10 Best Wrestlers Under 30 (Who Don't Work For WWE)

1. Kazuchika Okada

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/OKADA_rainmaker.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/OKADA_rainmaker.JPGAge: 26 You don't often get to say that someone this young is the absolute best on the planet at whatever it is they do, but with Kazuchika Okada, you can probably say that and say it comfortably, especially since Daniel Bryan has been sidelined for the last two months with an injury. Okada's success makes people quick to point and laugh at TNA, as they had him on their roster as recently as October 2011, and used him mostly as a jobber and as a servant, of sorts, for Samoa Joe. During his time with TNA, he wrestled on television a grand total of two times. It isn't quite fair to blame TNA, though. While they did have a very talented worker on the roster that they did nothing with, it wasn't really until Okada left TNA and returned to Japan that he truly began to blossom. Once back with New Japan, everything just seemed to fall into place, and he was putting on tremendous matches. Now, people don't even remember the last time he wrestled a match that wasn't good, and is basically on a multi-year hot streak, which is almost unheard of in wrestling. Everything he touches turns to gold, it seems. At 6'3" and 235 pounds, he's also a lot bigger than many of his Japanese counterparts, allowing him to do different things in the ring. His character is something would translate well in North America, as he isn't the stereotypical "I don't need flash, but I'll just beat you up" wrestler from Japan, and often displays a lot of personality, both verbally and non-verbally. From all accounts, he can even understand and speak a bit of English, which would only serve to benefit him more when he leaves Japan to wrestle in England, in America, and elsewhere. He has been rumored to be on WWE's radar in the past, and with the company heading to Japan soon for a tour, you have to expect they'll hear about him some more. This very well might be just the beginning for Okada.
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Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.