10 Most Improved Wrestlers On The Planet Today

6. Tetsuya Naito

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NJPW

Tetsuya Naito has long been a phenomenal in-ring talent, but he was, for a number of years, wholly lacking in personality.

That his signature taunt involved him opening his eye with his hand wasn't surprising; Naito seemed incapable of changing his fixed, blank impression otherwise. He could barely emote - even after winning the legendary, would-be career-making G1 Climax tournament in 2013.

This drew criticism from runner-up Hiroshi Tanahashi in his autobiography. Tanahashi was dismayed by Naito's victory speech, which he considered too self-deprecating. He had a point; fans rejected him to such an extent that bookers Gedo and Jado were compelled to offer them the chance to promote Tanahashi and IWGP Intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura to the Wrestle Kingdom 8 main event at his expense.

They did so in a landslide, following which Naito floated around the midcard before embarking on a seasoning tour of CMLL.

Naito demonstrated hitherto unseen personality after the heel turn which followed. As leader of Los Ingobernables de Japan, the besuited Naito reinvented himself as an unruly heel, leathering referees, unleashing an array of diving taunts, and unceremoniously throwing away Kazuchika Okada's IWGP Heavyweight title in the build-up to their classic match earlier in the year.

Contributor
Contributor

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!