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#3 Tomohiro Ishii as NJPW's King
"The Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii is internationally known as one of the most underrated in ring performers in NJPW and perhaps in all of pro wrestling. The former five-time NEVER Openweight Champion has made a name for himself as one of the hardest hitters and best underdogs in NJPW. Fans of New Japan have wanted more for Ishii over the past few years, with sections of the fanbase pleading for an IWGP Heavyweight Title run for the member of CHAOS.
With the introduction of the KOPW 2020, the door is once again opened for a huge opportunity for Ishii. NJPW would be hard pressed to find a more qualified inaugural King of Pro Wrestling. The Stone Pitbull has put on a variety of classic matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley and more recently, Shingo Takagi this year. The first champion of its kind needs a performer with an ability to have a good to great match with anybody and that is exactly who Ishii is.
This year has not been the most successful for Ishii in NJPW so far. He is another performer who has taken a backseat to guys like EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi. The latter of those two actually put on one of the best NJPW matches this year with Ishii in the New Japan Cup 2020. With the limited roster now in NJPW though, it would be an ideal time for Tomohiro Ishii to finally get the recognition he has earned through his tremendous work.
The Stone Pitbull would be a great choice for the first KOPW 2020 champion in NJPW. However, there are a couple of performers who seem to need this win more and can also put on the quality of matches of Ishii.
