KENTA rejoins Pro Wrestling NOAH, removed from NJPW roster page

KENTA has returned to Pro Wrestling NOAH, signing a contract with the promotion.

After a five-plus year run in NJPW, the Japanese legend is returning to the company where he made his name in the 2000s and 2010s. The company held a press conference to announce the contract signing with NOAH wrestler and EVP Naomichi Marufuji sitting alongside his former rival. The presser streamed live on YouTube.

📢KENTA プロレスリング・ノア入団会見無料生配信中‼️

KENTA選手、入団にあたってのコメント中！https://t.co/8qRALXiRnl#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/mzobCN6Y1B

— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) February 13, 2025

KENTA wrestled primarily for NOAH from 2000 to 2014, first starring in the company’s junior heavyweight division and capturing the GHC Junior Heavyweight title on three occasions. He later moved to the heavyweight division and held the GHC Heavyweight title once.

He left the promotion in 2014 to join WWE NXT as Hideo Itami, but would return to NOAH for a one-off against Marufuji in 2018.

KENTA left WWE in 2019, and joined NJPW making a surprise debut at Dominion that June, joining Bullet Club. He also made four guest appearances for NOAH while with NJPW. He has been removed from NJPW’s roster page.

The press conference is embedded below.