Tag: Pro Wrestling NOAH

Mayu Iwatani shares positive update on injury recovery

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mayu Iwatani has received some good news in her recovery from injury.

The 33-year-old Marigold star fractured her big toe in April and recently had to vacate Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Women’s Championship. At a follow-up appointment today, she learned that she will not need to undergo surgery. Iwatani shared imaging showing that her bone has begun healing over the past couple of weeks.

“Ooooooh!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!! Finally My bones are starting to heal—!!!,” she tweeted. “Right is two weeks ago. Left is today. Yesssh!!! So glad. No surgery!!!!!! The best!!!”

Because she’s never had surgery before, Iwatani is especially happy that she was able to avoid it here.

Iwatani has also been dealing with a shoulder injury but has said that should no longer be an issue by the time her toe heals.

In Marigold, Iwatani remains Superfly Champion amid her injury. She was previously one of the top wrestlers in Stardom before leaving the company in 2025 for Rossy Ogawa’s new venture.

GHC Women’s Championship —

Iwatani was the third-ever GHC Women’s Champion, following reigns by Kouki Amarei and Takumi Iroha. The title was introduced in 2024 as the first women’s championship in NOAH history.

Because she would not be cleared in time for Wrestle Magic on June 15, Iwatani had to vacate the title. It will be MIRAI vs. Great Sakuya at that show to determine the new champion. Once she’s able to wrestle, Iwatani has promised to come after the belt once again.

Mayu Iwatani vacates Pro Wrestling NOAH gold

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Due to an ongoing injury, Mayu Iwatani has been forced to vacate the gold she’s held for Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Iwatani appeared at NOAH’s event at Korakuen Hall on Monday and announced that she is vacating the GHC Women’s Championship. She fractured her big toe in two places last month and will not be able to make it back in time for Wrestle Magic 2026 on June 15. A new champion will be crowned at that show, with the participants to be announced.

When she comes back, Iwatani plans on coming straight for the GHC Women’s Championship again. She left the belt in the ring during her appearance today.

“I am very sorry that things have come to this, but I’m going to relinquish the GHC belt,” she told the fans. “I wanted to make this belt even more my own, and I wanted to grow even more alongside it. When I return, I will definitely come back for this belt. Until then, I’ll have to say goodbye for a little while.”

The GHC Women’s Championship was introduced in 2024 and has only been held by three wrestlers: Kouki Amarei, Takumi Iroha, and Iwatani. Iwatani’s reign as champion lasted 135 days.

Formerly one of the top wrestlers for Stardom, Iwatani now calls Marigold her home promotion. At least for the moment, she still holds the Marigold Supefly Championship amid her injury.

NOAH’s Wrestle Magic event on June 15 will be headlined by a six-man tag match with Kaito Kiyamiya, Titus Alexander & Archie Cole facing a yet-to-be-revealed team of representatives from NJPW, DDT, and Dragon Gate.

Challenger with ‘WWE experience’ revealed for Yoshiki Inamura’s GHC title

Posted on by Ian Carey

A challenger with WWE experience has been revealed for Yoshiki Inamura.

For the past month, a storyline has been building in Pro Wrestling NOAH that Inamura would soon face a challenger with a background from WWE. Inamura, who went on excursion to NXT from November 2024 to mid-2025, has been confronted by KENTA and Yoshi Tatsu, with Tatsu claiming to be in contact with Triple H.

Inamura successfully defended his GHC Heavyweight Championship against Alpha Wolf at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Apex Conquest 2026 show in Nagoya, Japan on April 12. After the match, former NXT wrestler Shane Haste was revealed as the next challenger for Inamura on May 2.

“I am Shane Haste! I am KENTA-san’s friend. I have WWE experience, have PRO WRESTLING NOAH experience. I’ve come back to win that belt,” Haste said.

Inamura responded, “Shane-san, I of course know that you have WWE experience and are a legendary foreign talent in NOAH. I was your fan. So next, May 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. On that grand stage, I want to fight you with this belt on the line. I would love to fight you for this belt.”

NOAH posted footage of Haste challenging Inamura to social media below:

NOAH teases GHC Heavyweight title being taken to WWE

Posted on by Ian Carey

According to Yoshi Tatsu, Triple H was part of a Pro Wrestling NOAH angle on Wednesday at Korakuen Hall.

