Katsuhiko Nakajima Leaving NOAH Next Month

The former GCH Heavyweight Champion’s run with the company is coming to an end.

Katsuhiko Nakajima has been a mainstay for Pro Wrestling NOAH since joining the promotion back in 2005, having held their top prize, the GHC Heavyweight Championship, one two occasions, and consistently providing some of the finest in-ring performances the world over.

His time with NOAH now appears to be nearing its end, however, as the company took to Twitter to announce that Nakajima would be terminating his contract, with his final appearance set for October 28th.

The news follows the announcement that junior heavyweight Seiki Yoshioka would also be leaving the promotion, with both Kinya Okada and Yasutaka Yano having both departed NOAH earlier this year.

When asked about his decision during an interview with PKDX, Nakajima cited his desire to challenge himself. He also noted that nothing is confirmed as of yet regarding his next destination, although he did confirm that NOAH were supportive of his decision.

“In the 20th year of my career, at the age of 35, I wanted to challenge myself. In this double milestone year, I wanted to test myself and see how far I could go. Nothing concrete has been decided about my future… When I told the company about it, they gladly gave me their support. I love NOAH, so I have nothing but gratitude to the company,”

-Katsuhiko Nakajima

Nakajima is widely considered to be one of the best and hardest-hitting wrestlers in the world, having begun his career at the young age of 14 and being taken under the wing of the legendary Kensuke Sasaki.

As noted by Nakajima himself, nothing is set in stone just yet, but he’s certainly someone to keep an eye on as 2023 enters into its final few months. As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Katsuhiko Nakajima as soon as we hear more.

H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription.