Pro Wrestling NOAH Destiny Review (7/18/2005).
In the early 2000s, Pro Wrestling NOAH dominated the wrestling world. Not just Japan, mind you, but all of wrestling. WWE was in a down period, due to a complete lack of competition in the states in the absence of WCW and ECW. TNA was just starting out. Ring of Honor were making waves, but were still very much an independent company. In Japan, New Japan was suffering greatly due to the MMA influenced "Inoki-ism," and All Japan hadn't recovered from the exodus that led to the formation of NOAH.
In Mitsuharu Misawa's promotion, the Heavyweights dazzled in a continuation of King's Road style wrestling, while the Junior Heavyweights blew people's minds with their high octane style based around dangerous high spots. Add in a willingness to work with other promotions throughout the world, and NOAH was untouchable.
Here, we have what many consider the peak of NOAH - Destiny. Drawing allegedly 62,000 fans to the fabled Tokyo Dome, the eyes of the world was on NOAH as they put on arguably the best card they ever did. It had a little bit of everything: Comedy, old timers, Junior Heavyweight madness, Tag Team excellence, New Japan outsiders, dream matches, and a main event that fans would never see again. Let's get into Destiny!
- Masashi Aoyagi, SUWA & Takashi Sugiura vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Mitsuo Momota & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.
Nakajima and SUWA start things off, and Nakajima misses a flying kick. SUWA takes the side headlock, and Nakajima forces him into the ropes. Shoulder tackle by SUWA, and a hip toss. Nakajima kicks his back, and clocks him in the head. Here comes Kikuchi, and they triple team SUWA in the corner. Kikuchi with a side walk slam for a 2 count. SUWA lifts him and takes him to his corner, and here comes Takashi off the tag.
Takashi and Kikuchi have a forearm exchange, with Kikuchi getting an advantage with elbows to the head. He drops Takashi with a forearm. Momota tags in, and slaps Takashi repeatedly in the chest. Takashi rushes him, and Momota catches him in a sunset flip pin for 2. He tags Nakajima back in, who kicks Takashi hard in the chest repeatedly. Takashi just takes it though. What a badass. Nakajima drops him with a stiff kick to the head, and gets a 2 count off of it.
Takashi fights back with forearms, but Nakajima hits a German Suplex for 2. Aoyagi tags in, and beats on Nakajima. He punches him in the gut, and axe kicks his head. He sends Nakajima to his teams corner, and tags SUWA in. Big shoulder tackle drops Nakajima, followed by a falling punch to the head. Takashi is back in, and he and Nakajima exchange forearms, until Takashi boots him right in the jaw.
SUWA hits an elbow drop right to Nakajimaâs balls. Nice! Aoyagi with an axe kick to his balls next! Aoyagi with stiff kicks to the chest, and he gets a nearfall off of that. Momota is in, and he hits a back suplex to Aoyagi for 2. Spinning heel kick by Aoyagi. Kikuchi tags in, and unloads with forearms to Aoyagi. German Suplex into a bridge by Kikuchi, and the pin gets broken up. SUWA with hard right hands to Kikuchi, who responds with a hard slam for 2.
Everyone is in, and itâs chaos. Nakajima with a running dropkick in the corner to SUWA, who responds by flapjacking him. SUWA flapjacks Kikuchi, Tiger Driver style, for the win. I had little context of who was involved, outside of Nakajima and Takashi, nor did I know a lot of the moves being done, but that was a serviceable opening match. Poor Nakajimaâs balls. No wonder he had that bizarre All Japan run earlier this year.
- Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima vs. Go Shiozaki & Tamon Honda
Shiozaki rushes the other team with a shotgun dropkick to start things out. He hits a crossbody to the outside onto Morishima. Yone and Honda fight on the opposite side of the ring. In the ring, Morishima counters a top rope shotgun dropkick with a lariat. He tries for what looks like Baron Corbinâs End of Days, but it doesnât go smooth. Abdominal stretch follows. Yone is in, and he hits a legdrop to Shiozaki for 2.
He puts a neck crank on next. Shiozaki rolls his foot over to the bottom rope to break it. Morishima is in, and he drives his knee right into Shiozakiâs midsection. Huge lariat follows, and Yone knocks Honda off the apron. They try to double team Shiozaki, who rallies back with a back suplex to Morishina. Honda is in, and he hits a side suplex to Morishina, and one to Yone. Honda has the Tazmission on Morishima! Yone breaks it up, and Honda sends him to the outside.
Big German Suplex by Honda to Morishima, and he tags Shiozaki in, who hits a top rope shotgun dropkick, Toyota style, for a nearfall. He hits Morishima with a forearm, and a superkick. Another German Suplex gets a 2 count. Shiozaki with a powerslam, and he goes to the top rope. He misses the moonsault, and Yone tags in. He knocks Honda off the apron, and hits the Helluva Kick to Shiozaki, followed by a running knee.
Powerslam follows, and Yone goes to the middle rope for a leg drop. He makes the cover, and Shiozaki kicks out. Yone with a boot to the face, and Shiozaki looks for the abdominal stretch, and now both are rolling around the ring in that position. I donât know what that is called! Shiozaki with a powerslam and a knee to the face. He hits the moonsault to Yone, and Morishima breaks up the pin. Honda eats a side suplex by Morishima, who gives Shiozaki a Urinage.
