Results
- Daga & Daiki Odashima def. Eita & Shuji Kondo, Alejandro & Kai Fujimura (Three-Way) (GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions) (7:42)
- Jun Masaoka, Masa Kitamiya, Tadasuke & Takashi Sugiura def. Junta Miyawaki, Kazuyuki Fujita, Minoru Suzuki & Shuhei Taniguchi (6:48)
- Saxon Huxley def. Will Kroos (PROGRESS Atlas Championship) (8:07)
- HAYATA, KENTA, Tetsuya Endo & Ulka Sasaki def. Atsushi Kotoge, Hajime Ohara, Hi69 & Mohammed Yone (6:53)
- Alpha Wolf def. Dragon Bane (GHC National Championship) (13:17)
- Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Jack Morris & Kaito Kiyomiya (11:50)
- Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI def. Kenoh & Naomichi Marufuji (GHC Tag Team Championships) (13:17)
- AMAKUSA def. Hiromu Takahashi (GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship) (17:24) (Recommended)
- Yoshiki Inamura def. OZAWA (GHC Heavyweight Championship) (21:19)
Yoshiki Inamura survives Team 2000X interference spots, beats OZAWA to retain GHC Heavyweight Championship
Yoshiki Inamura’s run as GHC Heavyweight Champion isn’t done yet.
Inamura successfully defended his title for the second time on Thursday night, overcoming OZAWA in the main event of NOAH’s The New Year 2026 card from Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
The victory saw Inamura survive a long stretch of cheating tactics from OZAWA before closing the show just past the 21-minute mark.
To overcome OZAWA is to overcome all of Team 2000X, as illustrated by the first 15 minutes of the match. The numerous OZAWA allies at ringside helped him cheat his way through the earling goings, sliding him weapons, catching Inamura in the back with a chair, and at one point, all flooding the ring to attack Inamura in a beatdown.
The Team 2000X attacks were brought to an end by Dragon Bane, who hit the ring for the save and took everyone out with a gigantic tope con hilo. This made the final few minutes of the bout a pure one-on-one contest without any distractions.
Inamura took over in the closing minutes of the bout, putting OZAWA away with his huge top-rope frogsplash finisher to win in the end.
OZAWA and Inamura had similar paths before meeting in the Budokan this week. Both returned from an excursion over the past couple of years and immediately ascended to NOAH’s top title picture, OZAWA coming back after a run in the U.K., and Inamura returning following a lengthy run on WWE’s NXT program alongside Josh Briggs.
OZAWA captured the GHC Heavyweight Championship at last year’s The New Year card, dethroning Kaito Kiyomiya to earn his first major title. He held the belt until July 2025, eventually dropping it to Kenoh. He spent the final quarter of 2025 on the sidelines after suffering a foot injury during NOAH’s N-1 tournament.
Inamura earned the GHC title shortly after returning to NOAH late last year, ending KENTA’s run with the belt.
Inamura nominated Kenoh as the next title challenger following his win, but plans were changed after Team 2000X’s Masa Kitamiya attacked the would-be challenger at ringside. Kitamiya made a persuasive enough case as the next challenger that Inamura ended up changing his mind, deciding that “The Chair Man” will be his next opponent after all.
AMAKUSA takes down Hiromu Takahashi to begin third junior heavyweight reign
In what was easily the best match of the night, AMAKUSA overcame Hiromu Takahashi to become a three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion.
AMAKUSA survived Takahashi’s best moves during the 17-minute battle, including a Death Valley Driver off the middle rope and the NJPW star’s Timebomb finisher. After scoring a Sliced Bread from the top rope, AMAKUSA came down with a gigantic splash for the pinfall win.
The result not only made AMAKUSA the eighth wrestler ever to become a three-time holder of the belt, but also avenged a loss he suffered against Takahashi back in 2023 as part of Keiji Muto’s retirement card in the Tokyo Dome.
His first opponent of 2026 already seems set, as AMAKUSA was called out by 24-year-old up-and-comer Daiki Odashima during his post-match celebration. Odashima is currently on a run with Daga as junior heavyweight tag champs, but has yet to capture singles gold in his career.
The second half of 2025 saw Takahashi juggle his NJPW duties with bookings in NOAH, competing in their junior heavyweight division. His time in the promotion was highly successful, dethroning YO-HEY to earn the division’s top title, then later also winning the 16-man 2025 Jr. Grand Prix.
Tetsuya Naito returns to Japan, captures tag gold with BUSHI
Ex-NJPW star Tetsuya Naito made his first appearance in a Japanese ring in months on Thursday night, being revealed as the surprise tag partner for BUSHI in match against Kenoh and Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Tag Team Championships.
They made a splash in their domestic return, capturing the titles in 13 minutes. It was BUSHI who was able to secure the pinfall against Marufuji, blinding him with a mist during a roll-up. A large portion of the match focused on a feud between Naito and Kenoh, who faced off as part of an NJPW vs. NOAH card in 2023.
It was known in the lead-up to this card that BUSHI would be in action, but his tag partner wasn’t confirmed until just before the match. Even though Naito’s presence was incredibly predictable, his appearance received a significant reaction from the fans in Budokan, who immediately started a “Naito” chant during his entrance.
Naito and BUSHI had been absent from the Japanese scene since May, when they exited their deals with NJPW and became freelancers. They have taken sporadic bookings around the world in recent months, including dates in England, Spain, and Singapore.
Alpha Wolf cheats his way to win over brother Dragon Bane, joins Team 2000X
Alpha Wolf betrayed his brother, Dragon Bane, to capture the GHC National Championship and join NOAH’s biggest heel faction on Thursday night. After the duo battled for 10 minutes in a clean, respectful manner, Alpha Wolf used dirty tactics to earn the win and title.
Team 2000X’s Yoshitatsu appeared at ringside during the later minutes of the match, distracting the referee and allowing Alpha Wolf to take out Dragon Bane with a low blow. He then scored a piledriver to earn the pinfall victory in 13 minutes. Alpha Wolf changed into an all-black mask afterward, indicating that he has officially joined the faction.
The turn blows up what has been a long-time in-ring partnership for Bane and Wolf, who had two separate reigns with the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. They notably work as a duo in Mexico as well, and it’s unclear if that will continue after their split in NOAH this week.
Good Brothers win NOAH debut, PROGRESS title changes hands & more
Making their tag debut in NOAH (and both returning to the promotion for the first time in over a decade), The Good Brothers team of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson picked up a victory over Kaito Kiyomiya and Jack Morris in 11 minutes. The former NJPW and WWE tag champs scored a Magic Killer on Morris to earn the pinfall win.
In a cross-promotional showcase, the PROGRESS Atlas Championship changed hands on the undercard. Saxon Huxley prevailed in a hard-hitting showdown against fellow big man Will Kroos, who really had a stellar showcase in the eight-minute match. The bout included an incredibly impressive top-rope Spanish Fly and a beautiful moonsault attempt from Kross, which Huxley avoided. Eventually, it was a powerbomb off the middle rope from NOAH vet Huxley which earned him the title.
Earlier headlines on the card included Daga and Daiki Odashima retaining the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in a fast-paced three-way opener, and KENTA announcing the name for his new four-man faction: The White Raven Squad.
