Kenta Kobayashi is a professional wrestler who debuted over 14 years ago at 19 years old. Today he is regarded as one of the best workers in the business, He was trained by Yoshihiro Takayama and the legendary Kenta Kobashi.
In his younger days, Kenta was an amateur kickboxer, so he incorporated his strikes and kicks into his wrestling arsenal. Other wrestlers such as Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) decided to train in martial arts so they could wrestle like Kenta, using a mix of strikes, kicks, and wrestling holds.
Kenta originated in AJPW, but soon found himself in Pro Wrestling NOAH after Mitsuhara Misawa decided to leave AJPW and form NOAH. He called Pro Wrestling NOAH his home until just recently.
Kenta can be credited for the creation of the wrestling finisher, “Go 2 Sleep”, which as some of you may already know, was the finishing move for CM Punk. Kenta has shown different variations of the move in the past as well. His other finishing moves included Busaiku Knee Kick (Single leg running high knee), Game Over (Omoplata crossface), and the Octopus Stretch.
Side note: Just an observation, Daniel Bryan has used the single leg running high knee, CM Punk used the Go 2 Sleep, and AJ Lee continues to use the Octopus Stretch. All three may (or may not) be tributes to Kenta. American wrestlers can sometimes be Japanese wrestlers biggest fans.
Kenta doesn’t just strike, kick, and apply submissions, he is also well versed in the art of suplexes and powerbombs.
Kenta rose to prominence in NOAH’s junior heavyweight division (similar to cruiserweights) where he is a three time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. His biggest success in Japan would be his 2013 tenure as the GHC Heavyweight Champion, where he held the title for almost a full year and defended it nine times.
However, he has wrestled in America before, as GHC allowed him to wrestle for Ring of Honor. He had many excellent bouts in Ring of Honor, against some familiar faces.
Kenta is an enigma. He has never been the most charismatic, he has never had an amazing look, it’s all down to his reputation as one of the best ring workers in the business. WWE has realised over the past few years that you need the best wrestlers in your company. You need guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk to fulfil the appetite of wrestling fans who love wrestling. You need guys to please the traditional fans first, then find a way to please the casual fans. Daniel Bryan did it, CM Punk did it, there is nothing to stop Kenta from doing it.
You may be thinking … well he’s Japanese, they will stick some lame gimmick on him and he will be gone in a year, he will just be another Yoshi Tatsu.
Wrong! Kenta is not Tatsu, he is not Kenzo Suzuki, he is much more than either of those two.
Who remembers such names as The Great Muta, The Great Kabuki, Jushin Liger, Giant Baba, Takeshi Morishima, Tajiri, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon and Antonio Inoki?
Japanese wrestlers have had success in America, and they have gotten over. They didn’t need to change anything about themselves, and they still got over with the fans. Even Tajiri, when the WWE tried to put some lame gimmick on him, he ran with it and made it something entertaining. Kenta is no different to any of those names above, he will show up and do what he does best, and he will excel. I read the comments made by Daniel Bryan and others about Kenta, and I totally agree, if Kenta wants to cut promos in the future, he will learn English and be cutting those promos in a year. He is intelligent, and hungry for success.
However, sometimes things don’t work out. Some wrestlers find it difficult to adapt to the WWE schedule. They find it difficult to be on the road all the time. They miss their families, they pick up injuries, they get frustrated. There is nothing to stop Kenta failing either, there are plenty of factors which could become a disservice to his career. He has to learn the WWE style, he might have to tone down his ring style a little bit. We won’t know until we see him.
NXT is full of hungry talent (many of whom are better then wrestlers on the main roster) who can attempt to push Kenta to the limit, but they will end up finding out, it is actually them who are being pushed to the limit.
Kenta isn’t just about fighting guys as big as himself. He has had many classic bouts with much larger opponents in Japan. I already posted enough videos for this article, I am sure you can find those yourself.
The fact that the WWE had Kenta sign on the dotted line in the middle of the ring, at the same table as Hulk Hogan, that tells you how serious this signing is, the WWE do not want to waste his potential.
They want to make him a star, why would they put a lame gimmick on him? You only put lame gimmicks on wrestlers who don’t try hard enough, and have nothing going for them. Kenta has plenty going for him, and if he doesn’t, don’t expect him to hang around. All he wants to do is wrestle, and he could easily pack his bags and go back to Pro Wrestling NOAH the minute his WWE career goes down the toilet.
So yeah .. don’t worry about it. You won’t be seeing Kenta getting made up as a clown with a red nose and a bell around his neck. He is the pride of Japan, the WWE has nothing but respect for Japanese wrestling, and they want to bring that wrestling to our screens once again.