Big clothesline by Yone, and Honda kicks out. Morishima lifts Shiozaki up, and he and Yone do a Doomsday Device variant that Honda breaks up. Yone places Shiozaki on the top rope, and hits the Muscle Buster, Samoa Joe style, and thatâs enough for the win. Like the opening match, a serviceable effort, though Iâd say this one was much better. Shiozaki was unrecognizable here, as was future Ring of Honor World Champion Morishima. Not a bad effort, though, as most of these opening matches in Japan tend to be.
- Akitoshi Saito, Kishin Kawabata, Masao Inoue & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Akira Taue, Haruka Eigen, Jun Izumida & Takuma Sano
I only recognize one person in this match, and thatâs Akira Taue, one of the Four Pillars of 90s All Japan. I also just learned that Eigen had ties to the Yazuka. Yikes!
Taue and Koshinaka start things out for both teams. They lock up, and Koshinaka takes the side headlock. Taue eats a shoulder tackle and boots Koshinaka down. He squashes him in the corner. The crowd loves Taue. Not hard to see why. Snap mare by Koshinaka, who hits Taue in the face with his ass. Different members of the team tag in and take turns kicking Taue. Taue fights back and sends Inoue to his corner, where he tags in Eigen. Damn, the adorable guy wearing white boots and pink trunks has Yazuka ties.
Eigen hits some pretty weak strikes to Inoue, and tags in Izumuda. He boots him in the corner, and an elbow drop for a nearfall. He brings Inoue back to the corner, and Sano tags in. Inoue immediately gets the advantage and brings Inoue to his corner, where Saito tags in. They shoulder tackle, where neither man gives. Forearm exchange follows. Big knee to the ribs of Sano, followed by a delayed suplex off the ropes. He makes the cover, and Sano kicks out.
Koshinaka hits Sano with his ass. The ref doesnât like that! Kawabata tags in, and Sano tags Eigen back in. Eigen with some chops against the ropes to Kawabata. Kawabata hits Eigen, and then falls to the mat. Is Eigen made of steel? Izumuda tags back in, and they double team Kawabata. He fights back, and tags in Inoue. Some hard uppercuts follow, and then Kawabata makes his comeback and here comes Taue.
The big man winds up a strike and hits Inoue in the chest. DDT by Taue, which gets a close 1 count. Sano tags in, and he kicks Kawabata to the mat. Half Boston Crab follows, and Kawabata gets to the bottom rope. Eigen is back in, and he chops Kawabata. Irish whip into the corner, and then Kawabata gets a roll up off for a nearfall. Taue tags in, and he lands a kick/lariat combo for a 2 count. Kawabata makes his comeback and tags in Saito. He connects with a lariat that gets a 2 count as well. Taue is getting ganged up on, then Sano makes the save. In response, Taueâs team gang up on Saito. Dropkick from Sano to Saito, and that gets a nearfall. Diving foot stomp by Sano gets a nearfall. Saito gives Sano a wheel kick, and then tags in Inoue. He immediately gets kicked in the stomach. Sano gives him a back drop. Izumuda is in, and he lands a headbutt for a 1 count. Why so many 1 counts in this 3rd match of the show?
Inoue fights off a slam with an ass attack, and here comes Koshinaka. A couple of clotheslines in the turnbuckle. Izumuda lands some headbutts, and a sweep for a 2 count. Everyone is in the ring, and itâs chaos. I am barely keeping up because I canât tell who is who! Taue gives Koshinaka a chokeslam, and Sano gives him a foot stomp. It gets a nearfall. Izumuda knocks Kawabata into the corner, and winds up a shot for Koshinaka. Kawabata attacks him from behind, and Koshinaka gets Izumuda in a small package for the win. I didnât care for that one too much. Itâs likely because I didnât know who most of the participants were going in, but the action itself wasnât anything to write home about.
- Mushiking Terry vs. Mushiking Joker.
The pre match segments before this were weird. Terry had a promo cut for the younger portion of the audience, while Joker had a promo cut by some guy in a black cloak that would fit in perfectly with an A24 movie. I think this is a tie in with an anime?
They lock up, and thereâs a forearm exchange. Terry with a hurricanrana and an arm drag. Joker sends him to the apron, and he misses a spear. Terry goes to the top rope, and dives right onto Joker. Back in the ring, Terry with a snap mare into a pin, and then a chin lock. Terry tries to come in the ring, and Joker hits a leg drop on him from the middle rope. It gets a 2 count. Standing elbow drop by Joker, and Terry kicks out.
Joker avoids a crossbody, then hits a springboard senton that gets a 2 count. Joker with a stretch and neck crank. Joker locks in the Octopus Stretch on Terry, then transitions to a leg sweep, and then does the Octopus on the mat. Terry hits a hurricanrana, followed by a spin kick to the ribs. The children in the audience seem to be loving this. Terry with an arm drag, and a West Coast Pop for 2. Joker traps Terry in the Crossface submission.
Terry avoids a suplex, but walks into a spinning heel kick by Joker. On the top rope, Joker hits a swinging neckbreaker straight to the mat. That looked sick. Joker with a lawn dart headbutt to Terryâs chest, and that gets 2. That was really cool. Michinoku Driver by Joker, and Terry just barely kicks out. Terry reverses a suplex into a roll up for 2. Dropkick by Terry, and the 619 to the midsection. He flips into the ring for a roll up and Joker kicks out.
