 Morishima's second defense happened on July 18, 2008 against former his tag team partner Takeshi Rikio.After about 13 and a half minutes, Morishima defeated Rikio with a backdrop suplex.On September 6, 2008 at the Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Morishima lost to Kensuke Sasaki, who gained a pin at the 22-minute mark with the Northern Lights Bomb.