5 NJPW wrestlers who could jump to WWE in 2019

WWE has been relentlessly signing anyone and everyone for the past few years, New Japan Pro Wrestling is the promotion which has suffered the most from WWE's raids.

In January 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows all jumped ship in the biggest mass talent jump since The Radicalz went from WCW to WWF in 2000.

WWE was able to grab all four simultaneously due to NJPW's contract system; each NJPW wrestler would typically sign a 1-year contract that would expire in January.

Ever since the raid in 2016, NJPW have taken measures to assure this never happens again, superstars like Kazuchika Okada are thought to be locked into multi-year contracts. However, most NJPW stars are still under 1-year deals.

Earlier this year, Ricochet and War Machine joined WWE. Head of Talent Relations, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque is still hunting for more wrestlers; NXT will introduce a new mid-card title (the North American Championship), and 205 Live is rumored to be adding a tag title.

Let's take a look at 5 NJPW wrestlers who may be gracing WWE rings in 2019.

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#1 Kenny Omega

Two years running now, Omega's name has come up as a possible surprise Royal Rumble entrant. Such is the enthusiasm to the see the 'Best Bout Machine' in WWE.

Just five years ago, fans would be telling Omega to stay put, unless he wanted to end up the same way as Tensai - an NJPW superstar as Giant Bernard who quickly became a comedy character. But this is a very different WWE.

AJ Styles is a shining example; he was a star right-off-the-bat and WWE Champion in eight months. Styles and Omega have many similarities: both leaders of the Bullet Club and top foreigners in NJPW, but there are some key differences.

Omega has creative control in NJPW while Styles was just a regular wrestler. Omega and The Young Bucks are writing their storylines and playing them out on their YouTube show, Being The Elite. If Omega goes to WWE, there's little chance he will have such freedom (however Matt Hardy has been allowed to go all-out with his ‘Broken' character).

In-ring, Styles and Omega are both outstanding wrestlers although Styles promos are more polished and suited to American audiences. Omega's mic work in NJPW is tailored to a Japanese audience with limited English skills. He emphasizes keywords and is more animated to get his point across. It's a style that will cause Vince McMahon to yell out a few expletives.

Styles and Omega also have drastically different personal circumstances as well; Styles has a family in the United States while Omega lives in Japan. For Omega to join WWE, he must move to the US, a country he hasn't lived in since his Deep South days in 2006.

Omega has a lot on his plate, he recently reformed The Golden Lovers with Kota Ibushi, and he still has unresolved issues with The Bullet Club. Most crucially, his series with Okada is tied at one apiece.

Omega will eventually move to WWE; he's shown to be someone who relishes change. This is a man who went from wrestling a 7-year old girl to main-eventing the Tokyo Dome. But that move is probably is still 2-3 years off.

#2 Will Ospreay

Despite being only 24, Ospreay is a well-traveled veteran. The six-year pro has been going hard all over the globe, delivering fantastic performance after another. Dave Meltzer said that Ospreay is "probably the best wrestler in the world".

But those performances come with a price; if he continues his globe-trotting ways, he may end up with a laundry list of injuries before he hits 30. Next year may be the time he follows his friend Ricochet to the Performance Center.

However, there's still a lot for 'The Aerial Assassin' to do in NJPW and the indies. Ospreay's passionate about turning Australia into a hot territory; he's publicly talked about moving to the country. There are still many showdowns in NJPW for him including a dream match against Rey Mysterio (unless WWE snaps up Mysterio before that). Standing at a strapping 6'1, Ospreay will likely be given a chance in the heavyweight division as well.

If Ospreay does make the jump, he could likely be placed in 205 Live. Triple H has taken over 205 Live and the programme has improved greatly since. The plan is for the cruiserweight brand to start touring in 2018, to do that they need marque superstars, Ospreay fits that bill.

Would that be enough for Ospreay? His exposure would be limited to a 1-hour WWE Network programme, PPV pre-shows, and venues smaller than the ones he performs in now. If Ospreay hears the words "Two. Oh. Five.", he should stay grounded.

#3 David Finlay

You only have to look at his last name to figure out why this 4th generation star will join WWE one day.

David's dad Fit Finlay is a highly respected producer at WWE, you'd better believe that Fit will use whatever sway he has to bring his son back stateside.

Finlay Jr has been kicking about in NJPW since 2015 but has failed to make an appreciable impact. While he's a solid wrestler, under that long hair and bushy beard is a bland personality.

Finlay recently moved up to the heavyweight division and will challenge former tag partner ‘Switchblade' Jay White for the NJPW United States title. After White's recent title defence, Finlay blindsided his former tag partner, showing a new aggressive edge. This may be the attitude adjustment he needs.

However, it's doubtful that Finlay will dethrone 'Switchblade'. White is in the midst of a big push. He defeated Kenny Omega for that US belt; It's his time now. Finlay is there to be his foil.

The ceiling for Finlay in NJPW is low; there are many foreigners ahead of him in-line. He could bide his time, but he would be in danger of ending up as a low-card performer, that's a label that's hard to shake off.

Finlay should make that switch sooner than later. With the introduction of NXT's North American title, the brand will need a solid mid-card. Finlay could shine there.

#4 Juice Robinson

Joesph Robinson took a big gamble when he asked for his release from WWE in April 2016. As CJ Parker, Robinson was used to put over NXT's newest marquee signing.

Despite his lowly status, he was well-liked by NXT management and was featured on NXT's weekly programme often (losing). CJ Parker had little name value outside of NXT, his prospects on the indies looked grim.

Against all odds, he has prospered on the indie scene. Shedding his CJ Parker gimmick and reverting to the Juice Robinson name he debuted with, Robinson has reinvented himself. Last year was his breakout year in NJPW, he challenged for numerous titles and had a strong showing in his debut G1 Climax.

Whether he should switch in 2019 is debatable. He's likely to win one of NJPW's singles titles this year after coming up short last year. This is Robinson's fourth year in NJPW, at this point he may be tired of the constant long journeys to Japan. NXT's light schedule must be looking mighty appealing now.

After tangling with Tanahashi, Omega and other high-level stars, Robinson has drastically improved since his CJ Parker days. Ironically, if Robinson were to return to NXT, he would be one of those marquee signings that he used to lose to every week.

#5 Katsuya Kitamura

The only Japanese wrestler on this list has the look that would make Vince McMahon salivate.

At 32, Kitamura is the oldest youngster in professional wrestling. He won NJPW's Young Lions Cup in December and was voted Rookie of The Year in the Wrestler Observer Newsletter Awards.

Despite only having one years' experience, NJPW has enough trust to book the ‘Kinniku Monster' in singles matches. Kitamura was amid a seven-match trial series against NJPW veterans before he was sidelined with a concussion. NJPW clearly have big plans for Kitamura; he will either graduate from Young Lion status or go on an overseas excursion.

Kitamura's idols are Brock Lesnar and Goldberg (Kitamura's finisher is the Jackhammer). Surely Kitamura wants to follow in their footsteps and march onto the stage of Raw, Smackdown and WrestleMania.

The tanned 265 pounder is indeed a head-turner and was a big deal before he entered a professional wrestling ring. Kitamura was an accomplished amateur wrestler, but he was unable to compete at the 2012 Olympics due to a steroid failure. Kitamura claims innocence. That test failure may make WWE wary.

Wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan changed the game in WWE, and now smaller and slender wrestlers are excepted as stars. Despite these changes, WWE is still a big man's world. The mega-push of Braun Strowman is proof of that.

At his age, Kitamura doesn't have the luxury of time. If he wants to be like his idols, then the WWE's Performance Center would be the place for him.

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