Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 Victory August 10th 2024

Welcome back for some more N1 action as wrestlers are dropping like flies but the action continues onwards!

Junta Miyawaki & Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Kai Fujimura & Kazuyuki Fujita

Background: So Junta is a rookie junior always on the cusp of breaking out, his partner Shuhei is going for the tag-titles. Kai is a rookie of Junta’s generation but was delayed with injuries and is making his return, and Fujita of course is a former champion everywhere but is mostly a midcarder who never gets pinned. Also apparently Junta is Fujita’s daughters favorite wrestler.

The Match: Kai and Junta start with some wristlocks. Kai gets a shoulder but Junta responds by driving Kai’s arm into the turnbuckle and goes at it with a backhammer on the mat. Fujita tags in and just destroys the rookie and then Shuhei comes in to really ramp up the no-selling. They agree to trade some shoulderblocks and all that jazz. Tany wins as Fujita even looks a bit flummoxed for half a second. Kai back in and he gets quickly doubled by Junta/Shuhei. Then Fujita comes in and demolishes Junta and gets half-crab for a bit. Back to Kai who gets the standing flip senton. More fast-paced generic offense from Kai follows. Junta gets a tilt-a-whirl shoulderbreaker and then another shoulderbreaker as he remembers he targeted the arm. Kimura from Junta follows as this is a decent segment here. But Fujita sees a match that isn’t about him so he shows up to no-sell a bit before Shuhei no-sells at him. Kai gets a dropkick for a bit of space but Junta immediately goes back to a Muta Lock/Keylock combo that’s pretty slick.

*½

I am beyond sick of Fujita’s routine and he took a fine undercard match and just ruined it with his unpleasant presence and selfish behavior. “Oh but he’s keeping his heat to put somebody over” Yeah well he hasn’t, and he won’t, so give it up guys. Good on Junta at least I guess.

Alpha Wolf vs. Tavion Heights – B Block Match

Background: Two athletic but beefy outsiders, this is almost a mirror match. Alpha has loads more experience and a Mexican lucha background, and Tavioh is a relative rookie coming from the Olympic wrestling background via NXT. Both are in singlets here, Tavion has a black and white divide and Wolf has a red, white, and black combo with a wolf on the front.

The Match: They dance around a bit to start with Tavion getting the grappling advantage. Tavion gets the lockup and drives Wolf into the corner and then gets the back but Wolf finally gets going with a series of dropkicks to Heights leg and then a low-bridge on the American and sets up a dive…feints, rolls back and hits a pescado after faking Tavion out of his boots. Marvelous stuff there. The outside doesn’t work great for the Mexican though as Tavion whips Alpha hard into the barricade and then slams him on the mats outside. And then grinds the luchadors face on the barricade. Back inside and Tavion gets some clothesline against the ropes as Wolf flops around. Wolf gets a floatover though and superkicks Tavion on the outside but he slips coming off the top rope and Tavion gets a gorgeous Jackhammer in response. Heights taunts a bit and gets a big slam off a whip as Wolf is being debacled. Now Wolf gets something going as he gets the springboard dropkick, superkick, and brainbuster as he’s firing up and when Tavion powders we get another fakeout dive into a pescado. Now Wolf gets the advantage on the outside with some chops and running Tavion into the posts and slamming him on the mat. Wolf breaks the count but tosses the American back in and gets a beautiful moonsault for 2. Tavion shrugs off a few strikes but a Wolf German gets 2. Alpha fires up the crowd with a taunt but his vaulting moonsault leads to knees from Tavion who follows that up with a huge lariat and then a followup one, a big belly-to-belly suplex is followed up by a super sloppy slingblade and Wolf gets another kick and then a series of rollups. Alpha Wolf uses a naughty word and that fires up Tavion as they slug it out, both unstrapping themselves from the singlet, and a spinning belly-to-belly from Tavion gets 3!

***¼

Really, really fun, two ultra-athletes with a nice storyline, with Alpha Wolf, who normally is the better athlete, having to use his lucha trickery on a superior physical specimen but it not being enough as the rookie fired up and suplexed the man out of his boots. Tavion’s best singles match to date.

Manabu Soya vs. Titus Alexander – B Block Match

Background: No real heat between them, but Soya is hungry for a win, and Titus is looking for respect. Soya is jacked to the gills and in the yellow and blue trunks, and Titus is in blue and black trunks. Soya is a powerhouse vet, and Titus is a junior-inspired rookie.

The Match: Soya slaps the hand of respect from Titus away and we’re off with a lockup as the Japanese man tosses the American around. Some standing grappling follows and Titus does some cartwheels to try to get an upperhand but Soya is just too jacked and flattens the America with a shoulder. More stuff from Soya keeps the vet in control but Titus slips free from a bulldog, gets a dropkick and then gets a sloppy tope on Soya. Back in and Titus gets some shoot kick snapmare setups as he grinds out the bigger wrestler but Manabu reverses a brainbuster and gets a shoulderblock to setup his comeback. Soya lands the bulldog and then a brainbuster from a kneeling position to keep the power up. Titus tries to counter a death valley driver with a suplex but more strikes from the Japanese vet follow…but Alexander gets his floatover into the rolling double kick and after a struggle gets a brainbuster on the big guy. Titus gets a death valley driver/neckbreaker for 2.99 and Soya is struggling. Titus’s handspring is countered with a suplex but the American lands on his feet…only to run into a Soya death valley driver. Manabu loads up the lariat but Titus ducks and gets a half-nelson slam. Double down but Soya fires off some chops and then TItus responds and they’re not quite Go-level but Soya is trying. Titus decides that this ain’t working so he gets the handspring cutter and then a gorgeous flying knee for 2.9999. Titus goes for the Big Ugly but Soya breaks and cuts Titus’s head off with the Wild Bomber Lariat for 2.9! Fireman’s carry spun into a knee strike! Another Wild Bomber! And then a beaut of a jumping DDT gets it for Soya.

***½

Man Soya’s offense is absolutely gorgeous to watch, and Titus is young and crazy enough to take just great bumps off of it. This is probably close to Titus’s peak right now as the worker he is and will need to add more pieces to break over this hump, but for a 23 year old this is a perfectly fine ceiling to have.

Luis Mante vs. Dragon Bane – A Block Match

Background: Getting a lucha battle here though I’m pretty sure they don’t have any particular history together. Luis has the pleather pants and the romance novel hair and the see-through vest. Dragon Bane is tatted up, smaller, masked and wearing white and red trunks.

The Match: Hot start as Luis tries to ambush Bane but the masked luchador reverses and gets a springboard armdrag on the outside and then goes for a flipping plancha…but Luis catches him and powerbombs the smaller talent on the ring apron. Mante bounces Dragon off the barricade and they milk a count as Bane is selling the back big. Mante gets some kicky-punchy back inside and Bane continues to sell the back. A backbreaker by Mante and a stretch over the knee follows. Another backbreaker and a crab by Mante and this is slow. Bane slides to the outside and the crowd is chanting for him despite this boring match. Back in, Mante gets a big boot and does more kicky punchy stuff. Luis taunts DB some more and Bane tries some strikes and then speeds it up with a handspring back elbow…and when Dragon kicks up Mante does so at the same time and hits another tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into another backbreaker from a standing position and that was pretty impressive. They brawl into the crowd as Luis drags DB out there. Mante tries for a suplex but Dragon slips out, gets the thrust kick and then moonsaults off the top of the stairs onto Luis and they both tumble down the stairs in an absolutely lunatic spot. Both guys seem to be alive and mobile at least. They both walk back to the ring. Back in and Bane dodges a springboard from Mante and gets a standing Spanish Fly, but Luis ain’t selling that so he pops up immediately for a Tombstone for 2.8. Liger Bomb by Mante and the older Mexican takes the ropes to set up a Super Bomb but Bane slips out and then gets a pele on the apron! Man DB might be nuts. Super frankensteiner by DB! For 2. Poison Rana but Mante just no-sells it and dropkicks Bane and then gets an Argentine Rack…piledriver/facebuster? Bane took that bump darn near on the top of his head. But Mante goes for the Vuelta Finale and Bane reverses it into a rana for 3

**½

I could see people going far higher but Mante’s no-selling just bugged me, still some pretty crazy spots and athleticism and Mante did a pretty solid job as an arrogant bully heel. That said guys, maybe…tone it down a tad while guys are dropping like flies?

