10 Best Strong-Style Wrestlers Ever
Who's the real king?
With the recent global popularity of New Japan Pro Wrestling and the arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE, everyone's talking about "Strong Style" - the brand of wrestling that both NJPW and the current NXT Champion represent. But what, exactly, is strong-style wrestling?
Strong-style wrestling is typically defined as a more martial arts-influenced style of wrestling, prioritizing strikes and submissions over traditional moves. The discipline was popularized in the philosophy of New Japan throughout its existence, as opposed to competitor All Japan Pro Wrestling, which used a style called King's Road (building up to a finish with major moves, more like a U.S. style pro wrestling match).
Strong style shouldn't be confused with shoot style, though - promotions like the UWF achieved popularity with the latter discipline, using a grappling-heavy style to make the wrestling look as real as possible. While strong style does tend to feel more real than most modern pro wrestling does, it would hardly be confused for an actual fight.
Today, strong style is less common - New Japan has veered away from the discipline, with stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Kenny Omega simply representing the best of all worlds. Still, there are representatives of the style doing great things in the sport, and legends whose legacies will last forever...
10. Katsuyori Shibata
When it comes to the modern strong style, there are few who do it better than Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata first came into prominence in New Japan in the early 2000s, where he was christened one of "The New Three Musketeers." He, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Shinsuke Nakamura were supposed to take the helm of the company in the 21st century, but Shibata left to pursue an MMA career.
In the early 2010s, Shibata came back to wrestling, smarter for the journey. Though many in the company viewed him as an outsider who abandoned NJPW during the company's lean years, he slid back into the company seamless, having the sorts of matches that gave New Japan its identity - but taking the intensity to a whole new level.
Shibata's MMA prowess comes through in the ring, where he uses submissions and strikes to maximum effect. More than just a brawler (not that there's anything wrong with that - just ask Tomohiro Ishii), Shibata is a wrestler's wrestler and a fighter's fighter.