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5 dream opponents for Katsuyori Shibata in WWE

Shibata and Nakamura are two of NJPW's "The New Three Musketeers."
Shibata and Nakamura are two of NJPW's "The New Three Musketeers."

Katsuyori Shibata is hardly the wrestler one expects to see in WWE. The NJPW star was severely injured and forced to retire in 2017 following an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Kazuchika Okada.

He did not officially retire, but the indications were prominent. Shibata appeared on special occasions for the next four years, never participated in a match, and hardly received bumps.

However, Shibata surprisingly returned to this year's G1 Climax finals, facing Zack Sabre Jr. in a special five-minute exhibition match.

Highlights from '#G1Climax 31 FINAL’ (Oct 21st)

Watch Now, in ENGLISH:njpwworld.com/p/s_series_005…

Katsuyori Shibata wrestles @zacksabrejr in New Japan ring NOW!!

#G1FINAL #njpwworld https://t.co/ulYvipfIb0

After the match, Shibata announced his next in-ring appearance would be in a full-fledged match. While it is unlikely that Shibata will wrestle for WWE, one can always dream.

WWE has a large roster, and some of them are more than capable of challenging the New Japan Cup winner to a hard-hitting contest. Here is a list of five dream WWE opponents for Shibata.


#5 WWE Hall of Famer Edge

It was a FAIRYTALE ENDING for @EdgeRatedR inside #HIAC at #WWECrownJewel!

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Since his emotional WWE return, Edge has also improved himself. He is delivering some of the best matches of his career in his current run with WWE.

His latest match, a Hell in a Cell battle against rival Seth Rollins, is a perfect example of the former WWE Champion's excellence.

Katsuyori Shibata and Edge could have a brutal match, with the Hall of Famer keeping true to his "The Ultimate Opportunist" moniker by finding ways to weaken his opponent. Shibata would instead bank on his unending fighting spirit to keep the match even.

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