NJPW’s Ryohei Oiwa Makes History in Debut for Pro-Wrestling NOAH
NJPW’s Ryohei Oiwa Makes History in Debut for Pro-Wrestling NOAH
By: Thom Fain
It was a new look, new league for Ryohei Oiwa at the 2023 N1-Victory Final. Forgoing a trip overseas to room with Yuya Uemura in Florida and deciding against the tried and true sojourn through Britain as a part-timer in RevPro, Oiwa opted to instead wrestle for a rival, domestic promotion. It’s a groundbreaking decision no other NJPW Young Lion had previously done before Sunday night. If this is what graduation looks like for Oiwa, he’s done it summa cum laude.
Commentators Stewart Fulton and Mark Pickering noted the impressive physique of the 24-year-old who elicited some of the loudest cheers of the night (up to that point) after watching from the ring apron for several minutes as a returning Zack Sabre Jr. and STINGER’s timeless veteran Yoshinari Ogawa tore Kaito Kiyomiya apart, limb by limb with vicious, technical wrestling and tandem offense.
Once tagged in, Oiwa name’s reverberated in the arena (receiving the proverbial rub by those aboard the Ark) and he showed off exactly why the company had faith in graduating him as he put on display a mix of power slams, hard strikes, suplex variants and a quickness that speaks to his peak conditioning. Oiwa waited most of the match to tag in, as the “Supernova” Kiyomiya took yet another beat down by a NJPW talent, a common theme for a man who carried the GHC Heavyweight Title to start the year.
For his part, ZSJ continued what has become one of the strongest foreigner runs in recent puroresu history. The British superstar told Monthly Puroresu earlier this year that he has no plans to wrestle anywhere else but NJPW long-term, but looked right at home in the emerald ring and his technical prowess put the crowd on its feet throughout. Writing after the match, Tokyo Sports commented that Zack is the best technician in the world and watching him in NOAH it’s hard for anyone to argue.
If the mission was to make everyone involved – especially Oiwa – look like a million bucks, ZSJ can pat himself on the back and smash some cans of Sapporo. This was a proof-of-concept for an excursion and talent exchange that so obviously benefits everyone all around, especially as the two promotions continue repairing the once-fractious relationship that was damaged after Sabre Jr.’s former stablemates in Suzuki-gun created years-long friction.
In the match, a stereo dropkick by the hot young tag-team followed by a vicious Shining Wizard from Kiyomiya would prove to be difference in this war of attrition, giving NOAH’s golden boy some much-needed bragging rights after infiltrating NJPW’s G1 Climax during a run that received mixed reviews.
“These two could be future tag-team, absolute stars!” English commentator Stewart Fulton exclaimed. “That was a very impressive start [to this interleague partnership]”
Oiwa is another in a long list of next-generation talent primed to bring New Japan into its next generation. NJPW President Takami Ohbari recently sat down with us to talk about his perspective on business in an interview you can read here.
Full N1 Victory 2023 Results
- 2023 N-1 Victory Tournament Final: Go Shiozaki def. Kenoh
- Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa def. Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinari Ogawa
- GHC Martial Arts Rules: Josh Barnett def. Masakatsu Funaki
- Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura & Masa Kitamiya def. Yoshiki Inamura, Yuka Yoshioka & Yuma Anzai
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Chris Ridgeway & Daga (c) def. Atsushi Kotoge & HIROKI
- Good Looking Guys (Anthony Greene, Jack Morris & Jake Lee) def. Saxon Huxley, Hideki Suzuki & Timothy Thatcher
- Four-Way Survival Match: Dragon Bane def. Ninja Mack and Alejandro and Alpha Wolf
- Seiki Yoshioka, Shuji Kondo & Manabu Soya def. Hajime Ohara, Junta Miyawaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima
- El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Lance Anoa’i def. Adam Brooks & Stallion Rogers
- Yuu, Hibiscus Mii & Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Miyuki Takase, Maya Yukihi & Sumire Natsu
- HAYATA & Eita vs. Good Looking Guys (YO-HEY & Tadasuke) — Time Limit Draw
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