{"id":115127,"date":"2022-08-10T14:51:16","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T18:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=115127"},"modified":"2022-08-10T14:51:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T18:51:16","slug":"pro-wrestling-noah-n-1-victory-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/08\/10\/pro-wrestling-noah-n-1-victory-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Wrestling NOAH &#8211; N-1 Victory 2022 Preview and Prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On August 11th,\u00a0<strong>Pro Wrestling NOAH<\/strong> kicks off its annual <strong><em>N-1 Victory<\/em><\/strong> tournament. It\u2019s the spiritual successor to <strong>All Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s <em>Champion Carnival<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and was formerly known as the <em><strong>Global League<\/strong><\/em>. It returns to the two-block format and contains eight competitors in each block. We will take a look at the <em>N-1 Victory 2022<\/em> blocks, a few matches to look forward to, who to watch out for, and of course, our prediction for the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>N-1 Victory 2022 Preview<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A Block:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Kenoh<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Kazuyuki Fujita <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Go Shiozaki <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Hideki Suzuki <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jr<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Masaaki Mochizuki <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Masato Tanaka<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Anthony Greene<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">B Block:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Katsuhiko Nakajima<\/strong> (2020 and 2021 Winner)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Takashi Sugiura<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Satoshi Kojima <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Kaito Kiyomiya <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Kinya Okada<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Jack Morris<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Masakatsu Funaki <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Masa Kitamiya<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\uff0f<br \/>\ud83d\udcfa\u660e\u65e5\u306eN-1\u958b\u5e55\u6226\u3010ABEMA\u30aa\u30fc\u30d7\u30cb\u30f3\u30b0V\u3011\u4e00\u90e8\u5148\u884c\u516c\u958b\u203c\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f<br \/>\uff3c<\/p>\n<p>\u305d\u306e\u8eab\u4e00\u3064\u3067\u53e9\u304d\u51fa\u305b\uff01<\/p>\n<p>\u30fc\u30fc \u89b3 \u6e2c \u53f2 \u4e0a  \u3001\u6700 \u5f37 \u6c17 \u6e29 <\/p>\n<p>\u25b78\u670811\u65e5(\u795d\u30fb\u6728)\u6a2a\u6d5c\u6b66\u9053\u9928\u5927\u4f1a<br \/>\u25b7\u3054\u30543\u664230\u5206\uff5eABEMA\u683c\u95d82Ch.\u3067\u7121\u6599\u751f\u653e\u9001\uff01<br \/>\u3054\u8996\u8074\u306f\u3053\u3061\u3089\uff01 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/60I1mZLPaw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/60I1mZLPaw<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/noah_ghc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#noah_ghc<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/n12022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#n12022<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TCGezHMxb3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/TCGezHMxb3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \u30d7\u30ed\u30ec\u30b9\u30ea\u30f3\u30b0\u30fb\u30ce\u30a2 \uff5cPRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/noah_ghc\/status\/1557334369714708480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 10, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">N-1 Victory 2022 Matches To Look Forward To<\/span><\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kinya Okada &#8211; 08\/28\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kinya Okada&#8217;s most intriguing bout in this <em>N-1 Victory<\/em> will no doubt be against the defending champion, Katsuhiko Nakajima. Nakajima has worked with Kinya in the dojo, and that is evident in his style of pro wrestling; it&#8217;s very kick-heavy, as seen in the Inamura match. These kicks are now packing rage and frustration behind them. If there\u2019s anyone who\u2019s going to bring the absolute best out of Okada, it\u2019s going to be Nakajima. When they trade kicks on the 28th, it\u2019ll be more than just a striking exchange. It\u2019ll be Katsuhiko Nakajima assessing his pupil\u2019s true feelings toward pro wrestling, and NOAH itself. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hideki Suzuki vs Go Shiozaki &#8211; 08\/28\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This match is about three years in the making, with the only other meeting between the two taking place in 2019. The result of that match? A time limit draw. Thus, nothing was settled between the two men and is a big match that neither can afford to lose in this tournament. Both will be heavy favorites to come out of A Block, and that means it\u2019s just as much of a must-win situation as any other match. It\u2019ll also be interesting considering the roll that Hideki Suzuki has been on since returning to NOAH, and the slump that Go Shiozaki is currently experiencing. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kenoh vs Kazuyuki Fujita &#8211; 08\/28\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/12\/23\/wrestlers-of-2021-kenoh\/\" target=\"_self\">Kenoh<\/a> vs Kazuyuki Fujita is probably the biggest match to keep an eye on in A Block. Kenoh has been very vocal about the fact he doesn\u2019t acknowledge himself as the true GHC Heavyweight Champion, the reason being that Kazuyuki Fujita never lost the belt, so he\u2019s more of an interim champion, so once Kenoh beats him, he will be able to go forward as the undisputed GHC Heavyweight Champion. Not only that, but Fujita represents everything Kenoh hates: an older outsider coming into NOAH and using it as a launchpad to the top. While this will be Fujita\u2019s first chance to have a singles match with the heavyweight champion, since forfeiting the belt, Fujita owns the singles series, as he defeated Kenoh for the National Championship last year. A win here almost guarantees him a future title match.