- "I AM NOAH. WE ARE NOAH!"
Go Shiozaki is a Japanese Professional Wrestler primarily known for his first and second stints in Pro Wrestling NOAH, AJPW, and NJPW.
The protege of legendary Puroresu practicioner Kenta Kobashi and the hand-picked successor to Mitsuharu Misawa, Shiozaki was set for great things in his youth; joining and graduating from the NOAH Dojo faster than anyone in the young company's history in 2003. He would spend most of his early years honing his craft with Kobashi, garnering a similar road to success to his mentor in several valiant but ultimately losing efforts to show his fighting spirit. He would even get to tag with the legendary Misawa right up until his tragic death in the ring in 2009. This put the still very-green Shiozaki in a tough spot, as he was the handpicked successor, but he still hadn't really been given a signature win that proved he could hang with the NOAH main event.
That all changed when he got into the ring with Takeshi Rikio for the GHC title, and after 20 minutes of hell, he had won the GHC World Heavyweight title for the first time, which was hamstrung as he then lost it at the end of 2009 in only his second defense. He would then spend a little bit of time in a tag team with Atsushi Aoki, winning the tag championships for a brief period, and competing in the Wrestling/NJPW G-1 Tournament. He would spend some time in the NOAH midcard, before a sudden rocketing back to the top as he won the GHC title again, this time against Takashi Suiguira, where he saw more mainstream success; earning some time on the Wrestle Kingdom cards in 2010 and 2011, as well as a bitter protracted feud with Suiguira.
However, NOAH's decision to end their professional relationship with Kenta Kobashi caused extreme tension with Shiozaki and the company, and he threatened not to re-sign with them. He made good on this threat by the end of 2012, jumping ship to AJPW. From there, he finally had the chance to further hone his craft and learn some more after years of having to try and keep a company above water. But three years later, he chose not to re-sign with AJPW, and return to NOAH a much older, humbler, wiser, and blonder wrestler than he'd started, winning his third GHC Championship and leading NOAH as a major force. He would garner the most acclaim of his career in 2020, as he had a series of high profile matches (most notably with Kazuyuki Fujita) that are, along with his fellow AXIZ members, accredited with helping drag Pro Wrestling NOAH out of it's doldrum period and into a new age.
Shiozaki has held the GHC World Heavyweight championship the most of any individual wrestler in the company at 5 times for a combined 884 days, with his legendary 2020 reign accounting for almost half of that time. He's also been a 7-time GHC Tag Team champion with five different partners. He's also held the AJPW Triple Crown Championship, the AJPW World Tag Team Championship, and the AAA World Tag Team Championship. He has also received out-of-ring accolades from Tokyo Sport for Outstanding Performance in 2020, and the Best Bout award in 2021.
The Emerald Tropes of NOAH:
- The Ace: NOAH tried repeatedly but couldn't quite get it to stick through his first two title reigns. Post-2015, he's had this particular title in a deathgrip, including being the chairman of the Wrestler's association.
- Arch-Enemy: He and Takashi Suiguira have always been rivals, and will never go too long before having to trade blows once again. His battles with Fujita over NOAH's direction in 2020 definitely added him to the list as well.
- Badass Cape: In 2022 he decided to eschew his usual feathered coat and go for a stately cloak; he stated during an interview that he wanted to bring the cape back as a perfectly legitimate form of entrance attire.
- Badass Longcoat: His return to NOAH coincided with a beautiful textured and feathered longcoat set in multicolored green and gold.
- Big Entrance: Had a few in his early days, but since 2020 has massively stepped up his game, culminating in his Cyberfight Festival 2022 appearance, where he appeared with a pair of retainers on a throne at the very top of the stage.
- Boring, but Practical: One of his three finishers is a Lariat. But in keeping with his Kings Road upbringing, it is a STIFF lariat that turns most of his foes inside out. His other finishers, the Limit Break and Go Flasher are much more flashy, though they require much more setup to perform and execute.
- Heroic Second Wind: Fighting Spirit may have no better avatar in pro wrestling than Go. When he fights through a chop battle or his foes unrelenting assault and gets his second wind, he becomes nearly unstoppable as his battle rage summons a whole new kind of Shiozaki from the depths.
- Important Haircut: He first dyed his hair in AJPW and returned to NOAH a much better pro wrestler than he ever was.
- Prodigal Hero: His return as NOAH's ace in 2015-2016 unquestionably has this air as he holds the weight of his mentors as well as the expectations of the fans.