Kenoh vs. Ulka Sasaki – B Block Match

Background: Ulka is the cocky super rookie and reigning National champ. Kenoh is the cantankerous vet who has slapped the daylights out of Sasaki in the past. Ulka is in baggy red pants and Kenoh is in silver and white tights with a bit of the red design on them…hrm…

The Match: They dance around and trade low kicks and hands as they go all kickboxer style to start until it’s Ulka that goes for a clinch. Early kneebar from Ulka has Kenoh squirming for the ropes instantly. More standup won by Kenoh but he gets a few slaps to set up a chest kick and down goes Ulka. Sasaki is fed up and backs Kenoh into the corner and almost gets DQ’d when he won’t give the break. I do appreciate that Ulka has an edge to him beyond the cool, calm Tengu grappler guy. Ulka gets a weak stunner and Kenoh just no sells it and gets his legsweep into a flying knee combo for 2. Ulka comes back with an arm triangle STO though and cranks in the submission but Kenoh gets the ropes. Kenoh counters a brainbuster with a falcon arrow and they both reset to a kick exchange. Both guys kick each other in the head and drop but they come up and we get a bac suplex from Ulka and then a Dragon suplex from Kenoh. PK attempt by Kenoh is reversed into an ankle lock by Sasaki and Kenoh into the ropes. Running cutter by Ulka and a sleeper is applied by the champ and Kenoh is fading. But Kenoh gets the backflip rollup for 2! And then Kenoh gets the ankle lock into the punt to the abdomen and that buys the vet some time to regain his breath as he’s got these great bugged out eyes. PK by Kenoh lands but Ulka kicks out! Kenoh goes up for the PFS but he misses and Ulka gets the kneebar and Kenoh is screaming in agony. Kenoh makes the ropes and Ulka goes for another submission…but Kenoh pops up and it’s a DRAGON SUPLEX OUTTA NOWHERE for 3. Huh.

***

They’re both talented but the match had its clunky parts, still, hard worked and the OUTTA NOWHERE stuff from Ulka’s submissions continually to be fantastically sold. I almost think they’re too similar and needed a bit more distinction between themselves to really hit that peak level but I’m intrigued by further matches.

AMAKUSA, HAYATA & YO-HEY vs. Eita, Ninja Mack & Shuji Kondo

Background: More random juniors nonsense. But AMAKUSA is the singles champ and a babyface, and HAYATA and YO-HEY are rebuilding their long-time team. Eita and Shuji are tag-champs and this is Ninja’s last NOAH match as he’s calling an end to his Japanese tour.

The Match: Eita and HAYATA start rapid-fire with leapfrogs, armdrags, and legsweeps. Staredown and then Shuji and YO-HEY are in. Kondo gets a headlock but YO-HEY breaks free, gets snatched for a powerslam but squirms out and eventually gets a flying headscissors to knock down the big guy. Ninja and AMAKUSA next and they actually go to the mat here. Wow. And that doesn’t last as AMAKUSA backflips out of a suplex and then Ninja goes flying and flipping and then handsprings some more and gets some strikes but AMAKUSA gets an ornate headscissors takedown and then a kick of his own. HAYATA comes in and we get a double but Mack runs YO-HEY into HAYATA and they squabble a bit…until Tadasuke calms them down. Mack knocks them all outside and we get a Ninja Special. Kondo in with some suplexes on HAYATA and then Eita in to keep up the damage. It’s just HAYATA getting stomped out. HAYATA finally gets a tornado DDT on Kondo and in comes AMAKUSA with a diving headscissors on Kondo and then his upside down tope. Corkscrew crossbody follows but Shuji finally just shoves the champion down and an abdominal stretch…with EIta helping for leverage. Mack tries to run protection against YO-HEY’s attempt to break it up but he eats it on a dive and we’re back to HAYATA and Eita. And then YO-HEY gets some clutch doubles as they’re back on the same page and then Kondo breaks it all up. Eita trips up HAYATA going up and then everybody runs in with stuff but a monster YO-HEY dropkick on Eita sets up the 4-3 Impact (Jumping Implant DDT) by HAYATA and that’s 3.

