Pro Wrestling NOAH Star Kenoh: Kaito Kiyomiya Being Eliminated In The G1 Preliminaries Was A Disgrace
Pro Wrestling NOAH superstar Kenoh condemned another NOAH star Kaito Kiyomiya for bowing out of the NJPW G1 Climax 33 tournament in the preliminaries.
Kaito Kiyomiya got off to a fast start in the G1 Climax 33 winning his first two matches but ended up with a record of 2 wins, 3 losses and 2 draw, failing to make it to the quarterfinals. Kiyomiya skipped the Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 VICTORY 2023 tournament, which is now underway, to participate in the G1.
Kiyomiya stated before the tournament began that he intended to win the G1 Climax 33 and face SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title in a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring. Kiyomiya and Kenoh made a pact prior to the start of G1 that Kiyomiya would win the G1 Climax 33 and Kenoh would win the NOAH N-1 VICTORY 2023. They would then both face each other in a G1 Winner vs N-1 Winner matchup. Unfortunately, this match will not be happening which could be the cause of Kenoh’s anger towards Kiyomiya.
Kenoh spoke with Tokyo Sports about condemning Kiyomiya and made these comments:
As a former GHC heavyweight champion, failing in the preliminaries is a disgrace. That defeat seriously must be taken seriously, and never forgotten.”
Kiyomiya commented on the G1 following Kenoh’s remark:
I don’t think the road to the leading role is over yet for me. G1 Climax, I’ll be back.
This didn’t sit well with Kenoh was responded by saying:
From what I can see from his comments, rather than frustration, the feeling of relief at finishing the G1 preliminaries seems to be stronger, and he doesn’t even talk about Noah at all. If there will be an N-1 at the same time (next year), I don’t know about that of course. If you think there will be another chance next year, then you are probably naïve. If he was really frustrated, he would have been able to get into the N-1 the moment he was eliminated from the qualifying rounds. That’s what I wanted to see.
Kenoh is currently in a three way tie for second place in the A Block of the N-1 VICTORY 2023 tournament with 4 points.
(H/T goes to NOAH’S ARKIVE For the Transcription and Translation)
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