Yoshiki Inamura, who previously went on excursion to NXT from NOAH from November 2024 to August 2025, is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. He’ll defend the title against Alpha Wolf on April 12.

Following his title defense against Kenoh on March 8, Inamura cut a promo saying he wanted to defend his title against someone with “WWE experience.” However, it was later confirmed that he’ll defend the belt against Alpha Wolf next, someone who does not have a WWE background.

On the April 1 show, Tatsu cut a promo on behalf of Wolf, his Team 2000X stablemate. Tatsu claimed to the live crowd that he’s been in contact with Triple H and if Wolf wins the title on April 12 it will be under WWE control.

Tatsu said on the show (translated):

“Inamura, you love talking about WWE, don’t you? I just got in touch with Hunter the other day! (Shows his phone screen) It’s HHH (Triple H)! After he takes the belt in Nagoya on April 12th, Wolf will head straight to WWE! The GHC Heavyweight title will be under WWE’s control. It’s what they call a defection. Don’t you guys at TEAM 2000X want to see a new timeline? Support Alpha Wolf in Nagoya on April 12th!”

A full lineup for NOAH Apex Conquest 2026 in Nagoya on April 12 has not been released.

NOAH wrestler Ulka Sasaki has just started his excursion from NOAH to WWE NXT in late February.

A clip of Tatsu’s promo on Wednesday at Korakuen Hall is below:

Yoshiki Inamura defends Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC title this weekend

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Yoshiki Inamura is set to defend Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Championship against Kenoh this Sunday. The title match will main event NOAH’s Apex Conquest 2026 event in Yokohama.

Inamura, best known to many US fans for his appearances in NXT last year, won the GHC title from KENTA last November. He has defended the title four times since then, most recently against Takashi Sugiura at Korakuen Hall in February. He has only competed in trios matches since then, often against KENTA’s White Raven Squad. 

Inamaura wrestled in 36 matches for NXT in 2024 and 2025, often in a tag team with Josh Briggs. He competed for the NXT Tag Team Championship (against Hank & Tank) and the NXT Championship (against Oba Femi).

Kenoh has won more than a dozen championships in NOAH dating back to 2014. He is a four-time GHC Champion, most recently winning the title from OZAWA last July before losing the belt to KENTA the very next day. 

Apex Conquest 2026 will air live from the Yokohama Budokan on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. JST. The event will stream live on Wrestle Universe with English commentary. Top matches include:

  • GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Yoshiki Inamura vs. Kenoh
  • GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: AMAKUSA vs. Mark Trew
  • GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Daga & Daiki Odashima vs. Dragon Bane & Alejandro

NOAH wrestler confirms WWE NXT excursion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Pro Wrestling NOAH star Ulka Sasaki has arrived in the United States to begin his WWE NXT excursion.

At the start of 2026, Sasaki revealed that he would soon be heading to the United States. His excursion destination was not revealed at the time, but Sasaki has now posted a YouTube vlog confirming that he is in Florida for WWE. He will begin training at the Performance Center once he completes the medical process.

The 36-year-old Sasaki is a former UFC fighter and also has MMA experience in Rizin and Shooto. He began his wrestling career for NOAH just over two years ago. In that time, Sasaki has held the GHC National Championship and GHC Tag Team titles. His final match before excursion was against KENTA on January 11.

Sasaki noted in his vlog that WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura, who he once faced for NOAH in January 2025, made sure to come see him after his arrival and give him advice on adjusting to the United States.

The WWE-NOAH partnership has included talent exchanges between the two promotions. Yoshiki Inamura crossed over to NXT for an extended stay before returning to NOAH, while Omos, Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, Charlie Dempsey, Harlem Lewis, Tavion Heights, and Josh Briggs are among the WWE wrestlers who have gotten to compete in Japan.

Naomichi Marufuji teases project with Netflix

Posted on by Ian Carey

Naomichi Marufuji is teasing a new project with Netflix.

The Pro Wrestling NOAH star posted to social media on Saturday to say that he was at the Netflix office for a “certain shoot” but did not reveal any further details. He also tagged NOAH in his post.

