Even if WWE's a bit late to the party, the rest of the wrestling world is in the midst of a golden age of cruiserweight wrestling. Smaller stars are being appreciated for their talents, and even pushed along with heavyweights. One of the most talented and deserving of a push is Kota Ibushi. There's more to Ibushi's skill than meets the eye. He's a four-time winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Best Flying Wrestler Award, but beyond that, he's a superb all-rounder. Prior to getting into pro wrestling, the "Golden Star" trained for mixed martial arts, and he incorporates amateur-style wrestling and quick strikes into his arsenal. Basically, whether he's wrestling Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, or Kazushi Sakuraba, Ibushi is capable of delivering the goods. Ibushi is currently out of action with a herniated disc, but he's expected back by the summer. With Kazuchika Okada in need of a new long-term opponent, stars have all aligned, making the time right for a big push for the "Golden Star". By 2017, he should be in the thick of the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture, regardless of his size.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
