#1 Katsuyori Shibata
Trending
The only Japanese wrestler on this list, very few are aware of the fact that ‘The Wrestler’ Katsuyori Shibata is the son of former New Japan Pro Wrestling and Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance midcarder, Katsuhisa Shibata. In the world of professional wrestling, no individual speaks the term ‘No-Nonsense’ as loudly as this guy.
One of the new ‘Three Musketeers’, alongside Tanahashi and Nakamura, Shibata was the chosen one, destined for stardom and success. In 2004 he made perhaps the worst decision of his life, by leaving NJPW, a sinking ship at that moment, to pursue a career in MMA.
After a dismal MMA career, 2012 saw the beginning of what could be called Shibata’s road to redemption.
He was made to start from the very bottom, wrestling in the undercard and tag-team matches. But fans were quickly impressed by his vicious and hard-hitting style. Since 2015 Shibata had been on a roll, winning titles and delivering 5-star matches.
His New Japan Cup 2017 victory meant it was only a matter of time before he could get hold of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. But a devastating headbutt to Kazuchika Okada resulted in a subdural hematoma, a brain ailment that could most likely end his career as a wrestler.
It wasn’t an easy decision to include Shibata on this list, leave alone ranking him number one, considering that we have possibly seen the last of him. But no one could deny the fact that Shibata was a vital cog in NJPW’s wheel.
When Styles and Nakamura left for WWE, Shibata stepped up his game to fill the upper-midcard spot. He added a high level of intensity to the fight, making it look as realistic as possible.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
