10 Wrestlers Who Could Win Their First World Title In 2021
2. Kota Ibushi
Better late than never. NJPW is developing a worrying trend of sitting on the pot for too long when it comes to its stars, keeping them queued up to the extent where they seem to be getting in each other's way. Kota Ibushi probably should have beaten Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 14, but the decision to make it a two-day affair and the realisation that NJ couldn't hold off on Tetsuya Naito any longer put a spanner in that plan. Ibushi lost to Okada on night one, and subsequently fell to Jay White on night two as well.
When the 30th G1 Climax began in late-September, few people had Kota Ibushi among their potential winners. Only Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan had gone back-to-back in the G1 era, after all. Ibushi also found himself in a treacherously difficult block, alongside Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Jay White, Shingo Takagi and others. Doubters be damned, Ibushi went back to back, defeating SANADA in the final.
Sure, he may have lost the briefcase since that final but Ibushi still finds himself with an IWGP Championship match on the first night of Wrestle Kingdom 15. Surely the time has come to crown Ibushi? Naito's reign has been hindered by COVID-19 and EVIL respectively, but NJPW can't wait on Kota Ibushi any longer. A world championship is less than a week away.