Pro Wrestling Noah Roster Guide 2023


History of Noah in a nutshell
Noah's story starts in January1999 when All Japan's founder, Giant Baba, died of colon cancer. He had left the running of the company to Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa (who had formerly been Tiger Mask II) and was all but Baba's adopted son, took over as company president. Wanting to modernize All Japan and change it to his own style flew in the face of time honored tradition, (Misawa himself once said that it was okay to ask why things were in All Japan, but it just wasn't okay to change anything), and immediately issues arose with Baba's widow, Mokoto, and other members of the managing board who voted to strip him of his position. Misawa had seen this coming and had asked much of the roster to join him in a mass walk out, which involved two of the Four Pillars (Kenta Kobashi and Akira Taue), Referees Shu Nishinaga and Akihiro Fukuda, and the majority of All Japan's younger talent such as KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura. Yoshinari Ogawa also joined Misawa, as did Jun Akiyama. 

The name of the new promotion, "Noah", which symbolized the chosen saved from the flood, was inaugurated in August 5th & 6th 2000. Yasutaka Yano, was born on August 10th 2000, ironically in the gap between Noah's first shows and their first ever tag league. 

Noah prospered in what was to become known as "The Golden Era", taking their place as one of "The Big Three" with New Japan and All Japan, although relations with All Japan remained strained, and with successful working relationships with DragonGate, Ring of Honor, ZERO-1, shows at the Tokyo Dome and the Nippon Budokan, both of which their younger roster grew up taking for granted as this was the era of the stadiums. This gradually started to take a toll on Mitsuharu Misawa (please compare an interview in 2001 with an interview in 2009) and he slowly became worn down with the task of running Noah, his own worsening injuries, the Japanese economy taking a nosedive in the mid 2000s, Kenta Kobashi's kidney cancer, and the growing interest in MMA in Japan which turned people away from pro wrestling for a while. Tragically, Misawa's body would give out in June 2009 when he suffered a probable broken neck during a match in Hiroshima, which triggered a fatal heart attack. He was only forty-six. Noah where left rudderless. 

Following Misawa's death, Naomichi Marufuji found himself in the position of Vice President. Misawa had not trained him for this role, although he had planned to, and Akira Taue was appointed President. The next few years bought scandal, (a Yakuza gang where discovered to have been selling tickets to fill out arenas with the aid of two high ranking Noah employees), walk outs (Kenta Kobashi refused to retire following injury, and so walked out back to All Japan along with Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, Kotaro Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and the late Atsushi
Aoki) and severe money worries. Akira Taue turned into an old man over night, his own salary cut down to less than that of a trainee shows how bleak things where. In Naomichi Marufuji's words "We have lived too long on the account of our seniors, and now there is nothing left". There was nothing left, and Noah where sold to BUSHIROAD. It was to be a disaster. 
Invasion angles if done right, can be done well. This was one of those cases where it was not. New Japan's Suzuki Army ran riot over Noah, taking all the belts and beating up what was left of the roster week after week. Fans turned away a sour taste in their mouths as Takashi Sugiura turned on his old promotion, and joined The Suzuki Army. Naomichi Marufuji sent New Japan packing by selling Noah to EstBee, an I.T. company and they withdrew in 2016. The change in the promotion was like a breath of fresh air, but the future was uncertain. EstBee sold Noah to LIDET, (who can be credited with bringing Noah to the next level as the battered and bruised promotion made the way back up), who in turn sold Noah to CyberFight. CyberFight put Noah back to where they belonged, with a TV deal in the form of a streaming service, Noah returned to The Budokan, and the was bridge mended with both New Japan and All Japan. Despite all the issues Noah had in the past with death, scandal, walk outs, money troubles, loss of audience and talent, they had survived somehow. CyberFight & DDT President Sanshiro Takagi had remarked that Noah wouldn't have survived the Coronavirus pandemic without CyberFight, but saving Noah was done for another reason, Mitsuharu Misawa had been a shareholder in and supporter of DDT and had there been no DDT, there would ultimately have been no Noah. Misawa is always watching. 

