(NOAH CHRONOLOGY) HAYATA ~ GHC Junior Championship reign (2nd)

Won: 3rd August 2019, Noah's 19th Anniversary show, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Number of title reigns: 1
Number of defenses: 4
Lost: 4th January 2020, "A NEW SUNRISE DAY1", Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Total number of days held: 154

Challengers
1. "Next...YO-HEY" (Osaka Edion Stadium 1st Arena)
2. "Next...Sumo Hall" (YO-HEY)
3. "Next...you" (Chris Ridgeway)
4. "Next...Ogawa" (Yoshinari Ogawa)

VS YO-HEY (OSAKA EDION ARENA STADIUM 1ST ARENA)

HAYATA won the GHC Junior Heavyweight championship from Minoru Tanaka on his 32nd birthday. HAYATA was not going to make a speech, so YO-HEY (who had been seconding him), got in the ring. YO-HEY said that "husband" wished him congratulations both for his birthday and for his win, and then embracing him, said he would be challenging him for the belt.
This being HAYATA & YO-HEY there was no acrimony between them, if anything it was like they wanted to share it between them, and HAYATA readily gave him a title shot. YO-HEY said afterwards that HAYATA had probably been expecting him to challenge.

YO-HEY started winding HAYATA up (and lets face it, he is the only one who can), by taking the belt and wearing it over his shoulder. Fans have also contributed to this feeling by a photo taken of RATELS at the merchandise table with HAYATA holding the belt up to a pretend sobbing YO-HEY.
The first time he did it, he handed it back to HAYATA. The second time he played around a little more, and teased him a little further at Korakuen Hall, by parading around the ring with it.
HAYATA pointed to the belt, and asked that YO-HEY give it back.

YO-HEY (with his usual demonic charm) grinned and went to hand it to HAYATA, and then withdrew it at the last moment. When he did give it back, he went to kick at HAYATA, who knowing him so well, automatically ducked. There was then an exchange between the two, in which YO-HEY looked like he was only joking, and HAYATA looking half relieved and half unsure of what YO-HEY was really up to.

YO-HEY would continue this behavior (with HAYATA getting increasingly annoyed) at Yokohama Radiant Halls, where he put the belt over his shoulder and then raised HAYATA'S arms. HAYATA pointed and asked for the belt back, but YO-HEY pretended that he thought that HAYATA was pointing at something on the mat, and so pointed there too. It took HAYATA a good effort to get the belt back. After the final match before the title (YO-HEY never actually faced HAYATA in the pre-matches), YO-HEY told "Wife" that they would make this "the top showdown" of the Noah Juniors.

The match signing took place in Osaka on the 15th September before the title match the next day on the 16th.
The match signing (naturally) was dominated by YO-HEY as HAYATA does not (and does not like to) talk and didn't answer any fan questions either, although at one point he did joke with him that he had been speaking (and HAYATA did whisper some answers to YO-HEY during the course of the event). YO-HEY was his usual insane self, saying that if he won the titles he wanted his first opponents to be Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Ritchie and then Stevie Wonder.

For the match, HAYATA painted his face in the half skull style, which he something that he usually does for title matches, and was something that he had used to do in his matches in Dove Pro against YO-HEY. One fan commented that as HAYATA doesn't talk, it makes the effect in the ring all the more poignant as that is where he does his talking. The match itself was a testament to the bond between himself and YO-HEY, made all the more tense as they know each other too well. The match was praised as a mixture of technical, high speed and high flying, but not too much emphasis on the latter.

At the end of the match HAYATA helped YO-HEY out of the ring, and the two of them walked to the back. HAYATA quickly putting YO-HEY on the floor to hold his belt up at the entryway before going to the interview area, where YO-HEY asked Wife (who he acknowledged was probably very happy, but was not going to talk as he knew that he didn't like interviews) for a rematch.
HAYATA thought about it for a moment and then said, "next....Sumo Hall".
YO-HEY let him leave then.

VS YO-HEY (SUMO HALL)

Unfortunately, HAYATA came down with the influenza bug that was going around late summer Japan, and Noah announced he was going to miss the 21st and 23rd September events. YO-HEY wished "champion" to get better, and said he thought that Wife had become ill through "fatigue, stress and pressure". The cards of the two shows that HAYATA would miss, were changed.

YO-HEY seemed to have changed his attitude during HAYATA'S absence. For a start he didn't refer to HAYATA playfully as "Wife" in his post match interview on the 21st (although fans had asked him how Wife was), and saying he wanted to "make the fucking guy with influenza, a B-type influenza at Sumo Hall" ("B Type Influenza" is a more serious strain of the virus). It is unusual for YO-HEY to use bad language, even rarer it is for him to use it towards HAYATA.

