(NOAH) GHC Junior Tag Match Signing Ceremony: Ridgeway's admission of "unknown bond" with Daga, the champions also emphasize "bond power"

Pro Wrestling DX

20th June 2023

DAGA: The reason why we are here is to prove that we are the best tag team. It's good that the belts are here today, they will be ours on Thursday.

RIDGEWAY: First, let me tell you a little story about the two of us. It was in 2017 before I first came to Japan for Noah, and I met Daga at show held on a weekend. At the time, I knew he was wrestling for DragonGate, so I asked him what Japan was like at a famous restaurant called Nandos. I learned a lot from his experiences about what to do in Japan. More than four years have passed since then, but when Daga came to Noah, I talked to Ogawa-san at the start, and said "Daga should definitely be in STINGER", and now the two of us are teaming. We took action at Ryogoku, and from there, our master plan took shape. GLG are the ones holding the belts right now, so please enjoy that feeling for the next three days. Make the most of it.

TADASUKE: To be honest, the pre matches were a complete defeat without any good points. I know the strength of the challengers, I know that YO-HEY will also be at a disadvantage as his arm was damaged by Daga in Osaka. However, as our boss Jake says, we in GLG must keep winning. We may not be able to have a good looking fight in this perilous situation, but if we drop the belt here, there will be no future for us, so we will protect it no matter what. After the match, it's us who are good looking, who will be raising our hands.

YO-HEY: Just like Tadasuke said, the pre-matches were perfect for these two. In particular, I was driven to be on the verge of Daga breaking my arm in Osaka the other day. He is a formidable opponent. But, until now, Tadasuke and I have worn this belt and protected against many formidable opponents, and if we believe in each other, I believe that we will surely find a chance to win somewhere even against these formidable foes. Believing in that chance, I will definitely protect this belt this time as well. 

Q: Ridgeway revealed the story, but what are your thoughts on the team?

DAGA: It was a long time ago in England that I first met Chris, it was my first time, and he was so welcoming. From that moment on, a connection and bond began to grow between us. So, as you all know what we did to Eita, I'm not currently working DragonGate. Now, the place where I fight, is Noah, and I definitely want to get these belts as a starting point for surviving here. I've won belts in my own country, Mexico, and America, and now I want and will win the belt here in Japan. We will definitely prove that we are the best tag team, and that STINGER is the strongest team in Noah, regardless of whether they are juniors or heavyweights. I want to prove that with this match. 

Q: Daga claimed that this team is the strongest regardless of being juniors or heavyweights, but what does Ridgeway think? 

RIDGEWAY: Daga is a very underrated wrestler, but from what I've seen so far, I think he's a really great one, and I'm proud of myself as the best technical wrestler and the best wrestler. With the two of us teaming up, I am confident that whoever the champion is, will win the belts. We have fought many matches with the current champions, YO-HEY and Tadasuke, but there is always a winner and a loser, and I win most of my matches. So, what will happen in this match, and what will happen in the team with Daga, if you think about it, you can understand, right? 

Q (to YO-HEY): In the pre matches, your arm was attacked and you were completely defeated. Daga has warned that he will send you to the hospital?

YO-HEY: To change the subject just a little bit, just like the two of you saying that you both have your own ambitions and goals, the same can be said about the two of us in GLG, and we must never give up on that point. Certainly, as you saw from the match in Osaka, Daga and Chris are super strong, and personally, I think they are much stronger than us. But it's the same during and after the match, I don't think it's a good idea for a team like that to take advantage of the referee's blunders, and take the GHC Junior tag belts. We think it's better for GLG to have them, and its better for us to wear them. I will definitely defend with Tadasuke.

Q: I think the two of you have a ten year history, but how do you feel that now you are wearing the belts together?

TADASUKE: I've known YO-HEY for the longest time, or rather, a year since I debuted and before he became a wrestler. After many ups and downs, I went to train at the Funaki Dojo in Texas, introduced by YO-HEY. We hung out together in Osaka all the time, went drinking together, and went drinking together after matches were over. It's been a long time, and after many twists and turns, it is deeply sentimental to be here in Pro Wrestling Noah, and both of us win the tag belts. That's why I don't want to let go of this. I know they are strong, so I would like to protect this belt from a very strong tag team. I still want to make memories with YO-HEY. 

YO-HEY: As Tadasuke just said, he is one of the wrestlers who I have known the longest, and I have a lot of memories outside of professional wrestling. So, as Tadasuke said earlier, I want to protect this belt even more with the two of us who have a lot of memories, and I want to create more and more memories. That feeling is so strong, that I definitely want to defend.

Translated from Pro Wrestling DX

Picture credit: Pro Wrestling DX