Marufuji wrote (translated):

“The other day, I went to Netflix for a certain shoot! 
Seriously, it was just pure heaven for me 😩 Way too perfect ✨
Full details will be announced later! Everyone, look forward to it ✨”

Marufuji is just coming off losing the GHC Tag Team titles alongside Kenoh to Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI at NOAH The New Year 2026. He wrestled on Saturday in the Shinagawa ward of Tokyo on NOAH’s Lethal Odyssey tour. He teamed with Shuhei Taniguchi in a loss to Manabu Soya and Shuji Kondo.

On Sunday, Marufuji posted about AJ Styles, writing:

“A sudden friendship that blossomed with a man I hadn’t been involved with for years. Life really is full of surprises—you never know what might happen.”

Dean Malenko’s daughter debuts in Pro Wrestling NOAH

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The Malenko family tree has sprouted another branch: Marie Malenko debuted earlier Monday with Pro Wrestling NOAH. 

Malenko is the daughter of Dean Malenko, who won multiple championships in ECW, WCW, and WWE. She is also the granddaughter of Boris Malenko, making her a third-generation wrestler, and the niece of Joe Malenko. 

Marie Malenko made her debut at NOAH’s Monday Magic Rising Sun Season #3 event at Shinjuku FACE arena in Tokyo, Japan. She teamed with Sofia Sivan (a two-year pro out of Orlando) to face Dream Girl Ellie & ZONES and Alivia Rose & Great Sakuya in a three-way tag team match. Rose & Sakuya won the match, which went about nine and a half minutes. 

After the match, reigning GHC Women’s Champion Mayu Iwatani named Sakuya as her next challenger. 

Malenko and Sivan cut a brief promo backstage after their match, with Malenko asking how her first match in Japan went. Sivan said she held her own, they gave as good as they got, and next time it would be “game on.” 

Former Ring of Honor star Erick Stevens posted that he had trained with Malenko, and with more experience, “she could become one of the best technical wrestlers in the country.”

Kaito Kiyomiya defeated Izzy James, a 15-year pro out of Houston, Texas, in the main event of the show. 

NOAH’s Ulka Sasaki announces United States excursion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ulka Sasaki — a Pro Wrestling NOAH star and former UFC fighter — is heading on excursion to the United States.

At NOAH’s January 2 event in Tokyo, Sasaki revealed that he will soon be heading to the U.S. for an excursion. He did not reveal his destination, but NXT would seem to be the most likely option given the relationship NOAH has with WWE. Yoshiki Inamura debuted for NXT in 2024 and spent much of 2025 in the U.S. before returning to NOAH and winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship.

Sasaki will face off against KENTA at NOAH’s Korakuen Hall event on January 11 before heading off on excursion. Both are members of the newly formed NOAH faction White Raven Squad.

As an MMA fighter, Sasaki has experience competing for UFC, Rizin, and Shooto. He’s held the GHC National Championship and GHC Tag Team titles while with NOAH. Fans who watched NOAH The Year 2025 will remember Sasaki as Shinsuke Nakamura’s opponent from the show.

The WWE-NOAH relationship has also seen some NXT wrestlers pick up experience wrestling in Japan, with Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, Charlie Dempsey, Harlem Lewis, Tavion Heights, and Josh Briggs having spent time overseas.

Tetsuya Naito wins gold in surprise Japanese wrestling return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On New Year’s Day 2026, Tetsuya Naito captured gold in his surprise return to Japanese wrestling.

Los Tranquilos de Japon (Naito & BUSHI) defeated Naomichi Marufuji & Kenoh at NOAH The New Year to become the new GHC Tag Team Champions. For both Naito & BUSHI, it was their first match in Japan since departing NJPW in May 2025. The two had been working international indie dates since then with stops in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The Tag Team title match was billed as Marufuji & Kenoh defending against BUSHI and a mystery partner. After teasing that Los Tranquilos de Japon trainee RYUSEI would be in the match, it was revealed that Naito himself was actually the partner.

Naito — one of NJPW’s most popular wrestlers of this era — departed the company in May after the two sides did not come to terms on a new contract. He was the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon while with the promotion.

