Former WWE Star Makes Pro Wrestling NOAH Debut

By Ross W Berman IV

Former WWE Superstar Timothy Thatcher debuted in Pro Wrestling NOAH on Tuesday. Joining Takashi Sugiura's Sugiura-gun faction, Thatcher teamed alongside Sugiura, Renee Dupree, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & former NXT wrestler/trainer Hideki Suzuki.

Thatcher got his team the win against Michael Elgin, Kaito Kiyomiya, Masa Kitamiya, Yoshiki Inamura, and GHC Heavyweight Champion Go Shiozaki in a 10-man tag team match in Korakuen Hall. Thatcher trapped Inamura in a Fujiwara Armbar, earning a quick tapout from the young star.

The former-EVOLVE Champion stood alongside his fellow Sugiura-gun members backstage, where Renee Dupree introduced him to the cameras. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Double T, Timothy Thatcher." Originally started by the partnership of Takashi Sugiura and Kazma Sakamoto in 2019, Sugiura-gun has grown to an international group including MMA-legend Kazushi Sakuraba, Kendo Kashin, and Kazuyuki Fujita.

Thatcher was released from WWE on January 5th, 2022. Since that time he's appeared on the independent circuit, at events like WrestleCon in Dallas where he faced NJPW's Tomohiro Ishii, and Josh Barnett's BLOODSPORT 8, where he lost to JR Kratos. His last match was a win over Kevin Blackwood in West Coast Pro.

While a pillar of the American and European independent wrestling scenes, this marks the 39-year-old's first time in Japan. With his technical acumen and soft-spoken nature, Japan, and Sugiura-gun especially, feels like a perfect fit for Thatcher.

It has also been announced that Thatcher will be involved in the Cyber Fight Festival presented by Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, and Ganbare Pro-Wrestling. Thatcher will team with Michael Elgin, Simon Gotch, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Renee Dupree to take on Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi in a bizarre 10-man tag match, that has the GHC Tag Team Champions, as well as various Sugiura-gun members on opposite sides.

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