The former GHC heavyweight champion has something to prove after missing most of 2021 with a shoulder injury.
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Go Shiozaki has three matches in three consecutive nights for Pro Wrestling NOAH
One of wrestling’s most captivating stories is happening overseas in Pro Wrestling NOAH, with Go Shiozaki cast in a starring role.
Shiozaki has entered unfamiliar territory. A four-time holder of NOAH’s prestigious GHC heavyweight championship, Shiozaki is synonymous with greatness in NOAH. Yet he is now mired in a losing streak, a narrative further pronounced as the company evolves and new stars emerge.
“I have to find something out about myself,” Shiozaki says through a translator. “And I will find that in the ring.”
Shiozaki has already lost four singles matches in 2022, beginning with his Jan. 1 defeat at the hands of longtime rival and reigning GHC champ Katsuhiko Nakajima at The New Year show. After missing the majority of last year due to a shoulder injury, that match marked Shiozaki’s triumphant return—yet he did not reclaim the title.
“When I announced my return, I had said that the GHC heavyweight championship was mine,” Shiozaki says. “That came from the bottom of my heart, and I still believe that.”
The story shares some connective tissue with a John Cena story arc from 2014. That was when Brock Lesnar demolished Cena at SummerSlam, seemingly destroying the aura and invincibility of Cena in one single night. But instead of Cena falling to new levels of vulnerability and despair, he had Lesnar beat at the following month’s pay-per-view before outside interference cost him the title win. The story with Shiozaki, however, is developing at a much more realistic pace.
Shiozaki had a remarkably impressive year in 2020, significantly raising his profile as GHC heavyweight champ in matches against Kaito Kiyomiya, Kazuyuki Fujita and Kenoh. Shiozaki dropped the GHC title one year ago, then missed the majority of ‘21 rehabilitating his shoulder. He returned to a company that had found significant momentum while he was away. Following his return, he lost the match to Nakajima on New Year’s Day, then suffered losses in January to both Kiyomiya and Takashi Sugiura. He was defeated again on Wednesday night (early Wednesday morning in the U.S.) by wrestling staple Masato Tanaka.
“They showed me what they can do,” Shiozaki says, referring to his matches—as well as playing on the idea that, at 40, the wrestling world is passing him by. “They showed me what they have been through during my absence.”
Filled with spirit and emotion, Shiozaki is embarking on a three-night journey to reclaim his spot atop the NOAH hierarchy, challenging those who helped carry the company during his absence. The loss to Tanaka further amplifies Shiozaki’s vulnerability. He now has two matches remaining on back-to-back nights at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, starting with Naomichi Marufuji on Thursday and then Kenoh on Friday.
“I have never wrestled three nights in a row like this before,” says Shiozaki, whose matches will be streamed and available to watch around the world. “This is why I think this experience will give me power and it will be a great experience for me to take another step forward.
“These matches are against three of the best wrestlers in the world. I believe the matches will help me to find something new, to find the new me.”
If Shiozaki can win his next two matches, he will set the stage for an eventual showdown with Nakajima for the title. It is also possible that NOAH is setting up a
scenario for Shiozaki away from the world title picture that Nakajima now rules.
“When I have the GHC heavyweight championship back around my waist, that will be the time for my new start, the new beginning,” he says. “This is my style to keep standing up over and over again no matter how beaten I am, and I am determined that I will earn and grab the opportunity.”
NOAH presents pro wrestling differently from WWE and even AEW, showcasing the art form in a realistic, authentic manner. There is a real possibility of Shiozaki crafting together a masterpiece over the course of these three winter nights in Tokyo, a big-match pro wrestler issuing an emphatic reminder that he is at his best when the lights are brightest.
“I will keep fighting to take back NOAH,” Shiozaki says. “And I will keep fighting to prove that I am NOAH.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- Last week on Dynamite, CM Punk suffered his first loss in AEW. Where does the story go from here? It would make sense to have MJF challenge Hangman Page, but I still feel like his immediate future—more specifically, at the Revolution pay-per-view in March—will be against current bodyguard Wardlow.
- Ronda Rousey appears to be more comfortable on the mic so far, but I still don’t understand the hesitancy in putting her with Shayna Baszler, even if Rousey is presented as a babyface.
- Bryan Danielson cut a tremendously persuasive promo explaining why he and Jon Moxley—and perhaps Daniel Garcia, Lee Moriarty, and Wheeler Yuta—should align forces.
- Brian Kendrick was supposed to make his AEW debut last week on Dynamite, but his match against Moxley was scrapped after offensive comments by Kendrick a decade ago resurfaced.
- Due to injury, Keiji Muto is relinquishing the NOAH tag team title that he shared with Naomichi Marufuji.
- The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Big E were back together last week on SmackDown, and they wrestled an entertaining match against Los Lotharios’ Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo. I’m all for adding depth to the tag division, but shouldn’t Big E and Kofi be making a run at the universal title? Also, it would be fun to see Los Lotharios pursue the tag titles.
- This year’s men’s Royal Rumble certainly did not meet the high standards of the match, but does it feel to anyone else like Shane McMahon is being blamed for the entire match being a failure? Unfortunately, there is a lot more blame to share.
- If the Rumble is still on your mind, this is a fantastic thread about one featuring AEW talent.
AEW teasing major surprise for ‘Dynamite’
There will be a must-see moment Wednesday night on Dynamite when AEW’s newest star debuts in a match against Isiah Kassidy.
Excitement and anticipation will be floating across Atlantic City as Tony Khan gambles that the crowd in New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall will react favorably to the man who will emerge through the curtain.
But will this be more like Bryan Danielson’s shocking debut, or could it bring back memories of the Goobledy Gooker? Not even the legendary Gene Okerlund could make that moment noteworthy, and there is the potential to cause more harm than good when it is announced that a surprise is forthcoming.
There are certain surprises that would be instant hits. Even though he wouldn’t be known as Bray Wyatt, the name Windham Rotunda has a certain ring to it. If the artist formerly known as the leader of The Wyatt Family arrived in AEW and gave a new version of his kiss of death to Kassidy, it would be a genuinely great moment for AEW.
Perhaps the most obvious fit is recent free agent Jeff Hardy, but his 90-day non-compete from WWE is not up. Matt Hardy is quick to praise his time in AEW, the Hardys are reuniting next month for Big Time Wrestling and Kassidy is managed by… you guessed it: Matt Hardy. The winner of the match is entered in the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match at next month’s Revolution pay-per-view. The ladder, of course, is practically a member of the Hardy family. Once he is free to sign, Jeff Hardy makes complete sense for AEW.
Fresh off his wedding and honeymoon, Keith Lee has the potential to make a long-term impact in AEW. The former NXT champion saw nearly every step of his main-roster tenure in WWE bungled. He is seasoned, experienced and explosive in the ring. Perhaps he would not generate the same response that Samoa Joe would elicit from the crowd, but Lee would instantly become a major player for AEW—and likely have a longer shelf life as a main-eventer.
Joe would also be a perfect fit. Imagine if we saw CM Punk-Samoa Joe at an AEW pay-per-view in 2022? How would anyone find disappointment in that marvel? Joe hadn’t been cleared to wrestle in WWE due to concussions he suffered while with the company, but he looked sharp in his return to the ring in August.
Credit AEW for creating real buzz in an industry that desperately needed it on a mainstream level. Now the fun begins—waiting for the moment when the surprise becomes a reality.
Tweet of the Week
Samoa Joe lays the smack down on social media.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.