Endo’s N1 Adventure

Okay Tetsuya Endo now it’s your turn. As part of Endo’s year long stay with NOAH he decided to take part in their annual tournament the N1 Victory. The reason is this tournament was going to be his restart point to get revenge, not just on TEAM 2000X but to give more life back to the step-sibling rivalry between NOAH and DDT. There is also the need for him to catch up with Konosuke Takeshita after his career long rival won the G1 Climax in New Japan. Only makes sense for him to match that by winning NOAH’s premier round robin tournament. He was thrown into the A Block to compete against foes old and new with plenty of potential scalps to claim along the way.

Block A

1. Masa Kitamiya (10)
2. KENTA (8)
-. Kazuyuki Fujita (8)
-. Kaito Kiyomiya (8)
-. Tetsuya Endo (8)
6. Manabu Soya (6)
7. Ulka Sasaki (4)
8. Daga (4)

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 08/09/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,548 Fans

1. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Daga (2) defeated Tetsuya Endo (0) with a Jackknife Pin (10:26).

The start did not go Endo’s way as he lost to Team 2000X member Daga in the very first match of the N1. It was a bit embarrassing because before the tournament Endo said Daga had turned from a lion into a cat from staying in TEAM 2000X. Endo used the Exploder Suplex to put Daga in position for the Burning Star Press but Daga dodged the finisher. He took over and tried to apply the Diablo Wings but Endo avoided it. From there Daga went for different pinning combinations until he finally landed on a Jackknife Pin to get the three count on a surprised Endo. He tried to cover for it by saying he doesn’t mind making a sacrifice or two in order to win the N1.

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 11/09/2025
Okayama Convention Center
420 Fans

5. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Ulka Sasaki (0) with the Modified Shooting Star Press (10:30).

Things quickly turned around for Endo starting with the second show of the tour. He already had countermeasures ready for Ulka Sasaki based on the brief time they previously had from wrestling each other. Both of them needed a win and Endo came up on top by using a Corkscrew Shooting Star Press. He told reporters afterward he originally wanted to use the move on OZAWA but he had to pull out with an injury from the first show, so Endo used it here.

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 14/09/2025
Acros Fukuoka Event Hall
621 Fans

6. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) defeated Manabu Soya (2) with the Modified Shooting Star Press (12:45).

Endo wasn’t scheduled for the third show so he got a little bit of a breather before returning to face Manabu Soya next. He was looking forward to this because their previous matches in NOAH were filled with interference and this time it was truly going to be a one on one fight. Soya took Endo’s biggest hits and kept standing while shouting “Passion!” That was put to an end when Endo gave him the Torture Rack Bomb and then the Corkscrew Shooting Star Press for the win. Endo talked about how Soya is the one person he’s wrestled the most in NOAH and was where Endo first started his quest for revenge against the company. He won this match fair and square so all he had left to say was advice for Soya to take good care of his family.

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 15/09/2025
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
538 Fans

8. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) defeated Kazuyuki Fujita (8) with a Crucific Pin (7:00).

Endo’s momentum just kept on rolling and he helped blow open the race for the A Block by beating the undefeated Kazuyuki Fujita! Trying to match him in brute force was like tearing down a brick wall but he did pull out a familiar move, the God’s Right Knee from Yukio Sakaguchi! That stunned Fujita long enough for Endo to hit the Burning Star Press but Fujita kicked out of it before there was even a one count (typical, eh?)! Luckily for Endo, Fujita kept his guard down as he sat up so Endo flipped him over with a Crucifix Hold to pin him. Endo called the victory a big win for pro wrestlers and also DDT. It’s what he needs because next up he will be facing the man who is carrying NOAH on his shoulders…

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 17/09/2025
Osaka Edion Arena #2
705 Fans

8. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Kaito Kiyomiya (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (6) with the Skywalk Elbow (14:26).

This was the match that most represented DDT Vs NOAH. Kaito Kiyomiya went into the match with a chip on his shoulder. He also got more fired up when Endo used the God’s Right Knee on him and then asked if that was all that Kiyomiya had got? Kiyomiya got out of the Torture Rack Bomb and did a Tiger Driver for a nearfall. He then increased the pressure on Endo until he couldn’t kick out of the Skywalk Elbow. Kiyomiya then revealed the reason he was ticked off was because he wasn’t on the cover of the new Shukan Puroresu issue! Endo hated that he lost but he admitted he still learned a lot from Kiyomiya both from wrestling and from listening to his promos.

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 20/09/2025
Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu
494 Fans

5. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Masa Kitamiya (8) defeated Tetsuya Endo (6) by Countout (11:48).

This is where Endo’s chance of winning the A Block came to an end. Before the tournament Endo called Masa Kitamiya a copycat for joining TEAM 2000X and dying his hair black. In Endo’s mind it was proof that the unit had become oversaturated and Kitamiya wasn’t seeing the big picture. Oh how wrong he might turn out to be. The two fought out of the ring and up the aisle after Tadasuke distrated the referee. Kitamiya then gave Endo a Piledriver onto a chair and then applied the Strangle Hold γ until it was time for him to get back into the ring, leaving Endo out there to be counted out. Kitamiya mocked him after the match for losing by countout and he suggested Endo should start over in the NOAH dojo. Endo was now out of the running and I might as well say it here, “The Chairman” went on to win the whole thing!

