So What Has Tetsuya Endo Been Up To?

April 14, 2025

It’s been a while since we looked over at NOAH to see what Tetsuya Endo was doing. Last time I wrote about him he was losing the GHC National Title to back to Manabu Soya. Since then OZAWA won the belt to become a double champion thanks to a lot of TEAM 2000X shenanigans that Endo was included in. More shenanigans followed when he decided to immediately vacate the title because he already has the GHC Heavyweight Title. NOAH put together a mini tournament to crown the next champion and Endo took part in it.

NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION PREMIUM 2025”, 22/03/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,550 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

3. GHC National Title Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo defeated Takashi Sugiura with a School Boy (5:59).

Endo made a mockery of Takashi Sugiura in the 1st Round by cheating with some help from Yoshi Tatsu at ringside. He found a moment to knock the ref aside and give Sugiura a Low Blow. Then he pinned him with a School Boy and added some insult to injury by doing MIKAMI’s pose along with the count. Endo said Sugiura is one of the few wrestlers in NOAH he respects. Beating him means he has beaten half of NOAH and next he will crush the other half. Sugiura complained and asked if Endo really came over from DDT to wrestle this way in NOAH?

NOAH “SUNNY VOYAGE 2025”, 11/04/2025
Niigata City Gymnasium
1,092 Fans

8. GHC National Title Tournament – Final: Galeno defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Galeno Special (23:46).
*Galeno becomes the 17th GHC National Champion!

Endo was now one step away from reclaiming the National Title for himself. Now he had to go through the really big wall that is Galeno. The latest luchador from the famed Wagner family to ply his trade on the NOAH canvas. TEAM 2000X interfered at the start of the match and Endo relied on using a Low Blow again. But Galeno fought back against the odds and ultimately got the win with the Galeno Special to become the new champion! Endo tried to get a last word in by saying just because Galeno won the title doesn’t mean he is on the same level as his brother El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. However Endo admitted he was beaten and acknowledges that Galeno has gone from a third rate wrestler to a first and a half rate wrestler.

NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION 2025”, 14/04/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,550 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

8. No DQ Tag Match: KENTA & Kenoh defeated OZAWA & Tetsuya Endo when KENTA pinned OZAWA with the Go 2 Sleep (25:33).

With Endo now outside of any title picture currently going on, he moved back to TEAM 2000X stuff. He teamed up with OZAWA to take on KENTA & Kenoh in a wild No DQ Match to build up OZAWA’s GHC Title defence against KENTA coming up next month. There were fights in the aisle, attacks with bamboo canes plus weapons like ladders and tables being used. At one point there were a pile of chairs in the ring where every wrestler crashed into when they missed a top rope move. Yoshi Tatsu interfered only for Ulka Sasaki to come out and stop him. KENTA knocked OZAWA off a Giga Ladder through some tables below and pinned him with the Go 2 Sleep afterward.

Backstage Endo was cutting a promo to reporters when Takashi Sugiura approached him. He wanted to know how much longer Endo was going to behave like this and asked if this is what he wants to do in NOAH? Endo won’t answer him so he brought along someone that Endo will listen to. Jun Akiyama! He asked Endo the same questions and Sugiura and told him to remember who he really is. Sugiura suggested he and Akiyama should team up against Endo to help guide him back on the right path. Endo eventually agreed to the challenge because anyone who stands in front of him is his enemy!


Endo Loses National Title In NOAH, Takeshita Defends NEVER Title In NJPW

February 12, 2025

Yesterday two of DDT’s biggest exports were both involved in title matches for different companies. Let’s see how they got on.


NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION PREMIUM ~NOAH JR. TAG LEAGUE 2025~”, 11/02/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,560 Fans – Super No Vacancy

5. GHC National Title: Manabu Soya defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) with the Dando (12:20).
*Tetsuya Endo fails in V1. Manabu Soya becomes the 15th GHC National Champion!

Well that puts a dampener of Tetsuya Endo’s heel turn. Not long after he won the GHC National Title and joined TEAM 2000X he loses it back to Manabu Soya in the rematch. In the preview matches coming up to this bout, Endo taunted Soya by telling him the result would be the same and his family would get so fed up by Soya’s failure they would abandon him! However Soya was determined to reclaim his championship even if he had to overcome a damaged elbow to do so. He also got help from the RATEL’S unit to fend off interference from TEAM 2000X. With the fight now evened out, Soya went on to beat Endo and win back the National Title.

Endo blamed the loss on the referee’s pin count but will not dwell on it for long. He is already missing the sweet voice of a NOAH championship and does not intend to return to DDT empty handed. He has long stay in NOAH ahead of him and when the time comes for him to go back home, he will bring a souvenir for DDT back with him.


NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA”, 11/02/2025
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka Edion Arena)
5,502 Fans – Super No Vacancy

6. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated Oleg Boltin with the Raging Fire (11:33).
*V3 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

Fortunes fared better for Konosuke Takeshita over in New Japan. He put the NEVER Openweight Title on the line against Oleg Boltin in a rematch from last year’s G1 Climax. This time Takeshita was able to survive the Kamikaze Drop and use a Front Neck Lock to sap the life out of his opponent. Boltin was unable to kick out of the Raging Fire after that. Backstage Takeshita said he was thankful to Boltin ever since the G1 match because losing to him only made Takeshita stronger. He looks forward to a third and final showdown to happen some day.

Takeshita quickly found out who is next to face him for the title. Ryohei Oiwa approached him after the match. He said it would be interesting to see Takeshita’s worldwide wrestling style line up against Oiwa’s Japanese only style (Oiwa famously never went on the traditional overseas excursion every young lion goes through). Takeshita warned him that a world class wrestler like himself is very strong.


Endo Wins A Championship In NOAH, Also Joins TEAM 2000X

January 11, 2025

NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION PREMIUM 2025”, 11/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,535 Fans – Super No Vacancy

8. GHC National Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Manabu Soya (c) with the Burning Star Press (19:30).
*Manabu Soya fails in V6. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 14th GHC National Champion!

Well so much for entering NOAH to learn more about his BURNING roots. Tetsuya Endo instead showed that you can take him out of DAMNATION but you cannot take DAMNATION out of him! During his GHC National Title main event against the champion Manabu Soya, Endo paused on the top rope when he saw all of TEAM 2000X approach ringside. Endo went back to Soya but missed the Burning Star Press. However when Soya was on the verge of winning the match, Yoshitatsu pulled the referee out of the ring. Soya fought off several members of TEAM 2000X and Endo grabbed a nightstick from Yoshitatsu’s hands. However he then turned around and hit Soya with it! Endo then gave Soya the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and pinned him with the Burning Star Press to become the new National Champion!

Endo told the fans he is a member of TEAM 2000X and he was never interested in the origins of BURNING. The only reason he came to NOAH is to destroy it, even if it means putting his life on the line! He explained more backstage that this was his goal from the beginning when he jumped from DDT to NOAH. It was NOAH’s style of wrestling that ruined his life so in 2025 he has come to destroy NOAH. Winning the National Title was his first step and an easy one at that. Elsewhere Jun Akiyama on Twitter said he does not care what decision Endo makes. As long as he thinks and acts for himself Akiyama will support him. He is going to tell Kenta Kobashi about it though.


Tetsuya Endo Is Spending 2025 In NOAH

January 2, 2025

NOAH “NEW YEAR REBOOT 2025”, 02/01/2025
Shinjuku FACE
480 Fans

3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Atsushi Kotoge with the Burning Star Press (14:16).

There was another Tetsuya Endo appearance in NOAH today and we all learned he is going to make many more this year. After the confrontation he had with Atsushi Kotoge in Budokan Hall yesterday, NOAH booked them in a singles match today. Endo used the Exploder Suplex and then the Torture Rack Bomb on Kotoge before finishing him off with the Burning Star Press. After the match Endo greeted the NOAH fans and explained to them the BURNING unit in DDT that connects him to Jun Akiyama and Kenta Kobashi. In order to get further in touch with the origins of BURNING, Endo has decided he will spend 2025 wrestling in NOAH!

His ultimate goal is to win the GHC Heavyweight Title but he will have his eye on winning all of the championships available to him in NOAH. He later proved this by coming out to challenge Manabu Soya for the GHC National Championship after Soya won his latest title defence. Soya scalded Endo for approaching him because Soya normally decides by himself who he wants his next challenger to be. He also does not know what BURNING means because “Passion” is more his thing. Endo later defended himself because in DDT it’s normal for wrestlers to confront champions and challenge them. You can’t get to the top by being a good boy so if Endo has to break the rules to get what he wants in NOAH then he’ll do it.

DDT later announced that Endo will be wrestling on the 3rd and 5th January shows. After that he will be taking an indefinite leave from the promotion in order to take on a regular schedule with NOAH. The way DDT talks about it sounds like it’s an idea Endo wanted to do. So I don’t know if we have a trade coming up and tomorrow somebody from NOAH will jump over to DDT.

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It’s about time a move like this is happening yet I’m still surprised they’re finally going through with it. Endo has pretty much done it all in DDT across his almost 13 year career and DDT should be doing talent exchanges with NOAH through their CyberFight connection more often to freshen up both rosters. Endo already has a good link to fit him in with NOAH from the get go because of his association with Akiyama and Kobashi in recent years. Given his workout habits he will likely bounce back and forth between heavyweight and Jr. heavyweight throughout the year. While I would be thrilled to see him win a championship over there I’m not expecting him to beat Soya for the National Title. At least not the first time around. So is this it for Endo and DDT? It’s possible the indefinite absence can turn into a permanent transfer in a year or so. I’ll keep an eye on how he does over there and post about any big matches or achievements that comes his way.