Ranking Every MVP Of Every Major Wrestling Company

3. All Japan Pro Wrestling: Kento Miyahara

Kento Miyahara
AJPW

There can only be one: Kento Miyahara.

All Japan Pro Wrestling is otherwise off the radar entirely. To illustrate how far it has fallen, the memories of the constant Budokan sell-outs are now tinged in sepia, and the promotion that was once so prized by hardcore tape-traders in the west barely registers a blip in this age of instant streaming access. It does enough business to continue on, but is AJPW only in name, not in aura - nor style, mercifully, given what we know now of its horrific repercussions.

Interestingly, Miyahara's style is more indebted to NJPW's Hiroshi Tanahashi than the Four Pillars. He is a phenomenal details wrestler, mastering the space between moves and rewarding the attention of those who watch closest when the most insignificant move attempts are paid off with searing drama in the finishing sequence. Minimal and brutal, he is a true Ace in the sense that he can take performers who aren't ready (Jake Lee) and hoist them to his near-Best In The World level.

Miyahara alone warrants AJPW's inclusion in this list - bigger promotions are missing from it - because he is that good, and that pivotal to its (very) relative return to critical prominence.

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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!