What Japanese Wrestlers would you like to see show up in the E?

[Macca]

With the recent success of Yoshi Tatsu over on ECW, I wondered who I'd like to see possibly make the jump to the WWE. A few suggestions from me:

. Hiroshi Tanahashi: The shining gem right now in NJPW, I think he would possibly be the best candidate, if NJPW let him go (which they would be stupid to). Fairly big guy (kinda like an Edge physique) who has an excellent workdays and has put in some stunners over guys the likes of Keiji Mutoh, Kurt Angle, Hirooki Goto. He's been world champ a few times and if picked up and used correctly, would be a valuable asset to the company and their global efforts (like Khali with India).
.KENTA: Another great worker who's potential has yet to be fulfilled, the only thing that would suck is Punk has stolen half his moves (not a knock, just saying it as it is) and he would perhaps be forced to shake his whole move-set up.
.Shinsuke Nakamura: Lets be honest, who doesn't want to see those leather pants and the Boma Ye killing jobbers in the WWE?

 

[Kiefer-Zeus]

Dunno about new japanese wrestlers but one i would like to see return is Tajiri!

Former Light Heavyweight, Cruiserweight and WWE Tag Team/World Tag Team Champion could be a serious contender for the IC/US Titles if he was pushed right or mix with Yoshi for a new tag team to challenge for the Unified Tag Team Titles.

 

[Macca]

Too old now man. Besides, Im pretty sure he just took some production job for one of the japanese promotions, so that pretty much singled him out...

 

[classicviolence]

Shinsuke Nakamura- Trained with Lesnar while he was in Japan. Is the equivalent to Orton (youngest man to hold the IWGP title) arguably the hottest act in Japan.

KENTA- one of the most influential wrestlers in the world today. He bust his as in every match he is in.

Naomichi Marufuji- Highly skilled and respected wrestler. Can have a good match with absolutley anybody.

Go Shiozaki- Can wrestle the NA and puro style with ease. Can wrestle the "big match" as his last GHC championship match was amazing.

Hiroshi Tanahasi- Maybe Japan's favorite wrestler today. Wrestles a pretty safe style compared to most puro guys, and can tell a story.

Manabu Nakanishi- Can be a great Japanese Powerhouse wrestler if given the chance.

As you guys can tell I watch TONS of puroresu, simply because what WWe and TNA offers is crap in comparison to what NOAH and New Japan offers.

 

[Kiefer-Zeus]

Too old now man. Besides, Im pretty sure he just took some production job for one of the japanese promotions, so that pretty much singled him out...

He's only 39, so hardly old considering HBK and Taker are still around at 44!

And i guarantee he can probably still give a good match providing the right opponent is put in front of him!

 

[King Douche]

Wil WWE even push japanease wrestlers? I know Yoshi's getting a push on ECW, but we will see how that will last. WWE usually have them as jobbers or have comedy gimmicks, doing lame comedy skits and all that stuff. Would like to see a japanease holding the WWE Championship.

 

[Macca]

He's only 39, so hardly old considering HBK and Taker are still around at 44!

An i gurantee he can probs still give a good match providing the right opponent is put in front of him!

Age is nothing to do with it man. It's all about how their bodies hade done over the ages,

Besides, if Tajiri went back, it'd be back to jobbing again. That man went out of relevence in WWE when they dropped the cruiserweight division.

 

[Kiefer-Zeus]

Age is nothing to do with it man. It's all about how their bodies hade done over the ages,

Besides, if Tajiri went back, it'd be back to jobbing again. That man went out of relevence in WWE when they dropped the cruiserweight division.

Just you said hes to old now so was only commenting on the age in response!

If i remember while in WWE/ECW, he never suffered any injuries so his situation is similar to Jericho and who knows, they could bring the Cruiserweight title back to combat the X-Division since TNA sem to be venturing on mondays!

 

[Wainy]

The problem with Japanese wrestlers in WWE is that Vince is not big on pushing none English speakers. A few guys have had some o.k little runs, but eventually ended up treading water as jobbers (Jimmy Yang, Tajiri, Taka, Funaki etc etc) The other problems are that alot of the big names in Japan right now are cruiser-weights, & they hardly flourish in WWE, & the heavy-weights work too stiff a style, which always makes the big names in WWE afraid of them & claim that "they don't know how to work". So, as much as I would like to see top stars from Japan in WWE, they'd end up getting shit on & destroying their incredible reputations..... However! That's noyt what this thread was about, & if things were different, no polotics, *****es etc, here's my list of puroresu stars I'd love to see in the Fed!

1. Kenta Kobashi- Quite simply, the best! Big enough in size to apease Vince, an awesome worker, maybe the best I've seen. Can you imagine him against HHH, 'Taker & HBK!?! Dream matches, every one of them. Even just a 1 year run would make Vince stupid money!

