Rumor: Top Japanese Stars Have Or Are Getting Tryouts

[Jack-Hammer]

I meant to create this threat yesterday but it slipped my mind and, for some reason, I suddenly remembered reading this story at wrestlinginc.com yesterday afternoon. There hasn't been any follow up, or at least none that I'm aware of, to this and there may be nothing to it, but I figured it was worth discussing.

There are reports that top New Japan stars Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada received WWE tryouts yesterday or will be having them sometime soon. The report stated that WWE was planning to hold tryouts in Japan this week though, again, there's been no further information about all this.

Nakamura's billed at 6'2" and weighing about 225 pounds, is a near 13 year veteran and has been a top star in New Japan Pro Wrestling for quite a few years. Nakamura is a 3 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, 4 time IWGP Intercontinental Champion , a1 time IWGP Tag Team Champion with Hiroshi Tanahashi and has won a slew of various tournaments over the years.

Okada has been wrestling for almost 11 years, is billed at 6'2" in the 230-235 pound range. He's made his mark in New Japan over the past 3 years or so and is especially known for his feuds and matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada is a 2 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a 2 time winner of the G1 Climax tournament in 2012 & 2014 and winner of the New Japan Cup in 2013.

I think it's official policy that EVERYONE goes through NXT no matter what they've done or how big of a star they've been elsewhere. If Samoa Joe, someone that American fans are much more familiar with, has to spend some time in NXT, then it'd be a no brainer if either of these two signed. One potential problem, or possibly a problem as far as WWE is concerned, for Nakamura is that he's already 35 years old, meaning the amount of time he could potentially be among the top guys is limited to a small handful of years. As a result, at least from my perspective, he may be better off staying in New Japan even though he's already done it all. As for Okada, he's only 27 years old and has really come into his own the past few years and he has time on his side.

In any case, signing either of them would generate every bit as much, if not more, buzz than the signing of Kenta.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Notice the WWE has zero Japanese , Chinese wrestlers on the roster ?

 

[Navi]

I'm really not surprised. After watching the crowd reaction this morning to the Beast in the East, it's clear the Japanese love wrestling. It does very well over there. It makes sense to bring some Asian wrestlers to represent that demographic.

With the ratings on RAW and SD dropping over the last little while, might also be time to take the show on the road more often. It's clear people in other countries are hungry to see the WWE live, and while crowds are dead in some areas of the US, international fans are not.

Also agree that it looks like NXT is a stopping point on the way to the main roster. That's not a bad thing, considering the matches coming out of NXT are much better than what we see some weeks on RAW. I'm sure they wouldn't be even looking at these guys if they didn't feel they could bring something new to the table.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Again with the clickbait title? This mom found one weird trick to sign Japanese talent! Promoters hate her!

It's perhaps excusable because not that many people on here, relatively speaking, know who Okada or Nakamura but we're getting a point where every thread, article and listicle I click are going to be labelled something like "Person Does Thing."

Notice the WWE has zero Japanese , Chinese wrestlers on the roster ?

Hideo Itami.

I'm really not surprised. After watching the crowd reaction this morning to the Beast in the East, it's clear the Japanese love wrestling.

It was quite the shocker, yeah - up there when I discovered that Canadians like maple syrup and the Irish are well into potatoes.

 

[Navi]

It was quite the shocker, yeah - up there when I discovered that Canadians like maple syrup and the Irish are well into potatoes.

Yea I realized after I posted it what a stupid statement it was. Oh well, it's there and yea I'm an idiot.

On the other hand I'm Canadian and hate maple syrup, but I'm sure the Irish love their potatoes, who doesn't.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I wouldn't want to see any NJPW stars in WWE. Maybe I'm being negative, but I wouldn't see it working out. At the same time, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami seem to be doing pretty good, so who knows.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I think it's official policy that EVERYONE goes through NXT no matter what they've done or how big of a star they've been elsewhere.

With the exception of Sting, yea. Anyways, could you imagine Sting wrestling Baron Corbin or Tyler Breeze in NXT? Would be a sight to see.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think the odds of Okada signing, if there's any truth to this whatsoever, have just gone down quite a bit as he defeated AJ Styles an hour or so ago at the Dominion show to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 3rd time. Now while that doesn't automatically mean that it can't happen, I don't see New Japan putting the title on someone who has any remotely serious thoughts about going somewhere else at this in the near future.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It could easily be an appeasement to try and stop him signing with WWE but the reality is that both guys tried out, so they have interest. Benoit was given the WCW title and it didn't stop him jumping.

I think both guys are "gets" as far as Trips is concerned, but him not being on the ahem, trip... is a telltale sign that it might not happen. If he was serious, he'd have been there convincing them.

The reality is Itami hasn't panned out, sure he got hurt but even to that point he hasn't really set the world of NXT on fire... Owens and Balor both debuted after him and have forged way, way ahead...with Joe on the roster now Hideo is way down the list.

So it's natural WWE is looking to the next Japanese star they can try - probably not ditching Itami, but hedging their bets. Nakamura is the best fit for WWE but Okada could work well too. Also bear in mind that Styles dropping the belt could be due to HIM headed to NXT, as WWE have been interested in him again...