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Pro Wrestling Noah

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Pro Wrestling Noah
FoundedJune 16, 2000
StyleRoyal Road with Ark[1]
HeadquartersShinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Founder(s)Mitsuharu Misawa
ParentCyberFight
(CyberAgent)
SisterDDT Pro-Wrestling
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
Split fromAll Japan Pro Wrestling
WebsiteOfficial website
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Pro Wrestling Noah (プロレスリング・ノア, Puroresuringu Noa) (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the promotion to form Noah.

Noah held its first shows in August 2000, and established the Global Honored Crown as the in-house governing body for its collection of championships. Throughout its 24-year history, Noah has had working relationships with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Ring of Honor (ROH), TNA (Formerly Impact Wrestling), Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW). In January 2020, the company was purchased by CyberAgent, parent company of DDT Pro-Wrestling, with DDT's executives taking over Noah's operations and Noah's content appearing on DDT's streaming service Wrestle Universe.[2]

History

[edit]

Noah under Misawa (2000–2009)

[edit]

In January 1999, AJPW founder and promoter Giant Baba died, leaving the company in the hands of his widow Motoko Baba as owner and Misawa as president. However, disheartened with Motoko Baba's proposed direction for the company, Misawa departed the promotion on May 28, 2000 to form a new promotion called Pro Wrestling Noah. All but two native stars (Masanobu Fuchi and Toshiaki Kawada) and eight gaijin (Maunakea Mossman, Johnny Smith, George Hines, Mike Barton, Jim Steele, Mike Rotunda, Stan Hansen and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams) followed Misawa. The promotion's name alludes to the Biblical story of Noah, in which the people and animals in the ark survive the flood and make a new beginning in the world, a story which was seen as a parallel to the wrestlers' departure from AJPW. Noah's original logo, an ark with a dove holding an olive branch, referred to this.

Pro Wrestling Noah is essentially a continuation of AJPW's promotional system in the 1990s, with a slight leeway to allow wrestlers from other promotions to compete, which is something that Giant Baba had forbid. Noah also features a strong junior heavyweight division, which was something that AJPW had been relatively lacking in the 1990s due to lack of pushes for the younger stars (such as Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Kenta and Naomichi Marufuji, who quickly became Noah's junior aces).

October 12, 2007 Baseball Magazine Sha, the publisher of Puroresu Shukan released Noah trading cards.[3]

Mitsuharu Misawa and Go Shiozaki

The Wrestling Observer named Noah as the best promotion in 2004 and 2005, as well as having the best weekly television show in 2003.

On June 13, 2009, Misawa teamed with Go Shiozaki against Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith at Hiroshima Green Arena. After taking a belly to back suplex from Saito, Misawa lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead in the hospital at 10:10 p.m. JST due to spinal damage.[4][5][6] On June 27, 2009, Akira Taue was named as Misawa's successor, taking over as President of Pro Wrestling Noah. Also in 2009, Noah lost their weekly television show on Nippon TV.

Noah after Misawa (2009–present)

[edit]

In March 2012, it was revealed that Noah management had ties to a yakuza crime syndicate, which resulted in the promotion demoting General Manager Ryu Nakata and Counselor Haruka Eigen and enforcing new anti-yakuza protocols; Noah also lost its TV show as part of the fallout.[7]

On December 4, 2012, Noah released Kenta Kobashi from his contract, reportedly leading to Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru all announcing that they were not going to re-sign with the promotion after their own contracts expired in January 2013.[8][9] On December 19, Noah confirmed that the five men had indeed refused to re-sign with the promotion and would be wrestling their final matches for the promotion on December 23 and 24.[10] The following month, all five men joined AJPW.[11] Kobashi returned to wrestle his retirement match in a Noah ring on May 11, 2013, at Final Burning in Budokan.[12][13]

On May 12 at Noah's "New Chapter" show held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Akira Taue announced the signings of Daisuke Harada, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste of The Mighty Don't Kneel (TMDK) as full-time members of the promotion.[14] Taue also announced his retirement from in-ring competition to focus on his duties as the Chairman of the promotion and his retirement match would take place on December 7, 2013 at the Ariake Coliseum.[15] On April 30, 2014, Noah's arguably biggest star and ace Kenta announced his resignation from the promotion to sign with WWE.[16][17][18]

