Who is Kenoh? What do we know about Kenoh? What’s hidden behind Kenoh’s stoic and serious performance, or behind Kenoh’s brutal wrestling style?
Those are questions that I have asked myself countless times. The current pro-wrestling landscape has a rule. Even if some people don’t like it, everything has a meaning. Small or large, significant or not, pro-wrestling and pro-wrestlers alike have allowed deeper narratives to be involved in the understanding of pro-wrestling as an art and as a sport.
The dramatic nature of wrestling has also allowed this to shine. Whether it’s a fight between two bitter rivals or a saga of 15 years between two lovers, the theatrical and artistic interpretation of wrestling has changed with time, and with new eyes looking at the scene for the fantastic lore that hides behind the stiff strikes and the anime-like aesthetic of pro-wrestling companies like Pro-Wrestling NOAH or New Japan Pro Wrestling, I feel it’s necessary to start showcasing the evolution that the medium of wrestling had in terms of telling stories. That’s why I’m here talking about now former Kongo leader Kenoh.
Beauty in Violence
When I first watched a Kenoh match I was shocked by the way he wrestled. Not because of his violent aura (something that is present in Puroresu’s DNA) but the way he used violence. His stiff strikes and kicks became more violent and faster as time passed, but his expressions never changed. He always looked at his opponent with disgust and respect alike, not allowing him to have the advantage, but making him feel like a credible threat. Since that day, the appeal of Kenoh as a wrestler to me was his facial expressions, and the way his pace literally told the story of a match. This dramatic approach that Kenoh brought to the table was not, by any means, the first time a pro wrestler had done something like that, but to me, he was the most successful at that. Right after I saw this version of Kenoh, stoic and dominant as no one else, I started seeing his other side.
Right as Masa Kitamiya left Kongo to pursue his goal, I thought Kenoh was going to start this crusade against the traitor, but what I found was something deeper. Kenoh, as Kongo’s leader, allowed his members to leave Kongo whenever they felt the need to evolve and improve.
Kongo was a platform for those wrestlers to shine, and for those same reasons, Kenoh was the perfect leader. Such a figure standing on the frontline, posing with his fist and demanding your attention for what was to come was a great visual. Kongo were Kenoh’s soldiers, but Kenoh was one of them too. This relationship between leader and members was something that was missing in pro wrestling. You could say that Kongo was the last batch of honorary soldiers that weren’t going to let their ego ruin the faction.
They were perfect. And for that same reason, they were the place for a lone wolf to shelter.
Enter Katsuhiko Nakajima.
The Lone Wolf’s Rebellion
The relationship between Kenoh and Nakajima was… weird. For the first time, you had this wrestler that actually managed to break Kenoh’s stoic personality and even his aura as Kongo’s leader. Nakajima was always a lone wolf at heart, looking for someone or something to help him. He’s not really a good person when you think about the things he has done, and finding shelter in Kongo’s pure and perfect organization was a time bomb that was waiting to explode at the right time. And it did.
This year, Nakajima left Kongo in such dramatic fashion, by becoming Go Shiozaki’s ally once more. As Kongo’s leader, Kenoh was not given a reason why this was happening, but it was happening in front of his face. For the first time, Kenoh was actually mad and furious that someone left Kongo, because it was not just *someone*.
One important detail about Nakajima and Kenoh’s relationship was that their bond was not formed the same way normal people actually form long-lasting and caring bonds, but through something only allowed in the dramatic world of pro-wrestling. Their bond was formed through sheer violence. Kenoh and Nakajima built a relationship where their stiff strikes and kicks were the moments where they could have a talk. What was hidden behind those kicks was not hate, but a sense of frustration coming from both. A need to overcome the other, and to be superior. Mutual respect came with blood and tears, and pro wrestling allowed these things to shine and make for some of the best bouts this sport has ever seen. Kenoh and Nakajima’s matches were spectacles. The beauty of seeing two men kick the brains out of each other in every possible fashion was a highlight of NOAH wherever they had the chance to go at it.
Pro-Wrestling For The Next Generation
Whether it was a time-limit draw or a victory, Nakajima was always superior to Kenoh. Such a relationship could be understood as a “big brother dynamic”, where only one could be superior and be the winner.
As I said before, their meetings were in the ring. The only place where such feelings could be released. Whether it was sadness, fury, respect or love, their dynamic was deep and profound. What we saw this year was the culmination of everything.
I’m writing this as Kenoh just announced Kongo’s disbanding. Talk about perfect timing.
Watching his time-limit draw with Nakajima feels like watching a couple argue. It’s not something that you want to see, at all, but you know it’s better than hiding their pain behind their words. The thing is that both men are not willing to say how they feel, because they don’t need it. They only need a ring, a small crowd in Shinkiba, some tension in the air and the stiffest kicks you have ever seen.
That’s pro wrestling for you.
Kenoh and Nakajima had some of the best pro-wrestling matches in NOAH’s history because their story was told in the ring. The stoic and dominant Kenoh fought with pride, love, jealousy, and respect for what could be one of the biggest rivals of his career, and for the first time, both men felt equal.
As Kongo rides to the sunset, a new chapter in Kenoh’s history must be told for the next generation, as those feelings of violence have been resolved.
Stay tuned to the Five Star Network for all updates on the world of Joshi, Puro and more!