On September 3rd, the Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 VICTORY 2023 Tournament Final is scheduled for Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan with a huge crowd expected for the event.
The event will have 12 matches in total so let’s begin our preview and predictions for Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY 2023 Finals.
Main Event: N-1 VICTORY 2023 Finals: A Block Winner Kenoh vs. B Block Winner Go Shiozaki
The N-1 VICTORY 2023 Tournament which began on August 6th will come to a conclusion Sunday September 3rd in Osaka as the A Block Winner Kenoh faces the B Block Winner Go Shiozaki. This match will be one for the ages with the winner earning the right to challenge GHC Heavyweight Champion Jake Lee for the title. Kenoh and Shiozaki have had classic matches in the past and this one will be no exception. Fans watching can expect another absolute war especially with winning the N-1 VICTORY 2023 Tournament on the line. Both Kenoh and Go Shiozaki have had strong words for each other over the past few days leading up to September 3rd and both want to lay claim as the face of Pro Wrestling NOAH which makes winning this match even more important for both. Neither has had an easy road to reaching the finals. Kenoh handed the current GHC Heavyweight Champion Jake Lee his first loss in NOAH to win the A Block. Go Shiozaki had to wrestle twice on Night 8, first he scored a victory over Katsuhiko Nakajima and then defeated Manabu Soya in a playoff match to win the B Block.
Prediction: As stated this will be a war, an absolute war. Kenoh and Go Shiozaki are going to really lay it all on the line in this one. But when all is said and done, it will be Go Shiozaki with his hand raised at the end of the match to earn his first ever N-1 VICTORY tournament win.
Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoshinari Ogawa & Zack Sabre Jr.
This one will be interesting. First, it will be Ryohei Oiwa’s debut match in NOAH as his excursion away from NJPW gets underway. Second, this will be Zack Sabre Jr’s first time in a NOAH ring in over 8 years as he teams with his former mentor Yoshinari Ogawa. Oiwa decided to head to NOAH for his excursion after being invited by Kaito Kiyomiya on August 13th at the G1 Climax. Kiyomiya and Oiwa are expected to a regular team in NOAH and this will be a big test for them.
Prediction: This a hard one to pick. While Zack Sabre Jr is a submission specialist and Ogawa is an outstanding talent they are facing a team in Kiyomiya and Oiwa that would like to make a great impression in their first match together in NOAH. It will be a great match that will see either Sabre Jr tap out Oiwa or Kiyomiya score a pinfall win over Ogawa following a shining wizard. My pick – Zack Sabre Jr taps out Oiwa to win the match for him and Ogawa.
GHC Martial Arts Rules Match: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Josh Barnett
Well, we can expect an MMA style matchup here obviously. I don’t expect it to be a long match but it makes sense to bring in Josh Barnett for his NOAH debut to face Funaki as both have extensive experience in the world of MMA.
Prediction: Funaki taps out Barnett
Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura & Masa Kitamiya vs. Yoshiki Inamura, Yuki Yoshioka & Yuma Anzai
This match will be the final one for Yoshiki Inamura in NOAH for a while as he will be heading to the UK to begin his excursion. Inamura had a very disappointing N-1 as he went winless which prompted him to step away from NOAH for a while. He will be teaming with the incredibly talented Yuki Yoshioka of Dragon Gate and Yuma Anzai of AJPW. The three make a great team but unfortunately they will be facing Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura & Masa Kitamiya. This will be Sugiura’s return match back from his eye injury and he is not coming back to lose.
Prediction: Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura & Masa Kitamiya
GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Chris Ridgeway & Daga (c) vs. Atsushi Kotoge & Hi69
This will be the first title defense for Chris Ridgeway and Daga since they won the belts back on June 22, 2023. Atsushi Kotege and Hi69 won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament in August to earn this title opportunity. While I expect a terrific match with all the talent involved I don’t expect a title change in this one.
Prediction: Chris Ridgeway and Daga retain.
Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene vs. Saxon Huxley, Timothy Thatcher & Hideki Suzuki
Lots of titles will be on display in this matchup. First we have the GHC Heavyweight Champion Jake Lee and on the opposite side will be the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Champs Saxon Huxley and Timothy Thatcher. We could see a new challenger team emerge for the GHC Tag Team Titles in Morris and Greene but that is just speculation. But I do believe that will be the case here with Jack Morris probably pinning Suzuki or even Huxley to win for his team.
Prediction: Jake Lee, Jack Morris and Anthony Greene
4WAY Survival Match: Ninja Mack vs. Dragon Bane vs. Alpha Wolf vs. Alejandro
Two words for this one – high spots and expect lots of them. This will be a high flying, highly entertaining match that will keep the crowd on the edge of their seats and gasping in amazement throughout. While I love Ninja Mack and wouldn’t be surprised if he won, my gut feeling tells me that Dragon Bane will shine in this one.
Prediction: Dragon Bane
Here are my predictions for the rest of the matches:
Manabu Soya, Shuji Kondo, and Seiki Yoshioka vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Hajime Ohara and Junta Miyawaki
Prediction: Manabu Soya, Shuji Kondo, and Seiki Yoshioka
El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jr & Lance Anoa’i vs. Adam Brooks and Stallion Rogers
Prediction: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jr & Lance Anoa’i
Miyuke Takase, Maya Yukihi & Sumire Natsu vs. Yuu, Hibiscus Mii & Hiroyo Matsumoto
Prediction: Yuu, Hibiscus Mii & Hiroyo Matsumoto
HAYATA & Eita vs YO-HEY & Tadasuke
Prediction: YO-HEY & Tadasuke
Mohammed Yone & Yu Owada vs Kai Fujimura and Taishi Ozawa
Prediction: Mohammed Yone and Yu Owada
You can follow Lewis Carlan on Twitter @ShootingUpNorth
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