Links related to Noah's history
For the troubled relationship between All Japan and Noah please see "Four Days in April" 
"The Testament of Misawa" - probably the most detailed account of what happened in Hiroshima in June 2009. 
"Don-Mai, Don-Mai" (in progress): Mitsuharu Misawa's PKDX diary. Get to know the man, and his sense of humor. 
"Heir to The Ark" (partial): Naomichi Marufuji's biography
"The Last Bump" (partial): Mayumi Misawa's biography of Mitsuharu Misawa (her husband)

Noah Style

Noah's style is based on "Kings Road", which is hard to explain briefly, but places a heavy emphasis on how to take a move, storytelling, the flow and endurance in matches, even down to how many steps one should take when crossing the ring from one rope to another. Please see "Passivity" for a deeper explanation. 
Giant Baba is often called "Noah's Grandfather", with Jumbo Tsuruta, Genichiro Tenryu and the much neglected and forgotten Haru Sonoda (who died in a plane crash in 1987) as it's uncles. Noah booking, (these days especially in the sacredness of title matches), is still done along Baba lines, with his ideals alongside the teaching by Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta passed down to Noah dojo graduates and those who come into the promotion from elsewhere. Also passed on to Noah has been the Baba "sound". Baba would not let anyone debut until he was satisfied they could do this. So strong was this transmitted to Noah that when Genichiro Tenryu appeared for the promotion, he could not believe that this was not Baba's All Japan in the way that the wrestlers moved, how they took moves, and yes Baba's all important sound. Tenryu credits his own student, Yoshinari Ogawa, with this (and Jun Akiyama who was there at the time of his visit). Genichiro Tenryu has sometimes appeared on commentary for Noah, although this is now rare due both ill health and his other commitments. 

Links related to Baba style & Yoshinari Ogawa's roots
Annual events

"CyberFest" - the mega show featuring all the promotions under the CyberFight roster. Usually held in June. 

"Departure" - usually two shows held in August to commemorate the founding of Noah. Misawa called them "Departure" as a way of holding up two fingers to All Japan. 

"Diamond" - The Kongoh produce, this is now usually held at the end of the year, replacing both the costumed battle royale (which fans want to see a return of) and The Sugiura Army produce.  

"Global Tag League"/"Global Junior Tag League" - Global Junior Tag League hasn't been held much in recent years, and when it is it is just as chaotic as the division. Global Tag League is usually held once a year. The event is in the form of a round robin tournament for tag teams, with the winners facing the tag champions for the belts. 

"Great Voyage" - Usually advertised with the suffix of whatever town Noah will be holding it in i.e. "Great Voyage in Yokohama" etc. These are big one off events and usually the culmination of the months tours.

"Majestic" - Noah's springtime show which is usually held in May at Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall).

"N-1 Victory" - Replacing "Global League", Noah's elite heavyweights fight to be the strongest with the winner getting a shot at the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Kaito Kiyomiya set a precedent for the GHC Heavyweight Champion not appearing. 

"N-Innovation" - monthly event held for the turbulent Noah Juniors which has pretty much replaced Global Junior League. However, since Daisuke Harada had to retire, N-Innovation has not been held since December 2022 with no shows announced for 2023 at the time of writing. I have left in in this list as it may return later in the year. 

"NOAH the HOME" - dojo shows with no lighting, entrance themes etc which where originally started during Noah's empty arena era during the Coronavirus pandemic to give the younger wrestlers in ring experience in front of the camera. These shows still run twice a month or so on YouTube, with donations by the fans going towards maintaining the training centre and dormitories. 

"Noah The New Year" - Noah's New Year Nippon Budokan shows. 

"Mitsuharu Misawa, Forever in Our Hearts" - Noah's early June shows which remember the promotions founder. These are not always held these days, as Noah management wish to put a cap on them now. 

Belts

GHC Heavyweight: The highest belt in Noah for heavyweights. Inaugurated by Mitsuharu Misawa in April 2001, the original belt was ruined when someone (probably Makoto Hashi) cleaned it with a detergent that stripped the gold off the plating, so Mitsuharu Misawa commissioned a second belt. This second belt was retired at Sumo Hall in November 2019, and is believed to be in Kenta Kobashi's possession. A new belt was inaugurated that evening, and was presented to the then GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kaito Kiyomiya, on his successful defense against Kenoh. This is probably the most sacred belt in Noah. 

