At the Pro Wrestling NOAH event in Kawasaki on August 23, the GHC Tag Team Champions “Passion MAX”—Manabu Soya and Yuki Iino—defeated Yoshiki Inamura and Kazuyuki Fujita to successfully defend their titles for the second time.
From the very start, the match unfolded as a high-impact, all-out brawl featuring four heavyweights. Amid the chaos, Soya shouted “Passion!” and Inamura responded with “Passion!”—their fiery exchange turning the arena into a cauldron of passion.
However, midway through the match, Soya found himself in a tough spot, facing a barrage of attacks from the opposing team. Although Iino shouted “Passion!”, there was a prolonged period during which they were unable to mount a counterattack. Nevertheless, Soya sent Inamura flying with a dropkick and tagged in Iino.
Iino then launched a counterattack, tossing Inamura’s massive frame aside with a brainbuster. The challengers, displaying their own passion, fought back, and the match once again became a back-and-forth battle.
After that, just as Soya traded chops and lariats with Fujita, Iino exchanged tackles with Inamura, and neither team gave an inch until the very end.
This passionate battle raged on for over 20 minutes, but Iino managed to dodge Inamura’s DIS CHARGE, causing him to crash into the mat. After knocking Fujita down with Soya’s Ballistic (Lariat), Iino finally pinned him with the Passion Clutch to secure the three-count.
After the match, Soya grabbed the mic and shouted with passion, “N-1 VICTORY starts in September!” as he set his sights on the singles league tournament set to kick off on September 12 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Then, turning to his partner Iino, he said,
“Listen up. This is a battle to determine who’s the strongest guy in NOAH in singles matches. So, it’s not about tag team.We’re split into Blocks A and B. That means we’re going to face each other in the final.”
Iino responded,
“That’s right,” and Soya vowed, “Let’s both win our way through and fight passionately in the final!” Finally, they shouted their passion in all directions, filling the arena with sheer enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Fujita, who had suffered a bitter defeat, asked Inamura,
“Daddy, what do you call this kind of thing?”
When Inamura replied,
“To be continued!” Fujita shouted, “That’s right!”
In the sixth match, a tag team bout, TEAM NOAH’s Hajime Ohara, who teaches at a high school, teamed up with Atsushi Kotoge and faced TEAM 2000X’s Tadasuke and Alpha Wolf. Ohara fought valiantly amid loud cheers, but after about 16 minutes, he attacked Tadasuke with a low blow.
After a fierce back-and-forth battle with the Outlaw Army, at 16 minutes and 5 seconds, Hajime Ohara was caught off guard by Tadasuke’s sneak-in roll-up and was forced to hear the bitter three-count.
However, for Ohara—who has a deeper attachment to his hometown of Kawasaki than most—the match that day meant more than just a simple win or loss.
While keeping the bitterness of defeat hidden in his heart, he began to speak powerfully about his deep gratitude to the local fans who had supported his shows for many years, a major decision that would surprise the fans, and his grand vow for the coming year.
Taking the microphone, Ohara said:
“It’s frustrating… I want to become a champion in Kawasaki. I’ll never give up. I also confessed that I’m having surgery because of a meniscus tear in my right knee, which has been causing me pain and limiting my daily activities.
It’s going to be a long battle, but I’m going to have the surgery. I made this decision to show everyone the spirit of never giving up and always taking on new challenges.”
To wrap things up in true teacher fashion, he urged everyone to take notes and announced that he’ll be making his comeback here in Kawasaki on August 11 next year—so that’s your homework. Everyone, live happily! Muy Bien.
The deadline for turning in your homework is August 11 next year.
“Does everyone understand?” he asked, and the entire audience—now transformed into students—replied, “Yes!” “Well then, that concludes Mr. Ohara’s special lesson,” he concluded, delivering an important message to the entire audience—“Never give up; keep taking on challenges”—and creating a joyful atmosphere.
Backstage, Ohara said,
“Thank you very much. Thanks to the cooperation of so many people, the Kawasaki Tournament has reached its ninth edition this year. I’m truly grateful that so many people from Kawasaki came out today. Thank you very much. Next year will finally mark the 10th edition—a memorable 10th anniversary. So, I want to come back even more “Muibien” than I am now. That’s why I decided to have surgery. I want to show everyone in Kawasaki that I’ll once again wear the championship belt, and I want to show NOAH fans that I’ll return to the pinnacle of the GHC as Muibien Ohara. Many hardships and challenges lie ahead, but I intend to let everyone in the community, at my school, and all the fans of Pro Wrestling NOAH see me overcome each one, one by one. I am “Pro Wrestler-Sensei,” and I will definitely not give up. I promise to return to Calts Kawasaki exactly one year from now. So, once again today, “Mui Bien”
Ohara will soon come back.
