Pro Wrestling NOAH returns to Yokohama in their first big event post Keiji Muto’s retirement, and this show could dictate the rest of the year for NOAH. Great Voyage 2023 has three huge title matches, and lots of stuff to look forward to on the undercard. We could also see an appearance from a certain Executive Director. Let’s dive into this card.
NOAH Great Voyage 2023 in Yokohama Card
FIGHT DAY!
🟢 NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama 2023
📺 Watch LIVE on #wrestleUNIVERSE
🎙 English commentary
🛎 16.00 🇯🇵#gv2023 #noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/gkI9VJfwT0— Pro Wrestling NOAH Global (@noahglobal) March 18, 2023
- Taishi Ozawa vs Yasutaka Yano
- Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Seiki Yoshioka, and Alejandro vs Hajime Ohara, Hi69, Tadasuke, and Shuji Kondo
- Saxon Huxley and Hideki Suzuki vs Yoshiki Inamura and Muhammad Yone
- Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kinya Okada
- Takashi Sugira vs Shuhei Taniguchi
- Jack Morris and Anthony Greene vs Naomichi Marufuji and Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr
- AMAKUSA and Ninja Mack vs Xtreme Tiger and Lanzelot
- GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Eita and Yoshinari Ogawa(c) vs Chris Ridgeway and HAYATA
- GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba(c) vs Kenoh and Manabu Soya
- GHC Heavyweight Championship: Kaito Kiyomiya(c) vs Jake Lee
GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Eita and Yoshinari Ogawa (c) vs Chris Ridgeway and HAYATA
Another chapter in the never-ending cycle of STINGER teasing a breakup, and this time it’s because of Eita. Chris and HAYATA are dead set on not working with Eita and want Ogawa to open his eyes and see this. While Eita has expressed that he doesn’t trust any of them, but he doesn’t plan on giving up the Jr. Tag Belts. Hard to be excited about this, because STINGER teases a breakup every other month at this rate. Not only that, but it’s bringing down the value of the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. If they just did this feud without the belts it would be fine, but here we are.
The high points for the jr. tag belts for these past two years have been when they’ve been away from STINGER, and hopefully, after this match, we can get back to that. Hopefully, we can get a definitive end to this STINGER story as well, but we will just have to wait and see.
GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Masa Kitamiya and Daiki Inaba (c) vs Kenoh and Manabu Soya
This match has many implications not just in NOAH, but also in All Japan. To the point, it has frustrated Masa Kitamiya because he doesn’t want to worry about outside things ahead of this big title match. Such as the continuous taunting from All Japan’s ace Kento Miyahara. Kenoh and Manabu Soya will be challenging for the AJPW World Tag Team Championships two days after this, and are looking to unify both tag belts. On top of this, Kenoh has invited Executive Director, Kohei Suwama to watch this tag title match up close and personal. Despite all of this both teams have not let this tag title match get out of their view.
The KONGO team looks firmly in the driver’s seat with Kenoh speaking out about how NOAH doesn’t have faith in the current champion team, while Manabu Soya has been dominant all year. Inaba and Masa once again find themselves with their backs against the wall, but they’re not ready to surrender the belts quite yet. Despite the dominance in the lead-up, Soya and Kenoh have had poor luck with capturing the heavyweight tag titles, especially in recent times. That’s one thing that puts the current champions ahead of them, they’ve proven themselves capable of getting the job done. Both teams are strong in their own right, but ultimately it’ll be about who wants it more at Great Voyage 2023.
GHC Heavyweight Championship: Kaito Kiyomiya (c) vs Jake Lee
📣 3/19 Yokohama Budokan FULL CARD🔥
🟢 GREAT VOYAGE 2023 in YOKOHAMA
🔘 MAIN EVENT
👑 GHC Heavyweight Championship@noah_kiyomiya (c) – 5th defence
🆚@JakeLee19890119 (Challenger)📺 Watch LIVE on #wrestleUNIVERSE
🎙 English commentary
🛎 16.00 🇯🇵#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/s3xSJf88DE— Pro Wrestling NOAH Global (@noahglobal) March 18, 2023
Kaito Kiyomiya is coming off a stunning loss to IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada. Some people came away with the impression that the GHC is lower than IWGP, but many people believe that’s not true including Jake Lee. Jake Lee believes that the GHC is a heavy burden for Kaito Kiyomiya and that he should give the belt up and go get some rest. Jake has honestly been the most intriguing character in the lead-up to this match with some of the comments. Viewing the GHC as a symbol of freedom, and one of the contributing factors to his coming to NOAH. Kaito might be vulnerable right now, but Jake is very strong. Undefeated since he’s come to NOAH, coupled with the hunger he has to take the GHC and he’s a dangerous man that Kaito shouldn’t take lightly.
This also poses a big test for Kaito, and I’m not talking about the fact it’s his first singles since the Okada match so he needs to win. Kaito has to beat Jake Lee to prove something to himself, and further cement himself as a great champion. Not only is Jake undefeated, but he’s a former two-time AJPW Triple Crown Champion. That’s big enough in itself, and now Kaito must not only fight to take down someone with the accolades Jake Lee has. He must continue to bloom into that ace figure that many believe he can be.
How to Watch NOAH Great Voyage 2023
NOAH Great Voyage will be streamed on Wrestle Universe on March 19th starting at 4pm.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch Pro Wrestling NOAH as well as DDT, TJPW, and more on Wrestle Universe.
