Tetsuya Naito wins GHC Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling NOAH
Tetsuya Naito has won the GHC Heavyweight Championship.
He defeated Shane Haste for the title at Pro Wrestling NOAH‘s Legacy Rise on August 9, 2026, at Korakuen Hall.
Following the match, Naito revealed that he does not plan to enter this year’s N-1 tournament, which is set to run from September 12 to October 4.
Naito said after the match (translated):
“First of all, I’d like to sincerely thank all the many fans who gathered here today at the Korakuen Hall event. Some of you might be wondering how long I’m going to stay in the Pro Wrestling Noah ring, but I’m staying in this ring. Because I’m the GHC Heavyweight Champion, after all. The date for my next match hasn’t been decided yet, but isn’t this the perfect time for those words? Exactly… Tranquilo, don’t sweat it! It’s been about seven and a half months, right? Pro wrestling in Pro Wrestling Noah has been insanely fun. And I’m going to keep climbing into this ring for a long time to come. So, shall we end with that? For the first time at a Pro Wrestling Noah Korakuen Hall event, a grand chorus. Everyone, are you ready?”
Naito said backstage after his title win:
“Right now, I’m really enjoying this Pro Wrestling Noah ring. Since I’ve become the champion, I’ll take the lead and carry NOAH to even greater heights. I don’t need to enter the N-1 VICTORY, do I? We can decide the number one in NOAH and then have that wrestler clash with me. I’ll talk it over with the relevant people later. Asta mañana, adiós.”
Tetsuya Naito wins GHC Heavyweight Championship
Naito is now the 51st champion in the title’s lineage and becomes the 28th wrestler in history to win the title. Shane Haste‘s title reign ends at 99 days and three successful title defenses.
For Naito, he adds the GHC Heavyweight title to a resume that already includes five runs with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, eight runs with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, and one run with the NEVER Openweight Championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.