GHC Heavyweight Tag Belts: The heavyweight division is not known for being as chaotic as the juniors, but these belts are usually treated a lot rougher than the GHC Heavyweight is and have been used from time to time to attack people with. They have also had periods of being vacated when teams fall out or else a member is injured. 

GHC National: The GHC National was inaugurated in 2019 by Riki Choshu, and was intended to be a belt that anyone could challenge for from any promotion, as long as the match took place in Noah. The belt has so far only been held by heavyweights. Unintentionally, the holders of this belt have all had some kind of background in MMA, and title matches are characterized by two extremes; short mixed martial arts type fights, or hour long matches when Kenoh challenges the GHC Heavyweight Champion belt for belt. 

GHC Junior Heavyweight: The wild younger brother of the GHC Heavyweight. This belt is as chaotic as the division it represents. Unlike the GHC Heavyweight, this belt has been covered in blood, driven into peoples faces, thrown out of the ring, thrown in the ring, and usually gets draped over the champion after a challenger beat down or vice versa. Eita (of all people) gave the belt a much needed polish.

GHC Junior Tag Belts: Less chaotic than it's singles counterpart, it falls to the team wearing it to bring it into the turbulence of the division. These belts don't really get used as weapons too much (although it does happen), it's usually whoever is wearing them who is at war with the rest of the division, or even each other. 

The Grand Seniors
Mitsuharu Misawa: Noah's founder. Naomichi Marufuji & Kotaro Suzuki's teacher. 

Kenta Kobashi: Misawa's sibling student, greatest GHC Heavyweight Champion in Noah history. Go Shiozaki & KENTA'S teacher. Very paternal relationship. He is also a mentor for Kaito Kiyomiya.

Yoshinari Ogawa: Ogawa is Noah's oracle, and the most respected man backstage, who the veterans still go to for advice on technique. His gimmick is a heel, and his manipulative powers are so great that people don't often realize they are doing what he wishes until long after they have done it. He also has what Kotaro Suzuki described as a “galaxy brain”, and is capable of using not only his opponent, but even the ref of even illusion as a weapon. Ogawa is a man in his 50s, but he can still keep pace with wrestlers half his age. Sometimes he can be seen finishing up what fans call a "classroom" when people arrive at the venue.   

Noah staff
Narihiro Takeda: Noah's director
Referees: Nishinaga, Nakayama & Tsukagoshi. Referee Nishinaga is the most senior, Referee Nakayama seems to get manhandled by the Noah Juniors the most, and Referee Tsukagoshi (the youngest at only 25) is the most strict. Like the wrestlers, the referees are of the All Japan/Baba lineage through Joe Higuchi.
Ally: Noah's ring announcer and time keeper
Mr Orange/Orange-san: Noah's long suffering bus driver, who sometimes appears to help out at the merchandise stand, and sometimes gets drawn into schemes.
Wakako Miyaki: Noah's photographer 
Stewart Fulton & Mark Pickering: Noah's English language commentators 
G-MAN: Noah's English announcer. 

Other Noah associated people
Funky Kato: Musician who wrote the theme song for the Noah Budokan, "Voyage", sometimes appears on commentary. 
Kuniko Yamada: Comedienne and musician (she plays the Samisen, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument), who sometimes appears on ABEMA commentary. Seiki Yoshioka once accidentally destroyed her announce table with a moonsault. She always has the latest Noah gossip, and said her favorite Noah member is Masa Kitamiya, "as he likes chubby girls." 

Current Roster
(Please note that some people fall into more than one category)

Heavyweights
A lot more staid than their junior counterparts. the Heavyweights embody the "Pure" fight of Baba or the "Wrestling with aesthetics" (i.e. wrestling with beauty). Unlike the juniors they don't tend to often screw each other over, fight before the bell goes, fight after the bell goes, intrude into matches or get into mass brawls. However, they are known to be the ones to get into fights at press conferences/match signings. 

