Yoshiki Inamura Defends the GHC Heavyweight Championship Against Takashi Sugiura at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Legacy Rise 2026 event on Feb. 11th

By: Ian McCord

Yoshiki Inamura is set to make his 4th defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Takashi Sugiura at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Legacy Rise 2026 event on February 11th in Korakuen Hall. The Godfather of Team 2000X stepped up as the next challenger after Inamura successfully defended the crown against former partner Masa Kitamiya at the January 11th Legacy Rise event.

Takashi Sugiura, a 4 time GHC Heavyweight Champion in his own right, is looking to bring the top prize in NOAH back to Team 2000X. Sugiura spent the later part of 2025 winning the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with Masa Kitamiya on 2 occasions before picking up a huge singles win against KENTA at the NOAH Thanksgiving 2025 event just before the new year. 

“Mr. Smack Daddy” Yoshiki Inamura returned from his NXT excursion back in October immediately challenging KENTA for the Heavyweight championship. At NOAH’s Star Navigation 2025 event in November, Inamura defeated KENTA in the main event to start his first reign as GHC Heavyweight Champion.  

Since winning the top prize in NOAH, Inamura has been a fighting champion, successfully defending the championship against Kaito Kiyomiya, OZAWA, and Masa Kitamiya. 

This next title defense for Inamura is a bit of a full circle moment in his pro wrestling career. In an interview with Pro Wrestling NOAH, the GHC Heavyweight Champion expressed his admiration for Takashi Sugiura, stating that the NOAH legend is someone that he respects and how his influence made him to want to be a part of Pro Wrestling NOAH. 

 Comments from Yoshiki Inamura:

“Anyway, I really love Mr. Sugiura. Ever since I started watching Pro Wrestling NOAH, he has been one of my favorite wrestlers, and even after I joined and started fighting, that feeling hasn’t changed. He is someone I have a lot of respect for in private as well. One of the main reasons why I want to fight in NOAH is because Mr. Sugiura is there.”

Inamura continues and explains how important this match is to him. The Champion has never defeated Sugiura in one on one competition and hopes this will be his time to shine against the man he has so much respect for. 

“This is a situation I have always wanted. I have fought with Mr. Sugiura at various milestones up until now. We fought in the best of seven matches and in the send-off match before I went to England. We have also fought countless times as a tag team, so to think that the day has come when I can face Mr. Sugiura as a challenger… I think it is a very happy situation. To begin with, I have never beaten Mr. Sugiura. Now that I am showing my strength as a champion, if I can beat Mr. Sugiura, whom I have never beaten, I think it will be the greatest experience on my champion road.”

Will the Team 2000X Godfather be able to topple Inamura on February 11th? Or will Inamura finally defeat Sugiura and continue his dominance as champion? 

Full Card for Legacy Rise 2026 on 2/11:

• Kaito Kiyomiya, Galeno, Harutoki & Aoi Takahashi vs Manabu Soya, Hajime Ohara, Hayato Koyanagi & Hiroto Tsuruya
• NOAH Jr. Tag League 2026 Official Match: AMAKUSA & Black Mensore [0] vs Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey [0]
• NOAH Jr. Tag League 2026 Official Match: Atsushi Kotoge & Hi69 [2] vs Tadasuke & Jun Masaoka [2]
• NOAH Jr. Tag League 2026 Official Match: Daga & Daiki Odashima [0] vs Eita & Katsumi Inahata [0]
• NOAH Jr. Tag League 2026 Official Match: Dragon Bane & Alejandro [2] vs Alpha Wolf & Kai Fujimura [2]
• GHC Tag Team Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI (C) vs KENTA & HAYATA
• GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Yoshiki Inamura (C) vs Takashi Sugiura

This event will air live on Wrestle Universe streaming service on February 11th.