Pro Wrestling NOAH 8/26/2023 N-1 Victory 2023 Day 7

Pro Wrestling NOAH 8/26/2023 N-1 Victory 2023 Day 7

Day 6 is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/pro-wrestling-noah-8262023-n-1-victory.html

This is the second to last day of the N-1 and I will cover the N-1 matches today only:

N-1 Victory 2023 Block A - Adam Brooks vs Timothy Thatcher

TT = Timothy Thatcher

TT armlocks him then Brooks armlocks him. TT backslides him then hits euros. TT suplexes himthen bow and arrows him. Brooks chinbreakers him then back elbows him. TT hammerlocks his arm with his feet and twists then cranks his other arm back. TT slams and elbow drops him.

Brooks is thrown into the buckles but blocks going in with his foot. TT arm wringers him down then Brooks hits forearms. Brooks rolls him up and step up enzugiri's him. Brooks misses an enzugiri and TT rolls to the apron. Brooks kicks TT on the apron then topes him. Brooks slingshots ddt's him for 2.

Brooks backslides him then flying kicks him. Brooks hits a superplex then TT fujiwara armbars him. TT then taps him out.

It was what you would expect with Brooks hitting a bunch of basic stomps and Thatcher trying various submissions. I have no idea why they would open the show with this and it was as unexciting as I expected it to be.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block B - El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Saxon Huxley

Doc = El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Sax = Saxon Huxley

Dox casadora's Sax to start. Sax headbutts him and running facekicks him. Sax hits a corner splash then throws him. Sax crossbodies him against the ropes for 2. Sax footchokes him then running facekicks him as he hangs over the bottom rope.

Doc is thrown into the rails outside then goes over them. Doc is bent over the rails and Sax elbow drops him off the apron as he hangs. Sax bangs Doc's head off the apron then elbow drops him. Doc hits a strike combo that ends in a headbutt then suplexes him. Dock step up knees him in the corner.

Doc pokes him in the eyes then springboard armdrags him for 2. Sax hits an air raid crash for 2 then Sax running lariats him. Sax lifts him and Doc hurricanrana's him out of it to pick up the pin.

This was one of Sax's better matches of the tournament. His offense looked good and they kept up a faster pace. I didn't expect it to work out as well as it did and surprise finish worked.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block A - Jack Morris vs Yuki Yoshioka

They shake hands and Jack facelocks him. They stare down and then Jack headflips out of a wristlock. Yuki shoulders him then Jack hits a nice dropkick to the face. Yuki hits a nice dropkick then backdrops him on the apron. Yuki is then thrown into the rails outside.

Jack elbow drops his back then suplexes him. Jack clubs his back and they trade forearms. Yuki suplexes him then hits a single leg codebreaker. Yuki misses a double stomp then takes a spinebuster. Yuki hurricarana's him for 2 then Jack flying knees him. Yuki then makes him flip with a flying lariat. They trade forearms on their knees then Yuki hits a hard forearm. Jack flips around his lariat and wins it with a tiger driver.

The ending was sudden and low-key buried Yuki. This match was way better than expected. They kept a quick pace and their stuff looked good. Jack is more of a junior than a heavyweight so he fit in well here against another junior.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block B - Go Shiozaki vs Manabu Soya

Soya clean breaks him on the ropes. They trade shoulders and Go side headlocks him. They do a greco roman knuckle lock then Go stretches both of his arms behind him. Soya reverses it then Go jumps forward and double mule kicks out of it. Go rolls out then is thrown into the rails. Go then his his throat dropped on the rails.

Soya knee drops him then headscissors him. Soya hits chops then Go flying shoulders him. Go hits machine gun chops then Soya hits machine gun chops. Go lariats him. Go swats away his lariat then walks up the buckles then jumps down to the floor, bringing his arm down over the top. Go then running knees Soya.

Go wraps his arm around the rail then Soya's head is banged off the post. Soya's shoulder is then pulled into the post then Go's shoulder is then pulled into the post. Go grounded hammerlocks him then hits chops to the neck. Go brings down the arm over his shoulder and they trade chops. Go rolls him around on the mat then standing kimura's him. Soya back body drops out.

