10 Awesome Modern Wrestlers Who Made Their Name In Japan

8. Hangman Page

Finn Balor
ROH

Hangman Page is everything WWE looks for in a star.

He is a hunk, for one. He even won Wrestlesplania's Hunk of the Year award - a year that treated us to the cheekbones of SANADA, the hair of Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the thrusting c*ck of Finn Bálor - and reminded us why we fell for him this year in a riot of an acceptance speech, in which he thanked fish oil and conditioner for keeping him thick n' slick. He also got really, really good at arguably more important things like professional wrestling, starring in a great tag bout with Cody against the Golden Lovers at Sakura Genesis that, given NJPW's 2018 output, many were always going to overlook. New Japan, however, did not.

His rate of progression really was remarkable - from a Jay White clash that generated no noise to a white-hot ALL IN brawl/angle that created a deafening Twitter buzz - and New Japan rewarded him for it.

We paused to include him here - did he make his name in New Japan Pro Wrestling, or, behind Yujiro Takakashi, as the second funniest character in Being The Elite? - but a terrific G1 Climax run brought into focus just how much his adopted nation will miss him.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!