10 Reasons You Should Be Watching New Japan Pro Wrestling

CJ Parker, Trent Barreta, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Vance Archer: all familiar names to anyone who has watched WWE in the last ten years but, it’s fair to say, also ones that are easily forgotten. They were the talent who filled out the roster, never the stars.

However, in New Japan, these wrestlers have found a new lease of life. Smith and Archer team together as Killer Elite Squad and are a central part of the invading Suzuki-gun faction. Barreta now goes by the slightly different Beretta and is one-half of the Junior Tag Team Champions with Rocky Romero. CJ Parker, meanwhile, now operating under the name of Juice Robinson, is making quite a name for himself after an impressive match with Goto at New Beginning In Sapporo.

All of these wrestlers were underused in WWE. Whether they were too small, too quiet or had the wrong face, something kept them back. In New Japan, they have been given the platform to show off their talent - and have done everything in their power to take advantage of it.