10 Times The Wrong Wrestler Won

From public enemy number one to man of the people, Tetsuya Naito’s 2015-2017 run in New Japan was some of the best character work in the promotion’s history. Naito and his Los Ingobernables De Japon stable were the most popular wrestling act in all of Japan and Naito’s G1 Climax 2017 victory was greeted with huge praise.

After four long years, Naito was finally poised to redeem his Wrestle Kingdom 8 debacle where his heavyweight title shot was voted out of the main event slot before being soundly defeated by career long nemesis Kazuchika Okada.

Arriving at the Tokyo Dome, Naito was greeted by the passionate support of 43,000 fans. This was his moment, seemingly what his whole career had been building to. That huge victory never arrived. Instead, Naito grew distracted and regressed into his less successful Stardust Genius persona. From there, he fell to Okada once again, a match finish greeted by a pained silence from the audience.

In the two years since, Naito has meandered in the Intercontinental title scene and had hit and miss feuds with the likes of Chris Jericho, Taichi and Kota Ibushi. Still popular and with a chance at a third match with Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 14, one can’t help but feel that New Japan missed Naito’s peak. Not quite as credible in kayfabe as he once was and now working with various injuries, Naito’s moment at Wrestle Kingdom 12 was a major missed opportunity.

Okada would drop the title to Kenny Omega instead, who then left the promotion six months later for AEW.