Fans of professional wrestling owe a lot to its practitioners in Japan. Often considered a great alternative to WWE, Japanese wrestling (puroresu) has traditionally emphasized athleticism over theatricality (though it still has plenty of theatre involved in wrestlers entrances). Despite many fans singing songs of praise for WWEs most legendary Superstars, the truth is, professional wrestling wouldnt be what it is today without becoming a major cultural phenomenon in Japan. This article will cover the 12 most popular and influential Japanese wrestlers of all time, from the sports founding father and first great practitioners, to those wrestlers still growing, yet who have already made names for themselves. Influential in this case means a wrestler whose actions and decisions had a big impact on the wrestling industry, as well as any wrestler who has been emulated by others. This can mean other wrestlers basing their wrestling styles after them, or using their signature moves in tribute. All of these men and women have made an impact on the pro wrestling industry in general. So its about time that they get the recognition that they deserve.
Honorable Mention: KENTA
Though he had to change his stage name to Hideo Itami to appease WWEs trademark policies, KENTA has made a career out of being both an innovator and a hard striker. Too small to be a believable powerhouse, KENTAs style has been based on kicks, something that he has shown a lot of skill in. Prior to signing with WWE, KENTA was pretty much the ace of Pro Wrestling NOAH. He made up for his small stature by hitting harder than pretty much anyone with his wide array of stiff strikes. This allowed him to become very successful in NOAH, as he won numerous singles and tag team titles and tournaments. In WWE, KENTA has had to deal with other people using his finishing maneuvers. AJ Lees Black Widow is KENTAs Octopus Stretch, Daniel Bryans Running Knee is KENTAs Busaiku Knee Kick, and CM Punk has been using KENTAs Go 2 Sleep for more or less his entire WWE career. His other signature move, the Tiger Suplex, is arguably too dangerous for him to use on a frequent basis, even if it was seen at WrestleMania XXX. In other words, these other performers owe a lot to KENTA for his contributions to the wrestling industry.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
