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The big league is expanding, WWE is no longer the lone shark in the waters!
With New Japan Pro Wrestling getting global exposure with each passing event, and the new endeavour of All Elite Wrestling officially confirmed, wrestlers have much more opportunities to showcase their talents.
Chris Jericho, Cody, and the Young Bucks have led the contingent of wrestlers making an impact for themselves out of the WWE.
There are undoubtedly many superstars on the current WWE roster who deserve better creative storylines, but are lost in the shuffle. Neville is a recent example who was unhappy with his booking, and decided to take matters into his own hands. Returning to his old home - Dragon Gate.
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#5 Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
Multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champions, and a team who gave a new direction for tag teams all over the world. Their start in the WWE was promising, allying with their old friend AJ Styles to beat up John Cena!
With the Young Bucks being signed to All Elite Wrestling, alongside a significant role backstage, their presence in New Japan would be rare. That creates a void in the heavyweight tag division, and who better than the Good Brothers - Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, to fill the void?
When talking about underrated talent, many names come to mind, like Cesaro and Zack Ryder, but nobody mentions Karl Anderson. All he does on WWE TV is take the hits for the team!
However, this man's body of work in NJPW is incredible. His 'Machine Gun' persona led to terrific runs in the G1 Climax and great matches with the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura.
The transformation of their beloved Bullet Club would also be a worthy storyline on their arrival.
#4 TJ Perkins
The winner of the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, the image of his battle-hardened body receiving the purple cruiserweight championship from Triple H is one of the most memorable moments of the recent past.
After a promising start in the WWE, his momentum crashed and burned as 205 Live was buried with underexposure. Even with the recent revival and positive reception of the weekly show, TJP has not had much time to shine.
He is one of WWE's best athletes, his portrayals of masked characters like Suicide and Manik in TNA, and PUMA on the independent circuit, are memorable for many fans.
He is 34 now and approaching the peak of his career, and to waste it on the under-card of an under-promoted show is a shame.
Maybe the new Impact under the supervision of Don Callis could welcome their former employee back. Or imagine all the dream matches he could have in the junior heavyweight division in NJPW, with the likes of Will Ospreay, Taiji Ishimori, and especially Kushida!
#3 Bobby Roode
Bobby Roode is one of those superstars everybody thought would perfectly fit into the WWE model. A natural charisma, good mic skills, an in-ring general, and a wrestler with good work ethics. The beginning was promising for sure.
His first success was his theme song which spread like wildfire throughout the wrestling scene, and then he had a great run in NXT, becoming NXT Champion.
A lauded SmackDown after WrestleMania debut, and in a few weeks he got lost in the shuffle.
Though recently he has won the RAW tag team championship with Chad Gable, the reign seems paper thin, and about to fall to the Revival who have been gaining momentum as of late.
He could make an entry into the main event scene in Impact Wrestling right away. He is one of the people who built TNA into the company it is today. A run in New Japan seems unlikely, given his age and wrestling style, but his natural magnetism could and would be the equaliser!
#2 Zack Ryder
Keeping in mind the recent Twitter interactions between Zack Ryder and the mastermind behind AEW - Cody, this speculation is alive and ablaze!
When a superstar could rise to popularity with a YouTube show and have his name chanted when The Rock is in the ring, he definitely deserves more. His gimmick Internet Championship was memorable like Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Championship.
All Elite Wrestling would be a perfect venture for him. The fans are still behind him, but his surprise Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania a few years back is the only recent bright spot.
If this 'New Era' does not do something fresh for the Long Island Iced Z, he sure has an offer on the table!
#1 Shinsuke Nakamura
No surprises here!
The King of Strong Style had one of the best runs ever in NXT, and had an on-off run on the main roster. As compared to others on the list, Nakamura has been much more successful, winning the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble match, capturing the United States Championship, and having many main event outings.
But for a man of Nakamura's stature, this seems like a disappointment.
New Japan has been functioning on four or so top guys ever since the end of the Inoki Era.
The current top 4 would be the newly crowned Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, the Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito, The recently revived Kazuchika Okada, and Kenny Omega.
The loss of Omega's IWGP Heavyweight title is a clear indication of his intentions to move to AEW, creating space for a new top guy, and who better than the King of Strong Style who was one of the pillars, and alongside Tanahashi, propelled NJPW out of its dark ages!
So that's it for the list, what other names do you have in mind?
Do let me know in the comments below.
