10 pro-wrestlers who’ve had the most matches outside WWE

#6 Toshiaki Kawada - 2,687

Kawada is one of the stiffest wrestlers of all

time,

and exuded an aura of danger whenever he wrestled

Toshiaki Kawada is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and is widely considered to be the sport’s stiffest striker. No one kicked harder than Kawada, as he exemplified the intensity and dangerous nature of AJPW’s King’s Road style more than arguably anyone else.

It was Kawada who faced Misawa in that legendary match on June 3rd, 1994 that was awarded six stars by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. While he did have tremendous success in AJPW during the 1990s, things took a drastic turn in the 2000s.

Kawada was one of only two wrestlers in AJPW that didn’t go with Misawa when Misawa formed Pro Wrestling NOAH, which shocked many people given how close he and Misawa were reported to be.

Kawada kept wrestling all over Japan throughout the 2000s, with his last match to date having taken place in August of 2010. Kawada hasn’t announced a formal retirement, but he himself admitted that he lost a great deal of passion for wrestling after Misawa died in the ring.

To this day, Kawada holds an impressive number of matches under his belt, shy of a whopping 2,700 over a period of 27 years.