2. Go Shiozaki- Everytime I've seen this lad live, he's been phenomenal. Could easily adapt to the WWE style.

3. Hiroshi Tanahashi- Fast becoming a marketing dream in Japan. Fantastic worker, great look & style.

4. Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh- Yes he's seen better days, but still a fantastic worker. Would be as big a draw against the top stars as Kobashi.

5. Jushin Liger- See above. Fairly big for a cruiserweight too.

6. Mohamed Yone- The replica wigs alone would make millions! Underrated worker, can make anyone look good.

As much as I'd love to see the likes of KENTA, Marafuji, Taiji Ishimori & Yoshitsune in WWE, I feel their look & style would go against them & I'd hate to see any of their still fledgling careers tainted by poor booking.

God I'm fickle!!!

 

[tsull2121]

let's face it... aside from the fact that vince will NEVER... EEEEEVER sign a big name japanese wrestler to his federation, if ANY of them were brought over from japan they would HUMILIATE anyone in the wwe in a heartbeat!

the japanese, canadian, mexican and european wrestlers can annihilate any one of vince's men or women in a heartbeat. why do you think katie lea burchill has never really gotten shown in the ring on tv? cause shes from germany and she would SERIOUSLY HURT any woman in the wwe (except beth, natalya and MAYBE mickie) if she was ever allowed to go full throttle against them

vince has a major hard on for implants and guys that stand over 6 foot 10 so an athletic female (faby apache, hamada, etc) wouldnt even get his attention and neither would a guy who weighs barely over 200 pounds and stands under six feet.

its a pipe dream, tho i would LOVE to see a japanese invasion and have vinces "wrestlers" humiliated in front of everyone and show the fans that vince's roster doesnt REALLY wrestle, they just throw punches and use sledgehammers

 

[axl626]

KENTA - The man is amazing in the ring and can put most anyone to shame. The only problem here is that people would think he is copying CM Punk, my current favorite WWE wrestler, despite the fact that Punk modeled much of his moveset after KENTA. Honestly I'd rather see him in a short run in TNA since he'd never be pushed in Vince's world.

 

[OmegaDriver]

Well, who I would LIKE to see...even though they're getting a little older, is Jun Akiyama, Kensuke Sasaski and Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta!
Back in the "attitude era" I think these guys could've all actually had a good match or two. Today of course, I doubt that. And the "Great Muta" gimmick wouldn't really work in WWE's current product. But to see a REAL Shining Wizard on TV from Keiji Mutoh would be incredible!
And I would absolutely mark out if I saw a Volcano Eruption on WWE TV!

Now, for who I would like to see and could actually be a possibility:

1. Naomichi Marufuji- He's worked in ROH so some fans may be familiar with him. He can have a good match with anybody. I think WWE would let him use the majority of his moveset besides maybe the Shiranui Kai and of course the Pole Shift, but I think he could actually work the E style.

2. KENTA- He's worked in ROH quite extensively. His moveset would hardly be altered, but alas, CM Punk has in fact stolen the majority of his moveset. It's only a matter of time before he uses the Busaki Knee Strike, (a version was actually used by Trent Barretta in ECW about a month ago). So who knows, but this guy could definately get a job in WWE.

3. If the cruiserweight division was still around, Kota Ibushi would blow every WWE crusierweight out of the water. If you havent seen this guy, go look him up right now, he's incredible!

It would also be fun to see TAKA Michinoku again, but of course without the whole "Indeed" gimmick. Not that it wasn't funny.

 

[jellmoo]

Absolutely nobody, unless they happen to be very close to fluent in English. The WWE product is way too promo driven for a non-"talker" to be able to excel. They might make some headway and get over to a degree based on pure style on athletic ability, but the glass ceiling will hit them hard.

The other issue is that there is a big limitation on who they could work with. At the main event level, it is a very small list of individuals that could work with the Japanese style without it being heavily watered down. Do you really see Cena, Batista, HHH or Taker selling someone like Kobashi's offense? It's not a knock on these guys, but the way they've been built up does not lend itself to them taking 50 consecutive chops.

 

[IBeTheErickSermon]

Hirooki Goto - For those of you who haven't seen him i suggest checking him out he wrestled a short stint in tna in his younger years as part of team japan back in 06. Then took a chance to tone his skills down in mexico where he wrestled for cmll. In 08 he wrestled Great Muta, one of my favorite matches. He won the G1 Climax cup in 08 and in 09 he won the new japan cup. Look up on youtube the G1 climax match against Giant Bernard (A-Train/Albert) that was a good match for both of them. Goto has an impressive moveset and with him being familiar already with wrestling in the US he might be able to do great in WWE, i think he has more star power than yoshitatsu honestly and he's meaner looking which WWE seems to lean towards. And as i recall the black tights black boots look has worked pretty well for some.

