KENTA has defeated his storied rival Naomichi Marufuji to make the first defense of his latest GHC Heavyweight Championship reign.
The match main-evented Pro Wrestling Noah’s ‘Star Navigation Premium 2025’ event. The show, held at a sold-out Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Saturday, also saw the reveal of the participants for the annual N-1 Victory tournament.
The main event lasted just over 32 minutes, with KENTA finally putting his opponent away with the Go 2 Sleep finisher. This was the first time KENTA had defended the championship, having won the title from Kenoh at the ‘New Departure’ event on July 20.
Following the contest, both men shared their thoughts backstage. KENTA acknowledged the high expectations for the match, a renewal of a rivalry that dates back to the early days of the promotion.
I could feel the expectations from everyone who came today, and both Marufuji and I gave everything we could to answer them. The way we move now isn’t the same as when we were younger — maybe slower — but he’s still someone I want to keep fighting against.
Despite his loss, Naomichi Marufuji was defiant, immediately turning his focus to the upcoming N-1 tournament and a potential rematch with the champion.
Maybe this was the last singles match between me and KENTA with the belt on the line… that’s what I thought. But then I realized — I’m entering the N-1. I’ll win it, and I’ll come back to the GHC again. I’m still strong.
Elsewhere on the card, OZAWA was victorious in a special “Owadasan Send-Off Match,” defeating his Team 2000X stablemate Owadasan with the Real Rebel. Owadasan is heading overseas on excursion.
After an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, NJPW’s Hiromu Takahashi was back in Japan for the opener of Saturday’s show in an eight-man tag.
During Saturday’s show, NOAH announced the full competitor lineup for the 2025 N-1 Victory tournament, which is set to begin on September 8. The 16-person field is divided into the following two blocks.
N-1 Victory 2025 Participants
- Block A:
- KENTA
- Kaito Kiyomiya
- Manabu Soya
- Ulka Sasaki
- Kazuyuki Fujita
- Tetsuya Endo
- Masa Kitamiya
- Daga
- Block B:
- Galeno
- Naomichi Marufuji
- Kenoh
- Daiki Inaba
- Jack Morris
- Harutoki
- Ricky Knight Jr.
- OZAWA
Official #n12025 A & B Block entrants video is here!
Check it out now! #noah_ghc https://t.co/vFqPpLDrXa pic.twitter.com/pZbtprfrrI
— PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noahglobal) August 16, 2025
Star Navigation Premium 2025: Full results
- GHC Heavyweight Championship: KENTA (c) def. Naomichi Marufuji
- Owadasan Send-off Match: OZAWA def. Owadasan
- Galeno, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf & Super Crazy def. Luis Mante, Flamita, Bendito & Calibus
- Kaito Kiyomiya def. Harutoki
- Go Shiozaki, Mohammed Yone & Hajime Ohara def. Takashi Sugiura, Daga & Knull by disqualification
- Masa Kitamiya & Tadasuke def. Manabu Soya & Daiki Inaba
- Ulka Sasaki, HAYATA & Tetsuya Endo def. Kenoh, Shuhei Taniguchi & Black Menso~re
- Eita, Alejandro, Kai Fujimura & Daiki Odashima def. Hiromu Takahashi, Atsushi Kotoge, AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki
Results courtesy: Purolove.com