Terry hits a Bridging German Suplex to Joker, and gets the win. Not bad for the time given. The gimmicks coming in seemed silly, but the work was really good. More people should do that Self Lawn Dart spot. Itâs wild.
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship: Yoshinobu Kanemaru © vs. KENTA
Iâm curious about this one. I hear this one is awesome, but Iâm skeptical. Iâve only seen Kanemaruâs work in New Japan, and I think itâs terrible. KENTA is a legend, though. Letâs check it out.
KENTA with a huge boot to the face right away, and both men are swinging hard. Kanemaru with a huge boot to the face, and KENTA with one of his own. Both men return to their corners, staring a hole in the other. They lock up, and Kanemaru avoids a kick to the head. Another lock up, and Kanemaru takes control of the arm. They roll around on the mat, and reach a stalemate. Kanemaru focuses on the left leg of KENTA, wrapping it in his own legs. Kanemaru forces KENTA into the turnbuckle, and drives his knee into the midsection. KENTA avoids a crossbody from the middle rope, and Kanemaru appears to have hurt himself.
KENTA zeroes in on the injured midsection, and kicks at his back. He throws Kanemaru to the outside, then hammerlocks his arm and tosses him against the steel ring post. He brings him back inside the ring, and gets a nearfall off of that exchange. KENTA hammerlocks the arm again, looking for almost like a Kimura Lock submission. Kanemaru is back to his feet, and eats an elbow. KENTA with a middle rope hurricanrana, and an arm drag. KENTA goes back to the arm, driving his knee into it.
Huge kicks to the arm by KENTA. He tries to irish whip Kanemaru, who collapses due to the pain in his arm. KENTA shows no remorse and continues his attack. Another kick to the arm, and another, and another, and another. Kanemaru bumps his chest, asking for more. KENTA gives him a crisp arm drag, and hammerlocks the arm again on the mat. Now KENTA hyper extends the arm, and looks for an armbar. Another kick that sends Kanemaru flying into the turnbuckle.
KENTA lifts Kanemaru and places him on the top rope. Kanemaru forearms him down, but KENTA is back up there. Kanemaru connects with a facebuster DDT from the top, and KENTA rolls to the outside. Kanemaru jumps off the apron and hits a DDT to the floor to KENTA. Back in the ring, Kanemaru with a snap mare to KENTA, then right into a leg scissors around the head. KENTA gets to the ropes, then rolls to the outside again.
Kanemaru sends him headfirst into the barricade, then drops a knee across the back of his head. In the ring, Kanemaru gets a sleeper hold in, and grapevines the midsection with his legs. Kanemaru hangs KENTA upside down in the corner, then hits a running dropkick to his face. He makes the cover, and KENTA kicks out. Camel Clutch submission follows, as Kanemaru grinds away at KENTAâs face. KENTA escapes and hits a back suplex.
Kanemaru kicks KENTA from the corner, and eats a kick to the chest following a middle rope dive. KENTA with a nice scoop slam to a rushing Kanemaru. KENTA with kicks to the chest, and a running kick to the face. He springboards off the ropes with a double stomp to the back of the head. It only gets 2. KENTA with light kicks to the head, and hard ones to the chest. A running boot to the skull follows. He lifts Kanemaru up for the Brainbuster, but Kanemaru fights it off. KENTA goes to the top for a hurricanrana, but Kanemaru catches him in a powerbomb for 2.
Kanemaru goes to the top rope, and hits a frog splash for 2. Middle rope DDT spikes KENTA to the mat, and heâs still able to kick out. Kanemaru misses a top rope moonsault, and KENTA hits a fisherman suplex. Both men are down, as the crowd cheers wildly. KENTA with a bridging German Suplex for a nearfall. Powerslam by KENTA, followed by a top rope knee drop attempt, blocked by Kanemaruâs boot.
The champion dives off the top rope into a GTS attempt, but he escapes and still walks into a Tiger Suplex from KENTA, which gets a nearfall. Hard slaps and kicks from KENTA, and Kanemaru kicks his legs out. Suplex from the champion, and KENTA is immediately up with the Busaiku Knee! What an exchange! At certain angles, Kanemaru almost looks like a younger Tomohiro Ishii. Big forearms from both men, who look out of it. Kanemaru hits the Brainbuster, and KENTA kicks out!
Power slam by the champion, and he connects with the moonsault this time, but KENTA still kicks out. Another brainbuster by Kanemaru, and KENTA still kicks out! Kanemaru places KENTA on the top rope, and KENTA reverses him into a fisherman suplex! KENTA makes the cover, and Kanemaru kicks out. Buckle Bomb by KENTA, and a reverse powerbomb. Sit out Powerbomb by KENTA, and the champion kicks out.
More hard strikes from KENTA, and Kanemaru rolls him up for a close 2 count. Busaiku Knee connects, and another from KENTA that turns Kanemaru inside out! He somehow kicks out at 2.9! KENTA lifts him and hits the GTS! He covers, and Kanemaru kicks out again! Hard palm strikes, and some kicks, and a 3rd Busaiku Knee from KENTA! This time, itâs enough to win the championship!
