(NOAH/NEW JAPAN) "A big moment for me", Hiromu Takahashi is looking forward to his encounter with OZAWA in his Noah appearance

Tokyo Sports

30th August 2025

Hiromu Takahashi (35) of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, who will challenge GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion YO-HEY at Noah's Korakuen Hall event on September 8th, has revealed the true intentions behind his invasion of the Ark. 

Hiromu joined Noah's junior ranks at the Korakuen Hall event in July, but why did he seek a place to shine in another promotion? And what was it that sparked his interest in Noah?

Hiromu, a symbol of the New Japan Juniors, will be challenging for the Noah Junior gold for the first time. Having chosen a family restaurant as the location for the interview, Hiromu confessed, "The reason I wanted to make it outside of New Japan was basically because I am going through a rebellious phase. I've been wrestling for fifteen years, so I guess I'm at that age. I want to go out there and struggle alone, using only my own abilities, to grasp as many things as I can, and then achieve great things and be recognized by New Japan". The challenge was originally scheduled for the Kawasaki event on the 11th, but due to YO-HEY suffering a fractured orbital floor in his left eye, the match was postponed to a showdown at Korakuen Hall. Looking forward to the clash, Hiromu said, "He's a very light bodied wrestler in a good way. I think he's the type of wrestler who, because his opponents can't keep up with his speed, they have no choice but to match it in order to make the match work. When someone like that lets their limiter go, it's terrifying, so I want to try and remove it."

Hiromu continued with shining eyes, "Why Noah? Well, the emergence of Ozawa was a big deal for me. He was a hot topic among wrestlers, and I got interested in Noah because I thought an interesting wrestler had emerged. When I looked at the Noah Juniors, my image was limited to people like Kanemaru (Yoshinobu), so I thought it would be interesting to get involved." He continued, ""I think the day will come when I will automatically cross paths with OZAWA. "I think that could have an interesting effect on New Japan. But I'm just a junior wrestler, so right now I want to reach the top of Noah Junior, and that's all I have my eyes on".

In his home ring of New Japan, a singles match against Taiji Ishimori has been scheduled for the Kobe event on September 28th. "As the person who holds the record for the most GHC Junior defenses, I think it'll be interesting to stand in front of Ishimori as champion. I wonder how Ishimori will feel," he said with a grin. 

However, on the flip side, if he were to fail the challenge, it would be a complete loss of face. "If that happens, I won't be able to go home. On the contrary, I'll end up staying in Noah. I'll end up staying full-time, and it would be to the point where I'd have to take a break from New Japan" he said with a growing sense of crisis, but vowing to win. 

After the interview, Hiromu quickly left the room, saying, "Can I have another drink from the bar, please?" However, as this is a joke that Tetsuya Naito has already used many time before, reporter who immediately sensed something was wrong managed to detain Hiromu near the entrance, so his dine-and-dash attempt ended in failure. 

Translated from Tokyo Sports

Picture credits: Tokyo Sports