Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?
15. 2008: KAI
A promising wrestler who never progressed to become a world-beater, nobody was to know that in 2008.
Kai has worked the odd excellent match long into a career that never unfolded as some forecast. Perhaps the fading fortunes of All Japan Pro Wrestling did his prospects in; almost as soon as he caught the attention of the international fandom, New Japan Pro Wrestling entered its resurgence era. Tracking the progress of a talented youngster was difficult when a major force was back and stocked with an endless wave of great talent - old, new, and repackaged.
After a disastrous run post-AJPW, in which his Atsushi Onita cosplay drew widespread mockery, he has experienced modest critical acclaim in Dragon Gate. He even won the big one, but this generated as much bemusement as praise. That Dragon Gate was red-hot before that run doesn't help his perception.