10 Wrestling Images That Will Make You Feel Really Old
8. Blue Justice Forever!
To fans who only follow American wrestling, Yuji Nagata is little more than a footnote. He had a run in WCW in 1997 as part of the company's talent exchange with New Japan, and that was enough to get him into the WCW/nWo Revenge video game. After a brief feud with Ultimo Dragon, he was gone from the U.S. scene and many fans' minds.
To those of us who follow Japanese wrestling, though, Yuji Nagata is a truly unique talent. He was the cornerstone of New Japan during a difficult time for the company, when the popularity of MMA in Japan severely eroded the wrestling industry's viability. Unlike many of his contemporaries (Manabu Nakanishi and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, for instance), though, Nagata has actually remained a world-class talent. The 48-year-old star may not be the focus of the company anymore, but his singles matches always deliver.
Earlier this year, Nagata beat Katsuyori Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Title, and while he soon lost it back (see the picture), the matches were excellent, as expected. Nagata is part of the G1 Climax tournament, which begins Monday, and he's sure to pump out a few more classics.
It's hard not to feel like a geezer compared to the "Anti-Aging Hero." Yuji Nagata may have been an adult while we were still kids, but at some point, we became way older than him.