Yuki Iino To Transfer To Pro Wrestling NOAH In November
Yuki Iino is transferring from DDT to Pro Wrestling NOAH.
DDT’s Yuki Iino announced at a press conference on Thursday that he will leave the promotion after nearly a decade and make the full-time move to Pro Wrestling NOAH once his contract expires on November 3. His final DDT appearance will take place at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the same venue where Iino made his NOAH debut in May.
During the press conference, Iino stated that his work with tag team partner Manabu Soya helped him make this career-defining decision.
“Whilst competing in NOAH as ‘JŌNETSU MAX’, I came to realise that I wanted to team up with Mr Soya, and I also wanted to deliver even more powerful wrestling in NOAH, so I put this proposal to DDT. Mr Takagi told me, ‘Do as you please.’ Now that I’m stepping into the NOAH ring, I intend to aim for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. I’m looking forward to giving it my all in NOAH from now on, so I hope you’ll continue to support me.”
-Yuki Iino
Iino made his debut with the emerald promotion back in May and quickly became affiliated with Manabu Soya and the Passionate RATEL’s faction. He and Soya entered the Neo Global Tag League later that month, quickly developing a strong connection on their way to winning the tournament before eventually capturing the GHC Tag Team Championship. More recently, Iino was also announced as a participant in NOAH’s N-1 Victory, which begins later this month.
Pro Wrestling NOAH Vice President and “King of Evolving” Naomichi Marufuji added that the promotion was immediately keen to add the big man to its full-time roster.
“Good morning, everyone. This is Marufuji from Pro Wrestling NOAH. Following the recent announcements regarding Mr Takagi and Mr Iino, they are set to transfer to NOAH. As far as NOAH is concerned, we see absolutely no reason to refuse them. Not only in their matches, but also in their pre-match training whilst they are currently competing—we have witnessed first-hand just how dedicated he is in these areas, so we have high hopes for him. I believe he possesses qualities that set him apart from the wrestlers who have come up through the NOAH ranks, so I’d very much like to see him showcase those qualities and inspire us all. I’m sure he’ll do his utmost to ensure that no one around him says or thinks, ‘We shouldn’t have let him transfer’, and we, too, look forward to working with him to further energise NOAH. Furthermore, we will certainly be engaging with DDT, and I hope that, going forward, we can all join forces to make this ‘CyberFight’ a great success. That is all.”
-Naomichi Marufuji
Iino has brought a new energy not only to NOAH as a whole, but to Passionate RATEL’s as well. The faction had appeared somewhat listless for much of the past year, but the addition of the affable and energetic Iino has given them another dynamic. Iino was a fixture in DDT for almost a decade, developing a unique presence during his time with the promotion.
Whether he was the charming heavy alongside Konosuke Takeshita and ALL OUT, the sleazy and slightly off-putting presence alongside Danshoku Dino and the Pheromones, or the more stoic figure with Jun Akiyama and Burning, Iino consistently brought a distinctive personality to his various roles.
Iino held nearly every title during his tenure with DDT. His first title win came as one-third of the KO-D Six Man Tag Team Champions with Akito and Konosuke Takeshita as part of the ALL OUT stable, and after dropping those titles, he would win them again later that year with Takeshita and Shunma Katsumata. In all, Iino would win the six-man belts on three occasions. Additionally, Iino has won the KO-D Ten Man Tag Team Championships, although back then they were only the Eight Man Tag Team belts, as well as the KO-D Tag Team Titles, once with Tetsuya Endo and once with Yukio Naya, and, funnily enough, the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship only once.
On the singles front, Iino has held both the DDT Extreme Championship and the DDT Universal Championship. While he never won the KO-D Openweight Title, the most prestigious belt in the company, he has challenged for it in three singles matches.
Yuki Iino isn’t the only DDT pro wrestler who’s been on loan to NOAH this year, as joining him in the land of stiff strikes and the color green is Tetsuya Endo. It’s not clear what Endo’s future will bring; however, he will also be competing in the N-1. Both promotions are owned by CyberFight, which is an umbrella company that promotes DDT, NOAH, and Tokyo Joshi Pro. Their parent company, CyberAgent, recently bought around 46 percent of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on CyberFight’s three major promotions and their talent as soon as we hear more.
Translated using DeepL.