YO-HEY was nowhere near as hostile to HAYATA as he was in his post match promo on 21st, when HAYATA returned to the ring, and he did not even try to wind him up, and yes he went back to calling him Wife.
They had a kind of pre-match on the 11th October in Yokohama when YO-HEY teamed with Tadasuke with Naomichi Marufuji against HAYATA, Daisuke Harada & Kaito Kiyomiya, and he ended up defeating HAYATA with the YO-ROLL. After the match YO-HEY spoke on the microphone and told Wife that it was going to be "the same" at Sumo Hall, and yes, he said "same" because he knew that HAYATA did not like to speak and was not going to do it.
The promo ended with a handshake and HAYATA holding the belt up. You can tell from watching YO-HEY how much he loved working with HAYATA like this.

Much of the "Premium Prelude" tour was taken up with STINGER vs RATELS, and while YO-HEY didn't go as far as to actually steal the belt from HAYATA and wear it again, he did at one point take the belt and kiss it. Daisuke Harada noticed, and then HAYATA turned round, took the belt back and scolded him. YO-HEY cut a short coherent promo (after a crazy Tadasuke promo where he did an undulating hand movement, while Harada stared at him, YO-HEY looked at the floor and HAYATA vanished), and said that he would defeat HAYATA (not "Wife") at Sumo Hall for the belt.

As per the tradition from their matches in the chaotic Dove Pro, HAYATA painted his face for the title match against YO-HEY (half Darth Maul). It was hard fought with many near pins from both of them, several Headaches by HAYATA, and a near count out when YO-HEY was knocked outside the ring by a particularly brutal one on the ring apron, HAYATA (who was at his most sadistic) ultimately prevailed and defended the title.
STINGER (having lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag belts to Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke) appeared at ringside during the match, but fortunately they only wanted to complain about losing the tag belts, and they got up on the apron afterwards to do so. So while Daisuke Harada and Tadasuke squared up to them making belt wearing motions, HAYATA'S first thought was for YO-HEY, who he went to help up, leaving the title belt on the floor.
YO-HEY (who suffered a fever for the next few days, something he attributed to The Headache, which also knocked Hajime Ohara out at one point), said that naturally he was disappointed, but he wanted to rise with HAYATA, and gain more strength in the process. He said he planned to challenge again in the future.
HAYATA was going to need all of his ruthlessness, sadism and pain endurance for the next challenger.

VS CHRIS RIDGEWAY

Following the match of STINGER vs RATELS in Osaka on 9th November (the big fallout show from Sumo Hall), Chris Ridgeway challenged HAYATA for the GHC Junior Heavyweight title. HAYATA (using the habitual Osaka dialect that RATELS use between them, that he speaks in for his two word promos, and for the Osaka crowd), said "You...next".
Match has been set for Korakuen Hall on the 3rd December 2019.

Ridgeway wasted no time in torturing HAYATA, who took it from both himself and Ogawa at Texport Imabari on the 10th November, and even more humiliatingly in front of his friends and family when Noah sailed into Hiroshima on the 11th, when Ridgeway pinned him with the German Suplex Hold in a tag match.
The tide turned to HAYATA'S advantage at Korakuen Hall on the 16th November 2019, when HAYATA, YO-HEY & Tadasuke took on Chris Ridgeway, Kotaro Suzuki & Yoshinari Ogawa. Ridgeway worked on HAYATA'S arm through most of the match, but HAYATA managed to get the sneak win. Enraged, Ridgeway attacked HAYATA after the match sparking off the first of three fights between them, which took two referees, YO-HEY & Yoshinari Ogawa to break up.

After butting heads with HAYATA (and much to Ridgeway's credit, as its hard to wind HAYATA up unless you are YO-HEY as he doesn't take much notice usually of anyone, even Kotaro Suzuki was a little frightened of him as he couldn't get a reaction), the fight went to outside the ring near the curtained backstage entry\exit area, where not only a chair came into play, but Ridgeway also worked on HAYATA'S arm again. Somehow the combined efforts of Yoshinari Ogawa, YO-HEY and two referees bought order to the chaos (Tadasuke was also brawling with Kotaro), STINGER left through the curtain, and YO-HEY herded Wife and Mother (HAYATA and Tadasuke) through another exit, and told them in the interview to calm down, and they could get their revenge at the RATELS produce. HAYATA naturally made no comment to this, but he and Tadasuke evaded YO-HEY and ran off in search of STINGER.

Although HAYATA and Chris Ridgeway did not face off in the singles match, they were certainly opponents in the elimination match. HAYATA managed to eliminate Ridgeway by knocking him off the apron when they were both fighting on it, and Ridgeway returned the favor by knocking HAYATA off the apron and then into an ankle lock. They got into a roll around fight on the floor, punching each other, which Daisuke Harada had to come round and break up twice. After that, they managed to stay away from each other, but things kicked off again at Noah's event at the Niigata City Gymnasium, when a tag match took place between YO-HEY & HAYATA vs STINGER (the highly sadistic team who would more than prove this, of Yoshinari Ogawa and HAYATA). While Ogawa worked on YO-HEY'S knee, Ridgeway found inventive ways to torture HAYATA in a very brutal and grueling match with Ridgeway getting the win over HAYATA in 14 minutes and 1 second via German Suplex.

