5 NJPW wrestlers who could jump to WWE in 2019

#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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