Misawa generation
 (The people who where his contemporaries, not his juniors)

Akitoshi Saito
Came to Noah from originally "the dirt indies" (W*NG) and New Japan, where he had been a member of Heisei Ishingun. At the time of writing he is in "Funky Express", although it is only himself and Mohammed Yone these days, although they don't really do much together now. Saito often appears on commentary.  

Mohammed Yone
Originally a BattlArts guy and known for having some vicious matches during Noah's early to mid years, he has now settled down to being a Funky Disco dancer. Noah these days is an easy payday for Yone, and he rarely takes part in leagues or title challenges. 

Seniors/Veterans
(The trainees who walked out of All Japan with Mitsuharu Misawa, and now are the roster veterans)

Naomichi Marufuji
Like Mitsuharu Misawa, he enjoyed being a junior, and enjoys his interactions with the division. Remains eternally curious about wrestling new people coming to Noah, and is interested in bringing up (paternal Noah uses "nurturing") Noah's young. Vice President of Noah as per Mitsuharu Misawa's wishes. Uses a more ground based attack these days, but is still capable of pulling out the odd top rope somersault if he wants to.

Takashi Sugiura
"Killing Machine". Known for both his terrifying presence in the ring and his bawdy sense of humor outside of it. Both fans and the Noah roster (the other seniors that is) have nicknamed him "Sugi". 

"Golden Era/mid generation"
(The people who debuted during Noah's "Golden Era")

Go Shiozaki
Noah Born. Shiozaki is in a grey area when it comes to whether he should be with the veterans or whether he should be in the "mid generation". The fact is that he should probably be in both, but he doesn't really belong with the seniors as they are his seniors, although he is senior to the younger Noah Born. Shiozaki in a poll of 2022 ranked third as the greatest GHC Heavyweight Champion, just behind Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa. After an inauspicious title reign following Misawa's death, and a couple of non consequential ones, he rose to the challenge of leading Noah through the pandemic which was the title reign he always should have had, although this did take a toll on his body and he suffered a significant shoulder injury which flared up again in September 2022, and he has been absent from the ring since. Shiozaki is the chairman of the Noah Wrestlers Association, and he is the heir to Sugiura and Marufuji, who look to him to run Noah when they are gone. 

Go Shiozaki and his seniors (from left Naomichi Marufuji, Kotaro Suzuki and Takashi Sugiura. Mitsuharu Misawa said that Shiozaki and Kotaro were nerds). This picture was taken after Shiozaki had piloted Noah through the pandemic.


Katsuhiko Nakajima
Noah's wolf, who gives the impression that he is eternally waiting in the long grass for prey. Nakajima is characterized by vicious kicks, an evil Cheshire Cat like grin, and although he is part of Kongoh, there is a feeling that he is going his own way. Nakajima came to Noah from Diamond Office/Kensuke Office and is the "older brother" (sibling student) of Masa Kitamiya. The Kensuke Office boys (along with Kento Miyahara), do not have a good relationship. 

Shuhei Taniguchi
Noah Born. The eternal question of "What to do with Taniguchi", has remained unanswered for years with Taniguchi being variously himself, the monster Maybach Taniguchi, a Funky Disco King complete with unlit cigar, gold crown, gold chain and yellow boa and now himself again. When the monster is provoked, he is scary and goes on a rampage, destroying all in his path. Sadly, it is a question of "waking him up" as his seniors have put it. 

Noah's younger generation/next generation and others
(Note - these are those who are set apart from the "Mid generation/Golden Era" as either they were not in Noah at the time or debuted afterwards)

Daiki Inaba
Inaba first showed up in Noah at "Noah Sanctuary" in 2021 with a challenge to Kaito Kiyomiya. Encouraged to "break out of his shell" by Naomichi Marufuji, Inaba has introduced a new angrier and more focused persona than before. 

Jake Lee
The tallest on the roster and one of the most powerful, Jake towers above everyone at 6'3. Holding the distinction of being the first Zainichi-Korean to hold the GHC Heavyweight title, Jake has quickly settled into Noah (he is originally from All Japan, so he carries Baba with him), and formed the new unit "Good Looking Guys".  

