10 Wrestlers Who Became Amazing After Heavy Criticism

8. KENTA

Undertaker Kenny Omega
NJPW

KENTA has taken to burying the Hideo Itami character and the WWE experience on Twitter, with hilarious dril-esque wording, in an intelligent bid to disassociate wrestling fans from that dire phase of his career.

And it was a dire experience.

Itami, cursed by injury, was well-positioned to transcend the language barrier because his aura and presence was once so profound. But by the time he arrived in WWE, his strike-based style, look, and move-set had already been subsumed by almost an entire generation, and without that confident swagger, he couldn't get over. His performance level declined, he looked flabby, and that aura had vanished entirely.

But, whether he acknowledges it or not, he has adapted that WWE experience to his excellent New Japan run by working a more deliberate, methodical, overtly nasty style designed to antagonise a set of fans trained to rally behind a frenzied display of fighting spirit. That he subdues those comebacks with his sickening striking game - all with a sh*t-eating grin on his face - positions him as one of NJPW's top heels.

He can still go - he's just intelligent enough to know when, in order to balance his act in such a way that removes the Itami stigma but maintains the KENTA heat.

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!