10 Things WWE Could Learn From Kenta Kobashi's Career

9. Giving Wrestlers Good Nicknames

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYqUYC6LMgs These days, every top wrestler is given a nickname that helps give their character a bit more depth. Unfortunately, WWE aren€™t following their Japanese counterparts (and Kobashi in particular) by giving their wrestlers truly unique and creative nicknames. Among some of the best Japanese wrestling nicknames include: €˜Child of God€™/€™King of Strong Style€™ (Shinsuke Nakamura), €˜Ace of the Universe€™/€™One-in-a-Century talent€™ ( Hiroshi Tanahashi), €˜Daredevil€™ (Hiroko Goto), and €˜The Rainmaker€™ (Kazuchika Okada). In Kobashi€™s case, he has been known as €˜Iron Man€™, €˜The Absolute Champion€™, €˜The Maximum Innovator€™, €˜Mr. Puroresu€™, and one of the €˜Four Pillars of Heaven/Four Divine Emperors€™. Contrast this with WWE nicknames like: €˜Big Hungry€™/€™The Big Guy€™ (Ryback), €˜The Big Dog€™ (Reigns), €˜The Champ€™ (Cena, even without actually being champion), the €˜Party Pooper€™ (Adam Rose), 'Prince Pretty' (Tyler Breeze), etc...you get the picture. In Kobashi€™s case and in the case of other Japanese wrestlers, their nicknames are gimmick-specific and have a more creative edge to them. Kobashi€™s nicknames amplified his reputation as a tough man, a dominant champion, a versatile wrestler, and as a high-quality wrestler. It was through these nicknames that Kobashi had a much easier time getting over with both new and old viewers. WWE€™s nicknames, meanwhile, seem lazier and void of any creativity, being based primarily on a wrestler€™s appearance or personality instead of for a deeper, more story-centric reason. If WWE were to give their wrestlers more unique and interesting nicknames, maybe, just maybe, more critical viewers would take their superstars more seriously as fighters.