Kaito Kiyomiya
Noah Born. The prince of Noah, The Supernova, The New Hope, The Galaxy View and the leader of Noah's next generation. Kiyomiya holds the record for being Noah's youngest GHC Heavyweight Champion at only 22. Kiyomiya's career so far has seen record ups and record downs, in particular his fight against Keiji Mutoh (his mentor) and the GHC Heavyweight loss in March 2023 to Jake Lee. At the time of writing, Kiyomiya's bad luck has continued as he has suffered a concussion that has kept him from going to America with Keiji Mutoh. Kiyomiya also has his own YouTube channel, but is not as active as Kenoh.

Kazuyuki Fujita
"The Beast" signed with Noah in early 2022 soon after winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship, which he had to vacate due to catching Coronavirus. A generous man, who is these days seen as a beloved senior (complete with his old man Red Viper tonic which he likes to hand out to everyone at ringside as well as his team and which he expects everyone to chug with him), he very much only appears at the bigger shows and has stated that he has an ambition to teach. 

Hideki Suzuki gritting his teeth and chugging down Kazuyuki Fujita's "Red Viper" tonic. 

Kenoh
Noah's most angry man came to the promotion from Michinoku Pro in 2014 as a junior, teaming with Hajime Ohara as Kenohara. With the dissolution of Super Violent Army, he went heavyweight and won the GHC in 2017. Kenoh having once been a junior brings that element to the heavyweight division, as it is usually him who will cause backstage fights, or intrude into matches. Kenoh is the leader of "Kongoh", a rebel group who claim to act according to what they believe in but with changes to unit members over the years, Kenoh is also the only original member left. Kenoh runs his own YouTube channel, which is a mixture of his angry ranting and his surprising sense of humor.      

Kinya Okada
Noah Born. Somewhat of a lone wolf, Kinya Okada is still chasing that first big win. Taught by Katsuhiko Nakajima how to kick, he is developing his silent and deadly character. Heavily influenced by Showa era wrestling (another hark back to Noah's Four Pillars/Baba/Tsuruta & Tenryu All Japan roots), his style continues to develop. 

Manabu Soya
One of the ultra heavyweights, one thing Noah fans love seeing is his interactions with the others in that league, matches with Kazuyuki Fujita and Yoshiki Inamura especially. A terse and silent wrestler, Go Shiozaki commented that he is the perfect opponent as his emotions are displayed right there and then in the ring when fighting him. Fans hope that one day the team of himself and Masa Kitamiya will be resurrected, although at the time of writing Kongoh have lost a title challenge to Kitamiya and Inaba, and he (Soya) and Kenoh are the current All Japan World Heavyweight Tag champions. 

Masa Kitamiya
The incarnation of his mentor, Masa Saito, Kitamiya embodies both his look and style. This is not some imitation however, this is a resurrection. Kitamiya continues to grow stronger and stronger, much to the chagrin of the veterans who find they can't knock down he who was once a "cute junior" and to his opponents.

Taishi Ozawa
Noah's Born, who debuted two years after Yasutaka Yano. One of the biggest on the roster, the 181cm tall Ozawa is seen throwing dropkicks, which he utilizes thanks to a background in gymnastics.

Yoshiki Inamura
Noah Born. Noah have never had a strongman before, and Inamura has introduced elements of that into the Noah dojo with both juniors and heavyweights training with his tires, which has spread now to other dojos. Kenta Kobashi is fascinated by him as he is like a wrestler from the old days in terms of physique. Like most wrestlers in their early years it took Inamura a while to find who he wanted to be; being variously a tag team with Masa Kitamiya, a member of Kongoh, and a member of Kiyomiya's new generation. Inamura has settled into form with continuing the tag with Masa Kitamiya, while being part of Kiyomiya's new generation. As well as competing in the ZERO-1 Fire Festival, Inamura has received high praise from Jun Akiyama, KENTA, Masato Tanaka and Kenta Kobashi. Akiyama has said that he knows that Noah is in good hands with Inamura and Kiyomiya. 