**¾

Just A TV Match, but quite an effective one, HAYATA and YO-HEY both displaying tension….and their potential as a top-team at the same time. They have an easy title match and some heat as Eita and HAYATA have loads of history.

And post-match HAYATA calls out Eita for the shot and does pick YO-HEY, doi.

Josh Briggs vs. Jack Morris – A Block Match

Background: Battle of the gaijin as we have the outsider brawler, Josh Briggs, tall and bruising, and we got smaller, more athletic, jacked homegrown Jack Morris. Josh has sloppy tattoos and a skull on his biker vest and baggy pants. Jack is in blue and white bike shorts.

The Match: Josh is disrespectful and smug to start and Jack plays to the crowd. Josh shows off his strength and puts Jack on the top rope but then the Scot throws some strikes to stumble and irritate the American. Briggs gets a pretty slick move as he hiptosses Morris in from the outside and has it end in a backbreaker and Morris powders while Jack continues to mention his distaste for Jack’s strikes. The NXT guy rams Jack against the barricade and the ring apron and then goes back in. Jack gets a few forearms but Josh responds with a release sidewalk slam and a jumping splash. More trash-talk from Josh and then a monster whip on Jack as Morris takes the Bret bump. Jack dodges an elbow drop and gets a pump kick, but Josh just eats him up some more and slams him and gets an elbow drop and now Josh jaws at the ref. Jack buys a bit of space with some strikes and Josh pounds away in the corner…but Jack responds with a one-fingered salute and almost baits the American into a schoolboy pin but it only gets 2.9. Josh then talks trash on GLG of all things as he taunts the crowd, but the Bossman slide punch misses (?!) and Jack gets a pescado and then a pretty great tope. Back in and Jack gets a frog splash to Briggs spine and goes for the Tiger Driver but the NXT man tosses him down and loads up a…Rainmaker? But Jack dodges that and gets a jumping Flatliner and Josh sells the nose. Jack stumbles on a springboard though and Josh attempts to take advantage but Jack recovers with a dropkick. Another tope but Josh catches him, and then rebounds Jack off the ropes to get a clothesline on the outside…and then Josh goes up but his diving nothing is dropkicked out of the sky by Jack. And then Morris makes sure to wipe his feet and take his time with another springboard…and that lets Josh catch him out of the air. Chokebomb attempted but the Scot backflips out and goes for the Tiger Driver, but Josh backdrops him and gets the goozle and another Chokebomb attempt but Jack gets a Victory Roll! Jack goes for the Good Looing Knee but Josh catches him and gets the Chokebomb…for 2.9 as Jack weakly kicks out. Jack is limp and Josh can’t even lift him up as he continues to trashtalk GLG. Jack makes his feet and they slug it out. Jack fires back huge though with a strike flurry and Josh shuts it down with a goozle for another Chokebomb attempt and Jack knees him out of it and Jack’s Good Looking Knee lands but Josh kicks out at 1! Morris pulls down the kneepad down and gets ANOTHER Good Looking Knee and this lets him set up the SSP and that’s 3.

***¼

Really fun match, a lot more babyface fire than I’ve seen Jack portray in a while and I like that they set up that Josh kind of has a glass jaw and Jack’s strikes bothered him through the whole match. I will especially say that I think I would like this match more if I was Japanese and not American and didn’t have to hear Josh’s cringe trashtalk the whole match. I get it, you’re not in WWE right now so you can swear but it was getting Kidd-level excessive for moments. Josh also needs to diversify his taunts, but his offense is effective and they had some clever moments. Fun match, good story.