NJPW star Hiromu Takahashi was also in action at NOAH The New Year, losing the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to AMAKUSA. Takahashi met up with his former LIJ stablemates backstage:

In their post-match comments, Naito & BUSHI did not reveal what’s next for them in NOAH. One team that could potentially challenge for their belts is The Good Brothers. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Jack Morris at NOAH The New Year and then mentioned wanting to go after the GHC titles.

Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2026 Predictions

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Pro Wrestling NOAH opens the year with NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2026 on January 1, 2026 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, with the main card starting at 3:00 PM JST. The full lineup features multiple title matches, a major “invasion” tag, and an international championship defense, with English commentary on Wrestle Universe and a live Japanese commentary broadcast on ABEMA.

Below are match by match predictions for NOAH The New Year 2026, based on the current card and the stories heading into Budokan.

GHC Heavyweight Championship: Yoshiki Inamura (c) vs OZAWA

This main event has “first big statement of 2026” written all over it. OZAWA’s challenge has been framed as a major return story after injury, which usually means drama, near falls, and interference teases.

Prediction: Yoshiki Inamura retains. Inamura winning keeps NOAH’s top belt stable coming out of Budokan, and it sets up fresh challengers for the first quarter of 2026 while OZAWA can still claim he was not at full strength.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs AMAKUSA

Hiromu bringing the GHC junior belt into a Budokan spotlight is huge, and AMAKUSA is the perfect foil for a fast, high precision title match. Their matchup was locked in after Hiromu’s big NOAH junior run, so this reads like a showcase defense.

Prediction: Hiromu Takahashi retains – A clean win keeps the belt on a crossover star a little longer, and it leaves AMAKUSA strong in defeat for a quick rematch or a new contender program.

GHC Tag Team Championship: Naomichi Marufuji and Kenoh (c) vs BUSHI and XXXX

The mystery partner is the headline here. NOAH does not usually leave a slot like “XXXX” unless a reveal is part of the selling point.

Prediction: Marufuji and Kenoh retain – Even if the surprise name is major, champions retaining in the first defense protects NOAH’s top tag story, while the challengers can claim they were one moment away from taking the titles.

GHC National Championship: Dragon Bane (c) vs Alpha Wolf

This is a classic “work rate title match” spot, and the National belt often benefits from strong, decisive defenses that build a champion’s momentum.

Prediction: Dragon Bane retains – Expect a crisp win that sets up a bigger domestic challenger next.

Special Tag Team Match, Invasion: Kaito Kiyomiya and Jack Morris vs Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows

With the “invasion” branding, this feels designed to heat up future appearances rather than settle the issue in one night.

Prediction: Anderson and Gallows win – A veteran heel win gives the angle legs and gives Kiyomiya a clear singles direction coming out of Budokan.

PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Will Kroos (c) vs Saxon Huxley

PROGRESS has heavily promoted this as a big international spotlight for the Atlas title.

Prediction: Will Kroos retains – Kroos keeping the title is the safer call for a cross promotional defense, especially with more overseas matchups available in 2026.

Undercard eight man and junior tag title three way

Break the Silence 8 man: KENTA, Ulka Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, HAYATA over TEAM NOAH

Black New Year 8 man: TEAM 2000X wins to keep their faction strong across the card.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles three way: Daga and Daiki Odashima retain with a dusty finish to protect the other teams.

Quick picks recap

Inamura, Hiromu, Marufuji and Kenoh, Dragon Bane, Anderson and Gallows, Will Kroos, TEAM 2000X, KENTA’s team, and Daga with Odashima.

Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2026 Card

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Pro Wrestling NOAH kicks off 2026 with one of its biggest annual shows, NOAH The New Year 2026, set for January 1, 2026 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, with a 3:00 PM JST start time.

The show is stacked with title matches and major inter-promotional flavor, highlighted by a GHC Heavyweight Championship main event and a GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship semi main that brings New Japan’s Hiromu Takahashi into the spotlight. Here is the card as it stands right now, along with what each match means heading into the new year.

Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2026 match card

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match – (Champion) Yoshiki Inamura vs (Challenger) OZAWA (TEAM 2000X)

This is the 49th champion’s second title defense, and it puts NOAH’s top prize in the middle of a heated faction clash.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – (Champion) Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW/Unaffiliated) vs (Challenger) AMAKUSA

Takahashi’s third defense adds serious star power, while AMAKUSA gets a massive stage at Budokan to chase junior heavyweight gold.

GHC Tag Championship Match – (Champions) Naomichi Marufuji and Kenoh vs (Challengers) BUSHI and XXXX (Los Tranquilos de Japon)

The 75th champions make their first defense, and the mystery “XXXX” slot is a built-in storyline hook that could reshape the tag picture on the night.

Kaito Kiyomiya and Jack Morris vs Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows

A true “invasion” style bout with The Good Brothers arriving to test two of NOAH’s key names.

GHC National Championship Match – (Champion) Dragon Bane vs (Challenger) Alpha Wolf

A high-pace title fight, and the 18th champion’s first defense could set the tone for NOAH’s mid-card title scene in 2026.

Break the Silence, 8-Man Tag Team Match – KENTA, Ulka Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo and HAYATA vs Atsushi Kotoge, Muhammad Yone, Hajime Ohara and Hi69 (TEAM NOAH)

A loaded multi-man tag that mixes veteran firepower with faction pride.

PROGRESS Atlas Championship Match – (Champion) Will Kroos vs (Challenger) Saxon Huxley (Passion RATEL’S)

The PROGRESS Atlas title comes to Tokyo, adding international stakes and a fresh change of pace on the undercard.

Masa Kitamiya, Takashi Sugiura, Tadasuke and Jun Masaoka (TEAM 2000X) vs Kazuyuki Fujita, Minoru Suzuki, Shuhei Taniguchi and Junta Miyawaki

A brawl-heavy match built for hard-hitting exchanges and faction momentum.

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match – (Champions) Daga and Daiki Odashima vs Alejandro and Kai Fujimura (All Rebellion) vs Eita and Shuji Kondo

The 64th champions go for their second defense in a chaotic three-way to open the show hot.

Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2026 Live Stream: How to watch.

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Pro Wrestling NOAH kicks off 2026 in a big way with NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2026 from Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Thursday, January 1, 2026. If you are watching from the United States or anywhere outside Japan, the simplest answer is Wrestle Universe, which is carrying a live stream with English commentary. Japanese commentary is also listed as airing live on ABEMA.

How to watch NOAH The New Year 2026 live on Wrestle Universe

Wrestle Universe is CyberFight’s official streaming home for NOAH, DDT, TJPW, and more, and it is the easiest way to watch The New Year 2026 live with English commentary. The event listing for “LINEyahoo PRESENTS NOAH ‘THE NEW YEAR’ 2026 (English Commentary)” confirms the show, venue, date, and language option.

To watch live on Wrestle Universe:

  1. Go to Wrestle Universe and create an account, or sign in.
  2. Become a Universe Member to access live events and the on demand library.
  3. Open the event page for NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2026 and start the stream when it goes live.

If you miss the live broadcast, Wrestle Universe typically keeps major events available on demand afterward, which is useful if you cannot watch in real time due to time zones.

Is NOAH The New Year 2026 streaming on ABEMA

Yes, ABEMA is listed by NOAH as a live broadcast option for the Nippon Budokan event. On NOAH’s official preview page for the January 1 Budokan show, the “distribution information” section states it will be live streamed on ABEMA, with a link to ABEMA’s fighting sports channel page.

Wrestle Universe’s event page also notes that Japanese commentary will be broadcast live on ABEMA, while the Wrestle Universe stream is labeled as English.

Wrestle Universe price, free trial, and supported devices

Wrestle Universe membership pricing is listed at ¥1,298 per month when paying on the website, and ¥1,300 per month via the App Store or Google Play.

You can watch on a computer browser, or use the mobile apps. Wrestle Universe has an official iOS app listing, and it is also available via Google Play

What to do before bell time

A few quick checks make the stream smoother:

  • Log in early and confirm your subscription is active.
  • Make sure you are on the English commentary listing if that is what you want.
  • If you plan to use ABEMA for Japanese commentary, open ABEMA ahead of time and locate the fighting sports live page linked by NOAH.

Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2026 Global Start Times: EST, PST, GMT and more.

Posted on by jake skudder

Pro Wrestling NOAH kicks off 2026 with NOAH PRESENTS NOAH “THE NEW YEAR” 2026 from Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. The main card is scheduled to begin on Thursday, January 1, 2026 at 3:00pm Japan Standard Time (JST).