It certainly went into ridiculous mode towards the end, but the work was so damn good and fast, that I donât consider it a negative! Wonderful match that had the crowd eating good by the end. This is KENTAâs first reign as champion. It was so fast and furious at times, but both men knew when to slow it down and really tell the story. I will definitely be checking out more Kanemaru matches from this era, because this guy could wrestle his ass off! Both guys hit each other so hard, Iâm surprised they walked away from this. An exciting blitz that built over time. I highly recommend this one.
- GHC Tag Team Championships: Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji © vs. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Hashi
Hashi starts with a clothesline to Marufuji, then knocks Suzuki off the apron. Dropkick to the legs by Marufuji, and one to the face. Hashi clotheslines him off the apron, to the floor. He goes to the top rope, and dives to the floor with a headbutt to Marufuji! Back in the ring, Hashi gets a nearfall, then tags in Akiyama. Marufuji tags in Suzuki. They tentatively lock up, and Akiyama gets Suzuki against the ropes. Clean break.
Suzuki with boots and knees to the midsection, and then he slaps Akiyama in the face. Akiyama with a kick to the gut, and some hard strikes to Suzuki. They exchange control in the ropes, and break apart again. Akiyama looks annoyed. Suzuki takes control of the arm, and Marufuji tags in. He boots Akiyama in the midsection, as Suzuki holds the chin. Big chop to the chest, and Akiyama doesnât look pleased with this former Junior standout squaring up to him. Running boot from Akiyama, and Hashi tags in.
He clotheslines Marufuji and gets a nearfall. Hard chops in the corner, followed by Mongolian chops, Tenzan/Great O-Khan style. Marufuji with a spinning heel lick. Hashi knocks Suzuki off the apron, and Suzuki just pulls him outside. Hashi with a headbutt, and then Marufuji does a sunset flip powerbomb, sending Hashi right to the floor. They double team Akiyama, and bring him up the entrance ramp. Suzuki with a guillotine choke DDT combo.
The heels celebrate in the ring, as Hashi continues to recover. Akiyama is just out. Hashi returns to the ring, and Marufuji gets a nearfall on him. Suzuki tags in, and drives his knee into the ribs. He follows that with a penalty kick. Suzuki applies the Camel Clutch next. Marufuji comes in to give a dropkick to Hashiâs face. Hashi slaps Suzuki repeatedly, and Suzuki responds in kind. More hard knees to the gut, as Suzuki maintains control. He tags Marufuji in.
They take turns kicking Hashiâs chest in the ropes. Marufuji applies the Cobra Clutch, Gulf War style to Hashi. Thatâs a reference to Sgt. Slaughter, not the war itself, just for clarification. Hashi starts his comeback, then gets bitch slapped by Suzuki, who tags into the match. He taunts Hashi, telling him that his partner is right there. Suzuki slaps him multiple times, and takes a few from Hashi. Suzuki slaps Hashi in the corner, then hits a running dropkick in the corner. Marufuji is in, and he dropkicks an upside down Hashi from the top rope. Powerslam follows, and he hits a frog splash for a nearfall. Hashi finally fights back and hits a suplex to Marufuji. He eats a slap, and then decks him, before finally tagging in Akiyama.
He kicks Suzuki off the apron, then sends Marufuji flying onto Suzuki. He lifts him in for a suplex, avoids a kick, and takes a dropkick to the leg. Suzuki tags in, and dropkicks Akiyama, who responds with a knee to the face. They proceed to slap the hell out of one another. Letâs go! Neither man will let up. Hashi tags in, and headbutts Suzuki. Mongolian chops connect, and more chops to the chest. Suzuki comes back with some kicks to the chest. Hashi catches a kick and tries a suplex, but Suzuki reverses it into the Octopus Stretch.
Akiyama breaks the submission up. Suzuki kicks at Hashi, and eats an enziguri. Akiyama and Marufuji tag in. Marufuji dropkicks Akiyama, then hits a diving elbow in the corner. Akiyama with a high back body drop, followed by a powerbomb that gets a 2 count. He goes right into the guillotine choke. Suzuki comes in and stomps on his face to break it up. Hashi comes in and brings Suzuki to the apron. Scorpion Deathdrop by Hashi! On the top rope, Marufuji misses a hurricanrana on Akiyama, but manages to dropkick him on the way down.
Marufuji goes for Sliced Bread, and Akiyama avoids it. Running knee connects, followed by the Exploder Suplex. Hashi tags in, and hits the diving headbutt from the top rope. It gets a nearfall. Spinning heel kick in the corner, followed by a powerbomb. Suzuki breaks up the pin. Huge lariat by Hashi to Marufuji! Kiwi Crusher by Hashi, and it only gets 2. Akiyama is preventing Suzuki from coming in. Hashi places Marufuji on the top rope.
He tries a back suplex, but Marufuji lands on his feet. Jumping kick to the head, then Sliced Bread connects! Superkick connects, and he places Hashi on the top rope. Akiyama comes in, and back suplexes Marufuji down. Hashi hits the diving headbutt, and Suzuki breaks up the pin. Slap battle between Akiyama and Suzuki. Marufuji uses Suzuki to hit the Sliced Bread on Akiyama! Hashi is fighting both of the champions, but they quickly overwhelm him. Superkick/slap combo, and Suzuki hits the Gotch Style Piledriver on Hashi. Marufuji with a top rope dropkick, and Akiyama breaks up the pin.
