While the WWE is undoubtedly the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, Vince’s House for Muscular Men isn’t the only one out there. Sure TNA or Impact Wrestling, as it is called now, might be dead in the water but other promotions such as Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling have been making waves.
These promotions offer an alternative to the PG-friendly style that the WWE abides by and it is the primary source of wrestling and entertainment for a large section of the hardcore professional wrestling fandom.
New Japan, in particular, has become home to some of the best wrestling on offer in the world today, and it is hardly any surprise to see them expanding into the United States from their usual Far East roots.
The WWE would do well to take a look at the NJPW roster and bring in some of their more gifted stars in order to bulk up their own roster and help improve the quality of their programming. After all, we have already seen how successful that can be with the likes of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.
So, without any further ado, here are 5 New Japan Pro Wrestling stars that the WWE should sign:
#5 Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito is one of the most gifted Superstars on the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster and it is hardly surprising to see him on this list. For those not in touch with the Japanese promotion, Naito is one of the most charismatic figures on the roster.
The current IWGP Intercontinental Champion almost always puts on great matches and you can see how highly regarded he is by Dave Meltzer’s star rating system where his matches rarely get rated below four stars.
In a country where the Intercontinental belt still holds prestige, Naito is the perfect champion. The only thing that could hold him back in the WWE is his lack of expertise in the English language, but as Shinsuke Nakamura already proved, that is something which can be managed easily enough.
#4 Ricochet
Ricochet has fast become one of the hottest wrestlers on the indy scene due to his incredible combination of strength and athleticism. Known as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground, the man is already a legend in every big indy promotion in the world including Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling – where he now plies his trade exclusively.
Sure some old school wrestling personalities such as Jim Cornette might hate his style, but wrestling is an ever-evolving art and the next step in that evolution process is one part of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.
If you really want to know what he brings to the WWE table, take a look at his incredible match with Will Ospreay. And, speaking of Will Ospreay...
#3 Will Ospreay
If Ricochet is a frightening combination of strength and athleticism, then Will Ospreay is pure athleticism personified. The Aerial Assassin is by far the most gifted young professional in the wrestling world today.
Hailing from England, Ospreay has endeared himself to indy wrestling fans all over the world with his mind-boggling wrestling style. Sure, Jim Cornette hates him too, but everyone who matters in the wrestling world – from Paul Heyman to Triple H – are all thoroughly impressed by the youngster.
The only thing that could be holding him back at this point is his age but a year in NXT would be the perfect launching pad for a career in Superstardom with the WWE when Will signs. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.
#2 Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada is the John Cena of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Now, before you get upset with this statement, let me make a small change. He is the John Cena of NJPW if John Cena’s wrestling was as good as his promotion of the WWE.
Okada might be the all-conquering babyface of the Japanese promotion but he can very well back it up with his in-ring ability. The Rainmaker is one of the most over gimmicks in all of professional wrestling because of how good Okada is in the ring. It’s the only thing that makes his inevitable victory believable.
The current IWGP Heavyweight Champion is a wrestling machine and it is no coincidence that he was part of the match that Dave Meltzer rated an unprecedented 6 stars on his 5-star rating system earlier this year at Wrestle Kingdom 11.
Speaking of the 6-star match, we come to the final entry on our list...
#1 Kenny Omega
Who else was it going to be? There were so many rumours that The Cleaner was on his way to the WWE around the time of the Royal Rumble before he extended his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling for another year.
There seems to be little doubt, though, that Omega will be picking up the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada sometime this year. If 2017 is anything like 2016 was for the Candian, you can be rest assured that he will be part of the WWE come the end of his contract in 2018.
There is no doubt that he will be a magnificent success wherever he goes and the possibilities on offer at the WWE are lip smacking, to say the least.
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