In early 2015, NJPW wrestler Jado took over as the new head booker of Noah.[19] On April 21, one of Noah's bigger stars, Takeshi Morishima, was forced to retire from professional wrestling due to issues with his blood.[20][21] On December 24, 2015, Noah announced the signing of freelancer Katsuhiko Nakajima.[22] Four days later, Noah announced the departures of Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Takeshi Morishima, following their contracts with the promotion expiring at the end of the year.[23] On June 13, 2016, freelancer Go Shiozaki officially re-signed with Noah, three and a half years after his resignation from the promotion.[24]

On November 1, 2016, it was announced that Noah had been sold to IT development company Estbee, Co, Ltd. As a result, former AJPW president Masayuki Uchida took over as the new Noah president.[25] On November 7, Estbee officially changed its name to "Noah Global Entertainment kabushiki gaisha".[26] On December 27, Noah announced the relocating of its offices from Ariake, Tokyo to Kanda-Misakichō due to Differ Ariake's scheduled closing in June 2018.[27] At the end of 2016, NJPW pulled all of its wrestlers, including the entire Suzuki-gun stable, from Noah with reports stating that the relationship between the two promotions had turned "extremely sour".[28] Having lost the NJPW relationship, Noah's attendance numbers went down by 29% during the first four months of 2017.[29] On February 7, 2017, Noah announced a business alliance with American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA),[30] which was extended in July, after TNA had been renamed Global Force Wrestling (GFW).[31] In March 2017, Noah formed another partnership with Canadian promotion Border City Wrestling (BCW).[32]

On February 1, 2019, Noah was purchased by Lidet Entertainment, acquiring a 75% stake in the company.[33] This was followed the next month by the first major rebranding in company history. Pro Wrestling Noah not only changed their logo but also replaced the green mat with a white canvas.

On July 26, 2019, Major League Wrestling announced a working agreement with Pro Wrestling Noah, which would include a talent-exchange agreement and content collaboration between the two promotions.[34][35]

On December 5, 2019, it was announced that Noah and the Mexico-based International Wrestling Revolution Group had entered into a talent-sharing partnership.[36]

In January 2020, Noah was acquired by CyberAgent, parent company of DDT Pro Wrestling. DDT's President Sanshiro Takagi was named the President of Pro Wrestling Noah and Naomichi Marufuji the Vice President. Noah's events began airing on DDT's streaming service DDT Universe starting with Noah Global Jr. League 2020 on January 30.[37][38] On July 27, 2020, it was announced Noah and DDT would merge in a new company, CyberFight.[39] Both companies would run as separate brands under the CyberFight banner.

On November 19, 2021 Noah re-established its relationship with NJPW with Noah wrestlers being involved at the third night of NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 16 event, with a portion of proceeds donated to the Japanese Red Cross.[40]

On December 15, 2023, Noah was announced as one of the founding members of the United Japan Pro-Wrestling alliance, a joint effort to further develop professional wrestling in Japan through promotion and organization, with Seiji Sakaguchi being named as the chairman of the project.[41]

Roster

[edit]
Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Noah personnel

Championships

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Similar to New Japan Pro-Wrestling's International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP), Noah has its own title governing body, the Global Honored Crown (GHC) system.

Current championships

[edit]
Main article: List of current champions in CyberFight § Noah

Singles

[edit]
Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held 		Successful
defenses 		Location Notes Ref.
GHC Heavyweight Championship
20230122kiyomiya (cropped).jpg
 Kaito Kiyomiya 3 May 4, 2024 204 2 Tokyo, Japan Defeated El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. at Wrestle Magic. [42]
GHC National Championship
Manabu Soya.jpg
 Manabu Soya 1 September 14, 2024 71 0 Tokyo, Japan Defeated Ulka Sasaki at Star Navigation 2024. [43]
GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship
Daga-AAA.jpg
 Daga 2 September 1, 2024 84 0 Osaka, Japan Defeated Amakusa at N-1 Victory 2024 Finals. [43]
GHC Hardcore Championship
20230823ishikawa.jpg
 Shuji Ishikawa 1 May 4, 2024 204 0 Tokyo, Japan Defeated Ninja Mack at Wrestle Magic. [42]