Hashi is busted open. Suzuki places him on the top rope. Superkick by Marufuji. Suzuki grabs Akiyama and holds him against the ropes, while Marufuji hits the Sliced Bread to Hashi from the top rope for the win! Overall, I thought that was a pretty good match. The closing stretch was white hot! Everybody got a chance to look good, especially Hashi, who had great babyface fire in this match. Suzuki and Marufuji have great chemistry as a team. Itâs crazy that they would be bitter rivals a decade after this. This was given a lot of time, and all four men made the most of that.
- GHC Heavyweight Championship: Takeshi Rikio © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Fun fact: Card placement in Japanese wrestling is important. In America, it doesnât really matter where you are on the card â the exception being 2nd on a WrestleMania main card. Just ask Kevin Owens. But generally, your placement on the card isnât that big of a deal. Take SummerSlam 2015, for example. The Seth Rollins/John Cena match for the WWE Championship and the United States Championship was 7th on that card, like this one, but that wasnât considered a negative. It was still an important match, and it absolutely delivered big time â well, if you forget about that stupid Jon Stewart ending. But in Japan, your placement on the card is a way of the company telling you what your worth is at that point and time. So, for the GHC Heavyweight Championship match being 7th on this show, and then being followed by three standard singles matches that had nothing on the line, is telling of what Pro Wrestling NOAH thought of Takeshi Rikio as their top champion. This is the same man who dethroned Kenta Kobashi earlier in the year to become champion, and ended the longest heavyweight title reign in Japanese history. History says he flopped big time as NOAHâs ace. But, Iâm going into this with an open mind, because Iâve never seen him wrestle before.
Also, itâs a baby, pre-Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi! It canât be that bad, right?
My first impression of seeing Rikio here is that he looks like a fusion of Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Yuji Nagata. This is less than a year before I watched Tanahashi wrestle for the first time, during TNAâs Final Resolution PPV against AJ Styles.
Tana takes control of the back quickly. They exchange control of the arms, and Rikio is the first to break free. Clean break from both. Tana slaps Rikio, and avoids a hard right hand to slap him again. Rikio kicks him in the gut, and forearms him hard. Tana takes the side headlock, and Rikio shoulder tackles him hard. Tana tries a crossbody, but Rikio catches him. Tana uses his weight to force a pin, and Rikio kicks out.
They exchange control of the other in the ropes. Big forearms from Rikio, followed by a hard back elbow. Rikio goes right into a chin lock. Tana is up and hammerlocks the arm, then transitions to a side headlock. Rikio gets Tana in the corner and unloads with hard shots. Tana boots him out of the corner, and Rikio bearhugs Tana and looks for a suplex, but Tana gets a small package pin off for 2. Rikio shoulder tackles Tana down.
Tana dropkicks Rikio off the apron and to the outside. The champion is quick to return to the ring, and eat a flying forearm, senton, and flipping senton from Tana for 2. Rikio avoids a sleeper hold with a back suplex, and follows with a shoulder tackle. He slaps the shit out of Tana, then puts him in a sleeper hold. He transitions to a Dragon Sleeper submission next. Tana gets his feet on the ropes to break it. Rikio with a clothesline in the corner, and another.
Crossbody from the top connects, and Rikio gets a nearfall off of that. Rikio lifts Tana up for a delayed suplex, and that also gets a nearfall. Rikio hits Tana with a buckle bomb next. He places Tana on the top rope, and Tana elbows him back to the mat. Tana with a crossbody to Rikio, then a dropkick that sends him to the outside. Tana then hits a Tope to Rikio so hard, that Tana nearly goes over the barricade and onto the commentary tables.
Tana hits two more, and on the third, heâs laying across the tables now. Back in the ring, Tana hits a shotgun dropkick from the top rope onto Rikio. German Suplex connects three times, and Tana only gets 2 off of that. He tries for another, and Rikio elbows his way free. Tana manages to lock in a sleeper hold next, transitioning to a Dragon Sleeper. Heâs copying Rikio! He hammerlocks the arm around his leg, and applies the submission even tighter.
Rikio gets to the ropes, and avoids a kick from Tana, who grabs him and rolls him up for 2. Tana tries a small package, but Rikio lifts him up for a powerslam. Tana escapes, and bitch slaps Rikio. Sling Blade connects! It only gets 2. Rikio explodes off the ropes with a huge lariat. Big slap exchange between the two follows, and Rikio seems to have the advantage. He lifts Tana up and hits a high powerbomb for a nearfall. Tana cradles Rikio for a close nearfall. The champion pounces him into the turnbuckle, and unloads with slaps to the face. Lariat connects, and Tana just barely kicks out. Rikio connects with the side slam, and gets the win to retain the championship.
That was a pretty good, hard hitting match. The issue is that this never once felt like a match for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. It just felt like a match between two wrestlers, nothing special or anything to distinguish it from the rest of the show. This wouldâve fit in perfectly somewhere in the first four matches on this show. Tana wasnât quite yet the Ace of the Universe, but he looked good here. Rikio, to his credit, came off like a badass in his performance. He just never felt like the man the company should be built around.
I think about John Cenaâs promo on Roman Reigns in 2017. âYouâre not THE guy. Dude, youâre just A guy.â Thatâs the impression I get about Takeshi Rikio. He just seems like a guy, like any guy, and not the person who ended Kenta Kobashiâs legendary reign as champion. He almost reminds me of Tomohiro Ishii, or Hirooki Goto. Heâs a reliable wrestler who can have a banger with just about anyone, but he doesnât have that aura that is required to be considered the Ace of a promotion. I donât say that was an insult. Itâs just how it is.
- Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yoshinari Ogawa
The first of the trio of dream matches that round out this event. Tenryu was the Ace of All Japan Pro Wrestling until his departure in the early 1990s. Ogawa was one of Tenryuâs proteges back in the day, and is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion due to his cleverness.
The bell sounds, and they lock up. Stalemate. Another lock up, and Tenryu forces Ogawa into the ropes, and gives a clean break. Ogawa offers his hand out, and kicks Tenryu low. He responds with hard chops to the chest of Ogawa. Big clothesline by Tenryu. Ogawa lures Tenryu to the outside, then scurries back inside. Tenryu takes the arm, and Ogawa is quick to bring Tenryu to the mat. Chop by Tenryu, and a shoulder tackle.
Ogawa dropkicks the legs out from underneath him. He goes to the outside and drags Tenryu to the ring post, and swings his leg against the steel. He applies the Figure Four Leglock in the ring post, Bret Hart style. He twists Tenryuâs leg up in the ropes, and sends his knee into it repeatedly. Tenryu fights back and gives Ogawa some hard chops. Ogawa sends Tenryuâs face into the turnbuckle repeatedly, and Ogawa responds by stretching Tenryuâs arms behind his back.
Enziguri by Tenryu, and now heâs got Ogawaâs arms trapped behind him. He stomps Ogawaâs head and gets him on the apron. Ogawa gets a leg scissors in on Tenryuâs head, then pulls him out of the ring and over the barricade. Ogawa grabs a table and places it against the apron. Tenryu fights backs and smashes his head against the table instead. Back in the ring, Tenryu hits a lariat to Ogawa, which gets a nearfall.
Ogawa kicks his way out of a piledriver, then hits an enziguri. Back suplex follows, followed by some light kicks to the head. Another back suplex into a pin, and itâs only 2. Ogawaâs chops are doing nothing, and Tenryu hits a clothesline for 2. Another lariat, and Ogawa kicks out again. Brainbuster by Tenryu, and Ogawa kicks out again. Another lariat, and thatâs it.
That was certainly a match that happened. The work was inoffensive, but that didnât feel important enough to go ahead of Rikio/Tanahashi. The ending was dry as hell, too. You can skip this.
- Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki
Itâs the match that everyone knows from this show. A true dream match between two of the most badass men to ever come out of Japan. Kobashi, fresh off of his legendary GHC Heavyweight Championship run, looks to continue NOAHâs momentum by having as many awesome dream matches as he can to keep the word out there for the promotion. His opponent? Kensuke Sasaki, now a freelancer, but a man known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. These are two beefy, bulky men, who are very good at throwing their opponents around at will. Iâm sure this will be fun.
The bell rings, and this dream showdown is under way. They lock up in the middle, and Sasaki is quick with a back suplex that drops Kobashi! This man is not fucking around! He stomps at Kobashiâs back, and the Iron Man slowly stands up and stares a hole in him. Both men exchange chops, before Sasaki takes the side headlock. Kobashi hits a nice back suplex, and Sasaki is back up with a huge clothesline! Both men roll to the outside to collect themselves.
They make eye contact, and they talk some smack, before reentering the ring. The crowd loves this! Both men engage in a test of strength, and neither is able to get the upper hand for long. Sasaki suplexes Kobashi and both men are at a stalemate once again. They lock up, and Kobashi has Sasaki against the ropes. He hits a hard chop to the chest, and then drives his knee into the midsection. He chops Sasaki to the mat, and follows with a series of falling chops that gets a nearfall.
Kobashi traps Sasaki in a chin lock next. He drags Sasaki to the apron, and hits a falling chop to his chest several more times. A DDT to the floor follows that. Kobashi reenters the ring, then flies to the outside with a crossbody onto Sasaki. Back in the ring, Kobashi chops Sasaki and looks for a guillotine submission, before Sasaki pushes him into the corner and unloads with a series of chops and short arm clotheslines. He places Kobashi on the top rope and brings him down with a hurricanrana!
Sasaki is quick to return to the top. He comes off with a flying clothesline to drop Kobashi for a 2 count. Kobashi rolls to the outside, and Sasaki is once again up to the top rope. He hits a flying crossbody to the Iron Man. Sasaki brings him back into the ring and gets a nearfall. Sasaki with a hard chop, before hitting a bulldog to Kobashi out of the corner. Kobashi kicks out at 1, and both men are in each otherâs faces.
Kobashi unloads with several hard chops, and Sasaki responds in kind. What happens next is truly amazing. For the next three minutes, Kobashi and Sasaki chop each other very hard in the chest, and it totals to 188 times! The best part is that the crowd doesnât lose interest for one single second! Even better is that neither man seems winded after the exchange! Well, not much else is going on right now, so letâs kill some time while these two chop the ever loving shit out of each other.
Did you know that Bret Hart believes chops are the dumbest move in pro wrestling? His philosophy on it is that in wrestling, the objective is to protect your opponent, while telling the audience a believable story. A chop is a move that physically hurts your opponent, no way around it. And to him, if youâre intentionally hurting your opponent like that, then youâre ruining the match. Listen, I respect Bret Hart more than most, but watching Kobashi and Sasaki chop the fuck out of each other is just really entertaining. Plus, neither man is truly human, so are they really hurt by this?
