Scouting Pro Wrestling Noah

Oh how the mighty have fallen or have they?

Once upon a time Pro Wrestling Noah was the premier company in all of Japan. Built off the back of it's founder the late great Mitsuharu Misawa, Noah thrived for years off of having amazing mainevents, dream match ups, and pound for pound the best under card in all of wrestling. But the death of it's founder as well as a number of scandals (including a run in with the Yakuza which almost killed the company all together) and departures have left them in dire straights these last few years. Can Noah make the rebound they so desperately need or will they die a slow and miserable death, lets take a look shall we?



The best place the start with Noah is it's Junior Heavyweight division, which in my opinion is simply the best in all of puroresu.

DISCLAIMER: I WILL BE COVERING THE MAJORITY OF NOAH's ROSTER, THEREFORE EXCLUDING A NUMBER OF OUTSIDERS AND FOREIGNERS.

Taiji Ishimori

History: Ishimori was once described as a one trick pony who relied heavily on big spots to make his matches. Since then Ishimori has transformed himself into one of the most versatile wrestlers on Noah's roster.

Pros: relatively young, extremely charismatic, chiseled out of steel, and super athletic.

Cons: isn't the tallest competitor and is very unlikely to move on from the junior division because of it

Final Grade: A if you haven't seen Ishimori's work before do yourself a favor and check him out he really is something special, The undisputed ace of the Junior heavyweight division ISHIMORI TAIJI!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daisuke Harda

History: I will be first to admit that I haven't seen much of Harda, but the little I have has been very impressive. He dethroned Taiji Ishimori earlier this year to take the GHC junior heavyweight championship and carried the belt for the majority of the year before recently dropping it to Atushi Kotoge.

Pros: Is an absolute powerhouse, fairly charismatic, is young and in his prime years.

Cons: See Ishimori 

Final grade: A- Haven't seen much of him but can't wait to see more, it's the YOUNG MASTER HARADA DAISUKE!!!!!!!

Yoshinari Ogawa

History: Can You believe this doughy looking goofball was once a GHC heavyweight champion. No Seriously check it out.

Ogawa was Mitsuharu Misawa's best friend and coasted for years off of that alone. Since the death of his best friend, he found himself in a what seemed like a never ending funk, that was until he formed a team with Zack Sabre jr. and won the GHC junior tag belts.

Pros: Very good story teller, does great character work, when motivated can be a good hand, has a cool nickname (Rat Boy)

Cons: Nearly 50, largely inconsistent, never stepped outside of the shadow of his best friend.

Final Grade: D look if you're looking for someone special Ogawa isn't it. On his own he's not that great in a team he's not that much better. To put it nicely he's passable, just barely. THE RAT BOY OGAWA YOSHINARI !!!!!! His partner on the other hand.

Zack Sabre Jr. 

History: If you want to know who is the best British wrestler going today, look no further Mr. Sabre. I can't say enough nice things about this guy, but I can certainly try. He's a master of the arm bar, a champion of the mat and over all one cool dude.

Pros: Great mat technician, very exciting to watch, can make the simplest of transitions look amazing.

Cons: needs to bulk up a little, booking doesn't do him much help, that's it.

Final Grade: A a must see prospect and the man who seems to be the Successor to Prince Devitt. THE BRITISH MASTER ZACK SABRE JR. !!!!!!!

Quiet Storm

History: Not much to say about him other than he's the token gaijin, a big muscled up evil American looking to beat up on the underdog Japanese. Think of him as this generation's Bison Smith.

Pros: good body build

Cons: Tries way way too hard to be something he's not, undersized, not much room for improvement.

Final Grade: C- passable that's about it.

Atushi Kotoge

History: Kotoge started his career off working for the comedy promotion Osaka Pro and after spending almost a decade of working with the promotion, left to sign with Pro Wrestling Noah, to great success.

Pros: Very agile, has a well balanced style, still relatively young.

Cons: Similar to Sabre needs to improve his physique.

Final Grade: B+ Kotoge has had a great year, he formed a successful tag team with Ishimori, he had some great matches with Harada and rightfully took his spot on top of the junior division by winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. KOTOGE ATSUSHI!!!!!!!

That's about it for the Juniors now let's move to the heavyweights.

Noah's Heavyweight division was at one time the best in wrestling. It was known stiff, hard hitting matches, that showed the grit and determination of the Japanese fighting spirit. But as time passed, the old crop of talent grew older and slower, at one point the average on the roster was 35. Since Misawa's tragic death, Noah has tried frantically to find it's new top star, have they found him or will they have to keep on searching.

Takashi Sugiura

History: Similar to Kurt Angle, Suguiura got involved in pro wrestling at a later stage in life and didn't debut until he was 30 years old. While having some initial success in the Junior division, Sugiura found his greatest achievements as a heavyweight. He had one of the longest title reigns in company history, second only to the legendary reign of Kenta Kobashi, and more recently has formed a team with FMW & Zero1 legend Masato Tanaka called the Dangan Yankees.

