10 WWE Stars And Their New Japan Equivalents

WWE may be the largest pro wrestling company in the world, but the silver medal goes to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Granted, there's a huge gap between the companies - especially when it comes to global saturation - but New Japan is the only other promotion on Earth with a size and structure anything like that of WWE.

While both companies present a different product - WWE's shows are sports entertainment, whereas in New Japan, matches take precedence over angles and storylines are built around in-ring rivalries - there are similarities to the business models and hierarchies of each company.

NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi has professed admiration for Vince McMahon's style of business, and it's evident in some of New Japan's more recent ventures - for instance, the creation of streaming service NJPW World, and the company's plan to go public in the near future.

Still, the most visible part of either promotion is the wrestling product, and there are similarities there, as well. WWE has an undeniable influence on the rest of the wrestling world, while there are undoubtedly many workers in the company who are fans of New Japan. Plus, sometimes things just evolve along similar lines. As a result, the companies' rosters bear striking similarities.

This list focuses on 10 WWE stars and their New Japan counterparts, in terms of in-ring style, push, role, and just about anything else. Not only is it fun to point out the connections, but it's possible that someone at one company could even learn something from how the other has handled his analogue.

On the surface, there may not seem to be much linking Zack Ryder and Tomoaki Honma. While Ryder is good, Honma is routinely considered one of the most underrated workers on the planet. Still, the similarity comes in each man's reception, and WWE can learn something from how New Japan handles Honma.

Both Ryder and Honma became hugely popular without their employer planning it. in Ryder's case, his YouTube shows made him a star to Internet fans (which is redundant, since all fans are on the Internet), while Honma's great performances and never-say-die attitude earned him a following. Crowds would routinely chant both men's names, often giving them a better reception than the top stars.

In Ryder's case, a brief push led to a vindictive burial and about four years of floundering. He's rarely on major TV shows, and when he is, he gets a great reaction and loses. With Honma, the company tried a more gradual path, and it's worked - New Japan tries to present wrestling realistically, so they wouldn't simply reverse Honma's pattern of losses.

Nevertheless, they slowly built up more and more wins for the star, with he and partner Togi Makabe winning the World Tag League tournament last year, then capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.

Today, Honma is a solid midcarder poised for a decent showing in the G1. Ryder is rarely seen.