Tag teams

[edit]
Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held 		Successful
defenses 		Location Notes Ref.
GHC Tag Team Championship
Naomichi Marufuji 2016.jpg
20230506sugiura.jpg
 Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura 3
(9, 10) 		June 16, 2024 161 0 Yokohama, Japan Defeated Good Looking Guys (Jack Morris and Anthony Greene) at Grand Ship In Yokohama. [43]
GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
20221030hayata1.jpg
20221030yohey1.jpg
 Ratel's
(Hayata and Yo-Hey) 		3
(6, 7) 		September 1, 2024 84 0 Osaka, Japan Defeated Shuji Kondo and Eita at N-1 Victory 2024 finals. [43]

Women's

[edit]
Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held 		Successful
defenses 		Location Notes Ref.
GHC Women's Championship Kouki Amarei 1 November 11, 2024 13+ 0 Tokyo, Japan This was a 10-woman battle royal also involving Bozilla, Chigusa Nagayo, Great Sakuya, Miku Aono, Miyuki Takase, Nightshade, Sadie Gibbs, Takumi Iroha, Utami Hayashishita and Yuu which Amarei won to become the inaugural champion. [44]

Tournaments

[edit]

Noah also holds annual tournaments to decide the top wrestler or tag team in the promotion:

Tournament Latest winner(s) Date won
N-1 Victory Kaito Kiyomiya September 1, 2024
Victory Challenge Tag League Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa March 10, 2024
N Innovation Dragon Bane November 6, 2024
N Innovation U-Cup Atsushi Kotoge and Hajime Ohara January 7, 2022

List of notable pay-per-views

[edit]
Main article: List of major Pro Wrestling Noah events

Pro Wrestling Sem

[edit]
Pro Wrestling Sem
Founded2006
Defunct2015
HeadquartersJapan

Pro Wrestling Sem was the junior affiliate of Pro Wrestling Noah launched in 2006. Its name came from the biblical figure Sem, the eldest son of Noah. Sem was originally headed by Naomichi Marufuji and Kenta, acting as coaches for the rookie competitors. Mitsuharu Misawa's inspiration for the venture came from the German Westside Xtreme Wrestling promotion, where he wrestled in March 2005. The seats are limited to a few hundred, so that all fans could sit close to the ring. Sem events usually took place in the Differ Ariake in Tokyo. No Sem events have been held since 2015.

Broadcasters

[edit]

Domestic:

  • Nippon TV (2001–2020, broadcast weekly highlights shows and live specials on NTV G+ since 2009 until 2020)
  • Fighting TV Samurai (2000–present, currently broadcasting live specials, retrospective shows)
  • AbemaTV (2020–present, online linear television service, live-streaming episodes of Noah TV matches)

Worldwide:

