Tetsuya Naito wins gold in surprise Japanese wrestling return

On New Year’s Day 2026, Tetsuya Naito captured gold in his surprise return to Japanese wrestling.

Los Tranquilos de Japon (Naito & BUSHI) defeated Naomichi Marufuji & Kenoh at NOAH The New Year to become the new GHC Tag Team Champions. For both Naito & BUSHI, it was their first match in Japan since departing NJPW in May 2025. The two had been working international indie dates since then with stops in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The Tag Team title match was billed as Marufuji & Kenoh defending against BUSHI and a mystery partner. After teasing that Los Tranquilos de Japon trainee RYUSEI would be in the match, it was revealed that Naito himself was actually the partner.

Naito — one of NJPW’s most popular wrestlers of this era — departed the company in May after the two sides did not come to terms on a new contract. He was the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon while with the promotion.

NJPW star Hiromu Takahashi was also in action at NOAH The New Year, losing the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship to AMAKUSA. Takahashi met up with his former LIJ stablemates backstage:

In their post-match comments, Naito & BUSHI did not reveal what’s next for them in NOAH. One team that could potentially challenge for their belts is The Good Brothers. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Jack Morris at NOAH The New Year and then mentioned wanting to go after the GHC titles.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.