Takeshi Rikio will make his V3 defense of the GHC Heavyweight Title on September the 18th, taking on NOAH president Mitsuharu Misawa. Rikio had said that he wanted to face the upper echelon of NOAH after defeating Kobashi, citing Misawa & Akiyama as potential defenses. Rikio's got his wish, but will he come to dread his words?
KENTA makes his V1 defense of the GHC Jr. Heavyweight title when he takes on his long time rival SUWA at the Budokan. KENTA made it clear after he won the belt that he wanted his first defense to be against SUWA, a wrestler who he has feuded with come Budokan for over a year. The two had a singles match at the last NOAH Budokan show that entered in a DQ victory for KENTA, but with the Jr. Heavyweight title on the line this time SUWA will not be so quick to avoid a proper confrontation with KENTA.
NOAH "2nd Great Voyage", 9/18/05
Tokyo Nippon Budokan
1. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: KENTA (c) vs. SUWA
2. GHC Heavyweight Title: Takeshi Rikio (c) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa
Misawa has reason to have heat on this board, but if he takes the belt he is nothing more than the NOah version of HHH. It would solidify every claim against him and continue the heat he earned back in the AJ days.
Before I begin, I should start by saying that Rikio does nothing for me, never has, and I don't think he is a heavyweight champion caliber wrestler.
That being said, I don't think you can put Misawa on the level of HHH.... Misawa hasn't had the big belt in almost two and a half years, something that HHH has not done. Really, to me it comes down to what their ultimate plan is. For example, I wouldn't mind Misawa winning if he faces off against someone like Kawada in December/January to drop it. I don't want to see Misawa hold the belt for a year, but a quick stint to drop it to someone other then Rikio would be ok with me.
Misawa taking the belt kills Rikio's credibility. It's a terrible move. Rikio just defeated Kobashi, let him run with the belt over Misawa, Akiyama and a few more.
Later on, if he doesn't work as champ, then and only then have him drop it to a veteran.
I just have a funny feeling that Misawa will win and take the GHC off of Rikioh. If he doesn't that will shock me.
I agree with the idea of letting Rikioh have a run with the belt and let him beat some of the established names. It wouldn't hurt, besides Rikioh is NOT Batista.
"I'm not going to call an ambulance, because if I do you will have learned nothing"-Family Guy
Personally, I am not concerned if it kills Rikio's credibility. The main event slot is not a good place to build a wrestler, since there is a lot of pressure. His only two title defenses were both bland, while Kobashi and Misawa still put on well-recieved matches by the Japanese fans.
I am not saying Rikio should be dropped altogether, but so far he isn't working as the head guy. If Misawa outworks Rikio in their match and Rikio gets the win, you have to worry about the backlash from the crowd. Since most Americans either download matches free or buy them from sites that NOAH doesn't profit from, they have to listen to how crowds react to their champions. In my ideal world, Misawa would win and in the meantime they either build up Akiyama for another run (if that is possible) or have him drop it to Kawada or Sasaki within 4 to 6 months. Give Rikio a little more time to connect with the crowd and try again in a year. He is still young, he has plenty of time to win the belt again.
That doesn't do anything for NOAH there though. Misawa is popular without the title. He doesn't need it.
If Misawa is too stupid to build Akiyama properly, no wonder he can't do it for Rikio. But the problem here is Misawa's lack of new star development.
Putting the belt on himself actually kills a guy you just gave a push too. There wouldn't be anyone else. WHere as if you keep it on Rikio, you can huild a Rikio vs. Morishima match, and againt Takayama eventually.
Well, after beating Kawada, I think it at least makes some sense that he gets the belt. Yes, Misawa draws without the belt as well, but you can't have the top dog running around without the title all the time. It makes the title look second choice. Misawa needs to give it the rub and then drop it to someone after a while who'll get a big win over Misawa AND the belt. Just my €0.02.
And at least putting it on himself would be better than putting it on Ratboy.
"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off" Patrick Marber, Closer
I just got the official DVD, just released in Japan, so I thought I'd post a review of it here.
First of all, it's very similar to most other NOAH DVD's, in that they have fantastic picture quality, but only have 3 to 5 matches on! This one has 4 matches on (VAP Video are spoiling us, aren't they?). All matches on this DVD make use of the multi camera angle option on DVD players as well.
Kentaro Shiga vs. Tamon Honda: A poor opening match, but it's nice to see Shiga back. Honda isn't the greatest wrestler in the world and he looks terrible here. His offence looks very weak, especially the elbow shots, which Shiga sold like Kawada would Misawa's! It picked up a bit towards the end. Honda got the pin after an STF / Sleeper combo (Shiga Shooter?). 3/4*
KENTA vs. SUWA: This was great! SUWA starts this one off by taking Joe Higuchi's paper and ripping it up, then flipping him the bird! He then smacked KENTA with the ring bell, and twice with a metal case. The Ref disqualified him which brought huge boos from the crowd. Luckily, they restarted the match, and what a match it was! Full of stiff shots, including a very painful looking kick to KENTA's groin! At one point SUWA gets in Higuchi's face, and Higuchi started to take off his jacket, which got a big pop from the crowd. SUWA took off one of the turnbuckle pads and threw it at Higuchi, which was funny. KENTA eventually finished him off with a series of vicious head kicks, and the Busaiku Knee Kick. This match is a 'must see'! ****1/4
Genichiro Tenryu & Jun Akiyama vs. Kenta Kobashi & Akira Taue: I think everyone knew this would be good. Another incredibly stiff chop battle between Kobashi and Tenryu. Tenryu didn't bleed this time. The heat was incredible! Psychology was good too. I can't wait for a singles match between them. Taue surprisingly got the pin on Akiyama after a Nodowa off the top rope. All 4 men worked hard in this, and the crowd loved it. And so did I. ****1/4
Takeshi Rikio vs. Mitsuharu Misawa: These 2 had a very hard act to follow after the last 2 matches, but they managed to pull off a decent match, and got the crowd going (maybe the crowd was hot because they expected a new champion?). I'd heard bad things about this match, but apart from 1 big blunder by Rikio, I thought it was quite good. Misawa did a good job of making Rikio look good. Rikio messed up one spot by dropping Misawa on the ramp, which looked bad. The finish was good, Rikio getting the pinfall after a series of very hard slaps, a Muso / Dangerous Backdrop combination which dumped Misawa on the back of his head (or was that another blunder?), and then the 3rd Muso of the match. **3/4
DVD Extras: Just a slideshow.
Overall: 1 poor match, 1 good match, and 2 blinders. Price is 4800 Yen, which is approx. $41, or £24, which is a lot for a DVD with only 4 matches on. I only buy these commercial DVD's because I think wrestling matches are works of art which deserve to be watched in the best possible quality. But for most people, it's not really worth it. Probably better to get a rip from someone, or buy the complete version recorded from TV, unless you are a serious collector. One last thing, the picture on the cover is hilarious. Misawa and Rikio look like they are wearing lipstick!
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