Admittedly, since the end of the Monday Night Wars back in 2001, I’ve pretty much been a loyal WWE fanboy. Apart from occasionally checking out TNA when Hogan and Bischoff were briefly in charge, and watching one or two Bryan Danielson indie matches, the WWE have provided all of my Professional Wrestling experiences so far. Recently, however, I have turned my attention to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), and I’m so happy that I did.
The wrestling over in the far East is visibly different to anything a WWE fan will be used to. It shares some of the same attributes like high-flying and technical mat-based grappling, but it has its own practice known as ‘Strong Style’, which WWE fans should now be familiar with after the arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura.
While still very much a newbie when it comes to Japanese wrestling, here are 5 wrestlers that have stood out most for me. I would be interested to hear the views of those more familiar with the product too:
#1 Kazuchika Okada
There are two matches in particular that have fully converted me to NJPW. Both of those involved Kazuchika Okada. In all honesty, if it weren't for hearing about these classics from the internet wrestling community, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion at all. He doesn’t stand out too much when it comes to looks and doesn’t appear to have the charisma of some of the other stars in the company. So I suppose it’s to his credit that he is one of the first people I now associate with Japan.
They say it takes two to tango when it comes to putting on a wrestling classic. Shawn Michaels, despite what a lot of people say, did not go out and have a 5-star match with a ladder at Wrestlemania 10. The match wouldn’t have been the spectacle it was without Scott Hall. Anyone who doubts Okada’s abilities as a professional wrestler will soon be silenced by the sheer amount of classic matches he has been involved with. In 2017 alone, he has managed one 5 star and one 6 star match! He also carries the IWGP Championship perfectly. This is a belt I usually associate with guys like Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles, and Okada is every bit as good.
Could he work in WWE? Absolutely! I would really like to see what Okada can do against John Cena, in particular.
Matches to check out: Okada Vs. Omega – Wrestlekingdom 11 and Okada Vs. Shibata – Sakura Genesis 2017
#2 Tetsuya Naito
There’s something utterly tantalising about the swagger and arrogance that Tetsuya Naito carries around when he walks into an NJPW arena. You would quickly pick the guy out of a crowd of 100 if you gave him a couple of seconds to show himself off. Without knowing too much about Naito as a person, he genuinely seems to come across as though he doesn’t care. Whether this is a genuine personality trait or just brilliant acting, I haven’t quite worked out yet.
But the obvious comparison I drew straight away was with 1995-1997 Shawn Michaels. HBK clearly did not need to try to be the best back in the mid-90’s; he just went out there and did it naturally. This is the impression I get with Naito, and it is a genuine pleasure to watch the man wrestle too.
Out of all the stables in NJPW at the moment, Bullet Club might be the one I’ve heard most about, but it's Los Ingobernables de Japon that have impressed me the most. All of the members fit their gimmick so well, and Naito is the perfect man to lead the group. The spitting might be a little too much at times, but that just adds to the emotional investment of his matches. You love the guy, but also really want to see him get his backside kicked.
Could he work in WWE? His character is probably a little too uncontrollable for Vince Mcmahon. It would probably do Naito more harm than good trying to hammer himself into the square peg of RAW or Smackdown. It might be fun to see him make some guest appearances on NXT, however.
Matches to check out: Naito Vs. Michael Elgin – The New Beginning in Osaka 2017
#3 Yujiro Kushida
My very first thoughts when seeing Kushida come to the ring were, this guy looks like Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Like Okada, he doesn’t really grab your attention until he steps inside the ropes. When he does, it is a truly awe-inspiring experience to watch him wrestle.
More of a high-flyer than a hard hitter, his style is not too dissimilar to the kind of wrestling you get from WWE these days. This is probably what made Kushida stand out for me most. While I was enjoying the novelty of strong style, there was something familiar about the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion that drew me in.
After watching a few of his matches, you realise he is far from just a high-flyer. He can also go toe to toe with the hard hitters and has an innate ability to draw from the passion of the Japanese fans. They clearly love the guy, and it’s easy to see why.
Could he work in WWE? – Out of all the stars I’ve seen so far, I’m probably most eager to see Kushida come to the WWE. I think he has the in-ring style and connection with fans to be an instant hit on Smackdown or RAW. The average WWE fan wouldn’t have to try too hard to figure out what Kushida is about, as there’s something very ‘Western’ about his abilities in the ring. Let’s hope it happens sooner, rather than later.
