NOAH THE NEW YEAR 2022: WrestleFile Historical Verdict

Junta Miyawaki and Kinya Okada defeating Kai Fujimura and Yasutaka Yano gives the first match of 2022 a simple developmental purpose. Miyawaki pins Fujimura with the Falcon Arrow in 8:39, allowing two wrestlers already further along in NOAH's system to beat the younger pair without turning the opener into a squash. The match is modest in consequence, but it fits a Budokan card that makes room for prospects before moving into faction and championship programs.

King Tani, Mohammed Yone and Akitoshi Saito beating Manabu Soya, Tadasuke and Nioh is an undercard faction match with more personality than historical weight. Yone pins Tadasuke after the Muscle Buster in 8:45, giving Funky Express the result while keeping Soya out of the fall. The bout works as a pacing piece and a snapshot of NOAH's roster structure entering 2022, but it is not necessary viewing unless the goal is full-card continuity.

Haoh and Aleja defeating Seiki Yoshioka and Yuya Susumu is a sharper junior tag than the two opening matches. Haoh pins Yoshioka after the Firebird Splash in 11:44, giving the Kongo side a meaningful win over Stinger-linked opposition. The match is still primarily undercard material, but the faction placement and pace make it a useful look at the junior scene immediately before the event shifts toward higher-profile multi-man and title matches.

Ultimo Dragon, Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge and Hajime Ohara defeating NOSAWA Rongai, Eita, YO-HEY and Kotaro Suzuki is a broad junior showcase built around recognizable faction personalities. Ultimo pins NOSAWA with La Magistral in 13:51. The match gives the crowd a veteran attraction without sacrificing the current NOAH juniors, and its strongest value is as a lively bridge between the compact opening stretch and the more serious title-heavy half of the card.

Kazuyuki Fujita and Kendo Kashin defeating Masakatsu Funaki and Ikuto Hidaka provides the event's most shoot-style veteran texture. Fujita pins Hidaka after a powerbomb in 12:17, keeping Fujita protected before his own major championship run later in the year. The match is more about presence than intricate storyline movement, but the combination of Fujita, Funaki, Kashin and Hidaka gives the card a distinct generational and stylistic contrast before the championships begin.

HAYATA retaining the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship against Yoshinari Ogawa is a technically grounded title match that rewards the long Stinger history between them. HAYATA escapes the figure-four sequence and wins with a cradle in 20:54, recording his eighth successful defense. The result gives the junior division continuity on a show built around bigger heavyweight names and reinforces HAYATA's reign as something more substantial than a transitional championship run.

Keiji Muto and Naomichi Marufuji defending the GHC Tag Team Championship against Masato Tanaka and Masaaki Mochizuki creates a veteran-heavy title match with unusually dense historical name value. Muto submits Mochizuki with the figure-four leglock in 20:50 for the team's first successful defense. The match is less about advancing a younger division than about presenting four major veterans in one championship setting, and it works because the title remains secondary to the attraction rather than pretending otherwise.

Takashi Sugiura, Kazushi Sakuraba and KENTA defeating Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba and Yoshiki Inamura gives the card its major returning-star attraction. KENTA pins Inamura with the Go 2 Sleep in 25:46, making his NOAH appearance feel consequential while keeping Kitamiya and Inaba protected. The match carries strong institutional memory because KENTA shares a Budokan ring with Sugiura again, but the younger opposition keeps it from becoming pure nostalgia.

At Nippon Budokan on January 1, 2022, Kenoh retained the GHC National Championship against Kaito Kiyomiya in 24:42. NOAH's own result report specifies a REFEREE STOPPAGE after a right high kick, not a pinfall or submission. The seventh National champion thereby recorded the second successful defense of his reign. That finish changes how the match should be read: Kenoh knocked down a former GHC Heavyweight champion convincingly enough for the official to stop the contest, a genuine high-stakes moment even with the heavier title headlining later. Kiyomiya entered with prior top-title credibility, yet this single championship loss did not erase his previous reign.

The official result differs from a generic 'Kenoh won' capsule by establishing both the duration and actual stoppage method. The bout supplied an independent National-title attraction in a show also featuring the GHC Junior and Tag defenses. The A-minus/8.9 remains WrestleFile's EDITORIAL assessment; the date, named participants, 24:42 stoppage and defense count are documented promoter facts. Do not imply this was a third heavyweight-title defense or a belt change.

In the January 1, 2022 Nippon Budokan main event, Katsuhiko Nakajima retained NOAH's GHC Heavyweight Championship over Go Shiozaki in 30:10. NOAH's official result identifies the winning finish as a NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB followed by a one-sided cover. The champion thereby completed the third defense of the 36th GHC Heavyweight reign. Shiozaki, an accomplished prior GHC titleholder himself, presented a historically credible challenge rather than a ceremonial opponent. The official champion, challenger, duration and named finish ground the actual title history; the A/9.2 WrestleFile grade remains an independent editorial judgment.

The headliner followed Kenoh's 24:42 referee-stoppage National-title defense of Kaito Kiyomiya. Both belts were RETAINED in different singles matches; they were not unified or exchanged. The comparison adds value to the review because Nakajima's half-hour championship defense and Kenoh's stoppage had different competitive outcomes, even though both kept their belts. NOAH's contemporaneous event listing reports 3,181 spectators, treated here as announced attendance rather than independently verified paid attendance. The match's result was a successful defense, not a fabricated title change.