Ultra heavyweights 
Akitoshi Saito
Kazuyuki Fujita
Manabu Soya
Masa Kitamiya
Yoshiki Inamura

Juniors
(The juniors do not have the hierarchy that the heavyweights do, but what makes this division different is the fact that it is often complete chaos; fights break out before and after matches with no one waiting for the bell and then go on outside the ring, people attack each other backstage, mass brawls have broken out between the entire division from time to time, championship belts are used as weapons, matches are intruded into, referees get roughed up, screw overs and switches and unit changes are common) 

Alejandro
Masked High Flyer who trained in Mexico. The smallest on the roster who is often a target for the nastier Juniors, who like to rip his mask off. Older biological brother of Kai Fujimura. 

AMAKUSA
Formerly Haoh (although he refuses to talk about those days). AMAKUSA debuted following Haoh's being expelled from Noah thanks to Tadasuke winning a "Loser Leaves" match. Haoh seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, but it was later revealed that he had gone to Mexico. Returning as AMAKUSA, the somber Heian era noble, who speaks in older style Japanese (Heian) and uses words such as "duel" and addresses people in a style not heard much these days, and with a new set of skills, some of which have been named after events in Japanese history, such as "Kaikoku", which refers to when Japan opened up to the world. AMAKUSA achieved what Haoh could not, a reign as the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, albeit in confused circumstances following HAYATA'S injury. 

The southern boys battle; quiet Hiroshima born HAYATA vs quiet Kumamoto born AMAKUSA

Atsushi Kotoge
Kotoge made the rare move from being a heavyweight back to being a Noah Junior a couple of years ago, and since has become swept up in the maelstrom of the division. Currently at a crossroads due to Daisuke Harada's retirement, which has left him as the leader of the junior division and now (aside from Ogawa), the most senior. Kotoge has spoken about "creating something new".

Hajime Ohara
Once an oasis of calm in the midst of a sandstorm, Hajime Ohara is now dark, angry and vengeful, even towards the trainees, the people he was once the most sympathetic towards. A member of Kongoh's dwindling junior division, (alongside Hi69 and his terrifying senior Shuji Kondo), Ohara seems to be playing a supporting role while Hi69 takes the lead. 

HAYATA 
It's ironic that quiet shy HAYATA should be chosen as the division ace, which means that he now has to speak. Naturally reticent, HAYATA says he does his talking in the ring, and when he does it's usually in a dark and sadistic manner, and with a grin when beating up on opponents. HAYATA'S last GHC Junior title reign was cut short due to injury, but he has returned to "take my belt back". Formerly a member of STINGER, the unit who seemed the most immune to all the changes going on around them, HAYATA and Yoshinari Ogawa have had a major falling out over Eita teaming with Ogawa.

Hi69
Hi69 appears to have emerged recently in a very positive way by putting on amazing singles matches and being the mouthpiece (if not leader in lieu when Shuji Kondo isn't there) of the Kongoh Juniors. Embracing the leadership that Kenoh recognized and put on him during the Captain's Fall Match in Tohoku in late March 2023, this has opened up a new sphere for him. No longer a follower, he's a leader. 

Junta Miyawaki
Noah Born. Debuting shortly after Kaito Kiyomiya, he is kind of like his second in command when it comes to the younger trainees. Currently on long term excursion in Mexico. He returned in early 2023 to challenge for the GHC Junior, but returned to Mexico vowing he would get stronger and not return until then after losing in his title challenge.

Seiki Yoshioka
The man with the kicks in the Noah Junior division, Yoshioka came to Noah from W-1 during the pandemic as a freelancer, and eventually signed with the promotion as a full time member. He was first in The Sugiura Army as a member of their now defunct junior division, then he joined FULL THROTTLE. However, he soon grew tired of YO-HEY'S "Perron" and Hajime Ohara's "Mui-Bien" and turned on them to join STINGER whereby he changed look from nice boy to bad-boy, and after leaving them due to falling out with Yuya Susumu, joined The Noah Junior Regulars. 

Tadasuke
The Noah Junior who wrestles with the strength of a heavyweight. No one else in this division is able to throw such devastating lariats as Tadasuke, who has taken a lot of inspiration in technique from Kodo Fuyuki. Until 2023, Tadasuke was a member of Kongoh and was despised by Shuji Kondoh for some reason, even to the extent that Tadasuke wrote on his New Year's calligraphy that he wanted one of Kondo's Fanciers. Tadasuke was saved from a Kongoh beat down by YO-HEY, and the two joined new Noah unit, Good Looking Guys. 

