The Navigation Log 12.30.07: Rounding Out 2007

How are the holidays going for everyone? Mine suck to be perfectly honest, but then I think once you reach a certain age the holiday season loses its magic a tad. Last year ruined me. I spent Christmas in Japan where Christmas is a day where you eat cake and have sex with your girlfriend/wife. Shopping is all optional. But hell, nothing beats New Year’s. You get handed money. New Year’s is my favorite holiday because of that. Plus the top quality sushi and hooch I got at this retreat house my girlfriend and I went to last year. I can only say, fuck Christmas.

Onto the Navigation Log!

Last Gasp of 2007
I’m keeping things brief again this week because there’s really very little going on as far puro goes. Most feds are finished for the year outside of a few New Year’s Eve shows that are put on as thank you events for fans. Bullet points are the name of the game this week folks.

-Dead Man Walking: Atsushi Aoki’s 10 Match Trial Series started last week where he was killed by Jun Akiyama on 12/23. His next opponent will be Davey Richards in the opening leg of the First Navigation. It’s customary for those being tested to lose every match of their trial series, though I can somewhat see Aoki getting by Richards. Richard’s isn’t as well recognized in Japan so he may be used to put Aoki over in this case. We’ll have to see what happens and who Aoki will face after that.

-The Kensuke Office is Open For Business: While Aoki is in the midst of his trial series, Mauritius Cup winner Shuhei Taniguchi will start one of his own on the First Navigation Finale in Korakuen Hall. He’ll have a real challenge ahead of him as Japanese freelancer Kensuke Sasaki. Sasaki is one of the best in Japan and I’ve got a feeling that Taniguchi is going to be very sore the following day.

-Rocky Returns: Rocky Romero will return to NOAH for the First Navigation. While his NRC partner Davey Richards will be test an up and coming NOAH star Romero will be challenging Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title. Romero is a veteran of touring with NOAH and a viable opponent for the title. Can he do it? The Briscoes shocked Kanemaru and his partner Takashi Sugiura at the start of 2007 to claim GHC gold so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.

-Hardcore Gold: Newly crowned Global Hardcore Champion Kishin Kawabata will defend his new title against Akihito Ito. Most people will remember Ito from his bout with Shuhei Taniguchi at the ROH in Tokyo show. And that’s… pretty much it. It does show a pattern developing though as NOAH seems to be giving its younger stars chances to be in the spotlight. I’d expect Kawabata to win this but Ito will have a chance to show what he can do.

-Twenty Years of Taue: Akira Taue will celebrate his 20th year in the wrestling business at the First Navigation finale. A big six-man tag main event has been signed as Taue will team with Takeshi Morishima and Jun Akiyama to face Mitsuharu Misawa, Kotaro Suzuki, and Naomichi Marufuji. This should prove interesting and will be a nice celebration of Taue’s career.

-Speed Muscle Reigns Supreme: Dragon Gate held their final show on the 28th last week which featured Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino (collectively known as Speed Muscle) defending their GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Kanemaru and Atsushi Aoki. The NOAH team came up short and the Dragon Gate team kept the titles. Their next defense will be on 1/15 in Tokyo defending against New Hazard’s BxB Hulk and Shingo Takagi.

-Reunions Close Out DG ’07: Two surprising reunions took place on Dragon Gate’s final show of the year. First was a (sort of) PosHearts reformation. Anthony W. Mori, BxB Hulk teamed up, but lacked their third partner Super Shisa. Dragon Kid stood in him, donning a Shisa like mask. This reunion was about as successful as the original PosHearts unit was the trio lost to the Muscle Outlaw’z. The second team to reunite was Blood Generation as CIMA, Don Fuji, and Shingo Takagi joined forces for the first time since BG broke apart. And beat the team of Susumu Yokosuka, K-ness, and Masaaki Mochizuki. Despite this team being successful Shingo made clear that he wasn’t going to give up on New Hazard and the path he had chosen for himself.

2008 Predictions
How about a few guesses for the coming year? I can always lie if I’m wrong, right?

-Takeshi Morishima will win the GHC Heavyweight Title
-Kotaro Suzuki & Ricky Marvin will face The Briscoes in a ROH ring.
-Kenta Kobashi will face Mitsuharu Misawa one on one.
-Go Shiozaki will have a break out year.
-NOAH’s rookies will finally stand out.
-Shingo Takagi will win the Open the Dream Gate title.
-Tozawa-juku will stand out in Dragon Gate this year.

I can’t think of anything else to be perfectly honest.

2007 comes to a close at last. Good, I hate these odd numbered years. Of course 2008 is going to be an election year which means little in the long run. I’m going to leave off this column with a match that I personally love and was called “The Last Great Battle of the 20th Century.” Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!

12/23/2000 Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama