Ninja Mack chats becoming GHC Junior Champion due to HAYATA’s injury, his schedule with NOAH

Ninja Mack looks back at his GHC Junior Heavyweight Title victory that was not supposed to happen and provides an update on his NOAH schedule

Photo Courtesy: Pro Wrestling NOAH

Ninja Mack shares that he’ll be on the card for Muto’s Tokyo Dome show. 

Back in October, Pro Wrestling NOAH held a show during which five championship matches took place. The sole title change was Ninja Mack becoming GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion

Mack became champion as a result of HAYATA suffering a fracture-dislocation of the left elbow joint and not being able to continue. While being interviewed by Wrestling Inc., Mack told the outlet he did not know he was going to become champion. 

It was a week-and-a-half later that Mack lost the title to Dante Leon but regardless of how he won the title, he said it’s ‘mind boggling’ that he was a champion in NOAH although he was concerned about HAYATA. 

No, I did not know at all. So just the difference of indies to Japanese wrestling, I’m not told very much. And then going into it, things can change on a whim just like we saw in that match. So you have to be experienced enough to go with everything. And then also just, I mean capitalize on every opportunity, make the best you can out of every situation. Unfortunately, HAYATA was hurt and wasn’t able to continue. So we put Ninja Mack’s name in the NOAH Junior GHC Heavyweight Championship book, and it’s history.

So I mean, I got to capitalize on every opportunity. But now losing it just 11 days later, I have so much more to grow and continue to go for another one. And then just to see what’s going forward after that.

There’s a little part of you that’s worried about HAYATA, because you see another man in front of you break his elbow, fracture his elbow. We are in a competition, so I mean, I’m very happy I won, but there’s a piece of my mind just worried about HAYATA, a piece of my mind that you know, actually just won the 50th championship of NOAH’s wrestling history, which is mind boggling.

I think that was the first time it’s been done in 12 to 13 years. And I mean, it took a moment to actually kick in and actually hit you that you’re now in the history books for them forever. So that was a big moment and a big opportunity in my career that I’m very happy that I was able to seize. 

He provided an update on his schedule with the company. Mack will be with NOAH from December to Keiji Muto’s retirement event at the Tokyo Dome on February 21st. 

Yes, [I am] going back for my fourth [tour]. The first one was a month, the second one was a month, and this last one was eight weeks, so two months. This next time I go around, I think it’s about 10 or 11 weeks this next time, going from December, mid-December, to the Tokyo Dome Show for Muta’s final show.

Earlier this month, Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dragongate held a joint show and Ninja Mack was in action at that event. He was on the winning end of a team that consisted of Alejandro, Dragon Dia, Dragon Kid and Xtreme Tiger. 

About Andrew Thompson 9765 Articles
A Washington D.C. native and graduate of Norfolk State University, Andrew Thompson has been covering wrestling since 2017.