10 Wrestlers Having An AMAZING 2023 (… That Nobody Is Talking About)
4. Kaito Kiyomiya
Still recovering from three years worth of a global pandemic and lacking the sort of swagger they once owned as dominative factors in pro wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH have fallen down many fans' must-watches, but a deft angle between the former's Kazuchika Okada and the latter's Kaito Kiyomiya put Okada's face back in the picture while introducing inattentive viewers to Kiyomiya.
In one of the most ingenious invasion angles ever, they worked a tag team match as part of the Wrestle Kingdom 17 celebrations. It was here that Okada beat the sh*t out of Kiyomiya. Kaito, then the GHC Heavyweight Champion, kicked Okada twice in the back as he worked over Yoshiki Inamura when, in a moment of blind rage concocted following a third SHOOT kick to the face, the usually-nonchalant 'Rainmaker' turned into the world's finest brawler as he safely battered Kiyomiya. It was a worked shoot, rather than a real fight, but the two Aces of their respective companies made you believe, just for a second, that pro wrestling was real.
Kaito Kiyomiya, in what would have been his first introduction to many, was instantly asserted as this fierce mercenary capable of making even the most relaxed of antagonists snap. His 175-day GHC Heavyweight title reign was largely a non-factor, but check out his 1 January defence vs. Kenoh for a better representation of how he typically performs on home turf.