Future World Champions Of 10 Wrestling Brands

When the bridge was inexplicably burned between New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH, it was clear which side was going to be worse off for it. Fortunately NOAH were able to use G1 Climax 26 to showcase their aging Ace, Marufuji, as well as his heir-apparent, Katsuhiko Nakajima.

Mentored by Kensuke Sasaki, Nakajima has long been groomed for NOAH leadership. But half a year into his first GHC World Heavyweight Championship run, NOAH is still flailing in a market dominated by NJPW. Enter one of independent wrestling's biggest stars, Brian Cage.

The veteran of PWG, TNA, and Lucha Underground looks like a WWE prototype. That said, he has been outspoken about wanting to work in Japan instead, believing that working the Tokyo Dome is the true pinnacle of professional wrestling.

He's certainly on the right track to get there, debuting in NOAH and laying out Go Shiozaki and Takashi Sugiura. His immediate impact scored him a GHC World Title shot at another of Japan's top venues, Korakuen Hall, where he came up short.

However, Cage was not flown to Japan to be just another rotational player. NOAH could really galvanise some momentum by having him capture the belt that Misawa, Kobashi, and Hideo Itami made famous.