A familiar face with WWE ties has officially stepped up as the next challenger for Yoshiki Inamura.
For weeks, Pro Wrestling NOAH had been teasing that Inamura would soon be confronted by an opponent with a WWE background. That storyline began to take shape through appearances from KENTA and Yoshi Tatsu, with Tatsu even claiming he had been in contact with Triple H regarding the situation.
That mystery is now solved.
At NOAH’s Apex Conquest 2026 event on April 12 in Nagoya, Japan, Inamura successfully retained the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Alpha Wolf. However, the bigger story came after the match.
Shane Haste, known to WWE fans for his time in NXT, made his return and was revealed as Inamura’s next challenger, setting up a title match for May 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Haste wasted no time making his intentions clear.
“I am Shane Haste! I am KENTA-san’s friend. I have WWE experience, have PRO WRESTLING NOAH experience. I’ve come back to win that belt,” Haste said.
Big fight feel already.
Inamura, clearly aware of Haste’s reputation, responded with respect while accepting the challenge for the upcoming bout.
“Shane-san, I of course know that you have WWE experience and are a legendary foreign talent in NOAH. I was your fan. So next, May 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. On that grand stage, I want to fight you with this belt on the line. I would love to fight you for this belt.”
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🎤【シェイン・ヘイスト】がKENTAの"友達"⚡⚡⚡
5.2両国国技館でYoshiki Inamuraの持つ、GHCヘビー挑戦へ！！
＼シェイン「私はシェイン・ヘイスト！私はKENTAさん、トモダチ。I have WWE experience, have PRO WRESTLING NOAH experience.そのベルトを獲るために帰ってきた」… pic.twitter.com/bbahVVvhDf
— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) April 12, 2026
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🎤Yoshiki Inamuraが【GHCヘビーV6達成】‼‼
アルファ・ウルフの健闘称え、ヨシ・タツのウソも暴く！！
＼Yoshiki「What's up?… pic.twitter.com/yOoZWXpAMr
— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) April 12, 2026
📢4.12名古屋バックステージコメント
シェイン・ヘイスト「シェイン・ヘイストがNOAHに戻ってきた。友達のKENTAから連絡があって、InamuraがWWEの経験がある選手と闘いたいと言っていると聞いた。経験とはどういうものか分からせてやる。GHCヘビー級のベルトは俺がいただく」#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/11hsBYijkT
— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) April 12, 2026
📢4.12名古屋バックステージコメント
Yoshiki Inamura「アルファ・ウルフ、ユーはストロングでクールなファイター。ミスター・シェイン・ヘイスト、来てくれてベリー・ハッピーです。GHCのベルトをかけてファイトできることを楽しみにウェイトしています」#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/kJ7yBuo1v6
— プロレスリング・ノア ｜PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) April 12, 2026
