5 Options For Winning The IWGP Intercontinental Title
3. Tomohiro Ishii
Arguably New Japan's most consistent in-ring performer of the last two years (in terms of providing 4*+ matches at least), Tomohiro Ishii is a man approaching limbo. In those two years his battles have obsessively been around the NEVER Openweight Championship, the title he lost to Katsuyori Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom. Once the usual rematches are done and dusted (if you think WWE loves rematches, wait until you get into New Japan), moving Ishii into the IC division might be the best for all involved. Whilst I wouldn't imagine his style would change dramatically, the slight let-up in violence might lead to a few more years in the ring for Tomohiro. He is also at the point where he is as legitimate a threat in the ring as he has ever been. One thing stopping him from making the ascension would be his name value, in that Ishii is mostly seen as a reliable upper middle card guy. Maybe an Intercontinental Title run would change this.
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
