NJPW: KENTA vanquishes the ghost of Hideo Itami at Wrestle Kingdom 14

After the events of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14, KENTA is the most hated man in Japanese wrestling. You love to see it.

On night two of NJPW’s biggest event of the year, KENTA lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Hirooki Goto in a hard-hitting title defense. However, much like Jay White, he returned later that night to play spoiler. In the most shocking and controversial moment of the weekend, he jumped Tetsuya Naito and interrupted his coronation as the first-ever dual champion.

It has been a tumultuous few years for the Japanese legend, who invented the Go To Sleep. After a disappointing trek to the US, KENTA returned to his homeland for one last run in hopes to end his storied career on a high note.

His return to Japan was indeed bittersweet, but he entered New Japan more motivated than he has been in years. If anyone deserved another chance, it was KENTA. With the failure of Hideo Itami looming over him, he shocked the world when he joined his longtime friend, Katsuyori Shibata, at NJPW Dominion and entered the G1 Climax last summer.

To say the last six months have been eventful the former Pro Wrestling Noah stalwart would be an understatement. KENTA had an impactful but unsuccessful debut in the G1, picking up high profile wins over Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi. He finished the tournament with eight points, which wasn’t enough to move on to the finals.

Still, he became one of the most talked-about men in the company by the end of G1 Climax 29 when he betrayed Shibata and joined the Bullet Club. Honestly, New Japan fans weren’t really warming up to KENTA. Aligning with the long-standing heel stable and turning on a beloved figured like Shibata made the best of the situation. The move saved him from a turn as a floundering face and made him the most interesting new villain in the company.

It’s rare to execute a turn on this scale and create legitimate heat these days. So the storyline was ingenious. It also helped to reinvigorate Bullet Club, which returned to its roots as a group of hated scoundrels.

Although his character was quickly progressing, he needed a strong win to cement his credibility. At NJPW Royal Quest, KENTA defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the NEVER Openweight Championship, his first title win since 2013. His rivalry with Ishii, and then Goto, was just what he needed and it was enough to make his tenure with New Japan fruitful.

This weekend he lost the title but he effectively etched his name in history and bogarted his way into the main title picture. No matter what happens next, that image of him sitting on top of Naito holding the IWGP and Intercontinental Championship, will live on in infamy. Moreover, he will challenge the leader of L.I.J. for both titles next month in the main event of The New Beginning.

KENTA made a statement over the weekend. Although we hate him for ruining Naito’s moment, he silenced all lingering doubt from his time with WWE. He reinvented himself, and he will continue to re-introduce the world to his style of wrestling in 2020.