#naoya nomura

[pwmusings]

The Best of January 2023

This monthly series of articles will chart The Best matches of 2023, ranking them via their Cagematch rating and correlating that with WON star ratings. Only matches with 9+ on Cagematch will qualify.

1. Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 16.

Cagematch - 9.78

WON - 6.25*

GRAPPL - 4.91 (Highest rated match on the app)

The greatest match of all time? Probably not, but it does sit at number one on GRAPPL; although only 395 people have voted on it compared to the 1652 that have voted on Omega/Okada 1 on GRAPPL. Additionally, it sits at number 7 in Cagematch with 879 votes. So it may drop over time, if GRAPPL can get it's users voting as much as they once did.

I've written about Omega vs Ospreay in a separate article here, where I discuss my confusion around why I didn't experience this as one of the greatest matches on all time in the manner which the vast vast majority of viewers did.

2. Kento Miyahara/Takuya Nomura vs Naoya Nomura/Yuma Aoyagi - AJPW Giant Series

Cagematch - 9.48

WON - 4.75*

GRAPPL - 4.47

This match rocks, and I say that as somebody whose most recent All Japan match that they have watched is from the late 90s. I'm not up to date with the wrestlers or the storylines but I found this match to be a very welcome breath of fresh air in my wrestling viewing.

It's an incredibly action packed; strike and strikedown heavy, match built around a furious exchange of reversals and tide changes. Neither team spends extended time selling for their opponents. Instead, both teams sell in short bursts before exploding back onto offence, creating an intense struggle for dominance that sees a dramatic face-off between Aoyagi and Miyahara.

3. Kaito Kiyomiya vs Kenoh - NOAH The New Year 2023.

Cagematch - 9.06

WON - 4.5*

GRAPPL - 4.35

The return of NOAH to critically acclaimed in-ring brilliance? I certainly how so but reports of a giant contract being offered to Hiroshi Hase, could be seen as a sign that the 61 year old may be the next nostalgia cash cow for NOAH. Hopefully the company realises that doing so so soon after the Mutoh retirement tour may be a bit much.

This was a match that built big moments such as big dives and that Top-rope Falcon Arrow onto the apron built around strong strike exchanges. This was a strongly contested match where both men had periods of advantage, Kenoh got more in overall but Kiyomiya took control at the end and very much put Kenoh away strongly.

In January 2023, there were 4 matches that received a rating of 9 or higher on Cagematch. The fourth, ranked in third, was of course the very well executed and hugely emotional match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. I have chosen not to give this match the in-ring statistics treatment or place it alongside the matches above. This is because that match was a tribute to Jay Briscoe, it wasn't a piece of entertainment in the same way as the three matches above, but instead it was a tribute and a piece of catharsis for the Mark Briscoe and the audience.

[elendsessor]

Kayuza (desu) or Kazuya (smt1 protag) for the character list thing?

don’t know much about kazuya smt 1 but ye i can do kazuya desu! (ik his name in the manga is kazuya but i tend to call him abel so i hope you don’t mind if i use that :))

favorite thing about them?

we may all make jokes about it but. the cat ear headphones are wonderful + his badass capes in the law and chaos runs!

2. least favorite thing?

while i really like the art style a couple of his sprites aren’t the best but that’s all not much to say lol

3. favorite line?

man i loved it when abel said it’s “devil survivin’ time!” and devil survivor’d all over the bels

4. brotp

dude chills with atsuro every day let’s be real. both are THE bros

5. otp

i actually view abel as aromantic! on a platonic level definitely him with atsuro and yuzu but don’t ship them

6. notp

i hate how much fanfiction exists that pairs abel and cainoya together idc if they aren’t real they’re siblings and naoya is also just really manipulative so doesn’t sit right :////

7. random headcanon

i like thinking the headphones also function as hearing aids or something :D

8. unpopular opinion of them

dunno much about opinions in the desu side of the megaten fanbase so i’m not sure if i have any for abel??? a part of me wished if the protagonist was instead the incarnation of cain and naoya abel where all these centuries being reincarnated molded him into being better meanwhile naoya would be bitter about being killed and blaming god for not preventing his death despite being all knowing? idk it definitely conflicts with the plot and all but i think it would actually make things more interesting.

9. song i associate with them

uhhhhhh nyan cat theme-

10. favorite picture of them?

i love concept or promo sketches so automatically when i learned about there being a promo sketch of him and desu2’s protag of course i was over the moon

i friggin love shit like this. kinda reminds me of a few of nomura’s promo sketches for kingdom hearts/twewy for some reason??