Because this is a Japan afternoon start, fans in North America will be watching late on New Year’s Eve or in the very early hours of New Year’s Day, depending on the time zone. Below are the converted start times for the main card only so you know what time you need to log in to the live stream:

Time ZoneMain Card StartLocal Date
JST (Japan)3:00 PMThu, Jan 1
EST (New York)1:00 AMThu, Jan 1
CST (Chicago)12:00 AMThu, Jan 1
MST (Denver)11:00 PMWed, Dec 31
PST (Los Angeles)10:00 PMWed, Dec 31
GMT (London)6:00 AMThu, Jan 1
CET (Paris)7:00 AMThu, Jan 1
EET (Athens)8:00 AMThu, Jan 1
SAST (Johannesburg)8:00 AMThu, Jan 1
GST (Dubai)10:00 AMThu, Jan 1
IST (India)11:30 AMThu, Jan 1
SGT (Singapore)2:00 PMThu, Jan 1
AWST (Perth)2:00 PMThu, Jan 1
AEST (Brisbane)4:00 PMThu, Jan 1
AEDT (Sydney)5:00 PMThu, Jan 1
NZDT (Auckland)7:00 PMThu, Jan 1

NOAH The New Year 2026 start time in the United States (EST and CST)

If you are watching on the East Coast, the main card starts at 1:00am EST on Thursday, January 1. In Central time, it begins at 12:00am CST, right at midnight as the calendar flips to New Year’s Day. These conversions follow the standard JST offset versus Eastern and Central time on January 1.

NOAH The New Year 2026 start time in the United States (PST and MST)

On the West Coast, the show lands perfectly for a New Year’s Eve watch party. The main card begins at 10:00pm PST on Wednesday, December 31. Mountain time viewers can tune in at 11:00pm MST, also on December 31. The date change is the key detail here: you are still watching on New Year’s Eve in these time zones.

NOAH The New Year 2026 start time in the United Kingdom (GMT)

In the UK, the main card starts at 6:00am GMT on Thursday, January 1, making it an early morning kickoff to 2026. JST is consistently nine hours ahead of GMT, so the conversion stays straightforward.

NOAH The New Year 2026 start time in Europe (CET and EET)

For much of Europe, the event begins during breakfast hours. Expect a 7:00am CET start in places like France, Germany, and Spain, and 8:00am EET in countries such as Greece and Finland.

NOAH The New Year 2026 start time in Australia and New Zealand (AEDT, AEST, NZDT)

In Australia, it is an afternoon viewing window: 5:00pm AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne, and 4:00pm AEST in Brisbane. New Zealand viewers get a prime evening start at 7:00pm NZDT.

WWE NXT team loses NOAH tag titles

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE NXT duo Hank Walker & Tank Ledger are no longer the GHC Tag Team Champions.

Thirteen days after their reign began, Hank & Tank dropped the GHC titles to Masa Kitamiya & Takashi Sugiura on Friday at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Cross Over 2025. Hank & Tank have been in Japan since late October for a NOAH excursion that’s helped them gain experience outside of the WWE system.

Kitamiya & Sugiura were the team that Hank & Tank defeated for the belts on November 8. The heels reclaimed the championships today with the help of steel chair shots, along with outside interference from their Team 2000X faction.

Hank & Tank debuted for NOAH on October 26 and have worked seven matches during their excursion. In a social media promo before dropping the belts today, Hank & Tank said their goal was to come back to NXT still holding the GHC Tag Team titles.

Both Hank & Tank are former college football players. They’ve been paired together in NXT since 2023 and are one-time NXT Tag Team Champions, holding the titles for four months from April-August of this year.

NOAH’s working relationship with WWE has included Omos, Hank, Tank, Charlie Dempsey, Harlem Lewis, Tavion Heights, and Josh Briggs spending time overseas in Japan. Along with that, NOAH star Yoshiki Inamura — the current GHC Heavyweight Champion — had an extended stint in NXT before returning to Japan.

Inamura retained his title over Kaito Kiyomiya in the main event of Friday’s show — and it was announced that Inamura will defend the GHC Heavyweight Championship against OZAWA at NOAH The New Year 2026 on January 1.