Pro Wrestling NOAH 1/1/2023 The New Year 2023

Pro Wrestling NOAH 1/1/2023 The New Year 2023

Ninja Mack, Dante Leon & Alejandro vs Shuji Kondo, Tadasuke & HIROKI

Mack and Tada start us off and Mack does a nice corkscrew flip that Tada avoids. Hiroki and Leon trade shots then Leon swantons him while he is on all fours. Ale is shouldered over by Kondo then hits some nice dropkicks that don't phase him. Kondo throws him overhead by grabbing his head then Hiroki asai moonsaults Ale for 2. Tada stomps on Ale in the corner then Ale 2nd rope hurricanrana's him.

Leon gets in and hits forearms on Tada then 2nd rope ssp's him. Mack then does a 2nd rope phoenix splash for 2. Kondo tries to overhead throw Mack, but he rolls through then backflips into an enzugiri. Leon dives on Hiroki and Kondo then Mack does backflips into an over the top rope moonsault. Ale dropkicks Tada then ends up hitting a short ddt. Tada hits some lariats on Ale then stretch plums him. Kondo hits his lanzarse spear on Ale then Hiroki running knees Ale. Ale takes a straightjacket ligerbomb then Ale rolls up Hiroki from the electric chair to win.

It was a short and fine match with it mostly being a showcase for the faces. It wasn't anyone's best work and they didn't get the time for it to make it a classic.

Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka vs Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki & Mochizuki Jr.

I remember when Final M2K was supposed to be the end of M2K for good. Guess that wasn't the case.

Susumu throws out Kotoge but both get right back in then Susumu is thrown out. Seiki and Mochi Jr. go at it. They trade kicks and Mochi Jr. takes him down with one. Seiki spin kicks him low then slaps him in the head. Seiki takes a double kick combo then Doc double lariats the Mochi's. Doc hits corner chops then eye pokes Mochi Jr. Doc then sliding kicks him for 2.

Seiki back elbows Mochi Jr. Kotoge hits running lariats on Mochi Jr. and Mochi Sr. slaps him on his pin attempt. Kotoge and Mochi Sr. argue in the ring then Sr. is thrown out. Kotoge and Mochi Jr. trade slaps then Mochi spin corkscrew kicks him. Mochi Sr. gets grabbed by Doc for a double team then suplexes Kotoge. Doc exploders Mochi Sr. then Mochi hurricanrana's him. Doc back body drops Susumu then Seiki flying kicks Susumu.

Susumu takes a kick into a bulldog into a kick then then Seiki scissor kicks him for 2. The Mochi's are thrown out then Susumu drop Seiki on his knees. The Mochi's double kick Seiki then Susumu hits a big lariat on him for 2. Seiki step up enzzugiri's Susumu then Susumu hits his Aikata and then wins it with a Mugen.

It wasn't bad and was a decent use of time. They didn't have a ton of time but they had a little fun with the Kotoge vs Mochi Sr. battle.

GHC Junior Title - AMAKUSA vs Junta Miyawaki

Junta flips and armdrags him then they stand off after a ehadscissors. Junta armdrags him then hits an armdrag and a spinning headscissors. Junta does a corkscrew plancha off the 2nd rope from the inside. Junta puts some holds on him and Ama tries to flip out of an armlock but can't. Ama tries to do something off the 2nd rope but Junta sidesteps. Ama springboard hurricanrana's him then does a wirld corkscrew tope that knocks over stuff on a table.

Ama top rope corkscrew crossbodies him for 2. Ama straightjacket chokes him then kneels on his back and does it. Junta hits forearms then Ama slaps him. Junta hits a dropkick then 619's him in the gut. Junta armdrags him off the 2nd rope then body hurricanrana's him over the top. They get on the apron and Ama takes a 2nd rope armdrag off of it to the floor.

Junta springboard lariats him then hits a nasty ddt as Ama is on his body at 10 minutes. Ama enzugiri's him then Junta sunset flips him. Junta headscissors him down then gets stuck on the 2nd rope. Ama top rope swantons him as he hangs then superkicks him in the face. Ama misses a spiral tap then spins him but takes a ddt out of it. Junta does a stiff sit out shoulder throw for 2.

They go up top and Junta gets his top rope shoulder throw reversed into a headsicssors. Ama rolls him into a pin attempt and wins it.

The ending wasn't the best. It was okay overall. The first half was better than the second and they ended it before it got boring or went into overkill mode.

GHC Tag Titles - Takashi Sugiura and Satoshi Kojima (c) vs Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA

Kenta and Sugi start. Kenta slaps him off the break then Sugi returns the favor. They trade forearms and facekicks. Kenta takes an overhead belly to belly then does a facekick. Sugi spears him then takes a facekick. Kenta offers a handshake and Sugi spits in his first then Kenta forgets the idea. Maru slingshot elbow drops Sugi then Sugi back elbows him. Koji shoulders Maru over then Maru hits chops. Koji comes back with forearms then Sugi footchokes Maru in the corner.

