Naomichi Marufuji And Hayabusa Both Excited For UNIVERSE CUP Semi-Finals On April 6th

By: Ian McCord

The 1st UNIVERSE CUP is set to continue at UNIVERSE MAGIC 2026 on April 6th at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo. In one of the semi-final matches, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji is scheduled to take on ZERO1’s Hayabusa.

Marufuji earned his spot in the semi-finals by defeating Uptown’s Kuroshio TOKYO Japan via submission back on March 9th during the opening round of the UNIVERSE CUP. Later in the night, Hayabusa would defeat Ganbare Pro’s Yumehito Imanari after hitting his Firebird Splash finisher off the top rope to advance in the tournament.

After earning his spot in the semi-finals, Hayabusa would declare that he plans to defeat Marufuji on April 6th and ultimately become the winner of the inaugural UNIVERSE CUP.

The former GHC Heavyweight Champion Naomichi Marufuji, who’s also looking to win the UNIVERSE CUP, took to social media to post a short message ahead of his semi-final match with Hayabusa posting:

“Tomorrow, this one—vs Hayabusa. Looking forward to meeting you in the ring.”

Hayabusa would also share a short message on his X account to promote the match with Marufuji posting:

“It’s finally tomorrow. The fun is just beginning.”

(English Translation via DeepL)

This will be the first time Naomichi Marufuji and Hayabusa have faced in singles competition.

The 2nd semi-final match of the night will see DDT’s Sanshiro Takagi take on Michinoku Pro’s The Great Sasuke to see who will be going to the finals of the 1st UNIVERSE CUP.

The semi-finals of the 1st UNIVERSE CUP will air live on Wrestle Universe streaming service on April 6th.