WWE fans should know Akira Tozawa is more than a comedy wrestler

Akira Tozawa is a fan favorite who can put on excellent matches if given the opportunity to showcase the full breadth of his talents. 

There are a lot of talented performers on the WWE roster that fans may overlook thanks to their current presentation on television. Akira Tozawa is such an individual. Weekly viewers will recognize him for his comedic timing, but do not sleep on Tozawa in the ring, the man can put on an excellent match and has a catalog full of receipts to prove that point.

Whether it’s posturing with Alpha Academy or running in fear every time he sees Rhea Ripley, Akira Tozawa is excellent in his current role on the WWE roster. He’s used for comedic timing and has found himself in a great spot with Alpha Academy. Fans would love to see this bloom into a suitable push that recognizes his full talent. Especially after he was slotted into the ridiculously offensive role of being a ninja right out of the stereotypical roles provided to minority wrestlers years ago.

With nearly twenty years in the industry, Tozawa has achieved quite a bit of success. He had multiple runs as a champion in Dragon Gate, many of which went over 200 days in length. He would put on excellent matches during that time in his run. Look back to his matches against Chris Hero and Kevin Owens, or his matches against PAC, Ricochet, and Shingo Takagi. Tozawa can go and he’s put on showcases in matches featuring some of the biggest names in wrestling today. Even the brief feud that he had with PAC, then Neville, for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship was an enjoyable affair with two great matches in 2017.

Tozawa is slotted into the position today to get squashed by Bronson Reed and lose every match he’s in during the Global Heritage Invitational, but WWE has a talented performer in him who can shine if given the opportunity. It would be great to see him go on a brief run to showcase those talents like Xavier Woods did during his run to the King of the Ring. Tozawa defeated The Miz back in August, his first win on Monday Night Raw in years and the fans rejoiced. Mostly because of the shock and that it was The Miz on the end of it, but there’s a spark there ready to explode behind Tozawa.

Professional wrestling is frequently a story about the underdog getting the victory. WWE may present Akira Tozawa as the comedic filler, but there was a reason why fans were shocked to see him involved in the Cruiserweight Classic when he joined the company in 2016. Here’s to hoping for the company to find a way to shine a light on him at some point in the future.