Hikari Noa Returns to the Ring at Unagi Sayaka’s Produce Show on June 21st

By Noah Leatherland

Hikari Noa is set to make her return to the ring at Unagi Sayaka’s produce show on June 1st. Noa was last seen in a wrestling ring back in Decemeber 2023 before relinquishing the TJPW’s Princess Tag Team Championship.

Sayaka held a press conference to break the news, where Hikari Noa spoke on her return, saying:

Once again, I am Hikari Noa. First of all, I sincerely apologize for causing so much concern, and to everyone who supported me, as well as to all the people involved whom I have caused great trouble, I am truly sorry.

 

Once again, on June 21st at Korakuen Hall, I will be making my redebut as Hikari Noa.

 

I am also filled with gratitude toward Unagi-san for creating a place where I can once again pursue my dream like this. I hope to show the very best pro wrestling I can give right now in the ring once again. Thank you for your support.

Sayaka also shared how she got into contact with Hikari Noa and how return came about:

Well, to be honest, when we first had that conversation, I was not in a situation where I was contacting her much. Because of that, I could not just suddenly reach out to her either.

 

Well, how should I put this… Hika-chan is a very sensitive person. So, I figured that given the situation she was in at the time, she probably did not want to talk to many people, so I remained unable to contact her. Eventually, her LINE changed, and I truly lost the ability to reach her. I will be honest, I did want to get in touch.

 

One day, there were rumors on social media about where she was working. Then, I heard information that ‘she does not hate pro wrestling yet.’ And, even though she was living a life completely removed from pro wrestling, I heard that while we were talking, she knew about pro wrestling, knew about what I was doing, and was saying things like ‘it looks fun.’

 

The moment I heard that, I made a reservation right away. I went to the place where I could see her, and from there… it was over a meal. I mean, if she had come to hate pro wrestling or lost all interest, I could not have invited her. I really hoped she did not hate it, but that is a very delicate subject to bring up before talking to the person directly, so I could not ask.

 

It had already been about two years since then, so I thought she was probably living her own life. But, you know, I think I am not the only one who feels this way. With so many people saying, ‘We definitely want you to come back,’ I thought it was really not right for her to quit without properly responding to everyone’s feelings, especially when she is desired this much.

 

Well, even if she was going to quit, I really wanted her to end it in the form of a proper retirement, on the ring. That is truly my sentiment. So, I really persuaded her over and over, and as I talked to her about things like ‘I am doing this now,’ she listened looking like she was having a lot of fun.

 

I was actually scared to say it, but when I asked, ‘Why don’t we do this together?,’ she said, ‘That sounds interesting, so I want to try it.’ That is how it started.

 

On the contrary, I also thought it would be better for her to do it as a freelancer, but by that time, I already had my own resolve. So, I did not think anything like ‘You must stay with me forever.’

 

For the very first step, the only justice in my mind was the fact that ‘she herself performs pro wrestling in the ring.’ As for what happens after that, there are so many promotions now, and I think it is better for her to see them with her own eyes. After all, remaining knowing only one…

 

We have decided to work together, but since I have lived my own life that way, I want her to see various things, think about them, and make her own decisions. I have no intention of telling her to join here or work there, in fact, the two of us have not decided anything like that. Regarding that, I truly believe that ‘doing what you want to do, in the place you want to do it, is the best.’

(Quotes translated via meraWRESTLING on X)

Hiakri Noa wrestled for TJPW between 2018 and 2023. In that time, she won the International Princess Championsuip, as well as the Princess Tag Tam Championship with Nao Kakuta as part of Free WiFi.

Unagi Sayaka’s produce show takes place on June 21st in Korakuen Hall.