10 MORE Of The Best Nicknames In Modern Wrestling
7. The Wrestler - Katsuyori Shibata
If you thought that "The Ring General" was too straightforward a nickname, then your eyebrows may raise to scalp-tickling heights at seeing "The Wrestler" make this list.
Admittedly, "The Wrestler" does sound like the sort of joke name that's thrown out at the end of a long creative meeting after all the good ideas have been exhausted. But dammit, if ever anyone's earned the distinction of being known as "The" wrestler, it's Katsuyori Shibata.
Shibata's no-nonsense demeanour and stylistically simplistic attire already made him a prime candidate for "The Wrestler" nickname, but it's his off-screen travails that cement him as a worthy holder of the title. After suffering a life-threatening brain-bleed in a 5* match against Kazuchika Okada back in 2017, many fans assumed that was the last we'd see of Shibata in the ring. However, Shibata's passion for the business couldn't be denied and he returned to the ring in 2021 in an exhibition match with Zack Sabre Jr., and started wrestling full-time the following year.
Despite the trauma it caused him, Shibata simply loves wrestling. Just look at this quote from his letter explaining his decision to wind-down his career in AEW: This is the best environment where wrestlers can focus only on fighting in the ring.
For The Wrestler, that's all that's needed.