Shane Haste Retains GHC Heavyweight Championship

Shane Haste has successfully retained the GHC Heavyweight Championship in his first title defense, defeating his own stablemate and mentor, KENTA. The match served as the main event of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s "Legacy Rise 2026" on 13 May at the historic Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, played out before a capacity crowd of 1,165 fans.

The encounter was deeply rooted in NOAH history, marking the first time the two had met in a GHC Heavyweight title match since 2013. In that previous meeting, KENTA had successfully defended the gold against a young Haste; however, this time the roles were reversed. Throughout the 25-minute contest, the two members of the White Raven Squad balanced their faction loyalty with high-impact physicality. Haste eventually secured the win after weathering a series of KENTA’s signature strikes, countering with a series of high-impact maneuvers that solidified his position at the top of the promotion.

This victory continues a remarkable career resurgence for Haste, who only captured the championship eleven days prior. On 2 May at "Spring Mayhem Ryogoku," Haste pulled off a massive upset by dethroning the powerhouse Yoshiki Inamura, ending Inamura’s dominant 175-day reign. In an emotional post-match interview following that title win, Haste spoke candidly about his "long journey" back to the pinnacle of Japanese wrestling after a difficult tenure in the United States, stating that winning the GHC title validated his entire career path.

By choosing KENTA as his first challenger, Haste looked to exorcise the ghosts of his past and prove he was no longer the trainee who first arrived in the NOAH Dojo from Australia in 2011. The respectful nature of the contest—and KENTA's willingness to serve as the interpreter for Haste’s victory speech—indicates that while Haste is now the "standard bearer" for the company, the White Raven Squad remains a unified and dominant force.

With his first defense now in the books, Haste moves toward the summer season as one of the most unlikely and compelling champions in recent NOAH history. While the next challenger has yet to emerge, the "Supernova" has made it clear that he intendeds to be a fighting champion, eager to test his "British Catch" and "Strong Style" hybrid against anyone willing to step into the ring. For now, the GHC Heavyweight Championship remains firmly in the hands of the man who refused to let his dream die.