Manabu Soya Comments on Tetsuya Naito and Naomichi Marufuji Not Competing in NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY 2026

By: Ian McCord

On August 23rd, Manabu Soya and Yuki Iino defeated Yoshiki Inamura and Kazuyuki Fujita to secure their second defense of the GHC Tag Team titles at NOAH’s KAWASAKI SUMMER VOYAGE 2026. With all four combatants competing in NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY 2026, the match served as a preview for this year’s tournament.

Following the victory, Manabu Soya caught up with Tokyo Sports and shared his excitement about competing in this year’s N-1 VICTORY as a part of B Block. In the interview, Soya mentioned the responsibility he feels competing in the tournament as one half of the GHC Tag Team Champions.

From Manabu Soya:

“As the tag team champion, I have a huge responsibility. Even in a singles tournament, I’ll never forget what it means to be a tag team champion!”

When asked about GHC Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito and GHC National Champion Naomichi Marufuji not competing in this year’s N-1 festivities, Soya seemed unbothered, simply stating that if they aren’t coming, they aren’t coming.

From Manabu Soya:

“If you look back at past events, singles champions usually don’t show up anyway. Besides, even when Naomichi Marufuji wasn’t the champion, he’s skipped it before. If they’re not coming, they’re not coming. So I’m not worried about it.”

Soya followed up by warning Naito to polish the GHC Heavyweight Championship, subtly sharing his plan to become a double champion by winning the N-1 VICTORY.

From Manabu Soya:

“I don’t know if it’s sandpaper or wax, but make sure you polish that belt well. It’s so I can become a double champion!”

(Quotes courtesy of Tokyo Sports. English Translation via DeepL)

Soya will have the opportunity to make his presence felt in just a few weeks time when Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 VICTORY kicks off on September 12th at the legendary Korakuen Hall. This event will air live on WRESTLE UNIVERSE streaming service.