MOTW 112: Go Shiozaki vs Akitoshi Saito

"M.O.T.W. #112: Go Shiozaki vs. Akitoshi Saito" - ink & digital illustration

We're up to the 112th edition of our Chris Things Art 'Match of the Week' illustration series & this week we travel to the arc of Pro Wrestling NOAH, on the grand stage of Budokan Hall, Tokyo Japan.

This completely wonderful, heart-wrenching BATTLE took place on July 13th of 2024, at 'NOAH Destination 2024', in the hallowed, big-show home of Pro Wrestling NOAH, Budokan Hall - for the Zero-1 (/'AWA') World Heavyweight Championship.

So this is one of those matches of the week that likely nobody but me will care about but sometimes you've just gotta keep it real right? This series is meant to be an illustrated journal of the Professional Wrestling matches that I most enjoyed each week & dang I sure enjoyed the heck out of this oh so much!

A tale of an aging, broken down man's journey for redemption. The final ever bout between two total bastions of the good ship NOAH. The final two survivors who were in the final ever match (& witness to the very sad end of his life) of the founder of NOAH; Mitsuharu Misawa. And a beautiful tribute to the tough as nails house style than NOAH has become known for.

So for all those reasons, this hit in a big emotional way for me. I've got a lot of love for both Go & Aki. The road to his late 2024 retirement for Akitoshi Saito was something that I really enjoyed. There is something about pushing the human spirit beyond the bounds of a broken down body with a lot of miles on it that I always love. Watching aging wrestlers just push things to the absolute limit is something I'll never not respect the heck out of. And dude, these guys just go to war here. It is beyond physical. Tells a wonderful story. And of course, the nods to Misawa from the iconic elbows to the Emerald Flowsion just got me so in the feels.

The post-match scene was just next level emotional. This moment of tenderness & tears after a furious, stiff-as-heck FIGHT really made me appreciate the wonder of Pro Wrestling.

I think Misawa would be proud.

ENJOY!

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