Noah the Best 2020

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various Pro Wrestling Noah wrestlers

## Information

### Sponsor(s)

The Reeve
OSG

### City

Tokyo, Japan

The **Noah the Best 2020** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). The event took place on December 6, 2020, at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2 in Tokyo, Japan.

The show was headlined by Go Shiozaki defending the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Takashi Sugiura. Another high-profile match scheduled for the show featured Kenoh defending the GHC National Championship against Kazushi Sakuraba. 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. This was the second event under the Noah the Best name.

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

## Production

### Background

Since 2019, Noah began annually holding the event, after LIDET Entertainment took over the promotion. The event marked the second time the promotion held an event at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2, with the first event being held on October 22, 2004, marking the return of the promotion for the first time in sixteen years. Kenta Kobashi and M's Alliance member Jurina Marsui provided commentary for event. Leading to the event, it was announced that the event would air on FITE TV with English commentary being provivded by Rob Hochman and Sonny Onoo with Muhammad Yone joinning them as guest commentator. Noah also teased a major announcement for the event.

#### 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 Best 2020 featured seven 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 Best 2020 was main evented by Go Shiozaki making his sixth successful title defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Takashi Sugiura. On November 21 at NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4, Go Shiozaki successfully defended the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Katsuhiko Nakajima. Afterwads, Sugiura challenged Shiozaki to a title match, which he accepted. Shiozaki revealed that he had been excepting a title challenge from Sugiura. The following day, Noah announced the title match. In their first pre-match on November 27, Shiozaki teamed with Hajime Ohara and Sugiura with his Sugiura-gun stablemate Nosawa Rongai. The match ended with the referee being forced to stop the match, after Sugiura apllying the front neck lock on Shiozaki. After the match, Sugiura told Shiozaki that he wanted to see "more" from him. This led on December 1, Shiozaki returning the favour to Sugiura pinning him, during an another tag team match. Prior to the match, there were some concerns on Shiozaki's condition, due to his arms and being constantly attacked during their matches.

In the GHC National Championship match, Kenoh defended the title against Kazushi Sakuraba. Also at NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4, Kenoh, who was commentating on the GHC Heavyweight Championship, confronted Takashi Sugiura, before being facing his Sugiura-gun stablemate Kazushi Sakuraba, who stood between them. Kenoh took this as a sign that Sakuraba was challenging him to a title match. The following day, Noah announced the title match. Leading to the match, Kenoh stated that he wanted to bring Sakuraba back to his best at the time, when he was part of PRIDE in order to regain his tension. Kenoh also stated that he wanted to create a legacy for the GHC National Championship. On December 1, Kenoh and Sakuraba faced each other in a tag team match, which Sakuraba's team won. Afterwards, Kenoh acccused Sakuraba of not taking their match seriously, before asking where his intensity had gone. Afterwards, Sakuraba began mocking Kenoh. During a press conference on December 4, Sakuraba gently wounded Kenoh up by telling him get too angry, while also ignoring him. Afterwards, Kenoh attacked Sakuraba and lay him out with the GHC National Championship belt, before performing the *PFS* on Sakuraba.

On October 28, Stinger (HAYATA, Kotaro Suzuki and Yoshinari Ogawa) were defeated by KONGOH (Haoh, Nioh, and Tadasuke), with Suzuki being pinned by Tadasuke. Afterwards, HAYATA and Ogawa turned on Suzuki. On November 21 at NOAH The Chronicle Vol. 4, Suzuki was joined by a new partner Salvaje de Oriente. Later that night, after Ogawa and HAYATA defeated Momo no Seishun (Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada) to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Suzuki and Oriente challenged Ogawa and HAYATA to a title match. On December 1, HAYATA and Ogawa faced Oriente and Suzuki in a six-man tag team match, with Suzuki getting the win for his team. Afterwards, Stinger attacked Oriente and Suzuki. Nosawa Rongai came to the ring with a mystery partner to form an alliance with Stinger and Oriente and Suzuki, leading both sides to reject them.

## Event

**Other on-screen personnel**

### Preliminary matches

The pay-per-view opened with an introduction of the match card of the event and the title matches including the angle where Jurina Matsui came with M's Alliance, confronting Sugiura-gun where apparently she joined Masahiro Chono and Sugiura-gun before slaping Chono reavling to be on M's Alliance's side. Afterwards it was shown Noah's current unit guide. Later it was announced a new show named *The Back Stage* featuring Noah's wrestlers and personnel, with the program airing on Abema TV on December 6.

Before the first match started, it was announced that Noah would promote the Destination 2021 at the Nippon Buddokan on February 12, 2021, marking the return of the promotion to the arena for the first time in seven years. The first match of the show featured Kinya Okada taking on Yasutaka Yano. In the end Okada hit the *Blockbuster Hold* for the win.

Next, it was a six-man tag team match between Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Junta Miyawaki against KONGOH (Tadasuke, Haoh and Nioh). In the end, Harada hit a *Katayama German Suplex* followed by a knee strike and a rolling elbow attempt, Harada covered Tadasuke with a German Suplex style pin for the win. After the match, Harada cofronted Tadasuke. The third match of the show featured another six-man tag team match with Full Throttle (Hajime Ohara, YO-HEY, and Seiki Yoshioka) taking on KONGOH (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya and Manabu Soya). In the end, Ohara hit his head on the ring post followed by a kick. Nakajima hit a *Superkick* followed by a *Penalty Kick* for a near-fall. Nakajima hit Ohara with the *Vetical Spike* for the win.

The fourth match of the show featured Stinger (HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa) defending the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against Kotaro Suzuki and Salvaje de Oriente. Before the match started, Nosawa Rongai and a masked person came to the rinside before leaving and joining the commentary table. In the end, Suzuki went for the *Tiger Driver* on Ogawa before Selvaje turning on him and hitting him with a *Superkick* followed by HAYATA. HAYATA hit the *Crossfix* followed by the *Oriente Crash* from Oriente, afterwards Ogawa pinned Suzuki to retain the titles. After the match, HAYATA unnmasked Selvaje unveiling to be Yuya Susumu, who had joined Stinger. Afterwards, Nosawa and the masked person came and shook hands with Stinger before turning on them. Nosawa offered Suzuki a handshake, with Suzuki accepting and leaving the ring, thus joining Sugiura-gun.

The following match featured Kenoh defending the GHC National Championship against Kazushi Sakuraba. Before the match, it was shown a promo about the title match. In the end, Sakuraba locked Kenoh in a Kneebar, afterwards Kenoh countered into a modified kneelock cutback pin for the win. After the match, Sakuraba confronted Kenoh before leaving the ring. The following match featured an eight-man tag team match with Kaito Kiyomiya, Shuhei Taniguchi, Daiki Inaba and Yoshiki Inamura taking on M's Alliance (Keiji Mutoh, Masakatsu Funaki, Naomichi Marufuji and Yuko Miyamoto). In the end, Miyamoto went for a kick combination before Inamura hitting a Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Inamura tossed Miyamoto into the corner before hitting the Muso for the win. After the match, Inaba and Marufuji brawled before being seperated by their partners, afterwards Kiyomiya, Taniguchi, Inaba and Inamura celebrated their victory before leaving the ring.

### Main Event

In the main event, Go Shiozaki defended the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Takashi Sugiura. Before the match started, it was showed a promo of the title match. Following the entrances, both wrestlers were introduced. Afterwards, both wrestlers have shown sides of respect by shaking each other's hands. In the end after a back-and-forth match, Shiozaki hit three consecutive Gowan Lariats for the win to retain the championship. After the match, Keiji Mutoh challenged Shiozaki to a title match, which he accepted.