[wrestlingmgc]

All Asia Tag Team Champions NEXTREAM 

[wheredoisign]

[thebladeblaster]

Oh my god , this finale my heart ! 😭

Naoya finally learned to not be such a manipulative jerk .

Boy , I get those Yugioh Gx season 3 flashbacks with this scene .

I don’t know why , but this whole scene gives me Digimon Tamers deja vu .

MY OTHER DRAGON BOYS ARE FORMING VOLTRON UP IN HERE !!!!!!!!

Awww !!!😭

Part of me knew I’d love this show more upon rewatching it . I remember first watching Crossfight and Es all the way back in 2014 . I was definitely younger then and I feel like now I’m older I can appreciate this show a lot more . With it’s characters , plot , development , etc . It’s definitely has more depth than I originally gave it credit for . And I’m glad I rewatched it also , hi Kamon !👋

Looks like I’m rewatching es next . I still think it’s cool Kamon appears before his own season . Something else about all of this is Cross Fight sets the stage for es . In the beginning of Cross Fight B Daman wasn’t popular and it later becomes that way . In most game anime like this the game is already popular . Which is why I really appreciate this decision . The end of Cross Fight marks the re-beginning of the age of B Daman that was in ancient times . And a major turning point in the world of Cross Fight B Daman . I honestly wish there was a series after es cause I really love B Daman and want more of it .

[reelinplace]

[keepingthespiritalive]

AJPW results for June 19, 2018

  All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 Dynamite Series”, 6/19/2018 [Tue] 18:30 @ Obuhiro City Gymnasium in Hokkaido 513 Spectators (crowded)

(1) Takao Omori vs. Keiichi Sato (FREE) ◆Winner: Omori (8:43) following an Axe Bomber. (2) Atsushi Aoki & Ishikiri (LAND’S END) vs. Ultimo Dragon & Yohei Nakajima ◆Winner: Dragon (10:29) with a La Magistral on Ishikiri. ~ Even though he did not claim the direct win…

[alibomaye]

[deathntwrk]

[mengs-mullet]

For the AJPW World Tag Team championship NEXTREAM vs Big Guns (c) July 17th, 2017

[enbywrestlingfan]

[wrestlingwiththoughts]

AJPW Champion Carnival 2017, Night 7, April 25, 2017

After an uninspiring stretch in nights 2-4, the Champion Carnival picked itself back up with pretty good nights 5 and 6. Let’s see if night 7 continues the streak.

B block: Daichi Hashimoto vs. Shuji Ishikawa

As expected, Ishikawa has had a very good tournament so far. To some surprise, Hashimoto has had a decent tournament himself. Hashimoto doesn’t have desperation and fire that Naoya Nomura has, but he’s showing a little confidence. He doesn’t have the mean streak or urgency that he needs as the son of Shinya Hashimoto or to face off against monsters like Ishikawa, especially when Ishikawa is dumping you on your gut on the apron and on your head, but there are more flashes than Hashimoto showed last year. I’m not sure if it’s too little too late for Hashimoto, though, since I can’t pinpoint what exactly Hashimoto does well other than throw some kicks.

Ishikawa swallows him up in this match, as he should since he’s the killer veteran, but Hashimoto has a decent comeback with some kicks to the chest and a running knee strike in the corner. Hashimoto tries to stand toe to toe with the monstrous Ishikawa, but I never bought any of his nearfalls. The crowd gives him some courtesy applause, but Ishikawa and Hashimoto are simply in different tiers. Even his kick at one after Ishikawa leveled him with a lariat got polite applause at best. His kick out at two after Ishikawa’s big knee got slightly more applause, but neither crowd nor I bought into the idea that Hashimoto could win this. Ishikawa made quick work of Hashimoto, and this was fine.

B block: Naoya Nomura vs. Takao Omori

Nomura took a hell of a beating from Ishikawa on Night 5 and from SUWAMA on Night 4, and he’s pitted here against Omori, the veteran, who has had an unspectacular run in this year’s Champion Carnival. Nomura learned from the previous matches and jumped Omori with dropkicks before the bell and countered Omori’s axe bomber lariat attempt with a flying forearm against the ropes. Omori instead hits the Omori Driver early and the axe bomber lariat to the back of Nomura’s neck, but Nomura counters the forward axe bomber lariat with a spear, stacks Omori up, and scores a quick upset victory!