Ridgeway was not finished with HAYATA, patting him on the side of the head afterwards, and then standing over him holding the belt, and stepping on his ankle. Ogawa took care of YO-HEY when he tried to push him off "Wife". Eventually, STINGER left, and YO-HEY & HAYATA limped off (as we later discovered to probably see YO-HEY'S family in the country, where YO-HEY'S "resting my knee", involved drinking beer, smoking and playing Super Mario World 1990 until they had beat the game at 3am).
In his post match interview, Ridgeway said he would become the first British GHC Junior Champion.

Despite the loss they had suffered earlier in the evening to their hated rivals, STINGER, Daisuke Harada said that tonight was about supporting HAYATA, and the three of them came to ringside. YO-HEY looked on worried as Ridgeway proceeded to ground HAYATA with every submission move he could come up with, bending joints into positions nature did not design them for. HAYATA hung on in there, and eventually got the win with the Headache after twenty minutes and fourteen seconds.

If HAYATA thought that he was going to have an easier challenger next, he was to be disappointed as someone even worse, far more sadistic who had an inbuilt sonar for detecting pain, reared his head. Motivated by Kotaro Suzuki's success to now once again participate in the juniors as a single wrestler, Yoshinari Ogawa made his challenge....

VS YOSHINARI OGAWA

Ogawa challenged HAYATA for the title, by simply saying "Me...next", and then RATELS were jumped by STINGER and knocked to the floor. Ogawa, holding the belt, went to HAYATA and grabbed his hair, yanking his head up he held the belt up to him, before letting it go and leaving the ring.
Match has been set for the 4th January 2020.

Yoshinari Ogawa warned HAYATA at the start of their pre-matches (which unlike everyone else who was challenging for a title were more constant, everyone else seemed to get a day off from their opponents, HAYATA did not), that he was facing "days of pain", and this was true. YO-HEY looked on worried as Ogawa proceeded to torture HAYATA attacking either his legs or his feet, and at one point hanging him off one of the ropes. Things got so bad that YO-HEY said he was worried about "Wife" and Daisuke Harada who was seconding RATELS on the 7th December in Aomori, threw in the towel for him and ended the match. Even Atsushi Kotoge of rival group STINGER, admitted that he felt pity for what HAYATA was going through, and wondered if he would last until January 4th.

After seven days of torture, HAYATA finally got his own back on Yoshinari Ogawa in Aomori on the 12th December. Striking Ogawa with the Headache during a RATELS bs STINGER tag match, HAYATA finally got the three. As HAYATA stood over Ogawa holding the belt, Kotaro Suzuki at ringside noticed that Ogawa wasn't moving and immediately signalled for the seconds to get into the ring. Ogawa was alert, but complained about numbness in his arms as he was carried away on the stretcher. HAYATA spoke a whole sentence in the post match interview, but nothing more, saying, "Hey! January 4th....same!"

As neither HAYATA or Yoshinari Ogawa use social media, no one knew what was happening. None of STINGER ever gave an update on Ogawa, and Noah said nothing about any injury, kayfabe or otherwise, and they have never shied away from either creating an injury for storyline purposes (such as Kaito Kiyomiya) or announcing a legitimate injury or illness, so the silence was deafening. However, when the last pre-match came on 22nd December in Kiramesse Numazu, Yoshinari Ogawa appeared in perfect health, with no problems and the match went ahead as planned. Neither Ogawa or HAYATA pinned the other, and HAYATA probably was put on the torture rack again, as he was seen limping into frame when RATELS were being filmed at their autograph booth at the Fan Thanksgiving event which was held after the show.

The title match was predictably brutal, with Yoshinari Ogawa letting his sadism loose. HAYATA'S neck was attacked along with his foot, his leg and his knee; Ogawa using the ring ropes and the ring post. It was hard match to watch, but HAYATA did not and would not quit, and the worried looking RATELS teammates at ringside, knew not to throw in the towel. However, HAYATA did get some offense, and Ogawa took two moonsaults, plus a top rope somersault to the outside (YO-HEY was seen at ringside helping the trainees to hold the iron barrier, nodding to HAYATA when it was ready for him to go, and then checking he was okay). HAYATA put up the best fight he could, but 2020 is The Year of The Rat, and Yoshinari Ogawa won when he reversed "The Headache".

NEXT CHAMPION: Yoshinari Ogawa

LINKS
YO-HEY & HAYATA: GHC Junior match signing (Osaka)
YO-HEY & HAYATA post match interview (Osaka)