Pro Wrestling NOAH wrapped up two days at Ryogoku Sumo Hall to close out April. Across those two days, there were three brand new champions crowned, as well as a couple of new challengers approaching the new champions. Here’s the rundown on the movement of the three newly crowned champions.
New Champions at NOAH Ryogoku Sumo Hall Events
We do love a PK pic.twitter.com/oQtDU3aT4i
— Chris Ridgeway クリスリッジウェイ (@chrisridgeway__) April 30, 2022
Chris Ridgeway and Yoshinari Ogawa Become GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
On day one at the all-junior Ryogoku Sumo Hall event, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship changed hands. The STINGER team of Yoshinari Ogawa and Chris Ridgeway defeated YO-HEY and Atsushi Kotoge to claim the belts. This is Ridgeway’s first-ever championship in NOAH, while this is the 8th run with the belts for Ogawa. This puts Ogawa with the second most reigns as GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion behind Atsushi Kotoge at 9 reigns.
They didn’t have any immediate challengers, but on day two, Ogawa made the appeal for Texano Jr and Super Crazy to be the first challengers. Their mouthpiece, NOSAWA Rongai, said they were willing to challenge wherever and whenever. However, as of now, there has been no championship match set between the two teams.
"Just as Harada and Kotoge said, the last people who closed out the N-Innovation were STINGER. All the belts are STINGERS. Like HAYATA said in the ring, if anyone wants to come for our belts after seeing this, we will take on any challenge."
Yoshinari Ogawa pic.twitter.com/YqBceUCfsN
— Pro-Wrestling Noah Eng (Hisame, 冰雨) (@Hi5ame) May 1, 2022
HAYATA Become GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion
On day one at the all-junior Ryogoku Sumo Hall event, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship also changed hands. HAYATA defeated Eita to become a 4-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. This means that STINGER, once again, controls all the Pro Wrestling NOAH junior gold. As of now, there has been no title match set for HAYATA. However, that can change over this next tour. Someone could pin or make their challenge to him. Only time will tell.
月並みな言葉かもしれない。
けれど、一生懸命がんばります。#noah_ghc#wrestleUNIVERSE#IamNOAH#WeareNOAH pic.twitter.com/qcIxveEelY
— 潮崎豪 (@goshiozaki54039) May 1, 2022
Go Shiozaki Wins the Vacant GHC Heavyweight Championship
Due to Kazuyuki Fujita contracting COVID, the GHC Heavyweight Championship was relinquished. Simply put, there needed to be a new champion. On day two, at Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Go Shiozaki defeated Kaito Kiyomiya to win the vacant crown. This means that Shiozaki has broken the record for most GHC Heavyweight Championship wins at 5, concluding his road back to the title.
He didn’t have too much time to celebrate, as New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Satoshi Kojima made his challenge. Kojima is only lacking the GHC Heavyweight Championship to become the fourth man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight, Triple Crown, and GHC Heavyweight Championship. The match was signed and confirmed for CyberFight Festival.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch Pro Wrestling NOAH as well as DDT, TJPW, and more on Wrestle Universe.
