Daisuke Harada
On September 23, Kotoge defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On October 8, Kotoge and Harada lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Gedo and Jado. Kotoge made his first successful defense of the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship on October 23, defeating Kanemaru in a rematch. On November 22, Kotoge made his second successful title defense against his tag team partner Daisuke Harada. On December 2, Kotoge defeated Taichi for his third successful title defense. On December 24, Kotoge and Harada regained the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship from Gedo and Jado. Following the win, Kotoge stated he wanted to join the heavyweight division in 2017. On December 26, Noah held a press conference to officially announce Kotoge's transition into the heavyweight division, resulting in him relinquishing both the GHC Junior Heavyweight and GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.