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 21/09/2025
Tochigi Light Cube Utsunomiya
617 Fans

9. N1 Victory 2025 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (8) defeated KENTA (8) with the Modified Shooting Star Press (15:02).

By the time the last match of the A Block took place, Endo was completely out of the running but he had a chance to play spoiler against the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. He was confident he could beat KENTA because he got seven hours of sleep during the night plus two more on the coach trip to the venue so there was no need for him to Go 2 Sleep. He got staggered badly though when KENTA blocked the Burning Star Press with his knees and then hit the Busaiku Knee Kick. However Endo lived up to his promise by avoiding the Go 2 Sleep and giving KENTA a Reverse Hurricanrana instead. He then hit the God’s Right Knee followed by the Corkscrew Shooting Star Press to end his tournament with a win over the GHC Champion! Endo thinks he hasn’t achieved enough during his stay in NOAH so far. When the N1 happens again next year he wants to be the first person to enter it!

NOAH “ABEMA PRESENTS N1 VICTORY”, 23/09/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,598 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. N1 Consolation: KENTA, Manabu Soya, Ulka Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Galeno, Kenoh, Daiki Inaba & Ricky Knight Jr. when Soya pinned Inaba with the Death Valley Bomb (9:31).

Endo’s match on the final night of the tournament was an 8-Man Tag pitting the A Block against the B Block. He got to make fun of Daiki Inaba’s attempts at showing “Passion” and had a speedy back and forth with Ricky Knight Jr. Inaba got to take the lead of his team for a moment by sending Knight, Kenoh & Galeno on a train attack but he ended up injuring his leg from missing a Diving Body Press from the top rope. Soya picked up the pieces and pinned him with the Death Valley Bomb. Inaba then had to be stretchered out of the ring.

So What Has Tetsuya Endo Been Up To?

It’s been a while since we looked over at NOAH to see what Tetsuya Endo was doing. Last time I wrote about him he was losing the GHC National Title to back to Manabu Soya. Since then OZAWA won the belt to become a double champion thanks to a lot of TEAM 2000X shenanigans that Endo was included in. More shenanigans followed when he decided to immediately vacate the title because he already has the GHC Heavyweight Title. NOAH put together a mini tournament to crown the next champion and Endo took part in it.

NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION PREMIUM 2025”, 22/03/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,550 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

3. GHC National Title Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo defeated Takashi Sugiura with a School Boy (5:59).

Endo made a mockery of Takashi Sugiura in the 1st Round by cheating with some help from Yoshi Tatsu at ringside. He found a moment to knock the ref aside and give Sugiura a Low Blow. Then he pinned him with a School Boy and added some insult to injury by doing MIKAMI’s pose along with the count. Endo said Sugiura is one of the few wrestlers in NOAH he respects. Beating him means he has beaten half of NOAH and next he will crush the other half. Sugiura complained and asked if Endo really came over from DDT to wrestle this way in NOAH?

NOAH “SUNNY VOYAGE 2025”, 11/04/2025
Niigata City Gymnasium
1,092 Fans

8. GHC National Title Tournament – Final: Galeno defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Galeno Special (23:46).
*Galeno becomes the 17th GHC National Champion!

Endo was now one step away from reclaiming the National Title for himself. Now he had to go through the really big wall that is Galeno. The latest luchador from the famed Wagner family to ply his trade on the NOAH canvas. TEAM 2000X interfered at the start of the match and Endo relied on using a Low Blow again. But Galeno fought back against the odds and ultimately got the win with the Galeno Special to become the new champion! Endo tried to get a last word in by saying just because Galeno won the title doesn’t mean he is on the same level as his brother El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. However Endo admitted he was beaten and acknowledges that Galeno has gone from a third rate wrestler to a first and a half rate wrestler.

NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION 2025”, 14/04/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,550 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

8. No DQ Tag Match: KENTA & Kenoh defeated OZAWA & Tetsuya Endo when KENTA pinned OZAWA with the Go 2 Sleep (25:33).

With Endo now outside of any title picture currently going on, he moved back to TEAM 2000X stuff. He teamed up with OZAWA to take on KENTA & Kenoh in a wild No DQ Match to build up OZAWA’s GHC Title defence against KENTA coming up next month. There were fights in the aisle, attacks with bamboo canes plus weapons like ladders and tables being used. At one point there were a pile of chairs in the ring where every wrestler crashed into when they missed a top rope move. Yoshi Tatsu interfered only for Ulka Sasaki to come out and stop him. KENTA knocked OZAWA off a Giga Ladder through some tables below and pinned him with the Go 2 Sleep afterward.