Soya bulldogs him then neckbreakers him at 20 minutes. Go backdrops him and Soya flying lariats him. They trade chops and Go lariats him. Go hits a go flasher for 2 then Soya death valley drivers him. Go cradles him and rolls him up. Go hits a 2nd rope twsiting brainbuster then does a wrist clutch backdrop for 2. Soya lariats him then hits a jumping ddt. Soya lariats him in the back of the head for 2 then death valley drivers him. Soya tak a lariat for and the time runs out.

When they made the 20 minute time announcement, it was clear that this was going the distance and it did. Go worked the arm for the first half and forgot about it in the second half. It was long and just not that good.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block A - Jake Lee vs Yoshiki Inamura

Ina = Yoshiki Inamaura

Jake clean breaks him early and shoulders him over. Ina hits a big slam on him then corner spears. Jake ddt's him then footchokes him in the corner. Jake hits a hiptoss then chinlocks him. Jake kicks him in the back and bullies him around a little. Ina hits a nice powerslam then corner splashes him. Ina suplexes him for 2 the splashes him.

Jake hits a high flapjack on him then backdrops him for 2. Ina german suplexes him after forearms then does running shoulders for 2. Ina then does a nice top rope shoulder for 2. Ina running sumo charges him then hits a powerslam for 2. Jake hits a hard knee to the gut then chokeslams him for 2. Jake running facekicks him in the corner and wins it.

This was short and really not much of anything. Ina really oversold early, got some offense in and then was put down for good.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block B - Lance Anoa'i vs Katsuhiko Nakajima

KN = Katsuhiko Nakajima

Lance pushes him over and shouts. KN kicks him in the gut then running facekicks him. KN chest kicks him then Lance shoulders him off the criss cross. Lance cannonballs him in the corner and KN rolls out. Lance then topes him outside and bites him.

KN is whipped into the rails. Lance puts him in a trapezius hold then headbutts him at 5 minutes. Lance dropkicks him for 2. KN dropkicks him in the knee then step up enzugiri's him. KN dragon screws him then facekicks him in the corner. KN chest kicks him and Lance trades him with chops.

Lance pop-up samoan drops him and KN kicks the middle buckle while his head is on it. KN superkicks him then Lance suplexes him. Lance buckle bombs him then hits a big superkick for 2. Lance goes for a top rope splash but KN gets his knees up. KN kicks him in the ribs then hits kicks to the chest and back while he's seated. KN PK's him for 2. KN hits a brainbuster and wins it.

Lance put out a good effort as usual but it suffered like Nakajima's matches usually do because Nakajima just does not sell that much. Lance should have been the monster here and should have bullied around KN before KN made his comeback and won. Instead, they mostly went even and KN won as expected.

N-1 Victory 2023 Block A - Kenoh vs Masa Kitamiya

 

They lock up and trade basic holds. Ken snapmares him then is put in a hammerlock. Ken headlocks him and hits a facekick. Ken cartwheels to the side and corkscrew kicks him. Ken gets dropped down on his knees then Masa pushes his face into the mat. Masa sentons him then works the inner leg. He toeholds him then Masa single leg crabs him. Ken legsweeps him into a double stomp on the back. Ken then flying kicks him in the back of the neck.

Ken chest kicks him while he's down. Masa grabs the leg and elbows it then Ken chest kicks him down. Masa back elbows him  then Ken climbs his back for a sleeper. Masa drops him backwards then Ken grounded chokes him. Ken running PK's him for 2.

Ken misses a top rope double stomp then is speared for 2. Masa prison locks him then hits a backdrop for 2. Masa misses a top rope senton. Ken makes him handstand and kicks him in the gut. Masa bangs Ken's knee off the mat then Ken cradles him for 2. Masa charges and Ken sidesteps him then hits a PK for 2.

Ken is sat up top and slapped at 15 minutes. Ken walks the top rope then M. Bison stomps him off of it in a cool spot. Ken then wins with a crossface.

This sucked. The leg work from Masa didn't mean anything then Ken winning with a crossface was completely out of nowhere.

Overall thoughts: Another pretty weak night at the N-1. Neither the main or the 30 minute draw were good and the best matches were Huxley/Wagner and Morris/Yoshioka. I'd rate this around a 4 out of 10.