This match made so much sense, and it made me smile because it’s the first match in a while that built from the previous matches. Nomura learned from his matches against SUWAMA and Ishikawa that his best chance at victory is to keep the pace fast and to go for the early win. He jumps Omori from the start, which angers Omori. Omori pulls out his best weapons, and he’s confident that he can finish Nomura quickly to teach him a lesson. However, Nomura is able to throw everything he has into a spear and stun Omori long enough to score a pinfall. Nomura celebrates around the ring, while Omori is slumped against the turnbuckle in disbelief after the match. There’s a fire in Nomura that’s missing in Hashimoto, and I’m pleased that Nomura gets at least one victory in this year’s Champion Carnival.

A block: Ryouji Sai vs. Jake Lee

Lee had a good match against Miyahara on Night 1, and he had a decent match against Joe Doering on Night 6 and a pretty good match against Zeus on Night 5. Lee and Sai are dedicated to hit heavy in this match from the start, as Lee goes after Sai with kicks and knee strikes while Sai hits Lee with boots to the face. They trade bombs, but a double stomp from the top rope puts Lee down. Not spectacular, but solid enough.

A block: Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Kento Miyahara

After the miserable stretch of nights 2-4 made me concerned about Champion Carnival matches in smaller venues, I wasn’t sure what to make of Sekimoto vs. Miyahara. They had a really good match at the Champion Carnival last year and a great match in the Triple Crown defense, and I don’t think it’s possible for Miyahara to have a lackluster match right now. And given the quick finishes to the other Champion Carnival matches this show, I expect this match to go long. They’ve already had a time limit draw this year, so it would surprise me if they went with another time limit draw in this year’s Champion Carnival.

They’re definitely working at a deliberate pace, but it doesn’t feel boring. It feels like two men who have come to know each other very well feeling each other out to see where the tournament matches have left them. Miyahara knocks Sekimoto out of the ring and tries to press with boots to the face, but Sekimoto’s monstrous power allows him to chop Miyahara backwards and to throw him from one corner to another outside. Miyahara turns Sekimoto’s momentum against by catching him and dropping him throat first on the guard rail. Miyahara cranks Sekimoto’s neck against the ringpost, and he dallies around the outside until the referee starts to count very quickly. Miyahara points his finger at the referee, and that continues one of the stories I was not expecting to develop from this year’s Champion Carnival: Miyahara’s antagonist relationship with Kyohei Wada.

Miyahara drapes Sekimoto across the top rope and hits a dropkick to the top of Sekimoto’s head, which is something different. Unfortunately for Miyahara, that just woke Sekimoto up, and Sekimoto fires back with clubbing forearms. Miyahara wisely ducks a Sekimoto dive, and he tries a diving knee from the apron. Sekimoto has the presence of mind and the power to catch Miyahara, slam him back first into the ringpost, and just dump him on to the ground.

From there, Sekimoto continues to work on Miyahara’s back, which slows him down enough to keep him from capitalizing on a big running knee lift in the corner. Sekimoto fights off a superplex attempt and lariats Miyahara off the middle rope. He follows it with a pretty missile dropkick and dodges a Miyahara charge in the corner. A Sekimoto tope suicida continues the attack on Miyahara’s back. Sekimoto catches Miyahara’s knee, hits an inverted atomic drop, and traps him in the Boston crab to continue the assault on Miyahara’s back.

The match gets a bit silly in the fire-up spot when Miyahara and Sekimoto sell in really exaggerated ways after they trade running lariats and German suplexes; the way Miyahara slapped the mat after eating Sekimoto’s German suplex, marched over to give Sekimoto a German suplex of his own, and stumbled to the mat after his adrenaline burst faded seemed comical.

Miyahara and Sekimoto trade their knockout strikes, from blackout knees to the back of the head to German suplexes, but neither man is able to score the fall. The ring announcer is alerting everyone that the match is approaching its time limit, and both men try to pick up the pace and unleash everything they have in their arsenal. In the end, the match comes to a draw as Miyahara has Sekimoto pinned at a two count with a German suplex.

Miyahara never hit the shutdown German suplex, while Sekimoto never could finish Miyahara despite using much of his arsenal. This felt like a match between equals, and it plays to the history that the two men share since Sekimoto could have finished Miyahara last year with some of his offense. He came up short in the Triple Crown challenge, and it goes to show that Miyahara has grown since last year. This was another gem from Miyahara in the Champion Carnival.