Yasutaka Yano
Noah Born and said to be Yoshinari Ogawa's favorite pupil. Yano has had a meteoric career for one so young, but now he is entering his mid twenties, Naomichi Marufuji wants him to get involved more in the junior belts. 

YO-HEY
The seemingly perpetually happy and high flying YO-HEY, has now switched from The Noah Junior Regulars to The Good Looking Guys (having previously been a member of Full Throttle, Perros Del Mal De Japon and The Noah Junior Regulars), which has reunited him with Tadasuke. The two are currently challenging for the GHC Junior Tag Titles.

Freelancers & foreign wrestlers

Alpha Wolf
Luchadore. Formerly in Noah as "El Hijo de Canis Lupus"

Anthony Green
Anthony is one of Hideki Suzuki's NXT friends, who has done the circuit in the USA in Ring of Honor, AEW and CZW. Good all round wrestler who fits well into tags and singles, very resilient when it comes to matches, and he even went one on one with Naomichi Marufuji in a chop battle...even if Marufuji did pull some of the hairs off of Green's notoriously hairy chest.  


Chris Ridgeway 
Chris Ridgeway came to Noah pre pandemic, and fitted in so well to the Noah Junior division as a member of STINGER (where he honed his skills under Yoshinari Ogawa both physically and psychologically), fans consider him to be a Noah wrestler. Ridgeway's ambition is to be not only GHC Junior Champion, but also the first junior GHC National Champion. Originally a STINGER member, he, like HAYATA, has not been pleased with Ogawa teaming with Eita. 

Dragon Bain
Luchadore and brother of Alpha Wolf, formerly in Noah with his brother pre-pandemic. 

Eita
At the time of writing he is the current GHC Junior Tag Champion with Yoshinari Ogawa. Following the dissolution of Perros Del Mal De Japon due to NOSAWA's retirement, Eita has found himself in a position which isn't quite clear; Ogawa got back together with HAYATA and he, HAYATA and an unwilling Chris Ridgeway left the ring leaving Eita (who had protested Ogawa's making up with his former tag partners and had been given a massive slap by Ogawa), to leave for himself. Following that Ogawa and HAYATA fell out in the Tohoku Tour, and he and Ogawa were challenged by YO-HEY and Tadasuke of Good Looking Guys. Eita says he is all Ogawa has left, but I can't see Eita staying with Ogawa for long when the belts are lost. 


Extreme Tiger
Luchadore, who has appeared in Noah for the past couple of years. Unofficial member of The Noah Junior Regulars (when they existed) but these days seems to be teaming with Super Crazy, Lanzelot, Alejandro and the other luchadores. 

El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jnr
Current GHC National Champion, and a strong and versatile wrestler. A man with a good heart, but one that does not easily forgive when he is betrayed by someone he considers a friend. He also holds the distinction of being the first foreign wrestler to hold the championship. 

Hideki Suzuki
Formerly a member of The Sugiura Army (a unit which did not split due to betrayals, but seemed to have just fizzled out), Suzuki brings a lot of his old friends from NXT into Noah such as Saxon Huxley and Timothy Thatcher. Aside from his great size and his skill in ground wrestling/catch-can, Suzuki has a wicked sense of humor often teasing his seniors, pulling a gagging face when obliged to drink Fujita's Red Viper tonic (which also floored Naomichi Marufuji) and mistranslating Timothy Thatcher.  

Jack Morris
Scottish wrestler. Very much liked by Naomichi Marufuji for his versatile style and ability to adapt himself and his skillset to that of his opponent. Morris has failed to win the GHC Heavyweight, and now has his sights set on the GHC National. 

Kai Fujimura
Former W-1 rookie who has come to Noah and remains a freelancer. Currently out of action due to a neck injury.

Kendo Kashin
If Noah had a poltergeist, then thy name would be Kendo Kashin. Wherever Kashin goes, trouble follows usually in the form of a chair or even a steel barrier that he has bought to the ring, or a balcony who he is trying to throw someone off. Kashin is probably also the only person who can truly scare Kenoh. The nightmares remain. 

