matches as well.

 

Rikio DOES work as a champ. It's just that, for challengers, he's been given absolutely nothing. Who cares if he can beat Akitoshi Saito or some outsider with the least convincing Face in Peril act ever? The problem with Rikio is not Rikio, it's his opposition. Give him guys like Taue and Tamon Honda to start. Eventually, build him for wins against upper tier wrestlers like an Akiyama or a Tenryu, build Rikio/Morishima, then have him pull out a win against Misawa. Then, at the end, have Kawada or Sasaki take the title. NOAH does need an outside champion to add intrigue, but not Hiroshi Tanahashi.

 

I dont think he does. The one sole reason I base that on is that no one who is there live seems to care about him. Its pretty much silent when he enters and there is not a good pop when he gets a 3 count.

 

No, Kawada/Misawa wasnt good as their matches ten years ago. Okay. No one expected them to be. But to write it off as a let down because they're not thirty anymore is preposterous. And to say it shouldn't have main evented is the dumbest suggestion I've ever heard.

 

Of course it was right to have it as a main event but with the knowledge I have know it, as a match, would have benefited from being second to last. Now it suffered from a burned out crowd. I believe that the crowd can really make or break a match. This wasnt a bad match but it was nothing like we had expected (not me anyway). Bear in mind that I havent actually seen the classic Misawa vs Kawada matches from the 90's. Just one of them (not one that is rated the highest - I think someone gave it ***1/2). I just expected alot anyway because I have seen much Misawa and some Kawada stuff before. That + I had imagined the cowd would go nuts during the match.

 

Unless Survival of the Fittest 2005 is as awesome as the first. Then, I dunno.

 

I like ROH but I cant watch it. I jus cant deal with the awful commentary. It really annoys me and takes away from much of the experience.

[Guest JebusNassedar]

True: KENTA is so damn good.

 

False: Totally awesome match.

 

I'm sorry, but the champion throing out the same three moves for about ten minutes during the finish does not equal a good match. Yoshinobu Kanemaru isn't really good for anything. He has a nice moonsault, I guess, but so does Kenta Kobashi, and he's way more beaten up. The short version is: Kanemaru's lazy, and has no excuse for it. That's what hindered this match.

 

 

Well, I dont think a review should be objective. Its subjective and this was the match I enjoyed the most on the card.

 

It's good that you enjoyed it, but I'm just trying to point out that it's not the wonderfest your initial review portrayed it as. It's a decent little match that is almost entirely KENTA.

 

Here's the first point of strong disagreement, and that's all the Makoto Motherfucking Hashi hate. Makoto Hashi held this entire match together, and the fact that no one realizes it just speaks for the disrespect the man is given. Just because he's a junior that doesnt do fourty thousand dropkicks and three dozen superkicks a match like Marufuji doesnt mean he should be overlooked. Without Makoto Hashi, this match would have  had nothing. Akiyama had so little time in the ring in comparison that to pin the match on Akiyama is just inane.

 

Also: Minoru Suzuki is the worst wrestler eeeeever.

 

I never complained about Hashi. I liked his work here and I think he can be pretty good in other matches as well.

 

You never talked about Hashi, either. You reviewed the whole match without talking about him.

 

Rikio DOES work as a champ. It's just that, for challengers, he's been given absolutely nothing. Who cares if he can beat Akitoshi Saito or some outsider with the least convincing Face in Peril act ever? The problem with Rikio is not Rikio, it's his opposition. Give him guys like Taue and Tamon Honda to start. Eventually, build him for wins against upper tier wrestlers like an Akiyama or a Tenryu, build Rikio/Morishima, then have him pull out a win against Misawa. Then, at the end, have Kawada or Sasaki take the title. NOAH does need an outside champion to add intrigue, but not Hiroshi Tanahashi.

 

I dont think he does. The one sole reason I base that on is that no one who is there live seems to care about him. Its pretty much silent when he enters and there is not a good pop when he gets a 3 count.

