Tama Tonga, Bayley, Finn Balor, and others react to WWE star's heartbreaking post about Kuniaki Kobayashi
Several current and former WWE personalities including Tama Tonga, Bayley, and Finn Balor recently took to social media to react to a SmackDown star's heartbreaking post about Japanese legend Kuniaki Kobayashi's demise. The star being referred to is Karl Anderson.
Kuniaki Kobayashi was one of the greatest names to ever step inside the squared circle in Japan. He started his career with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 1973, where he became the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. According to reports, the legend battled with various cancers throughout his life and unfortunately passed away from pancreatic cancer on September 9, 2024, at the age of 68.
SmackDown Superstar Karl Anderson recently took to Instagram to pay his tributes to Kuniaki Kobayashi. Anderson revealed that the legend helped him a lot during his time in NJPW. He also shared a wholesome story of meeting Kobayashi during WWE's recent Japan tour.
Check out his Instagram post below:
Several current and former WWE personalities reacted with a like on Karl Anderson's heartbreaking post, including Tama Tonga, Finn Balor, Jinder Mahal, Otis, R-Truth, Mia Yim, Ludwig Kaiser, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ivar, Natalya, Matt Cardona, Samoa Joe, Tonga Loa.
Meanwhile, Adam Pearce and Bayley left comments on the post. Both stars reacted with heart emojis.
Check out screenshots of stars' likes and comments below:
Karl Anderson and Finn Balor were teammates before joining WWE
Finn Balor and Karl Anderson have become popular in WWE in recent years. The duo have also wrestled against each other on multiple occasions in the Stamford-based promotion.
However, before joining the WWE, Finn Balor and Karl Anderson were teammates during their time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The stars were part of the famous stable, Bullet Club, alongside Bad Luck Fale and current Bloodline member Tama Tonga.
It will be interesting to see if Balor, Anderson, and Tonga will ever team up once again in the future.
We at Sportskeeda send our condolences to Japanese legend Kuniaki Kobayashi's family and friends at this difficult time.