[just-whump-and-suffering]

Diver: Special Investigation Unit Whump list

Plot: To fight against the rise of criminal organizations, the Hyogo Prefectural Police Station has secretly formed the Infiltration Team. The Infiltration Team is called the “D Team” and members on the team are called Diver. Risking their own lives, the team infiltrates into dangerous criminal organizations.

Language: Japanese

Episode: 5 (The most disappointing thing about this drama is the number of episodes)

Kurosawa Hyogo played by Fukushi Sota

Main Character and a member of D Team

Ep 01:

Knocked unconscious

Stripped to his brief and beaten up

Manhandled

Finger severed by shovel

Straddled while lying on sofa and manhandled by Date

Ep 02:

Roughened up in a fight with Sanemura

Punched in the face by Date

Ep 03:

Revealed to be the kidnapper that was slashed in the arm by Date

Grabbed and manhandled by Date

Ep 04:

Arrested and handcuffed. Interrogated by police

Ep 05:

locked in a cell

handcuffed again

Punched and beaten in fight with masked man

Shot non-fatally by Sanemura

Gun held at his head

Emotional whump; Flashback: messing up an under-covered operation which result in the death of his partner

Shot by Akutsu and falls into the sea/pier 

Date Naoya played by Ando Masanobu

Detective and Leader of D Team

Ep 02:

Punched in the face by Kurosawa in retaliation

Ep 03:

overpowered and beaten up by kidnappers until unconscious

Sanemura Sho played by Nomura Shuhei

Military Elite who joins D Team

Ep 02:

Roughened up in a fight with Kurosawa

let himself get beaten up to get evidence

collapse from his injuries

Ep 03:

Revealed to be the kidnapper that was slashed in the face by Date

Has the wound on his face for the whole ep

Ep 04:

Stuck under sofa while hiding from secretary because the secretary laid down on the sofa, trapping him and also because he is burly (not really whumpy but quite funny)

Attacked by behind and tasered

Unconscious

EP 05:

Emotional whump: In despair after finding out the truth about his father’s death

Dragged away by Date to escape the incoming police as he is too distraught to move

[thebladeblaster]

B Daman Crossfire needs more love !!!

( Note : It’s right to left like a manga . )

( Does it look better with or without Kakeru/Riki blush ? I don’t know why , but Riki always has a constant blush . I’ve thought about the whole evil Super Saiyan mode removing it . When , he’s himself the blush would be there and disappear when he’s not . I kinda imagine him switching between himself and Dragold crazy mode . What do you guys think . ) 🤔

It’s absolutely criminal no one has done this au yet ! What if Dragold actually chose Kakeru/Riki . Honestly , if I was Dragold I would of since the only thing that could possibly stop me would be gone . So , much angst in this au ! 😭Poor , Kakeru/Riki is trying to fight it , but Dragold is too strong . Also , Subaru , Naoya/Novu , and Basara lost without you know Kakeru/Riki and Dracyan to help them . They are able to get away , but the situation has become dire . They fight Dragold earlier thankfully , so it’s not game over yet . Subaru is a bit quicker to challenge Dragold since he wants his cinnamon bun back . They’re trying to find a 4th person to help them . They end up finding Kamon pre-losing his memory to help and even then it’s still not enough . Kamon uses his Deus Ex Machina powers and Dracyan’s B animal is able to channel itself into Garuburn . The battle is hard fought and in the end they finally save Kakeru/Riki . He’s a bit shaken up which is to be expected . Though , he is eventually able to recover and actually becomes friends with Kamon sooner . Also , Naoya/Novu has learned his lesson . Afterall , he never wants to go through that again . I haven’t really planned out Es/Fireblast yet . Also , here’s Dragold Kakeru/Riki in all his glory .

[reelinplace]

[keepingthespiritalive]

AJPW results for June 26, 2018

All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 Dynamite Series”, 6/26/2018 [Tue] 18:30 @ Asahikawa Jiba Sangyo Shinko Center in Hokkaido 285 Spectators

(1) Atsushi Maruyama vs. Koji Iwamoto ◆Winner: Iwamoto (6:12) with the Koko no Geijutsu.

(2) Atsushi Aoki & Ishikiri (LAND’S END) vs. Yohei Nakajima & KAI (FREE) ◆Winner: KAI (6:16) with the Meteor Impact on Ishikiri. ~ Yohei continued playing the mental game with…