Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?

17. 2006: Atsushi Aoki

Essa Rios Lita
AJPW

A very good worker, hence his '06 award, Atsushi Aoki may not be remembered as one of the very best ever in his field. He was a grounded mat-based junior who worked that weight division when the styles within it had long since crept into the modern "hybrid' main event style (and were no longer special). He was nonetheless very, very good at making his hard-nosed stuff look like it really hurt.

He tragically died at 41, in 2019, in a motorcycle accident. Before his death, he won several championships across Pro Wrestling NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!