The wrestling business isn’t child’s play, to say the least. The part of their life that most of us are aware of is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind all the glitz and glamour, there are hours spent on the road, away from family and friends, side by side trying to heal from the perturbing injuries.
As ECW legend Tommy Dreamer describes, “I used to want a life where I could go out and live like a rock star. Then you get to the point where you’re in hotel room crying looking at their pictures in your wallet.”
While it won’t exactly turn things into a cakewalk, a second generation wrestler certainly has an advantage over other newcomers. By advantage, we don’t exactly mean the genetic superiority which Charlotte keeps on boasting, but the ease with which they are able to adapt to the lifestyle of professional wrestlers.
From the legendary Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart to the ‘Latino Heat’ Eddie Guerrero, Vince McMahon has always had a special liking for second-generation Superstars. It’s evident from the high number of such wrestlers in modern day WWE, ranging from Roman Reigns to Charlotte. But what about the promotions other than WWE?
Here we have a list of second generation superstars working in New Japan Pro Wrestling, the second biggest wrestling promotion in the world.
Honourable Mention: David Finlay
In David Finlay, we have neither a second generation Superstar nor a third generation Superstar but a rare fourth generation wrestler. Coming out of Northern Ireland’s wrestling royalty, both his grandfather and great-grandfather were a part of the wrestling business. But mostly, fans associate him as the son of the Irish wrestling legend, ‘Belfast Brawler’ Fit Finlay.
David Finlay debuted in Germany in 2012, wrestling all over the world before signing with New Japan in 2015 as a Junior Heavyweight. He is among the few names in NJPW roster that aren’t part of any major stable.
Alongside Richochet and Satoshi Kojima, Finlay defeated the team of Adam Cole and The Young Bucks at Destruction in Kobe Hall 2016 to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team title.
Wrestling mostly in tag matches, he has shown the no-nonsense style of his father, adding a more psychological aspect to it. At just 24 years of age, Finlay is one of the most promising names in the wrestling industry and is destined to achieve great success in future.
#5 Tanga Roa
Andre the Giant once admitted that he was legitimately afraid of only two wrestlers: Harley Race and Haku. Stories about Haku and his toughness today sound more like urban legends but the ones who have been with him never doubted it.
Therefore when Tevita Fifita decided to be a professional wrestler, the wrestling universe had big expectations from him.
Unfortunately, his career didn’t start exactly as his father would have wanted. He spent a total of six years in WWE, including the developmental stage, yet his only memorable moment was being the cameraman who unsuccessfully tried to support The Undertaker during a suicide dive against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25.
In 2016, he made the best decision of his career when he joined NJPW as Tanga Roa and formed the tag team named Guerrillas Of Destiny (GOD) with his brother, Tama Tonga (discussed later in detail). They are the current IWGP Tag Team Champions in their third reign.
Considering the monumental change his career has undergone in the last couple of years, future has never looked brighter for Tanga Roa.
#4 Davey Boy Smith Jr.
As the name suggests, he is the son of late great British wrestler and one-half of the legendary tag team ‘The British Bulldogs’, Davey Boy Smith. Inheriting the impressive strength and wrestling prowess of his father, Smith Jr. is considerably agile for someone of his size.
Making his wrestling debut at the age of 15, Davey Boy Smith Jr. could be called a tag team specialist, considering the success he's had in this form of wrestling. He is a former WWE and World Tag Team Champion.
In Japan, he joined the stable Suzuki Gun and formed a dominant tag team with Lance Archer. Their team, called the Killer Elite Squad (K.E.S), has held the tag team championship in both NJPW and Pro-Wrestling NOAH.
With an array of power moves in his arsenal, Smith Jr. is capable of delivering an impressive match, provided he gets the right opponent. Unfortunately, he doesn’t possess the aura and ring presence of his father, something which has barred him from achieving success as a singles wrestler.
#3 Tama Tonga
A wise man once said, “A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in pursuit of success.” The story of Alipate Fifita, the adopted son of Haku and brother of Tevita Fifita, best justifies this quote.
He, with his brother, took part in WWE tryout in 2009, where he was rejected and his brother was selected. Fast forward nearly a decade and he finds himself in the same position as his brother.
The major differences being that Tama Tonga was founding member of arguably the greatest wrestling faction of the 21st century, the Bullet Club and had a promising singles run at the G1 Climax 2016.
More than anything else, it’s his intense behaviour and lightning-quick movement in the ring that has earned him a lot of praise lately. With the G1 Climax 2017 approaching and not much to achieve left in the tag-team division, a major singles run seems inevitable.
#2 Cody
How many wrestlers in the world could boast of participating in WWE’s Wrestlemania, PWG’s Battle Of Los Angeles, ROH’s Final Battle, NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom and TNA’s Bound For Glory, all within the space of a year? Only one, Cody Runnels, better known as Cody Rhodes to the masses.
The son of arguably the biggest babyface of all time, Dusty Rhodes, Cody had a successful career in the WWE, winning the Tag Titles and Intercontinental Championship multiple times before being hit by a glass ceiling that seemed impossible to break.
Since his departure from WWE in the middle of 2016, ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody has been one of the hottest properties in the market. He skillfully used the creative freedom he got and rapidly developed into one of the best heels on the planet.
What sets Cody apart from others is his ability to deliver a great match without performing irrelevant high-risk manoeuvres and spots. He rather uses his genetically gifted mic-skills and buttery smooth ring work to allure fans.
With NJPW seeking to increase their American viewership, Cody seems to be their go-to guy. In only his fifth match in the promotion, Cody is set to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Special in the USA, in what promises to be a mouth-watering encounter.
#1 Katsuyori Shibata
The only Japanese wrestler on this list, very few are aware of the fact that ‘The Wrestler’ Katsuyori Shibata is the son of former New Japan Pro Wrestling and Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance midcarder, Katsuhisa Shibata. In the world of professional wrestling, no individual speaks the term ‘No-Nonsense’ as loudly as this guy.
One of the new ‘Three Musketeers’, alongside Tanahashi and Nakamura, Shibata was the chosen one, destined for stardom and success. In 2004 he made perhaps the worst decision of his life, by leaving NJPW, a sinking ship at that moment, to pursue a career in MMA.
After a dismal MMA career, 2012 saw the beginning of what could be called Shibata’s road to redemption.
He was made to start from the very bottom, wrestling in the undercard and tag-team matches. But fans were quickly impressed by his vicious and hard-hitting style. Since 2015 Shibata had been on a roll, winning titles and delivering 5-star matches.
His New Japan Cup 2017 victory meant it was only a matter of time before he could get hold of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. But a devastating headbutt to Kazuchika Okada resulted in a subdural hematoma, a brain ailment that could most likely end his career as a wrestler.
It wasn’t an easy decision to include Shibata on this list, leave alone ranking him number one, considering that we have possibly seen the last of him. But no one could deny the fact that Shibata was a vital cog in NJPW’s wheel.
When Styles and Nakamura left for WWE, Shibata stepped up his game to fill the upper-midcard spot. He added a high level of intensity to the fight, making it look as realistic as possible.
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