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| Acronym | NOAH |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Style | Modified King's Road (Ark Style) |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Founder(s) | Mitsuharu Misawa |
| Owner(s) | Akira Taue |
Pro-Wrestling Noah (stylized as Pro-Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. Noah is broadcast weekly in Japan, as well as in Canada on The Fight Network. Noah has working agreements with Ring of Honor, World League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Zero1, and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
History
In January 1999, All Japan 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) 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 All Japan. Noah's promotional symbol, an ark with a dove holding an olive branch, refers to this.
Pro-Wrestling Noah is essentially a continuation of All Japan'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 All Japan 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).
Despite not being considered the #1 promotion in Japan, Noah has been able to outdo its rivals in many ways since 2005 and has managed to outdraw arch-rival New Japan Pro Wrestling in several key places (such as the Tokyo Dome). The Wrestling Observer also named Noah as the best promotion in 2004 and 2005, as well as having the best weekly television show in 2003.
A spinoff league called Pro Wrestling SEM was recently launched. Similar to New Japan Pro Wrestling's "Young Lions" system, it will function as a training facility for rookies, with Naomichi Marufuji and Kenta acting as trainers. Pro Wrestling SEM is also a reference to the Biblical story of Noah, with Sem being Noah's eldest son.
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. On June 27, 2009, Akira Taue was named as Misawa's successor and is the current President of Pro-Wrestling Noah.
Roster
Kensuke Office
- Akira Hokuto - manager, wife of Kensuke Sasaki
- Kento Miyahara
- Katsuhiko Nakajima
- Takashi Okita
- Kensuke Sasaki
Current champions
| Championship | Champion(s) | Defeated | Date Won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GHC Heavyweight Championship | Go Shiozaki | Takeshi Rikio | June 14, 2009 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship | Kenta | Katsuhiko Nakajima | March 1, 2009 | Tokyo, Japan |
| GHC Tag Team Championship | Kensuke Sasaki and Takeshi Morishima | Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith | September 21, 2009 | Nagoya, Japan |
| GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship | Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Kotaro Suzuki | Taiji Ishimori and Kenta | July 13, 2008 | Tokyo, Japan |
| GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship | Kenta Kobashi | Makoto Hashi | June 8, 2009 | Hachiōji, Japan |
See also
References
- "Misawa Passes Away After Backdrop In Hiroshima Match". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. June 13, 2009.
- Schramm, Chris (2009-06-13). "Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa dies in the ring". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- Mainichi Japan (2009-06-15). "Pro wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa dies in ring after blow to head". Mainichi Japan. Mainichi Daily News. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Official website (in English)
- Wrestling-Titles.com: Pro Wrestling NOAH
