Naomichi Marufuji © vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima – GHC Heavyweight Title (NOAH 10/10/21)
Marufuji’s GHC title reign was one of the unexpected hits of the year in NOAH. Coming off two strong matches against Sugiura and Grandpa Saku, this final defense saw the one-armed trickster turn back the clock and put in a performance that rivaled some of his late-career heights. I’d comfortably put this match next to his 2017/2018 scorchers with Okada and Miyahara – that’s how good Marufuji was here.
No matter how banged up he is, the man remains an absolute pro at laying out wrestling matches. And this one was a sight to behold: a 40-minute sprawling epic with multiple layers of limb-work payoffs, intricate counters and NOAH-worthy strike exchanges. The endless craftiness and kick-absorption tolerance on display reminded me of Tanahashi’s all-time great G1 Climax 2018 performance. Legendary Dude in his 40’s blowing some minds on the biggest stage-type scenario.
And this isn’t a diss on Nakajima, because he was great here, but the match was clearly designed to end Maru’s (probable) final GHC reign on the highest possible note. Katsu sold the arm-work like white hot death and was there every step of the way to make Marufuji’s clever offense look like a million bucks.
There’s been a lot of long-form epics in Japan this year, but few had the sense of escalation of this one. Every big counter and transition walked the line between pleasant surprise and perfectly logical, the last few minutes especially feeling like the World’s greatest game of chess. Lots of truly shocking Ko-oh reversals from Maru and a Nobuhiko Takada-level high kick of pure brain demolition from Katsu. One of NOAH’s very best matches of the year. ****1/2
Takashi Sugiura © vs. Masaaki Mochizuki – GHC National Title (NOAH 10/28/21)
Pure-O-Resew isn’t just the incorrect pronunciation of the word Puroresu. It is a way of life. A way of life that comes with many rules and regulations. One of these rules dictates that if a fellow wrestler targets your limb in a big match, you must respond by targeting a limb of your own. Sugiura and Mochi took this path here and it didn’t completely work for me.
The man known as Big Daddy Sugi is a competent Worker of the Leg, but the limb approach made for a weird complement to Mochi’s kicky comebacks. Also, I’m far from an Anti-Leg Slap activist, but Mochizuki’s non-stop leg slapping felt a bit out of place against a legit bruiser like Sugiura. They pulled through with an ass whooping-oriented finish, I’ll give ‘em that. Still, I had higher hopes for this one. Maybe too high. ***1/4
Katsuhiko Nakajima © vs. Masato Tanaka – GHC Heavyweight Title (NOAH 10/30/21)
I’m being told these gentlemen had a banger in this year’s N-1. At some point, spending your entire life watching Japanese wrestling tournaments becomes a bit soul-crushing, so you gotta skip a few of them. Despite having missed that first match, I can tell you with all my years of experience as a PRO-WRESTLING REVIEWER that this one was terrific.
The theme of this Nakajima title run seems to be facing old guys who pull out their best performance in ages. Not like Tanaka’s ever slacking, but as someone who doesn’t watch a ton of ZERO1, this came off like his best match since that memorable KO-D title reign from last year.
They flipped the casting of the Nakajima/Marufuji match by having Katsu in the role of Arm Surgeon. Just loads and loads of gnarly kicks to the arm, which old man Tanaka did a great job selling. I assumed they would leave the arm subplot behind as a prologue, but that WISE WOLF Nakajima tricked me by bringing it back later and it ruled. The Siding D countered into a cross armbreaker sequence was a god damn work of art.
Beyond the surprisingly compelling arm-focus, these guys did what you expected them to do and beat the living shit out of each other. Tanaka’s still one of the best big match wrestlers around and Katsu’s starting to feel like THE best big match wrestler around. To no one’s surprise, the ending stretch fireworks were on point – big-time near-falls and tender brain damage forcing the Fukuoka faithful to come out of their clapping coma. ****1/4
Masaaki Mochizuki © vs. Kenoh – GHC National Title (NOAH 11/13/21)
A much smoother ride than the Mochi/Sugiura match, thanks in large parts to the eternally sharp chemistry between Mochizuki and Kenoh. They explored the same kind of A Limb for A Limb philosophy, but took a BattlARTS/Memphis detour with Mochizuki trying to break Kenoh’s nose for an extended period of time. Lord Regal would be proud.
The announce team did a solid job hyping up the straight shotei that ended their previous match, turning every slap to the face into a big moment. As mentioned, these two just gel really well together – Kenoh’s Michinoku Pro origins always a good match for Mochi’s fast-paced Dragon Gate leanings.
It all came down to people getting dropped on their head and kicked in the face – the right kind of content. I don’t want to overhype the thing too much, but… this had one of the best high kick KO finishes of all time..? The way Mochi collapsed into the turnbuckle after getting delicately decapitated will haunt your nightmares. The GIF that keeps on giving. ***3/4
Katsuhiko Nakajima © vs. Kenoh © – GHC Heavyweight + GHC National Double Title Match (NOAH 11/18/21)
In 2021, one burning question tore the very fabric of society. Are long wrestling matches good or bad? Well, according to this match, they are good. I watched a grand total of three 60-minute odysseys this year and found a lot to like about all of them. AEW’s Hangman/Danielson packed the most content, AJPW’s Miyahara/Lee told the best story and this little number kicked the most asses.
Kenoh and Katsu have been honing their particular brand of big match wrasslin’ via a nasty series of slug-fests in the last two years. They essentially filter their martial arts backgrounds through meathead wrestling tropes and the result is a whole lot of shit-kicking. Or as the Abema commentator smartly pointed out during this match: Kensuke/Kobashi with kicks instead of chops.
The never-ending middle kick exchanges were a double-edged sword here. While undeniably impressive, the match was always more interesting when they were doing something else. Thankfully, both guys offered plenty of something else: a leg-work subplot featuring tons of neat selling from Kenoh, delicious nerd-bait tributes to their mentors and some massive widescreen moments that made the match feel like a Big Deal.
One could argue that their N-1 finals accomplished the same thing in the less time. One could also argue that if you enjoy watching these two beat the fuck out of each other, you’ll enjoy them doing it for an hour. The Kenoh/Shiozaki broadway from last year was already a pretty big landmark for 60-minute physicality. This somehow upped the ante. ****1/4
Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kenoh vs. Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH 12/5/21)
GOAT Shiozaki made his dramatic return following the Katsu/Kenoh double title journey, setting the table for an All AXIZ Budokan main event on January 1st. This was his actual in-ring return and it was a bit of a mixed bag. Shiozaki himself looked like a million bucks – well-rested, great hair, even better lariat. The perfect husband. Unfortunately, everyone spent half of the 35-minute run time fucking around in house show mode, struggling to build any kind of momentum.
A shame, because things really got cooking once they got past the halfway point. The former AXIZ homies previewed the gritty torture porn of their upcoming GHC title match in epic fashion and Kenoh/Kaito ran through some of the beautifully-intricate sequences that will likely populate their National title match. The TIMING on Kaito’s mid-air dropkick counter to Kenoh’s PFS is absolutely inhuman. So yeah – bit of a slog to get through, but the Budokan hype remains all too real. ***1/4