Anyway, back to the match. Kobashiâs last chop is the one that drops Sasaki, and Kobashi falls with him. Both men are up, and Sasaki hits a scoop slam to Kobashi. Sasaki is back on the top rope, but Kobashi is quick to meet him up there. He drops Sasaki with a suplex to the mat, and Sasaki is right back to his feet! He runs into Kobashi, who nails a half nelson suplex to keep him down. One more from Kobashi, who is bleeding slightly now. Kobashi has Sasaki on the apron for an attack, and he hits several side chops to the head to send him to the floor. More chops to the head, but Sasaki catches him in a Northern Lights Bomb and drops him right on his damn head! The camera pans to the audience, where Kensuke Sasakiâs wife is watching. His wife? Joshi legend Akira Hokuto!
Sasaki rolls into the ring, and Kobashi barely makes it back in before getting counted out! Sasaki traps Kobashiâs arms for a Tiger Suplex, and despite some resistance, hits it and gets a close nearfall off of it. Sasaki comes off the ropes with a heavy clothesline that also gets a close nearfall. The crowd is nuclear for this. Sasaki goes for a powerbomb, but Kobashi slips out and hits a nice clothesline! Both men are up, and Sasaki hits a fucking Judo throw to Kobashi, before locking in an arm submission, while also putting pressure on the neck.
Kobashi gets to the bottom rope to break the hold. Sasaki stomps at Kobashi, and comes off the ropes for a clothesline. Kobashi stops him with a chop, and then drops him with a brainbuster! Sasaki is right back up and hits a Northern Lights Bomb! Both are back up now and knock each other down with clotheslines! Sasaki hits a clothesline to the back of Kobashi, but heâs quick to respond with a sleeper suplex that drops Sasaki on his head. Kobashi lifts Sasaki up and hits the Lariat for a close 2 count. He drops Sasaki with a power slam, then scales the top for a wicked moonsault! Sasaki barely kicks out!
Sasaki attempts a lariat, but Kobashi stops him with spinning back hand chops to the head, and then follows those with another Lariat, and thatâs enough for the 3! Kobashi wins the battle of meat! Post match, Kobashi and Sasaki embrace in the ring with a hug. Nothing but respect shown between the two muscle men. They raise their arms together, and they shake hands before Kobashi leaves to celebrate. That was so fucking fun. Just two big motherfuckers having a contest of who can hit the other harder. Simple wrestling like that is just so fun to watch. Not every match needs to be steeped in deep psychology, or have sensical selling, or have some serious storytelling. Sometimes, you just want to watch two hosses collide in the middle of the ring! Thatâs exactly what this accomplished, and then some.
Kenta Kobashi is obviously a god of professional wrestling, but Kensuke Sasaki held his own here, and was just as much of a badass as Kobashi was. Both men unloaded bombs on the other from the beginning of this right up the final strike. Their pride got in the way of common sense, so both men took an incredible amount of damage, but they just kept getting up and took some more. This match is a great example of what âfighting spiritâ looks like. If youâre taking heavy damage, you grit your teeth and return it in full.
The three minute chop war has to be seen to be believed. Time stopped and these guys stood in a ring in front of 62,000 fans and just chopped the otherâs chest as hard as they could. Itâs incredible, and itâs one of those meme worthy wrestling clips that you show to a non-fan with zero context. How either man was breathing normal for the rest of the match after that is crazy to me. Kobashi had to work hard to put Sasaki away, as he was not an easy opponent to keep down. But in the end, the Iron Man prevailed.
Both of these guys spent the entire match trying to prove who was stronger than the other, and that game made for a very entertaining contest. I recommend watching this match with the sound on, because the pure joy that the fans inside the Tokyo Dome feel while watching this is enough to make you smile
- Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada The main event, and the selling point for this massive Tokyo Dome event. The long time rivals, the men whoâs hatred for the other helped propel All Japan Pro Wrestling to unseen heights in the 1990s, would have their last ever singles meeting. A combination of the All Japan/NOAH split in 2000, and the real life tension between the two, had many fans believing that these two would never share a ring together. But in January of 2005, Kawada showed up at a NOAH event, and declared that he wanted one more match with the Emerald Emperor. Itâs no wonder that this show drew what it did â fans went ape shit at just the thought of seeing these two collide one more time.
The bell sounds, and the Dome explodes with elation! The two rivals stare the other down, and then they lock up. Kawada forces Misawa into the ropes, and we get a clean break. Another lock up, and Misawa now gets Kawada in the ropes. A second clean break, and Kawada makes the first move to kick Misawa. He fakes a shot to Kawada, and they back away. Another lock up, and Kawada chops Misawa, who responds with a forearm. Nice exchange between the two.
Kawada kicks Misawa in the face, and Misawa forearms Kawada. Nice kick to the face by Kawada that drops Misawa. Kawada grabs the leg and stomps the back of Misawaâs head, then applies a Half Boston Crab. Kawada transitions to a Surfboard Lock. He kicks Misawa in the chest, and Misawa responds with forearms. Kawada kicks him in the face, and Misawa drops him with a forearm. Tiger Driver early, and Kawada kicks out at 1!
