Top 5 NJPW Wrestlers that managed to stand out the most for a new-time viewer
Admittedly, since the end of the Monday Night Wars back in 2001, I’ve pretty much been a loyal WWE fanboy. Apart from occasionally checking out TNA when Hogan and Bischoff were briefly in charge, and watching one or two Bryan Danielson indie matches, the WWE have provided all of my Professional Wrestling experiences so far. Recently, however, I have turned my attention to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), and I’m so happy that I did.
The wrestling over in the far East is visibly different to anything a WWE fan will be used to. It shares some of the same attributes like high-flying and technical mat-based grappling, but it has its own practice known as ‘Strong Style’, which WWE fans should now be familiar with after the arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura.
While still very much a newbie when it comes to Japanese wrestling, here are 5 wrestlers that have stood out most for me. I would be interested to hear the views of those more familiar with the product too:
#1 Kazuchika Okada
There are two matches in particular that have fully converted me to NJPW. Both of those involved Kazuchika Okada. In all honesty, if it weren't for hearing about these classics from the internet wrestling community, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion at all. He doesn’t stand out too much when it comes to looks and doesn’t appear to have the charisma of some of the other stars in the company. So I suppose it’s to his credit that he is one of the first people I now associate with Japan.
They say it takes two to tango when it comes to putting on a wrestling classic. Shawn Michaels, despite what a lot of people say, did not go out and have a 5-star match with a ladder at Wrestlemania 10. The match wouldn’t have been the spectacle it was without Scott Hall. Anyone who doubts Okada’s abilities as a professional wrestler will soon be silenced by the sheer amount of classic matches he has been involved with. In 2017 alone, he has managed one 5 star and one 6 star match! He also carries the IWGP Championship perfectly. This is a belt I usually associate with guys like Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles, and Okada is every bit as good.
Could he work in WWE? Absolutely! I would really like to see what Okada can do against John Cena, in particular.
Matches to check out: Okada Vs. Omega – Wrestlekingdom 11 and Okada Vs. Shibata – Sakura Genesis 2017