Sugi running facekicks Maru then Koji drops an elbow on Maru and tries pin attempts. Sugi and Maru trade forearms for chops then Maru spinning hook kicks him. Kenta hits Sugi with kicks then runs Sugi into Koji before powerslamming Sugi. Kenta top rope lariats Sugi for 2 then STF's him. Kenta hanging ddt's Sugi then running corner facekicks him. Sugi goes it back then Kenta flying facekicks him and face dropkicks him in the corner. Sugi 2nd rope delay brainbusters Kenta. The two exchange forearms then faceslaps. Sugi does down.

Kenta hits uraken slaps then is lariated. Koji hits machine gun chops in the corner on Kenta then top rope elbows him. Koji goes for a spinning forearm but Kenta puts the ref in the way then ddt's him. Maru dropkicks Koji and Sugi then Maru hook kicks and lariats him. Koji cutters Maru then brainbusters him. Kenta running facekicks Koji then Sugi facekicks him. Maru takes forearms from Sugi and Koji then Sugi accidentally facekicks Koji.

Sugi forearms both opponents then takes a superkick + high kick combo from them. Maru does his shiranui on Koji for 2. Maru pumping knees Koji  then Koji takes a powerbomb + shiranui combo. Sugi breaks up the pin attempt then hits an olympic slam on Maru, only to take a go to sleep from Kenta. Sugi olympic slams Kenta and all 4 are down.

Maru hook kicks and pumping knees Koji then Koji lariats him. Koji running lariats Maru and wins it.

This was a good one. You just got what you wanted out of this. Sugi and Kenta hit their strikes and Maru/Kenta teamed up for some double kicks and stuff. Lots of good striking here and they didn't overdo it or go too long. Very well done.

GHC Title - Kaito Kiyomiya (c) vs Kenoh

They try wristlocks to start and Kaito cartwheels out of it. Kaito trips him into a headlock and they stare down after a shoulder. Ken drops him with a chest kick then kicks him in the back of the head. Kaito takes a spin kick to the gut then hits a flashing elbow. Kait goes up to the 2nd rope and takes a nasty quick german on his head. Kaito rolls out and Ken double stomps him from the apron.

They fight on the floor and Kaito is thrown into the rail. Kaito drops a kneedrop on him then Ken knees him in the gut. Ken chinlocks him over the ropes then Kaito springabords off the 2nd rope for a lariat to Ken on the apron. Kaito then hits a tope con hilo over the post. Kaito top rope dropkicks him for 2. Ken flying knees him to the back of the neck for 2.

Kaito headflips out of an ankle lock then they trade chest kicks for euros. Kaito ducks a high kick and then gets one on the spin around. Kaito then spinning elbows him at 10 minutes. Kaito dropkicks Ken then germans him for 2. Kaito hits a shining wizard for 2. Kaito hits forearms then takes an enzugiri then Kaito flying knees him. Kaito hits a tiger suplex for a close 2. They fight up top with Ken hitting headbutts then Ken hits a sick falcon arrow from the top to the apron. Ken throws him in and does a top rope double stomp for 2.

Ken goes for a top rope moonsault but Kaito moves then Kaito frankensteiners him. Ken grounded sleepers him then hits some chest kicks. Kaito tries to power up and Ken slaps him. Kaito flips out of a german then does a shining wizard to the back of the head. Kaito hits a shining wizard for 2. Ken misses a high kick then takes a poisonrana for 2. Kaito hits a bizarre half chicken wing + half underhook twisting driver then hits a shining wizard and wins it.

I wasn't a fan of this. They just did too much and Kaito stopped selling anything in the 2nd half of this. They seemed rush here as well.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs The Great Muta

Nakamura had a japanese drum and a violin for his entrance. Nakamura doing this was really odd since he's with WWE and he was an NJPW guy, not a NOAH guy.

They do some basic wrestling early then Nak avoids a charge and does a strut and a green mist taunt. Muta then taunts him and sprays mist. Muta throws him into the rails then chokes him with a wire. Muta hits him with a display stand for the belt then hits a flashing elbow. Muta bites his head then Nak kneedrops him. Nak puts his foot on his throat and does his shake. Muta dragon screws him then leg locks him.

Muta dropkicks him in the knee then figure fours him. Muta hits another dragon screw then shining wizards him. Nak his a spinning heel kick then baseball slides him to the back of the head. Nak then hits his sliding german. Nak 2nd rope knees him for 2. Muta mists him then chokes him with his own bodysuit. Muta hits him with a chair and knocks the ref out of the way.

Nak fights back with punches then hits knees. Nak runs the ramp and lariats Muta then Nak flying armbars Muta. Muta sprays him with black mist then hits a shining wizard for 2. Muta shining wizards him from behind then Nak hits a kning knee. Nak kisses him and somehow gets the green poison mist out then hits the kinsasha to win it.

The ending spot was creative. It wasn't bad for a Muta match though they probably could have knocked a few minutes off and it would have been better.

Nakamura says "bye bye, my idol, Muta" after on the mic.

Overall thoughts: I skipped some matches here, but what I saw overall was good stuff. I thought Noah could have had some bigger entrances here to put this over as a big show, but that's about it.