Misawa comes off the top rope with a frog splash for 2. Misawa applies a neck crank next, and Kawada gets his foot on the bottom rope. Elbows to the back of the head by Misawa, and Kawada responds with hard slaps to the face. Power slam, and several boots to the face follow by Dangerous K. On the floor, Kawada peels away the padding, and connects with several Kawada Kicks. Misawa fights back with forearms, then drops Kawada with the Tiger Driver!
Back in the ring, Misawa gets a nearfall. He comes off the middle rope with a shotgun dropkick to Kawadaâs side. Next, Misawa gets a rear naked choke submission in. He goes to irish whip Kawada, who collapses. Kawada recovers and boots Misawa in the face several times, then hits a running boot to drop him. Misawa is right back up with a forearm, and Kawada kicks him in the side of the face. Kawada connects with a Helluva Kick in the corner, followed by more kicks to the chest and the head.
Both men are on the apron now, and Kawada slaps Misawa in the face. Misawa fights back with forearms and attempts a Tiger Driver on the apron, but Kawada fights it off. Misawa tries for a diving elbow, and Kawada cuts him off with a strike of his own. Now on the floor, Kawada brings Misawa up to the entrance ramp, and powerslams Misawa on it. Further up, Kawada lands a jumping kick to Misawaâs head.
Kawada lifts Misawa up and hits a thunderous powerbomb on the ramp! Kawada thinks of returning to the ring, but he instead goes to grab Misawa and bring him back to the ring. He will not accept a countout as a win! Kawada with several kicks to the legs, followed by one to the head. A clothesline follows, and that gets him a nearfall. Both men trade forearms, and neither will relent. Misawa even screams at Kawada with his shots! Kawada drops Misawa with a kick to the chest.
Stretch Plum is in from Kawada. He makes the cover, and Misawa kicks out. Slap to the back, and a German Suplex that spikes Misawa. Heâs right back up with a series of forearms, but Kawada drops him with another! Misawa with another forearm, and Kawada with a jumping kick! Kawada with a lariat to the back of the head, and a jumping kick right to the face! He makes the cover, and Misawa kicks out. Kawada drops Misawa with a brainbuster, but thatâs not enough to keep him down. He just barely lifts Misawa up for a powerbomb, and again he kicks out. Misawa avoids a PK, but canât avoid the kick to the back. Kawada lifts Misawa up and hits the Gonzo Bomb, spiking the poor guy on the top of his head! Misawa again kicks out. How is this guy human? Misawa blocks a powerbomb with a hurricanrana, nearly losing his tights in the process.
Misawa with a forearm, and another that drops Kawada. It only gets a 2 count. Kawada avoids a powerslam, but walks into two forearms. Kawada blocks the Emerald Flowsion, and eats another forearm. Misawa connects with Emerald Flowsion, and Kawada kicks out! Misawa connects with a Tiger Suplex, and follows with the Tiger Driver 91! He makes the cover, and Kawada kicks out again. Back to their feet, another forearm exchange, and a back elbow strike from Misawa. Kawada kicks out at 1!
Kawada kicks Misawaâs leg with intent, and Misawa forearms with intent. Misawa drops Kawada again with a forearm, and again, Kawada kicks out. Misawa continues his forearm onslaught, but Kawada continues to push forward. He starts to throw bombs now, but Misawa will not let up. He rushes out of the corner with a forearm, and thatâs finally enough to keep Kawada down for the 3, one last time.
That wasnât their best effort of all time, and it wasnât the most creative, especially down the stretch. But, considering that these two were past their primes here, you cannot deny the effort here. Both men came to play, and they made every shot count. You could tell that victory â potentially the last victory over the other â meant a lot to them. But as it was for a lot of the 1990s, Misawa simply had just a little more in the tank than Kawada. For historical reasons, this is must see. Itâs one of the most influential rivalries in wrestling, and it got a proper farewell here on the biggest stage possible.
And, thatâs it for Pro Wrestling NOAH: Destiny! Overall, that was an enjoyable show! The opening four matches are what youâd expect from a Japanese wrestling show: inoffensive, good work, but nothing important. The show really gets going when KENTA and Yoshinobu Kanemaru start beating the shit out of each other in a classic Junior Heavyweight showdown. From there, you have a good Tag Title match, a good Heavyweight Title match despite the relative disappointment surrounding Takeshi Rikio, and a dud of a match between Genichiro Tenryu and Yoshinari Ogawa.
The most important match youâll see from this show is easily Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki. An absolute blitz of a match, the definition of Meat Madness! Itâs the stuff of legend for a reason, and it is necessary viewing for anyone trying to get into Japanese wrestling. Itâs even better to show to someone who isnât familiar with wrestling at all! And to top it off, a historic final confrontation in one of wrestlingâs all time greatest feuds between Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. Itâs not their best, but itâs their last, and like all their past matches, they give it the best they got.
This show is considered the final peak of Pro Wrestling NOAH, and the coming years and decades would be a mixed bag. From the struggle to find a new Ace, to Mitsuharu Misawaâs tragic passing in 2009, to the Yazuka scandal in the early 2010s, to Suzuki-gunâs dominance that nearly bankrupted the promotion, and of course the COVID pandemic that crippled Puroresu in 2020, NOAH has soldiered on despite the setbacks. Though one has to wonder if the promotion will ever see the heights they reached during the early 2000s. I personally hope that one day, they do.