 

Way to dodge an arguement. I'll streamline mine for you.

 

People do not care about Rikio because they have no reason to. Rikio upset Kobashi. Okay. And now he only wrestles the same midcarders he has before, only now he has a nice shiny title. Once he start accumulating larger wins, people WILL care. You can't expect a new kid to just go out and automatically be super popular with the title: You have to build it.

 

No, Kawada/Misawa wasnt good as their matches ten years ago. Okay. No one expected them to be. But to write it off as a let down because they're not thirty anymore is preposterous. And to say it shouldn't have main evented is the dumbest suggestion I've ever heard.

 

Of course it was right to have it as a main event but with the knowledge I have know it, as a match, would have benefited from being second to last. Now it suffered from a burned out crowd. I believe that the crowd can really make or break a match. This wasnt a bad match but it was nothing like we had expected (not me anyway). Bear in mind that I havent actually seen the classic Misawa vs Kawada matches from the 90's. Just one of them (not one that is rated the highest - I think someone gave it ***1/2). I just expected alot anyway because I have seen much Misawa and some Kawada stuff before. That + I had imagined the cowd would go nuts during the match.

 

Then maybe Misawa should've pulled his head out of his ass and had one title match between the MAIN EVENT SINGLES matches. If only to make the GHC heavyweight title seem kind of important instead of shoving it down the card like it doesnt matter.

 

But neither of us are Misawa. I agree that a hot crowd can make a match, but you're saying because the crowd wasn't screaming like they were for a FIRST TIME DREAM MATCH that it should have been moved down the card. Nooo, then everyone would have left after the match. IT would not have benefitied from being second to last, either, because then everyone would drained from Misawa/Kawada, and Kobashi/Sasaki would suffer.

 

Misawa and Kawada has had over two decades of history together in the ring. The intrigue and the revival of what is the longest and most historic feud in professional wrestling. Their peak was pro wrestling's peak in Japan, and many people came to recall their epic fights in the past, and to watch them begin a new future, once again across the ring from one another.

 

The next Budokan show will have Misawa/Kobashi Vs. Taue/Kawada for that same very reason. You watch.

 

Unless Survival of the Fittest 2005 is as awesome as the first. Then, I dunno.

 

I like ROH but I cant watch it. I jus cant deal with the awful commentary. It really annoys me and takes away from much of the experience.

 

Ehn. I mark for one night tournaments.

 

And no arrow's this time. HAH.

[TheInsane 0]

You never talked about Hashi, either. You reviewed the whole match without talking about him.

 

I never said anything about Marufuji either. It was just a short sum of my thoughts. It was more along the lines that it was damn good even if Suzuki was in there. And I also had to say that I've found Akiyama getting more lazy and boring. He really have come a long way down (negative) from where he was last year when he main evented IMHO.

 

Way to dodge an arguement. I'll streamline mine for you.

 

People do not care about Rikio because they have no reason to. Rikio upset Kobashi. Okay. And now he only wrestles the same midcarders he has before, only now he has a nice shiny title. Once he start accumulating larger wins, people WILL care. You can't expect a new kid to just go out and automatically be super popular with the title: You have to build it.

 

Of course! But the fact is that Rikio now does not work. And his challenger doesn't work either. And I expected him to get way more momentum after his Kobashi upset seeing how over he was right after that match and the fact that he was the first in years to get a singels pin on Kobashi.

[Thoth 0]

Someome please explain Mushiking Terry. And while you're at it, the crazy announcer guy in the black robe making the weird gestures and laughing... just...

 

Yeah. What is the deal with that entire match/segment?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Before, during and after the match, the cameras kept focusing on a big group of kids in the audience, so it was aimed at kids, but I don't know the specifics. I think it was based on some kind of comic.

[Guest Brian]

I just got this show today on DVD. I can't wait to see it.