Matches to check out: Kushida Vs. Takahashi – Wrestlekingdom 11
Also read: 10 top-tier names that could still sign with WWE in 2017
#4 Kenny Omega
Even the most insulated WWE fan would have heard at least something about Kenny Omega. I mentioned at the start that two matches cemented me as an NJPW fan, and one of those was the 6 star instant classic between Omega and Okada for the IWGP Championship at Wrestlekingdom 11. Having only just arrived on the scene as a viewer, all I had to go on was the in-ring action. I had no idea who Okada was, and had only heard little bits of information about Omega.
When it comes to the other wrestling classics like HBK Vs. Taker at Wrestlemania 25, or Bret Vs. Austin at 'Mania 13, you have the advantage of knowing the kinds of individuals and characters you are dealing with. You have some idea of the backstory and the reasons why they are facing each other, which obviously helps when it comes to enjoying the action. Omega and Okada managed to play with my emotions simply by doing what they do best in the ring.
After seeing this match, I instantly went to youtube and watched as many Omega videos as I could find. He is the only one on this list who speaks in English, so I’ve learnt more about him than any of the others. His charisma is pretty much unparalleled in today’s English-speaking wrestling scene. I have not been this excited about a wrestler since CM Punk, and that’s no exaggeration.
Like Naito, you find yourself torn between having so much respect and admiration for the guy, while at the same time wishing someone would come along and smack the grin off of his face. That’s when you know you have a genuinely great talent on your hands. My only regret is that I’ve missed out on so many Kenny Omega matches, and I hope he stays healthy for many years to come.
Could he work in WWE? – If there’s any wrestler in the world right now that fans want to see sign for WWE, it’s Kenny Omega. There have been countless rumours flying around that suggest this might be happening soon, but I actually find myself a little apprehensive about this prospect. It’s almost as if the WWE might ruin Omega. After all these years, there still seems to be something lying in the depths of Vince McMahon’s ego that forces him to play around too much with guys that have made it without his help.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are two recent examples of this, and if it wasn’t for the immense crowd pressure, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan might not have had the chance to showcase what they could do either. It would be fantastic to see Omega battling with WWE’s greats, but sometimes in Wrestling, you do need to be careful what you wish for.
#1 Katsuyori Shibata
It wasn’t my intention to place these five wrestlers in any particular order, but putting Shibata at the top of the pile was entirely intentional. I’ve adored getting to know unique talents like Okada and Omega, but when I think about who immediately drew my attention the most, it was ‘The Wrestler’ Katsuyori Shibata.
Although chronologically the match between Okada and Omega happened first, I actually saw Sakura Genesis before Wrestlekingdom, so it was, in fact, the main event between Shibata and Okada that was most responsible for attracting my attention. It is probably unfair to compare the two, but if I had to pick between them, I would actually choose the Shibata match every time.
Okada Vs. Omega was more of a spectacle, but Shibata Vs. Okada was the more believable, true to life ‘fight’ that I most associated with the Japanese style. If it were a choice between having to spend 5 minutes in the ring with Brock Lesnar or Shibata, I would go for Lesnar every time. The way Shibata burns a hole through his opponents just by looking at them makes you think the guy has never once shown fear in his life. He is the quintessential ‘hard-man’ that can take anyone on.
His match at Sakura Genesis also showed his versatility. The bout started off looking like a British wrestling match, with lots of grounded submission holds and technical athleticism. At times, Shibata made the IWGP Heavyweight Champion seem like a WWE jobber; wrestling rings around his opponent in ways that made you think of Bret Hart. Then as the pace quickened, the strong style came into play, and you soon began to almost pity Okada for being on the receiving end of it.
Sadly, for me, my favourite Japanese wrestler looks like he might have wrestled his final match. The headbutt spot that caused his own forehead to crack open seems to have been the final trigger for a man who was apparently nursing quite a few injuries as it was anyway. Hopefully we do see him again, but for now, I will be spending most of my free time watching his excellent back catalogue of matches on youtube.
Could he work in the WWE? He would obviously need to come back from injury first, which seems far from certain. But if he ever did come back, I think the WWE owe it to themselves to place him in at least one match. It would have to be against a guy who knows how to sell effectively, perhaps Sami Zayn. We are all aware of what happened when Zayn welcomed Shinsuke Nakamura to NXT, and who wouldn’t want to see a something similar between Zayn and Shibata?
Matches to check out: Shibata Vs. Okada – Sakura Genesis 2017 and Shibata Vs. Goto – Wrestlekingdom 11
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