NJPW wrestler wins GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship
Hiromu Takahashi is the new GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion.
He defeated YO-HEY to win the title on the first night of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 Victory tournament today at Korakuen Hall.
“Hiromu has done it! Hiromu Takahashi is the NEW @noahglobal GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion!” NJPW wrote on X.
Following YO-HEY’s successful title defense at NOAH New Departure in July, Takahashi came out and challenged the champion to a future title match. The bout was originally scheduled for August 11 in Kawasaki, but was postponed after YO-HEY suffered an orbital fracture.
Leading up to the bout, Takahashi had said that if he failed to win the title, he’d remain full-time in NOAH, even potentially reducing his NJPW schedule.
“I’ll stay in NOAH. I’ll be here full-time, and it would even be to the point where I’d have to take a break from New Japan’s series,” Takahashi said to Monthly Puroresu.
Takahashi is now the 59th champion in the title’s lineage and the 29th wrestler to ever win the belt. YO-HEY’s title reign concludes after 124 days and four successful title defenses.
Following Takahashi’s win, he was confronted by several members of NOAH’s Junior Heavyweight division, who Takahashi assumed had come out to be his seconds.
“Everyone, you came as seconds, right? Isn’t your job to put the belt on the champion? Kotoge-san? Odajima-san! …What was your name again? Could you please leave for today? There’s someone I want to face.”
Takahashi was later confronted backstage by Eita, seemingly establishing him as Takahashi’s first challenger.