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kaito Kiyomiya vs Katsuhiko Nakajima &#8211; 08\/14\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kaito Kiyomiya and Katsuhiko Nakajima are no strangers to one another. They\u2019ve clashed over the GHC Heavyweight Championship, Tag Team Championship, and in <em>N-1 Victory<\/em> action in the past. This match very well could determine the winner of the entire tournament, as Nakajima is the defending two-time champion. Meanwhile, Kiyomiya is coming off a big singles victory over the legend, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/03\/31\/keiji-mutoh-ghc-heavyweight\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Keiji Mutoh<\/strong><\/a>. Both men are coming into this tournament with high expectations and they know how to win this tournament. This is a rematch of the <em>2020 N-1 Victory<\/em> finals, and last year, they didn\u2019t meet as they both were in different blocks; only Nakajima managed to make the finals. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kenoh vs Go Shiozaki &#8211; 08\/17\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kenoh and Go Shiozaki both met earlier this year when Shiozaki had his race back to the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Kenoh defeated Shiozaki and afterward told him, \u201ccrawl your way back up to me.\u201d Now that Kenoh has vanquished Satoshi Kojima, who defeated Go Shiozaki for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, those words are all the more significant. Now, Shiozaki has his chance to crawl back up to Kenoh\u2019s level. Will he defeat the current GHC Heavyweight Champion, or is he still a distance from being back at Kenoh\u2019s level?<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Masa Kitamiya vs Katsuhiko Nakajima &#8211; 08\/11\/22<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is both men\u2019s first match of the tournament and will set the tone for how both men will perform. It\u2019s no secret that there is nobody in this block that Masa Kitamiya wants to beat more than his senior, Katsuhiko Nakajima. Earlier this year, Nakajima was able to redeem his cage match loss to Masa Kitamiya by defeating him in the GHC Heavyweight Championship match. Both men will forever be tied to each other, even long before Kitamiya entered NOAH. It\u2019s likely that this goes to a draw, as both men will refuse to let the other walk away the victor. However, if Masa Kitamiya loses to Nakajima yet again, he may have to do some reflecting on his career post-<em>N-1 Victory<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Who to Watch Out For in the N-1 Victory 2022: Kinya Okada<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Kinya Okada didn\u2019t originally make the <em>N-1 Victory<\/em> cut. However, he earned his spot. <strong>Timothy Thatcher<\/strong> experienced visa issues and couldn\u2019t participate. This led to Kinya Okada facing <strong>Yoshiki Inamura<\/strong> in a singles match for the spot. After a hard-hitting bout, Kinya came away the victor to a monstrous reaction. Kinya is the one to watch because he has everything to gain. He and Inamura both deserve better than what they\u2019ve received in NOAH recently. However, Kinya has had the worst of it simply due to the fact he received few to no chances. Inamura has been in a few title matches, an <em>N-1<\/em>, and some marquee matches, but Kinya received nothing. The frustration is visible in those kicks that he threw that fateful night in Korakuen Hall. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This tournament is a chance not only for Kinya Okada to perform well and showcase his growth. It\u2019s a chance for him to score some marquee wins, and arrive as a top star. NOAH\u2019s President has spoken highly of Kinya and Inamura; could this be the start of a brighter future for both men and NOAH as a whole? There will be one litmus test for that, and that\u2019s Kinya Okada\u2019s <em>N-1<\/em>. He\u2019s definitely the main one to watch this year. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">N-1 Victory 2022 Prediction: Masa Kitamiya <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Masa Kitamiya is our president, and there\u2019s one good reason for that: no one in this tournament needs this win more than him. He\u2019s always been on the bubble, as far as he\u2019s so close to reaching that top star status. Yet, doesn\u2019t have any singles accolades in NOAH to show for it. He\u2019s consistently over the last year been one of the best performers in the company, and truly going for broke anytime he\u2019s in the ring. Not only that, but his storytelling in the feuds with both Keiji Mutoh and Katsuhiko Nakajima was second to none. He\u2019s the complete package and winning this tournament will finally put him in the same breath as other main event talents. Anyone can win and lose a championship, but if he wins <em>N-1 Victory<\/em>, that can never be taken from him. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Also, Masa would be the perfect first challenger for the brand new GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is a former member of <strong>KONGO<\/strong>, but the inclusion of Katsuhiko Nakajima angered him enough to leave. Yet, despite all of that, Masa was very thankful to Kenoh. Kenoh was also very supportive of Masa\u2019s decision to leave. Them having a GHC Heavyweight Championship match would show Kenoh that Masa didn\u2019t leave just to be a background player behind guys like Go and Kaito. He left KONGO to reach the top of NOAH and become the absolute best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><span class=\"s3\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for 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<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ddtpro.com\/universe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"s3\"> Wrestle Universe.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On August 11th,\u00a0Pro Wrestling NOAH kicks off its annual N-1 Victory tournament. It\u2019s the spiritual successor to All Japan Pro Wrestling\u2019s Champion Carnival\u00a0and was formerly known as the Global League. It returns to the two-block format and contains eight competitors in each block. We will take a look at the N-1 Victory 2022 blocks, a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3712,"featured_media":115129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6975,24,2192],"tags":[5464,3493,4028,1401,3541,2182,7113,7115,5544],"class_list":["post-115127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-international-wrestling","category-noah","category-wrestling","tag-go-shiozaki","tag-hideki-suzuki","tag-kaito-kiyomiya","tag-katsuhiko-nakajima","tag-kazuyuki-fujita","tag-kenoh","tag-kinya-okada","tag-masa-kitamiya","tag-n-1-victory"],"modified_by":"Robbie Sutter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3712"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}