NOAH 5/9 GHC, NWF & IWGP Champs in same ring

[GlobalHonored]

NOAH show 5/9/03 - headlined by: Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & KENTA vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, Daisuke Ikeda & Takashi Sugiura

This televised card is headlined by a huge match up, a 6 man tag that pits the current GHC champ and 5/2 victor at Tokyo Dome, Kenta Kobashi and co. against the current NWF & IWGP champ and 5/2 Tokyo Dome winner Yoshihiro Takayama and friends. Triple Crown anyone?

[Jason]

Nah...politics won't allow it to happen. The interpromotional stuff won't go on forever and neither promotion is just going to give up their title(s).

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Kobashi said "no" for now. I don't see any reason for unifying those titles either.


GHC is too new and still has to grow some prestige.

[GlobalHonored]

True Hisa. There is no reason to unify the titles right now, no matter how poorly booked the "real" Triple Crown has been lately. It's just fun to speculate. The GHC has built itself up wonderfully in just a couple of short years thanks to being worn by Misawa, Takayama, Akiyama and now Kobashi (can we please all forget Rat Boy's reign). It's just fun to speculate the "what ifs". NOAH looks incredibly strong now following a New Japan show interestingly enough. Both Kobashi and Takayama were victorious,beating NJ's leader and their ace. Now they have all three belts and are displaying them in NOAH matches, bright green ring and all. If Takayama stays as a NOAH regular, despite his freelance status, things could get interesting. The big $ matchups could then expand past just Akiyama-Kobashi. Throw in the NWF or IWGP and we could see Takayama face Akiyama, Misawa, Ikeda, Honda, etc. leading up to a huge championship confrontation between Kobashi and Takayama. Pure speculation of course but it is indeed great for NOAH's business to have 2 of the 3 major champions competing for them.

[Haiku Warrior]

NOAH, 5/9/03 (NTV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,100 Fans (Sell Out)

1. Jun Izumida beat Haruka Eigen (6:43) with an oosotogari.
2. Takeshi Morishima beat Tommy Drake (9:53) with a backdrop suplex.
3. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Naomichi Marufuji beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Makoto Hashi (15:27) when Marufuji used a cradle on Hashi.
4. Bison Smith & Doug Williams beat Scorpio & Fly Guy Cannon (12:30) when Smith used an iron claw slam on Cannon.
5. Mitsuharu Misawa, Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki beat Akira Taue, Takuma Sano & Kishin Kawabata (20:50) when Ogawa used a backdrop suplex hold on Kawabata.
6. Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito beat Takeshi Rikio & Masao Inoue (16:05) when Saito pinned Inoue after Akiyama used an Exploder.
7. Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & KENTA beat Yoshihiro Takayama, Daisuke Ikeda & Takashi Sugiura (24:08) when Honda used the rolling Olympic Hell VI on Sugiura.

[Haiku Warrior]

New Japan star, Yuji Nagata, made a shocking appearance at today's NOAH tour opener at the one and only Korakuen Hall. NOAH fans went crazy when they saw Nagata, who appeared after Misawa's match. Nagata announced his intention to compete on a NOAH tour, and shook Misawa's hand firmly. Nagata said, "I want to challenge for GHC now - immediately", and said he would carry the signboard of New Japan into NOAH and risk his pride. Nagata said he wants to repolish himself in NOAH before taking the IWGP Heavyweight Title back from Takayama (he listed Takayama by name, and didn't mention Tenzan possibly winning the belt...). Misawa was very positive to Nagata's request.
By Stuart @ SSS

[GlobalHonored]

Nagata? Didn't see that one coming. To add to my previous speculation: New "what ifs", disregard as necessary, What if Nagata teams with Misawa to take title belts from Sterness. That would get Nagata in action with GHC gold, free Akiyama to pursue Kobashi's singles title and also have Nagata and Takayama close so that they can watch eachother before having to face one another over the IWGP or NWF belt.

[GlobalHonored]

I guess that would go against the new gen thing Nagata and Jun had going in the past, but it would show how Nagata has matured since holding the IWGP top spot for so long. And that Jun is still "punkish."

[Pheonix_Chi25]

Originally posted by GlobalHonored
True Hisa. There is no reason to unify the titles right now, no matter how poorly booked the "real" Triple Crown has been lately. It's just fun to speculate. The GHC has built itself up wonderfully in just a couple of short years thanks to being worn by Misawa, Takayama, Akiyama and now Kobashi (can we please all forget Rat Boy's reign). It's just fun to speculate the "what ifs". NOAH looks incredibly strong now following a New Japan show interestingly enough. Both Kobashi and Takayama were victorious,beating NJ's leader and their ace. Now they have all three belts and are displaying them in NOAH matches, bright green ring and all. If Takayama stays as a NOAH regular, despite his freelance status, things could get interesting. The big $ matchups could then expand past just Akiyama-Kobashi. Throw in the NWF or IWGP and we could see Takayama face Akiyama, Misawa, Ikeda, Honda, etc. leading up to a huge championship confrontation between Kobashi and Takayama. Pure speculation of course but it is indeed great for NOAH's business to have 2 of the 3 major champions competing for them.

As much as you would like to forget Yoshinari Ogawa's reign, we can't LOL.

I agree unification, give it a year or two max. Then try again.