Backstage Endo was cutting a promo to reporters when Takashi Sugiura approached him. He wanted to know how much longer Endo was going to behave like this and asked if this is what he wants to do in NOAH? Endo won’t answer him so he brought along someone that Endo will listen to. Jun Akiyama! He asked Endo the same questions and Sugiura and told him to remember who he really is. Sugiura suggested he and Akiyama should team up against Endo to help guide him back on the right path. Endo eventually agreed to the challenge because anyone who stands in front of him is his enemy!

CyberFight Announces New Organisational Structure

A press conference was held today by CyberFight to announce an upcoming change in company structure along with other news regarding their wrestling promotions. The big announcement is the appointment of Yasuo Okamoto as CyberFight’s new president from 1st June onwards. Okamoto began working for CyberAgent in 2000 and is currently an Executive Vice President, a role he’s had since 2020. Sanshiro Takagi will be moving down to EVP under his real name Tadashi Takagi (he is also slightly changing the spelling of his wrestling name from 高木三四郎 to 髙木三四郎) Takagi said he will be taking a break as a pro wrestler in July in order to focus on management as well as to take care of his own health. He will continue to be in charge of DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro under this direction. On the NOAH side Naomichi Marufuji and Akihiro Takeda remain in their roles as EVP and Director respectively. Akito Nishigaki (aka Akito) will also now serve as a director. Takagi assures fans that the in-ring products for each company is not going to change.

Okamoto joked that when he received the offer for this role he was happy because he now gets to call pro wrestling his job. He already watches the different CyberFight promotions on ABEMA and Wrestle Universe. He also thanked Takagi for all of his hard work in running all three companies up to now. His goal is for everyone to work together in order to make CyberFight the number one wrestling organisation in the industry. His first target is to strengthen the relationship between NOAH and WWE. At the moment WWE shows air in Japan on ABEMA along with NOAH. There is nothing official to announce yet but they are working on having one in the near future. CyberFight is also currently finalizing deals for new corporate sponsors and would like to increase the number of sponsors from time to time. ABEMA streams NOAH programming and there is hope for DDT and TJPW to return to the service with broadcasts of their own big events.

NOAH have signed Ulka Sasaki and EITA to the company. Sasaki is a former MMA fighter who began wrestling for NOAH this past January. His goal is to become the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Takeda made a phone call to EITA at the press conference to announce the news of his signing. EITA told fans through the phone that he will continue to stir up NOAH as the ace of their Jr. Heavyweight division. NOAH also announced they have hired Keiji Muto as their new scouting advisor. Until now he was working as a Pro Wrestling Ambassador for ABEMA. Muto said every company right now is out there looking for new talented people and if any young people are interested they should get in contact with NOAH. Salaries are increasing and Muto heard stories about how Kazuchika Okada could be earning up to 2 billion yen over the next three years. He told Okamoto he would like to see him create a budget for the company that will look three to five years into the future. Muto also mentioned an idea to recruit new trainees from other countries, not just Japan.

Later this month DDT will be holding auditions for male teenagers aged 15 to 19 years old looking to become wrestling trainees. DDT is also setting up a new community project with Masahiro Chono called Safety Task Force (STF, get it?). Together they will hold small scale wrestling events to raise awareness for health disaster prevention and other lifesaving countermeasures. Chono sent in a video message telling DDT he does not want this project to be done half-heartedly.

Tokyo Joshi Pro will be increasing their international schedule over the next year in a bid to go global. On 24th August they will be in England holding an inter-promotional event with EVE. That is happening the same weekend as AEW’s return to Wembley in London. Then in November TJPW is planning to have a show in Seattle, USA. Finally, TJPW confirmed they will be in Las Vegas next April for their annual appearance at WrestleMania Week.

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The WWE part of that news sent a chill down the spine, didn’t it? There is already a little connection between them and NOAH through ABEMA. Looks like it’s about to grow. That has me concerned over just how far that direction can go and if it causes any side effects elsewhere. Takagi moving down a management tier isn’t getting me hopeful either but some of that is just time doing its thing. He’s spoken before about it being time for him to start looking for potential successors and getting them ready for the job. Is that going to be Akito because I think he has just been demoted from EVP to director, unless I missed that happening somewhere already a while ago. I don’t have any feelings towards Okamoto being the new president. Not thrilled with the WWE idea but I’m not going to immediately bash the guy over it.

Muto was never really gone from NOAH so his reappearance in the company is no surprise. He’s the one you have to watch out for when it comes to serving personal goals over company goals. The DDT news I’m indifferent too. They’re happy with how they get rookies and will continue down that path. The international TJPW shows are all good news. I’ll be in London for AEW so will go to the EVE x TJPW show the night before (unless Revolution Pro put out an unbelievable lineup). I’m also going to Vegas for Mania next year just to experience what the strip will look like swarmed by 60,000+ wrestling fans so you’ll be sure to see me at the TJPW show too. It’s a little odd they did not announce anything for DDT at the same time but I think it’s just because they wanted to include a TJPW announcement here and this schedule was all they had.

So yeah let’s hope the WWE stuff becomes minimal. If not then please look forward to “Main Event” Jey Uso fighting Yoshitatsu in Match #4 on a Shinjuku FACE card while The Up Up Girls get the Def Rebel remix treatment. Yeet.