El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Yoshiki Inamura – B Block Match

Background: Inamura still fighting for the top and Hijo having already been there. Inamura is big and bulky and Wagner Jr. is medium and bulky. Yoshiki faced Hijo before for the National title in a losing effort and definitely wants to avenge that loss.

The Match: Hot start as Yoshiki does the big toss into the corner to set up the Musou but Wagner gets a cazadora to evade it and then a tope from EHDDWJ. They fight on the outside a bit with Hijo getting some taunts and chops and then back in as the Mexican goes for an arm-catch armbar and then a headcrank. More chops in the corner as Wagner teaches the crowd some Spanish and gets some chops, misses an eyepoke, but a step-up knee and a double-knee get Wagner in control. Wagner spams some more pins and this has been all of Wagner’s…schtick. Now Wagner finally gets the eyepoke into another schoolboy. And then Hijo cranks on an armbar. Inamura gets the ropebreak but Wagner goes back to the armbar which is like…a grounded bicep crusher/hammerlock combo. Inamura is selling it big but Hijo is limping around himself and the trashtalk continues until Inamura gets a shoulder and then a pair of bodyslams. Stinger Splash sets up the Vader Bomb as now Inamura is in control. But Wagner utilizes the magic of the mask to no-sell some kicks in the corner and the Mexican gets some strikes and then a backdrop suplex and now Wagner calls for the Michinoku Driver but he can’t quite land it so he breaks out some more chops. But Yoshiki catches the luchador out of the air and gets a big swinging slam and then the man from Japan and the man from Mexico are both limping. Wagner reverses a charge from Inamura and necksnaps him on the rope to knock the bigger guy outside and then Wagner gets his springboard somersault senton to the outside and it is an ugly landing. Hijo even spits up a bit on the outside and then both guys roll back inside. Cover by Wagner but Inamura kicks out. Wagner follows by picking up Yoshiki for an Electric Chair for the spinning powerbomb but Inamura slips out and gets a German, and then a belly-to-belly, and then he goes for something but Hijo tries for a cazadora again and Inamura just sits on him for a pin, 1-2-No! A pair of headbutts and the Michinoku Driver by EHDDWJ for 2.9 and both guys look absolutely spent. Wagner then calls for a SUPER…MICHINOKU and tries to lift Inamura…but the Japanese man gets a backdrop and then runs the ropes four times for a huge back elbow, and then Inamura goes up and starts bouncing but Wagner crotches Yoshiki and goes for a superplex…and when they pop up afterwards Inamura gets the followup brainbuster and the diving splash…misses. Michinoku Driver follows…for 2.99. Wagner looks heartbroken as Inamura gets a flurry of chants from the crowd. Wagner tries for the Best Moonsault Ever but Inamura tries the Splash Mountain and Wagner slips out, Inamura gets a lariat though and sets up for the Sumo Toss, Wagner gets a superkick, but Inamura tosses him back again, Wagner does the mask hulk-up no sell but Inamura just keeps tossing him into the corner and then a scoop powerslam for 2. Musou! And that’s 3 for Yoshiki.

**½

A bit too long and lots of sorta slow and chunky bits in the middle that’s probably from what we learned later was Hijo’s injury. Still, lots of intensity from both guys, but honestly Hijo’s schtick is just a bit too goofy for me, I don’t mind him as a part of the card, but it feels like a clash at times that he’s doing all these big goofy taunts and gestures and some sorta soft offense in such an important tournament. He knocked it off for a bit at the end but it’s always been my issue with the guy. Match would probably have been three stars for me if they cut out a bit of the soggy middle portion of the match.

Overall a very fun show with lots of very fun and diverse matches, yes wrestlers are falling rapidly but they’re giving us some quality stuff before that happens. But hopefully this is the end of it and these guys will recover and be healthy, I’m sure 10-15-20-30 years ago guys just worked through all this stuff.