Pro Wrestling NOAH kicks off its annual N-1 Victory tournament as the promotion continues its 25th anniversary.
In the shadows of the G1 Climax and Stardom’s 5Star Grand Prix, which wrapped last month, and Marigold’s Dream Star GP about to conclude, NOAH enters “tournament season” with its fifteen-day tourney.
The year kicked off with some unintended buzz surrounding NOAH after the ascension of OZAWA as a breakout heel, winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship on its New Year card. His win over company flagbearer, Kaito Kiyomiya, drew the company’s highest water part of attendees with over 5,000 witnessing the changing of the guard at Budokan.
To commemorate its anniversary, NOAH staged back-to-back nights at Korakuen Hall in July, appropriately titled “New Departure” as a nod to the promotion’s first set of cards in the summer of 2000.
While those initial shows were about the future and crowning Jun Akiyama as its star, this past summer was a nostalgia trip as OZAWA was unseated by Kenoh, who promptly dropped the title on night two to KENTA.
After five years with NJPW, the 44-year-old KENTA made the full-time return to the promotion he’s most associated with.
The title switch was met with oppositional views from fans enjoying KENTA’s return to form with several great outings against Kenoh, Ulka Sasaki, and company this year, but acknowledging that OZAWA has been a difference maker and one of the legitimate stars created in an organization that has struggled.
The lone title defense by KENTA occurred last month at Korakuen Hall with his pats partner and rival, Naomichi Marufuji, in a match that unfortunately fell apart, and each performer was feeling the length of the bout, resulting in many unflattering clips circulating, including a blown GTS sequence.
The two are in opposite blocks and represent the elder statesman of NOAH, and no doubt, will have the burden of keeping pace with their contemporaries, with seven round-robin matches.
Unlike 2024, WWE is not sending any talent for the N-1 despite Tavion Heights and Josh Briggs being welcome additions and appearing to benefit greatly from the diverse setting and set of opponents.
KENTA will be featured in the A Block with Kaito Kiyomiya, Manabu Soya, Ulka Sasaki, Kazuyuki Fujita, Tetsuya Endo, Masa Kitamiya, and Daga.
It also marks the first N-1 for KENTA along with RKJ, Galeno, Harutoki, OZAWA, Tetsuya Endo, and Daga debuting in the tournament.
Marufuji is attached to the B Block alongside OZAWA, Galeno, Daiki Inaba, Jack Morris, Harutoki, and Ricky Knight Jr.
Fujita is the oldest member of the tournament at 54 and should present the strangest set of match-ups and test the creativity of those matched against him.
Ricky Knight Jr. represents the outsider of the N-1, having just dropped the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship to Sha Samuels. At 25, is on a great stage to create some buzz in Japan with a strong outing.
While this will pale in comparison to the attention the G1 Climax received, the lineup looks a lot more compelling given the range of match types and styles that will mix and a promotion that has been more daring with its booking over the past eighteen months.
All tournament shows will stream live on Wrestle Universe with English commentary listed for the opening and closing nights.
Below is the full set of matches for the nine events, concluding with the final on September 23 at Korakuen Hall.
September 8 at Korakuen Hall:
*Block A: KENTA vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
*Block A: Tetsuya Endo vs. Daga
*Block A: Ulka Sasaki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
*Block A: Masa Kitamiya vs. Manabu Soya
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. OZAWA
*Block B: Galeno vs. Harutoki
*Block B: Kenoh vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
*Block B: Jack Morris vs. Daiki Inaba
September 11 at Okayama Convention Center
*Block A: KENTA vs. Manabu Soya
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Masa Kitamiya
*Block A: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Daga
*Block A: Tetsuya Endo vs. Ulka Sasaki
*Block B: OZAWA vs. Daiki Inaba
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kenoh
*Block B: Jack Morris vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
September 13 at Hiroshima Sangyo Kaikan Exhibition Hall
*Block A: KENTA vs. Daga
*Block A: Ulka Sasaki vs. Masa Kitamiya
*Block A: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Manabu Soya
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Jack Morris
*Block B: Galeno vs. Daiki Inaba
*Block B: OZAWA vs. Harutoki
September 14 at Acros Fukuoka Event Hall
*Block A: KENTA vs. Masa Kitamiya
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
*Block A: Manabu Soya vs. Tetsuya Endo
*Block B: OZAWA vs. Galeno
*Block B: Kenoh vs. Jack Morris
*Block B: Harutoki vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
September 15 at Kumamoto-jo Hall Civic Hall
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Ulka Sasaki
*Block A: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Tetsuya Endo
*Block A: Masa Kitamiya vs. Daga
*Block B: Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Galeno
*Block B: Jack Morris vs. Harutoki
*Block B: Kenoh vs. Daiki Inaba
September 17 at Edion Arena in Osaka
*Block A: KENTA vs. Ulka Sasaki
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Tetsuya Endo
*Block A: Manabu Soya vs. Daga
*Block B: Kenoh vs. OZAWA
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Harutoki
*Block B: Jack Morris vs. Galeno
*Block B: Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Daiki Inaba
September 20 at Act City Hamamatsu
*Block A: KENTA vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Manabu Soya
*Block A: Masa Kitamiya vs. Tetsuya Endo
*Block A: Ulka Sasaki vs. Daga
*Block B: OZAWA vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Galeno
*Block B: Kenoh vs. Harutoki
September 21 at Light Cube Utsunomiya
*Block A: KENTA vs. Tetsuya Endo
*Block A: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Daga
*Block A: Manabu Soya vs. Ulka Sasaki
*Block A: Masa Kitamiya vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
*Block B: Kenoh vs. Galeno
*Block B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
*Block B: OZAWA vs. Jack Morris
*Block B: Harutoki vs. Daiki Inaba
September 23 at Korakuen Hall
*Winner of Block A vs. Winner of Block B
