The final match of Oiwa’s current NOAH run.
After the 2023 NJPW G1 Climax came to an end, Kaito Kiyomiya invited NJPW Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa to Pro Wrestling NOAH. Oiwa ended up staying with the promotion for a year.
The last match of his current run in NOAH is taking place on September 14th as he’ll go one-on-one with his now-former partner, Kiyomiya, who is the reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion. Their partnership came to an end when Oiwa turned on him.
In an interview with NOAH’s official website, Oiwa opened up about his decision to head back to NJPW. He never intended on staying longer than a year. The deciding factor was the match he had against Kiyomiya in the N-1 Victory tournament. He feels he was able to show what he can do and it gave him confidence.
Since I came to NOAH, I had no intention of staying longer than a year or so. However, the deciding factor (in my decision to graduate) was my match against Kaito Kiyomiya in the league. I was able to show what I had learned in that match, and I gained confidence, which was the deciding factor.
The first match of Oiwa’s N-1 Victory run was against WWE NXT’s Josh Briggs. Briggs won the bout and Oiwa hopes to wrestle him again someday.
We (myself & Josh Briggs) fought in our first match, and even though I was in perfect physical condition and gave 100 percent, I felt like I was beaten by power. I don’t know where the ring will be, but I would like to return the favor someday.
To close, Oiwa expressed that he does not want to forget what he learned in NOAH. He hopes the support for him continues when he returns to New Japan.
Even on my new path, I don’t want to forget what I learned in NOAH, and I want to make sure to show it in my matches, so I would be happy if you would support me even after I leave NOAH.
The 2024 N-1 Victory tournament was won by Kaito Kiyomiya. He is the first person to win the tournament while being GHC Heavyweight Champion.