Pros: In tremendous shape, can work with almost anyone, shows no signs of slowing down yet.

Cons: On the wrong side of 40, can get carried away with the striking matches, more than likely only has one run left in him.

Final Grade: A- Sugiura is an absolute beast of a man and carries with him a great spirit of competition, while it's more than likely the he only has one more good run left in him, boy will it be one worth seeing. ONE HALF THE CURRENT GHC & NWA INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS SUGIURA TAKASHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TMDK

History: Hailing from the land down under TMDK is a team that was made for Japan. With their mix of hard hitting and fast paced action, TMDK will keep you on the edge of your seat begging to see more.

Pros: Both are under 30, cohesive unit, currently the best gaijin tag team in Japan.

Cons: Who knows how long they'll stay together, probably won't ever reach beyond a high mid-card status.

Final Grade: B+ TMDK are must see team, of the two Haste (pictured above to the right) seems to be the star of the team. Proving that the mighty don't kneel, it's TMDK!!!!!

Mohammed Yone

History: Yone is a man who never lived up to his early potential and as the years went on slowed down. At the very least you can say he's been loyal to Noah during it's though times.

Pros: Can kick with the best of them, has muscle buster that rivals Samoa Joe

Cons: Not getting any younger, is pushed way beyond his skill level, relies heavily on striking.

Final Grade: C, Yone isn't the best, he isn't the worst either. I think the reason a lot of puro fans hate Yone is because he's been over pushed due to the fact that he's one of Noah's last true heavyweights.

Maybach Taniguchi

History: The best way to describe Taniguchi is Yone with a mask. That's not to say they have similar styles or anything, it's just to say they have similar reputations.

Pros: Has an interesting gimmick, is capable of decent matches when working with the right person

Cons: pushing 40, can be over bearing at times, relies a lot on brawling, pushed above his skill level

Final Grade: C, Taniguchi at this point is what he is and isn't going to change. Similar to Yone he's over pushed due to him being a true heavyweight and loyalty to the company.

Takeshi Morishima

History: Despite all his success both in and out of Noah, Morishima never fully connected the way Noah wanted him. That being said he's one of the best workers going today. If you haven't seen him work before the best way to describe him is a more agile version of Stan Hansen.

Pros: Is a beast, hearkens back to the days of yesteryear, extremely charismatic, in the best shape of his career.

Cons: has trouble with conditioning, can be inconsistent, not getting any younger.

Final Grade: A, Morishima is one of the last of a dying breed, which makes him something truly special. Carrying on the tradition of Steve Williams, Stan Hansen, and Bruiser Brody. MORISHIMA TAKESHI!!!!!

Katsuhiko Nakajima

History: The Protege of Kensuske Sasaki and the final active member of the Diamond Ring roster, Nakajima has had some big shoes to fill. By far this has been his breakthrough year, he has had spectacular matches in Noah's Global league tournament, as well as having an impressive showing against Naomichi Marufuji.

Pros: Is young with his best years ahead, is extremely experienced despite his age, works a really exciting fast paced style.

Cons: Isn't the tallest standing only at 5'9, could stand to improve his physique a little

Final Grade: A, Nakajima is the future of Noah and many have called him the next breakout star of Japan will he continue in his progression or will he break under the pressure, time will only tell. NAKAJIMA KATSUHIKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naomichi Marufuji

History: Marufuji is hands down the best Junior heavyweight of all time. The man's innovated a handful of moves, he's opened the doors for others like Kenta to find success outside of the Junior division, and has helped keep Noah afloat doing double duty as the promotion's champion and VP.

He has had one of the best years of his career and giving his track record that says a lot.

Pros: Is a once in a generation wrestler, can pull out great matches out of even the worst of wrestlers, has helped restore credibility to the GHC Heavyweight Championship, has a unique look and is extremely charismatic.

Cons: His duties as Noah's VP can hold him back at times, Can be injury prone, not the the tallest wrestler, is getting older.

Final Grade: A+, Noah's answer to Tanahashi and the by far the most under appreciated wrestler in Japan, the Current GHC Heavyweight Champion MARUFUJI NAOMICHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Roster Grade: B, In my opinion Pro Wrestling Noah has the most overlooked roster in wrestling. Some areas they could improve in are signing a few more true heavyweights and accepting more young boys into their dojo. That being said as of right know it looks like Noah has set itself back down the right path. While they may never again reach the heights they've once seen, with hard work they may one day be able to return to the sacred grounds of the Budokan Hall they once called home. 

With that thought I leave you. Join me next time when I scout the roster of another Japanese wrestling promotion, until then 3...2...1... Wrestle-1!!!!