Katsuhiko Nakajima’s Long Road to Victory

By: Jamie Johnson

Katsuhiko Nakajima’s NOAH N-1 Victory glory. How he got here, why it matters …and a taste of what’s to come from the new GHC Heavyweight Champion.

Block based tournaments are the undeniable lynchpin of Japanese pro wrestling, with each top promotion boasting their own tournament each year. The emerald king of puro, Pro Wrestling NOAH, is no exception as they put the N-1 Victory on their calendar. Formally known as the Global League, the tournament has taken on many varying formats over the twelve installments.

A New Look N-1 Victory Tournament

2021’s tournament was the first to sway from the traditional two block format, with A and B blocks being accompanied by additional C and D blocks. With each containing only four wrestlers, the format was more akin to that of a football World Cup or European Championships.

The tournament was a hybrid of empty arenas and COVID restriction venues. The opening and closing block nights from Korakuen Hall encased a trio of empty arena shows in NOAH’s Kawasaki-based studio.

This year’s Autumn tournament season has been cluttered with New Japan Pro Wrestling holding their sought-after G1 Climax, Stardom their impressive 5 Star Grand Prix, and NOAH their famed N-1. The N-1 Victory glowed brighter than all.

The new four block format led to a beautifully climatic final day, where the semi-finals and final impressed a sold out Korakuen Hall. This served as the best atmosphere in Japan since the precipice of the pandemic. The four block winners, Kaito Kiyomiya (A), Kenoh (B), Katsuhiko Nakajima (C) and Masakatsu Funaki (D), were all standout performers of the tournament. Only one could capture the shiny, silver trophy and stake claim to a GHC Heavyweight Championship match against Naomichi Marufuji.

That one was Katsuhiko Nakajima. Like it does for many protruding stars in tournaments such as the N-1 Victory, Katsuhiko Nakajima’s campaign began on a rocky foot.

The tournament’s opening gambit saw him suffer defeat to the legendary Masato Tanaka. His path to the top of the block became much more challenging as a result. This is often the case with wrestling tournaments, as it creates a more engaging story if the eventual winner stumbles out of the blocks before firing back stronger than before. We all like a comeback story, don’t we?

Given the fact that each wrestler only had three block matches in which to compete, defeat in Nakajima’s second outing would’ve assured disaster. He faced NOAH mainstay and junior heavyweight firecracker Kotaro Suzuki in a gripping match between two very accomplished talents. In the match, shades of Misawa and Kawada’s timeless encounters of the 1990s were as visible as Nakajima’s trademark smirk in what was a worthwhile junior vs heavyweight faceoff. By no means a mix-match, but the heavyweight advantages of Nakajima were as clear as day. Suzuki offered an engaging comeback but the Kongo man secured his much-needed victory.

Then, with the empty arena setting left behind, the Korakuen masses played witness to Katsuhiko Nakajima facing Kazushi Sakuraba in the deciding fixture of the C Block. With Kotaro Suzuki surprising Masato Tanaka via a backslide in a match the night prior, the C Block equation was simple mathematics. If Nakajima won he would top the block, but the same was true for the intense Sakuraba.

With the crowd on tenterhooks, Sakuraba and Nakajima engaged in a thrilling battle of physicality and style. Nakajima’s striking matched Sakuraba’s submission proficiency. Mind games proved Nakajima’s cutting edge, as the repeated submissions of Sakuraba were endured and counteracted by NOAH’s striking king. Nakajima cut his conventionally confident and devious figure as he grinned and pushed away Sakuraba’s handshake in the post-match.

As proud as punch, Nakajima signaled to the ring announcer to reaffirm to the crowd his victory and now semi-final status.

Dropping NOAH’s Legends Like Flies

NOAH re-entered the famed Korakuen Hall with a sell out audience anticipating the critical N-1 Victory finals. After stablemate Kenoh rolled-up Kiyomiya against the run of play in the night’s first semi-final, focus switched to Nakajima’s battle against undefeated Block D winner Masakatsu Funaki.

The entire atmosphere changed as these two entered the ring. A silence of anticipation engulfed Korakuen as Nakajima was tasked with felling another MMA-legend in order book his place in the final. And just like he did to Sakuraba, he felled Funaki with a Vertical Spike. In a match that can aptly be defined as short and sweet, Nakajima and Funaki meshed well with the dynamic of kicks versus leg submissions working on both a physical and psychological level throughout.

With a fittingly hard-fought victory in the books, Nakajima advanced to the final where he faced stablemate and staunch ally Kenoh. The pair donned trademark red KONGO t-shirts as the picture of a battle between allies was simply painted. Their chemistry, one-up-man-ship and familiarity oozed through the screen, as they produced a real war in the tournament’s climatic final. It was a match so typical of puroresu, that it’s able to define the very word.

Nakajima and Kenoh gleefully pierced each other with an assortment of strikes, whether it be kicks, knees, forearms, elbows or a particularly exciting palm-strike exchange towards the match’s conclusion.

Nakajima lifting the trophy wasn’t the most predictable outcome, but it was certainly an interesting one. This set up the mouth-watering clash for the GHC Heavyweight Championship with Marufuji. Nakajima created his own piece of history by becoming the first back-to-back N-1 winner.

Much like Macbeth in Shakespeare’s classic, Kenoh demonstrated a fatal amount of hubris as he welcomed Nakajima back to his feet to fight instead of finishing the job. It was this opening, with Kenoh lifting his foot off the gas, that he was caught. Nakajima plunged his stablemate with a Vertical Spike and claimed the coveted prize upon the referee’s three count. This year’s N-1 Victory signaled a positive approach by NOAH, as it placed central focus on younger stars towards the end. With a final four of Kiyomiya, Kenoh, Nakajima and Funaki, at least three out of the four have copious long-term upside. As NOAH continues to predominantly book the likes of Keiji Mutoh and Kazuyuki Fujita, their younger talent have at times been trodden on by baffling booking decisions that keep their momentum stunted.

The N-1 Victory 2021 indicates an all-important turning point for Pro Wrestling NOAH with Katsuhiko Nakajima standing tall and a roster of hungry and talented young wrestlers surrounding him. – the very best of NOAH is now unobstructed for all to see.