NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4

Promotional poster for the event, featuring Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima

The **NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by CyberFight's sub-brand Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). The event took place on November 23, 2020, at the Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Japan.

The show was headlined by Go Shiozaki defending the GHC Heavyweight Championship against his former partner and the winner of the 2020 N-1 Victory Katsuhiko Nakajima. Another high-profile match scheduled for the show featured Kenoh defending the GHC National Championship against Kaito Kiyomiya. The event aired live on AbemaTV online linear television service and CyberFight's streaming service Wrestle Universe and FITE TV streaming service as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also celebrated Noah's 20th anniversary.

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the event had some restrictions in attendance, after the Japanese Government lifted the State of Emergency.

## Production

### Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On January 29, 2020, Noah also announced that the promotion would celebrate its 20th anniversary in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan which would be later canceled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). On March 30, it was initially announced that some 2020 Global Tag League shows of the tournament, while the April 15 show would be held behind closed doors, being streamed on DDT Universe, due to restrictions made by the Japanese government regarding the 2019-20 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but it was later announced that the entire tournament would be held behind closed doors and the shows would be streamed on the DDT Universe under NOAH TV name. On April 22, the first show of the NOAH THE SPIRIT 2020 tour was held in an empty TV studio broadcast live on AbemaTV, and the rest of the shows would be canceled including ALL OUT ATTACK 2020 tour. On May 9, NOAH and their sister promotion, DDT started to promote shows at an empty TV studio being broadcast on AbemaTV under NOAH TV name. On July 18, Noah returned to held events with a limited number of fans in attendance at the Korakuen Hall.

### Storylines

NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4 featured eight professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4 was headlined by Go Shiozaki defending the GHC Heavyweight Championship against his former partner and the winner of the 2020 N-1 Victory Katsuhiko Nakajima. In December 2018, Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima formed a team and subsequently won the GHC Tag Team Championship. Afterards, Shiozaki and Nakajima named their team "AXIZ", went on to breaking the record for most reigns as the GHC Tag Team Champions, with three reigns, while also reaching back-to-back Global Tag League finals in 2019 and 2020 Global Tag League, before focusing on their singles career due to Nakajima and Shiozaki holding the GHC Heavyweight and GHC National Championships. After Nakajima lost the GHC National Championship in August, AXIZ began being further divided due to Shiozaki holding the GHC Heavyweight Championship, leading Nakajima to turn on Shiozaki on August 30 to join KONGOH, effectively disbanding the team. On October 11, Nakajima defeated Kaito Kiyomiya in the finals to win the 2020 N-1 Victory. Throughout the pre-matches that took place up until the event, Nakajima began targeting Shiozaki's injured arm. During an interview with *Tokyo Sports*, Nakajima denied anything was wrong, despite targeting Shiozaki's injured shoulder. On November 3, Shiozaki and Nakajima faced each other in a ten-man tag team match, leading Shiozaki to socre a direct pinfall over Nakajima, before their match. This led on November 8, Nakajima returning the favor, after pinning Shiozaki during a tag team match. Afterwards, Nakajima posed with the GHC Heavyweight Championship over Shiozaki, before sarcastically telling Shiozaki to face him in a good condition.

In the GHC National Championship match, Kenoh defended the title against Kaito Kiyomiya. The storyline behind the match dates back to March 10, 2020, at Great Voyage in Yokohama, when Kaito Kiyomiya asked Kenoh to be his partner for the Global Tag League, which he accepted, dubbing their team "KAIOH". However, after failling to win the tournament, Kenoh who was jealous of Kiyomiya disbanded their team, stating that Kiyomiya had been told by LIDET Entertainment, not by Noah, while also claiming that Kiyomiya was made a star by the company, not by his own merit. Afterwards, Kenoh formed a stable named KONGOH as a protest against NOAH's owner LIDET Entertainment, while Kiyomiya formed a team with Shuhei Taniguchi, leading to match on May 4, where Kiyomiya and Taniguchi defeated Kenoh and Kitamiya. After winning the 2019 N-1 Victory in September, Kenoh unsuccessfully challenged Kiyomiya for GHC Heavyweight Championship on November at Noah the Best 2019. On October 22, Kaito Kiyomiya, Shuhei Taniguchi, and Go Shiozaki defeated KONGOH (Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Yoshiki Inamura) in a six-man tag team match. Afterwards, Kiyomiya extended his hand to Inamura, who then bowed to him and left KONGOH to join Kiyomiya's team. Kiyomiya then reingnited his rivalry with Kenoh, challenged him to a match for the GHC National Championship, which he accepted. Afterwards, Kenoh began claiming that Kiyomiya was being used by CyberAgent, due to being jealous of him. Kenoh then began criticizing Kioymiya for his appearance on a dating show with a ring announcer, claiming that his actions were "artificial". On November 14, Kenoh and Kiyomoiya faced each other in their final prematch before the event, with Kioymiya teaming with Go Shiozaki, Hajime Ohara, Seiki Yoshioka and YO-HEY, and Kenoh with his KONGOH stablemates Haoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Nioh, and Tadasuke. After the match, Kioymiya mocked Kenoh's comments about him, claming if he knew "what he meant or that phrase was created by the company."

On October 28, Sugiura-gun (Kazushi Sakuraba and Takashi Sugiura) sucessfully defended the GHC Tag Team Championship against KONGOH (Manabu Soya and Masa Kitamiya). Following the match, Naomichi Marufuji, on his behalf and Masakatsu Funaki's behalf came out to challenge for their titles. Takashi Sugiura ironically thought that Marufuji meant the custom made their titles, until Sakuraba jokingly put him right. Marufuji pitched the idea of Sugiura facing Funaki in a match, before shaking hands with Sugiura-gun and agreeing to the match. The M's Alliance had previously made their intentions of challenging for titles. On November 14, Funaki and Marufuji faced Sugiura and his Sugiura-gun stablemate Nosawa Rongai in a winning effort, after Funaki submitting Sugiura, after the referee was forced to stop the match.

On September 23, YO-HEY turned on Daisuke Harada, before Harada was attacked by Stinger. Afterwards, Full Throttle led by Atsushi Kotoge went to help, with only Kotoge getting in the ring to help him, while Hajime Ohara and Seiki Yoshioka were at ringside. This led to Kotoge reforming Momo no Seishun with Harada for the third time. Kotoge and Harada then challenged Stinger's HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa to a title match for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. This led to on October 11, Harada and Kotoge defeating HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the record breaking fourth time. On October 28, after Momo no Seishun successfully defended the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Full Throttle (YO-HEY and Seiki Yoshioka). Afterwards, Harada and Kotoge were attacked by HAYATA and Ogawa, before nominating themselves as the next challengers for their titles.

The event also featured a match between Keiji Mutoh and Shuhei Taniguchi. On October 11, Mutoh and Taniguchi faced each other in a eight-man tag team match, with Taniguchi teaming with Daiki Inaba, Go Shiozaki and Muhammad Yone and Mutoh with his M's Alliance stablemates Masakatsu Funaki, Masaaki Mochizuki and Naomichi Marufuji. Mutoh's team won the match, but after the match finished Mutoh refused to break the *Figure Four Leglock* on Taniguchi, before his stablemates conviced him to stop. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, Taniguchi challenged Mutoh to a match, which he accepted.