  • Wrestle Universe (2020–present, streaming service, broadcasting most Noah shows live, as well as on-demand classic, as well as content from other promotions beginning with Noah sister promotions Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling and DDT Pro-Wrestling)
  • FITE TV (2020–present)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pro Wrestling Noah". MLW: Major League Wrestling. July 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "ノアがＤＤＴに続きサイバーエージェント傘下に！ 業界勢力図に大きな影響 – 東京スポーツ新聞社". 東スポＷeb – 東京スポーツ新聞社. 28 January 2020.
  3. ^ "WrestlingTradingCards.com - 2007-2008 Noah Pro-Wrestling Cards". Archived from the original on 2010-04-15.
  4. ^ "Misawa Passes Away After Backdrop In Hiroshima Match". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. June 13, 2009.
  5. ^ Schramm, Chris (2009-06-13). "Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa dies in the ring". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 2009-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Mainichi Japan (2009-06-15). "Pro wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa dies in ring after blow to head". Mainichi Japan. Mainichi Daily News. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  7. ^ "ニュース". プロレスリング・ノア公式サイト | Pro-Wrestling Noah Official Site.
  8. ^ ノア激震！小橋解雇、秋山ら退団. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). December 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "ノ小橋、９日両国大会でフリー宣言へ！秋山ら５選手もノア退団申し入れ". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  10. ^ 秋山らノア退団正式決定. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  11. ^ 秋山、潮崎らノア退団5選手が全日本プロレスに参戦. Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. January 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  12. ^ 2013年5月11日(土). Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-04-20. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  13. ^ "小橋が古巣・全日本に登場 馳がPWF新会長に任命". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. 2013-03-18. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  14. ^ 「方舟新章」5月12日(日) 後楽園ホール大会 試合後コメント. Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  15. ^ 「方舟新章」5月12日(日) 後楽園ホール大会 田上社長会見の模様. Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  16. ^ "Kenta選手退団に関するご報告". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  17. ^ "ノアのエースKenta退団「挑戦したい」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  18. ^ Johnson, Mike (2014-04-30). "Top Japanese star to WWE?". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  19. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 9, 2015). "Mar. 9, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Brock Lesnar update, Rey Mysterio leaves WWE for AAA, Bill DeMott allegations, and much more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 34. ISSN 1083-9593.
  20. ^ "森嶋猛選手 引退のご報告". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  21. ^ "ノア森嶋が電撃引退 「糖尿病」が原因". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  22. ^ 中嶋勝彦選手 入団会見の模様. Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  23. ^ 契約期間満了に関するご報告. Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2015-12-28. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  24. ^ ノア再入団の潮崎が会見 方舟マットを「もっと高みに導きたい」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  25. ^ ノア正式発表 ＩＴ企業「エストビー」に事業譲渡. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2016-11-01. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  26. ^ 社名変更のご挨拶. Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  27. ^ 消える“プロレスの聖地”…ノアはディファ有明から都内に移転. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2016-12-28. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  28. ^ Johnson, Mike (2017-01-05). "1/5 NJPW New Year's Dash results and notes". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  29. ^ Meltzer, Dave (May 22, 2017). "May 22, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW business up, ROH War of the Worlds review, tons more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 8. ISSN 1083-9593. The only company down is Noah, which is down 29 percent after losing its affiliation with New Japan and losing Suzuki-gun as the regular top heels. For as much as the Noah fans hated Suzuki-gun and blamed them for the bad business, and they didn't pick business up the way hoped for, Noah has fallen significantly without them.
  30. ^ "【TNA、現インパクトレスリングとの業務提携を発表！】2月7日内田雅之会長の記者会見の模様". Pro Wrestling Noah (in Japanese). 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  31. ^ Johnson, Mike (2017-07-17). "GFW announces extended partnership with Pro Wrestling Noah". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  32. ^ "Border City Wrestling signs working agreement with Pro Wrestling Noah". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  33. ^ "【ノア】新体制移行を発表 新オーナー・リデット社「ビッグマッチ増やしたい」（東スポWeb）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-04-17.[dead link‍]
  34. ^ "MLW Forms Working Relationship With Pro Wrestling Noah". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. 26 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Major League Wrestling Partners With Pro Wrestling NOAH". Sports Illustrated. 26 July 2019.
  36. ^ "メキシコ・IWRGとのパートナーシップ契約締結のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Pro Wrestling Noah. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  37. ^ "TheOvertimer". CyberAgent Purchases Pro Wrestling Noah. 28 January 2020.
  38. ^ "DDT ProWrestling". DDT ProWrestling.
  39. ^ "411Mania".
  40. ^ Renner, Ethan (November 19, 2021). "NJPW vs. Noah Set for Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night Three". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 20, 2021. The card will air live on Abema pay-per-view and have an English language option for the broadcast. The cost will be 3960 Yen. The show will be made available on NJPW World and Noah's Wrestle Universe streaming service one week after the air date. A portion of proceeds from the event and PPV will be donated to Japanese Red Cross.
  41. ^ 新日、全日、ノアら９団体が「日本プロレスリング連盟」設立　来年５月には設立記念興行も [Nine organizations, including NJPW, AJPW, and Noah, establish "United Japan Pro-wrestling"; launching event to be held next May]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). December 15, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  42. ^ a b Pro Wrestling Noah. WRESTLE UNIVERSE PPV LIVE WRESTLE MAGIC 2024. noah.co.jp. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  43. ^ a b c d Global Honored Crown（チャンピオン） (in Japanese). Pro Wrestling Noah. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  44. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 11, 2024). "Kouki Amarei Becomes First-Ever GHC Women's Champion". fightful.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
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