Released WWE Wrestler Debuts In Japan
Look who just showed up in Pro Wrestling NOAH...
Former WWE wrestler Timothy Thatcher is currently working in Japan for the first time in his career, debuting for Pro Wrestling NOAH at the group's Star Navigation 2022 show in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Tuesday.
Thatcher served as a mystery partner of NOAH mainstay Takashi Sugiura, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and fellow former WWE competitors Hideki Suzuki and Rene Duprée. Their team scored the victory over Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Yoshiki Inamura, Masa Kitamiya, and Michael Elgin, with Thatcher scoring the submission.
The former NXT star's NOAH tour continued with a singles match against Shuhei Taniguchi today.
Following his NOAH debut, Thatcher cut a short promo praising the Japanese wrestling style:-
Timothy Thatcher: “Pro wrestling is a sport in Japan. I think I’m well suited to the Japanese style. I’m very grateful to finally be here.”#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/UfrqlvUZcD
Advertisement— Pro Wrestling NOAH (@noahglobal) June 8, 2022
Signed to WWE in February 2020, Thatcher had been a free agent since being released as part of one of the promotion's swooping rounds of talent cuts in January 2022. The entirety of his televised run played out in NXT, though he also served as a Performance Center coach too.
Thatcher had kept only a sporadic independent schedule since the expiry of his 30-day non-compete clause in February, working only four freelance dates in the United States in 2022.