Photo Credit: Pro-Wrestling NOAH
By: Thom Fain
The NOAH Dojo Coach’s stunning betrayal adds veteran leadership to wrestling’s most chaotic faction
In a shocking turn that sent shockwaves through the Pro Wrestling NOAH faithful, veteran Masa Kitamiya officially joined the rebellious TEAM 2000X faction over the weekend, with YOSHITATSU making the bombshell announcement backstage after the show.
“This is an official announcement from TEAM 2000X… Our newest member… THE CHAIRMAN… Masa Kitamiya!” declared YOSHITATSU, as the wrestling world struggled to process the seismic shift.
Kitamiya, taking on the moniker “THE CHAIRMAN,” explained his decision with characteristic directness: “When you hit a dead end, you’ve got no choice but to carve a path with your own hands and feet. I’m the CHAIRMAN!”
The move represents perhaps the most stunning defection in TEAM 2000X’s short but explosive history. Kitamiya, the respected Coach of the NOAH Dojo, was instrumental in training many of the promotion’s current stars – including recent GHC Heavyweight Champion OZAWA, who defeated his former mentor in March to retain the title at Star Navigation Premium 2025.
That March 23 victory now takes on new meaning, as OZAWA’s defeat of Kitamiya appears to have been a carefully orchestrated turning point rather than simply another successful title defense. As the faction gears up to enter the N1 Victory tournament, it also puts a bullseye on the back of current GHC Heavyweight Champion KENTA.
TEAM 2000X has systematically dismantled NOAH’s established order since their formation in October 2024. What began with the mysterious masked man attacking referees has evolved into a full-scale rebellion against traditional wrestling hierarchy.
The faction’s rap sheet includes championship relinquishments, refusing to acknowledge office decisions, and culturally shocking displays of disrespect toward senior wrestlers. OZAWA captured the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Kaito Kiyomiya at NOAH The New Year 2025, while other members have held the GHC Tag Team and National Championships.
Their rebellion hit international heights when Omos and Morris threatened to travel abroad with the GHC Tag Team belts after refusing to relinquish them, forcing NOAH to vacate the titles.
Kitamiya’s transformation from respected dojo coach to faction member represents the ultimate corruption of NOAH’s traditional values. As the man responsible for training the next generation of wrestlers, his defection suggests that even the promotion’s foundational pillars are crumbling under 2000X’s influence.
The veteran’s decision to join the faction he once stood against – led by a wrestler he personally trained – adds a Shakespearean element to NOAH’s ongoing civil war between tradition and rebellion.
With Kitamiya now in their ranks, TEAM 2000X boasts a roster that includes former GHC Heavyweight Champion OZAWA, former GHC Tag Team Champions Daga and Morris, Owadasan, Tadasuke, Knull, “The Killing Machine” Takashi Sugiura and YOSHITATSU.
At one point, cracks began to show in the faction, after Tetsuya Endo appeared conflicted about his role in the faction’s increasingly extreme tactics.
The drama surrounding the faction fills a void in the landscape of Japanese men’s wrestling left by Bullet Club, after most of its members ended up on American wrestling TV while New Japan Pro-Wrestling has struggled to fill the voids left by ongoing star departures.
As NOAH’s “beautiful anarchy” continues, Kitamiya’s shocking heel turn ensures that the faction’s rebellion against the established order now includes the very man who helped build it. In professional wrestling’s ultimate irony, the teacher has joined his student’s revolution—not to stop it, but to help tear down everything they once built together.
Date:
August 4, 2025
Category:
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