(NOAH) OZAWA Reveals the Reason for His Loss in the "New Year's Showdown": Reflecting on "Self-Preservation," "I Sold My Investment Trusts"

Tokyo Sports

9th January 2026

Noah's "Real Rebel" OZAWA (29) spoke about the unexpected reason for his defeat in the "New Year's Showdown" and made some bold remarks ahead of his upcoming one-on-one bout with Tetsuya Endo (on the 11th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo). Even as the new year dawns, this man continues to do whatever he wants, and shows no signs of slowing down.

After defeating Kaito Kiyomiya on January 1st of last year to become the GHC Heavyweight Champion for the first time, OZAWA challenged Yoshiki Inamura (33) at the Nippon Budokan just a year later. However, he was unable to repeat his performance and faced with Inamura's incredible strength, he was unable to reclaim the title. 

Regarding the reason for his defeat, he said with a sigh in a rare humble moment, "I wonder... I guess over the past year, the number of things I had to protect increased, and I think I was trying to protect myself. I've really reflected on that. I was also suffering from leg pain, so I think it was like I was holding back internally..."

So, in what way was he trying to protect himself?

OZAWA confessed to purchasing investment trusts, saying, "I bought 'eMAXIS NASDAQ100' with my new NISA." He then vowed, "I regret that I was too self-centered. That's why I sold my investment trusts. You can't just invest for your own sake, so from now on I'll just focus on bicycle racing, pachinko, and slot machines."

The reborn OZAWA'S next opponent will be Endo. This matchup was decided after he forced a castella cake into his mouth in a six-man tag team match on December 23rd of last year. He played dumb, saying, "The card was decided all of a sudden, I guess." He then continued, "This guy called Endo Tetsuya came to Noah from DDT last year, and he's continuing to wrestle here this year too. He's been completely abandoned by DDT. Doesn't he have a place? He's been moving from one unit to another..." When asked about his enthusiasm, he cheered Endo on, saying, "I hope he does his best here so that he can decide the direction for the year." Not only that, he also brazenly said, "I hope he can gain something from fighting me. I want to fight with the intention of lending him a hand." 

His eccentric behavior is likely to stir up trouble in the wrestling world again this year.

Translated from Tokyo Sports

Picture credit: Tokyo Sports