Kenta Kobashi- someone else already said it. But i totally agree. I wanna see him chop the shit out of john chena and triple ache

and big dream here but

hayabusa!! hahah yeah i know he cant wrestle anymore but you all know youd loooove to see him

kaz hayashi - he wrestled in wcw but was only a japanese rookie that got shat on. I think he'd do well in WWE, if theyd let him. He had a tag team with brian kendrick for awhile.

KENTA- i know someone else already said this too.

 

[Paragon of Virtue]

The main Japanese wrestler I have been hoping would sign with the WWE is Kota Ibushi. I think he has the size and look to become a top wrestler in the future, and could have more success than Yoshi Tatsu. Actually, if Kota Ibushi were to be in WWE, I think Yoshi would be pushed aside and become a jobber.

I'd also like to see Low-ki start competing on Raw/Smackdown/ECW. He's another one I believe could be successful if used correctly.

 

[King Douche]

let's face it... aside from the fact that vince will NEVER... EEEEEVER sign a big name japanese wrestler to his federation, if ANY of them were brought over from japan they would HUMILIATE anyone in the wwe in a heartbeat!

the japanese, canadian, mexican and european wrestlers can annihilate any one of vince's men or women in a heartbeat. why do you think katie lea burchill has never really gotten shown in the ring on tv? cause shes from germany and she would SERIOUSLY HURT any woman in the wwe (except beth, natalya and MAYBE mickie) if she was ever allowed to go full throttle against them

vince has a major hard on for implants and guys that stand over 6 foot 10 so an athletic female (faby apache, hamada, etc) wouldnt even get his attention and neither would a guy who weighs barely over 200 pounds and stands under six feet.

its a pipe dream, tho i would LOVE to see a japanese invasion and have vinces "wrestlers" humiliated in front of everyone and show the fans that vince's roster doesnt REALLY wrestle, they just throw punches and use sledgehammers

Yeah but Vince would not put his rep and WWE's rep on the line like that. Cause if he did then people wopuld be more into other wrestling promotions then WWE, cause they would want to see real wrestlers. But I too would like to see that so I can laugh my ass off. Also do you really think HHH put on a classic match against Kenta Kobiashi? HHH not good in the ring like he use to be, he decent now. Besides HHH just cry and whine and Kenta might cripple the man.

 

[MasterShakeIz4Real]

Kenta Kobashi- Like Wainy said, simply the best. I saw his match with Samoa Joe in ROH. One of the greatest displays of wrestling I've ever witnessed. 'Nuff said.

KENTA- Mind you I haven't actually SEEN a match with him in it. I've heard quite a bit about the man, and I saw a video of his "Top 10 maneuvers" and they were all outstanding. I hear this is the guy CM Punk "Stole" moves from in WWE so he's gotta be pretty good, I'd like to see him in WWE.

Jushin Liger: He was in WCW as Cruiserweight Champion, TNA he was Captain of Team Japan in that World X-Cup thing they do/did, every match I've seen him in has always been great. Against Pegasus Kid (Benoit) for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, against The Great Sasuke in the Super J Cup 1994, and against Samoa Joe at the first Bound for Glory. I think this guy could have kick ass matches with guys like Morrison, Mysterio, hell even HBK.

 

[JJohns]

The one Japanese Superstar that I would have liked to have seen in WWE is Masa Chono. The man was a force in Japan, multi-time IWGP Champion. He could wrestle both the Japanese Strong Style and a style that WWE likes. His Mafia Kick looked at times like it would legitimately knock someones head off at times.

The only real knocks on him is that he isn't fluent in english and he doesn't have the "look" that WWE wants in it's wrestlers, but he has the size and ability to still get over.

 

[Deadman31]

I would like to see Takeshi Morishima in the WWE. He definitely has the size (maybe too much of it at this point). I believe he had a dark match/tryout at one point.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Ok it is interesting to see the names that are being brought up here. I agree that a number of them would create some brilliant matches there. But take it back to the basics here. Tajiri has turned down Johnny Ace for returning because he wanted to stay in japan closer to his family. Hiroshi Tanahashi is one of the big names in New Japan and yes that could be epically awesome to see a match between him and Orton, just because I think their styles would mesh really well.

Straight away we can knock out a lot of the older wrestlers, not for the lack of ring ability because we know that a vast majority still have it. I mean Chono had a match against Lou Thesz early in his career and Thesz has been dead for a long time now.

Takeshi Morishima is too big for what the WWE expects out of its wrestlers that aren't able to be explained in a extremely big or strong category. He is more flab than muscle.

KENTA would be a great option yet I think he is making more money in Japan than the WWE would be willing to offer him. Liger is too old for the E and frankly has the potential for health issues further down the road.

There are some great names that have been brought up in this thread but it is a question of styles and whether Johnny Ace is familiar with them and if he has enough pull that day in talent relations.

Johnny Ace is John Laurinaitis for those that are unfamiliar with the name that I am using.