10 Most Improved Wrestlers Of The Past Decade
6. Yoshi-Hashi
Unfortunately for Yoshi-Hashi, he's often inextricably linked with the leader of his CHAOS faction, Kazuchika Okada. The two debuted in New Japan around the same time, they faced off on the undercard at Wrestle Kingdom VI (Okada won and challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after the main event), and they even tag sporadically as 'CHAOS Ride the Lightning'.
Being compared to Okada doesn't really do anybody any good, but it doesn't change the fact that Yoshi-Hashi has come quite a long way on his own. Like Tama Tonga, though he was a low-ranking member of his stable who usually ate the pinfall, the New Japan system served him well, and he developed into an excellent hand.
By 2016, fans were clamoring to see more of Yoshi-Hashi, and the talent exodus that happened early in the year made that possible. Though the star still hasn't managed to capture championship gold, he entered the G1 Climax tournament for the first time and scored an upset victory over eventual winner Kenny Omega, leading to a main-event rematch between the two at Destruction in Hiroshima.