10 Awesome Modern Wrestlers Who Made Their Name In Japan

5. Ricochet

Finn Balor
WWE

Though Ricochet is perhaps more synonymous with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, the deeply influential company in which he so impressed the über-hardcore name-dropper audience, it can be argued that the promotion's reach doesn't extend far enough in more casual circles to inform a performer's reputation alone.

Ricochet reinforced and heightened - pun very much intended - that reputation in both Dragon Gate and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

He was a perfect fit for the former promotion. A futuristic athlete with an unprecedented ability to soar, and to give his slack-jawed fandom motion sickness through his astonishingly convoluted and athletically astounding reversal sequences, this was a performer as fast as Masato Yoshino and as spectacular as PAC. Consequently, he made the leap from the second biggest to biggest puro promotion by starring in New Japan concurrently. There, he developed a new level of visual nuance to his work. The most GIF-able pro wrestler of all time soon became a canvas for fan art through his ability to pose in an array of striking, iconic images, most infamously in that match.

On the subject of which...

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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!