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Add FightsATW on GoogleTEAM 2000X frontman defeated Pro Wrestling NOAH ace Kaito Kiyomiya to win the N-1 VICTORY 2026 tournament at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on Sunday.
The Real Rebel OZAWA, 29, a former NJPW dojo trainee, tormented Kiyomiya, 30, to lift the N-1 trophy for the first time and in only his second attempt, having withdrawn last year after the opening match due to injury.
Kiyomiya’s long-running feud with his arch-rival dates back to November 2024, when OZAWA betrayed his then-All Rebellion faction teammate to join the unruly TEAM 2000X stable.
The former three-time GHC Heavyweight champion lost his title to OZAWA at NOAH‘s marquee event, NOAH THE NEW YEAR 2025, and the former has not defeated the man formerly known as Taishi Ozawa since then.
OZAWA pinned Kiyomiya to deny his bitter rival a record third N-1 title after hitting his picturesque Real Rebel (Phoenix Splash) at 23:22 in front of 2,077 fans in Tokyo.
NOAH’s charismatic heavyweight booked a title shot against Tetsuya Naito for the GHC Heavyweight Championship at WRESTLE ODYSSEY Ⅱ, which will emanate from Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday 25 October.
OZAWA said: “That was easy. I haven’t checked the time yet, so I don’t know, but it was way too easy.
“Kaito Kiyomiya was so comfortable that it ended in under 5 minutes. That makes it 3 wins and 0 losses in singles. What’s up? The Ark’s Big Three.”
Looking ahead to his GHC showdown, OZAWA, who handed Naito his first singles loss in NOAH in their first meeting in May, said: “Next up is Tetsuya Naito. He can get away with anything by just saying “Tranquilo.”
“Last time I won with my lightning-fast reverse pin, my lightning-fast reverse pin that I pinned at 107,000 kilometers per hour, so next time I think I’ll easily roll him up and win again.”
New GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champions were crowned in the co-main event as Jun Masaoka and YO-HEY beat Dragon Bane and Alejandro.
Masaoka pinned Alejandro after subduing the masked crowd favourite with his Ambitions finisher (High-angle lifting driver) to earn his first honour in NOAH.
Bane and Alejandro, who aimed to hold the titles long enough to break Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA’s record of nine successful title defences, fell in their sixth defence.
Second-generation luchador Bane will face Alejandro’s young brother Kai Fujimura for his GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship at WRESTLE ODYSSEY Ⅱ.
Los Tranquilos de Japón’s new masked assailant stuck again as he marked his in-ring bow alongside BUSHI with a statement tag team win over GHC National Champion Marufuji and GHC 200 Champion HAYATA.
The ‘Mysterious Phantom Invader’ (M.P.I.), a towering heavyweight who is, for now at least, determined to conceal his identity, got the better of the Genius of The Ark in 8:53 following a modified powerbomb.
Elsewhere, White Raven Squad (WRS) trio KENTA, Shane Haste and Tetsuya Endo bested GHC Tag Team Champions Manabu Soya and Yuki Iino and their bulky one-day recruit Shuji Kondo.
Former GHC Heavyweight Champion Haste, who finished second in the A Block behind eventual N-1 runner-up Kiyomiya, triumphed over Iino with his Ayers Rock Bottom in a repeat of his N-1 clash against the former rugby player last month.
Haste announced his challenge for Soya and Iino’s tag titles and blindsided his WRS colleagues by revealing that his partner will be the returning Mikey Nicholls.
TMDK original Nicholls, a two-time GHC Tag Team champion with Haste, last wrestled in NOAH in 2016.
The 2013 Tokyo Sports Best Tag Team Award winners and one-time IWGP Tag Team Champions last teamed up in April in Ring of Honor.
Former six-time GHC Tag Team Champion Shuhei Taniguchi, a protégé of the great Kenta Kobashi, announced that he will retire.
Taniguchi, who turns 50 this month, has spent his entire 21-year career with NOAH and plans to have two final matches before hanging up his boots.
“I’ve decided to retire, and I have two retirement matches scheduled, so I’ll make sure to get myself in top condition and continue as a professional wrestler until then. I’ve been suffering from osteoarthritis of the ankle, and at its worst it interfered with my daily life, so I decided to retire. My right ankle is particularly bad, and it’s been like this since the end of last year.”
NOAH also announced their 16-man line-up for the Junior Grand Prix 2, which will run from Monday 9 – Sunday 28 November.
Former four-time WWE 24/7 champion Sidney Akeem, better known as Reggie during his WWE run, and Michinoku Pro youngster Tsunagu Sato are surprise inclusions.
Entrants: Kai Fujimura, Alejandro, Dragon Bane, Kid Lykos, Kid Lykos II, YO-HEY, Jun Masaoka, Tadasuke, Shuji Kondo, Daiki Odashima, Hi69, HAYATA, Sydney Akeem, Tsunagu Sato, BUSHI, Yuto Koyanagi or Hiroya Namiki (Qualification Match on 15 October)
FULL NOAH N-1 VICTORY FINAL RESULTS:
Pre-show: Atsushi Kotoge & Yuto Koyanagi beat Black Mensore & Hiroya Namiki (7:02)
- Kazuyuki Fujita & Titus Alexander beat Yoshiki Inamura & Chen (7:54)
- Masa Kitamiya, Takashi Sugiura, Alpha Wolf & Kai Fujimura beat Kenoh, Mohammed Yone, Hi69 & Hiroto Tsuruya (9:06)
- KENTA, Shane Haste & Tetsuya Endo beat Manabu Soya, Yuki Iino & Shuji Kondo (9:44)
- Kouga & Daiki Odashima beat Tetsuya Naito & RYUSEI (10:46)
- M.P.I (Mysterious Phantom Invader) & BUSHI beat Naomichi Marufuji & HAYATA (8:53)
- GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: YO-HEY & Jun Masaoka beat Dragon Bane & Alejandro (c) (16:17)
- N-1 VICTORY FINAL: OZAWA beat Kaito Kiyomiya (23:22)
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