Major League Wrestling has partnered with Pro Wrestling NOAH, Sports Illustrated has learned.

NOAH is one of Japan’s most premiere wrestling promotions, and its world title, the GHC Heavyweight Championship, has a lineage with significant star power, including former title holders Kenta Kobashi, Naomichi Marufuji, KENTA and Minoru Suzuki.

MLW CEO Court Bauer engineered the deal, adding a tremendous amount of depth to his product.

“The world of MLW just got a lot bigger,” said Bauer, whose promotion makes its pay-per-view debut on November 2. “This begins the next phase as we continue to grow the league’s global footprint with these strategic alliances.”

Bauer confirmed that the relationship between MLW and NOAH includes a talent-exchange agreement and content collaboration.

“NOAH has been fond of what we’ve been doing and they are embarking on a new chapter with exceptional ownership,” said Bauer. “We now find ourselves in a mutually beneficial allegiance that changes the complexion of our business in a profound way.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.