Lanzelot
Super Crazy's young nephew, who challenged AMAKUSA for the GHC Junior in March 2023, not long after coming to Noah. He was unsuccessful in his attempt, but he has been nicknamed the "Knight of The Sky" by his uncle, Super Crazy, for his high flying abilities. 

Masaaki Mochizuki
DragonGate. One of the heavyweights who utilizes kicks. He remains close to Naomichi Marufuji, but is currently without a unit. 

Masato Tanaka
Tanaka is on a quest to capture a belt in the heavyweight division, but has so far been unsuccessful. It is only a matter of time. His greatest rival, aside from Kazuyuki Fujita, is probably Yoshiki Inamura who he says that each time they fight, Inamura becomes stronger and more difficult to beat. 

Masakatsu Funaki
Member of Kongoh, who appears to be one of the only ones (aside from Shuji Kondo) who doesn't talk about acting with beliefs, and has no axe to grind, if anything, he seems to bring a little fun into the unit. He hasn't been seen much in Noah at the time of writing, but will be returning in the spring. 

Ninja Mack
Junior wrestler, who is a very skilled masked high flyer. Coming to Noah in April 2022 for the Junior night at Sumo Hall initially, he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight since that time, albeit in less than ideal circumstances due to HAYATA'S injury in the title match.

Saxon Huxley
Bruiser Brody like wrestler at 203cm, who not long after making his Noah debut in early 2023, went on to terrify the people in the provinces by brawling with Manabu Soya and getting counted out and then putting Yoshiki Inamura through a table. As he warns everyone, stay out of his way. 

Sean Legacy
Legacy won the Noah USA tryouts in 2022, and will make his Noah debut in April 2023. 

Super Crazy
Super Crazy has been appearing in Noah since 2012. Super Crazy is a former GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion, and true to his roots in Noah and Noah's emphasis on family, has bought in the next generation of his own family, his nephew Lanzelot, who he oversees. 

Timothy Thatcher
Bought to Noah by Hideki Suzuki, the technician, Timothy Thatcher has carved a path through Noah armed with the dreaded Fujiwara Armbar, which while that has won him matches, failed to win him the GHC Heavyweight. Thatcher's appearance is terrifying; he doesn't smile, he has a perpetual grimace, missing teeth and scary heavy music when he comes to the ring. Thatcher usually appears in one off matches, usually at big events. 

Terminology
"Noah Born": Name given to Noah's homegrown talent i.e. boys who have debuted in Noah. This is not applied to anyone who has come to Noah from the outside. 

"Junior": This term can mean anyone who is junior to the veterans, or the Noah Junior division who are cruiserweights. This has nothing to do with age. 

Current units

Funky Express
Current members: Akitoshi Saito & Mohammed Yone
About: With Shuhei Taniguchi leaving the unit in 2022 and Masao Inoue not returning to Noah for the foreseeable future, the unit has become a tag team. As stated above, despite a title challenge a few months ago, Funky Express seem to be going their separate ways recently. 

Good Looking Guys
Leader: Jake Lee
Current Members: Jake Lee, Jack Morris, Anthony Green, YO-HEY & Tadasuke
About: Good Looking Guys are Noah's newest unit, and as Jake Lee has captured the GHC Heavyweight (Jack Morris, YO-HEY and Tadasuke are making title challenges too), they look to become the most powerful. As Jake said, they are a unit of people, who aside from YO-HEY and Tadasuke, don't really know each other that well and therefore getting to know each other, has been interesting. They will continue to evolve, with Jake saying he wants to add to their numbers. 

Kongoh
Leader: Kenoh
Current members: Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masakatsu Funaki, Manabu Soya, Shuji Kondo, Hi69 & Hajime Ohara. 
About: Rebel unit who dress in red. Kenoh declares that they do what they want in their own way, but people actually seem happier when they leave to join other units. Their biggest rivals at the moment are Good Looking Guys, who seem to irritate Kenoh. 

Current title holders 

GHC Heavyweight Champion: Jake Lee
GHC Junior Champion: AMAKUSA
GHC Heavyweight Tag Champions: Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba
GHC Junior Tag Champions: Yoshinari Ogawa & Eita
GHC National Champion: El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jnr

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