Report: Japanese Star To Officially Sign With WWE

[Jack-Hammer]

The WZ main page, wrestlinginc.com, prowrestling.net and a few other sites are reporting, via Tokyo Sports, that long time Pro Wrestling Noah star Kenta Kobayashi will officially announce signing with WWE at a press conference at the a WWE house show in Tokyo on July 12.

Kobayashi's signing with WWE has been rumored, talked about and speculated for months, but it looks like it's going to be official within a few weeks. I'm not exactly sure whether this will be a good move for him or not to be perfectly honest. Like many other of the top stars in Japan, Kenta's stardom has been as in the junior heavyweight/light heavyweight/cruiserweight ranks and there are no weight divisions in WWE. Considering that he's billed at 5'8" 180 lbs., I don't see him being a contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship anytime soon. The only World Champion in WWE history to weigh under 200 lbs. is Rey Mysterio and he wasn't exactly booked to look like a strong champion, nor did a lot of fans take him seriously all that seriously as champion.

Various reports have alleged that Kenta has always wanted to work in WWE and after turning 33 years old roughly 3 weeks before WrestleMania XXX, the door of that possibility had to have been closing fast. I'm not sure what he expects/hopes/wants as far as his run goes, though I've little doubt he'll be making good money, otherwise I doubt he'd leave what's been a lucrative gig for him for almost his entire career in Noah. If he heads to NXT, I don't think it'll be for all that long.

IF Vince doesn't make him into some sort of parody or outdated Japanese stereotype when he hits the WWE roster, that'll be a positive step in the right direction.

 

[laodaron]

IF Vince doesn't make him into some sort of parody or outdated Japanese stereotype when he hits the WWE roster, that'll be a positive step in the right direction.

I'm sorry, but what else does he have? Because everything I've seen of him is that this is all he has to offer.

I think that this is a terrible move as far as the WWE is concerned. I realize they're trying to expand their Asian market, and in fact, this is probably a move to stabilize that market when they release the WWE Network there...but I don't see KENTA offering anything.

 

[rgeposts]

Love this more than words can say. One of the best wrestlers in the world and I think that HHH can see that. Why the hell though, and how, can I take this site serious when it doesn't know the difference between KENTA and Kenta? The front page fucked up...what a joke. Too bad they let Davey and Eddie slip. If NXT is a sign, things are looking up. El Generico, steen, etc. And Castagnoli and Danielson tearing it up... More excited about the future of wwe than I've been in a long time. Even if I am more of an indy and Japanese mark.

Edit: someone figured it out and fixed the photo.