KENTA

[8.0] "This is more an overall legacy rating than an up-to-date appraisal of the man's work because, to be perfectly honestly, KENTA nowadays is hovering somewhere around a six and has been for over a decade now. But during his prime, from the first half of his career up until right before his WWE NXT run, KENTA was easily one of the most outstanding performers in the whole of pro-wrestling. He was up there with Low Ki and Bryan Danielson on the bleeding edge of the workrate curve during the aughts. Then the injuries set in and they never went away. Still, he was such a force during his prime years that his place in the pantheon cannot be denied."

[10.0] "The best Japanese Jr. Heavyweight of all time, who inspired an entire (current) generation of mainly American wrestlers to blend Jr. puroresu, technician-striking, and a little bit of high-flying all into one. Almost ALL young wrestlers are inspired by his work and he's had some of the best bouts in Wrestling history (vs. Naomichi Marufji, Bryan Danielson, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and many more). If it wasn't for some serious injuries and a few 'wasted' years with WWE, his impact could have been even bigger than it already is. Still well enough to rate him 10/10, given the impressive amount of dream matches, styles, and moves we wouldn't know if it wasn't for KENTA."

[10.0] "As I write this he's at a 9.00 and I think that still might be too low. Kenta is just one of the best guys to ever do it. From the brown n' yellow gear to Hideo Itami to Bullet Club to dad-bod vet, I love every era even if not all of it is perfect. Exciting to watch go to work on offence, just as entertaining watching him usually get the piss kicked out of him in return (for being too arrogant as a young guy or too dastardly heel in BC). Also really fuckin funny character work and promos which maybe doesn't get talked about as much as it should."

[5.0] "I have KENTA as the #24 best wrestler ever which means it absolutely hurts to give him this low rating but if you've watched his last 8 months you know why I did. He's been average at best in the ring lately"

[9.0] "When people say a wrestler was "different" in their prime they could be exaggerating but the one instance where I feel like this is a hundred percent true is with Kenta. During the 2000s to early 2010s the guy was legitimately a top 10 wrestler in the world with some of the nastiest and most crisp strikes I've ever seen. He was able to stand out even as a junior in a stacked Noah roster and have amazing matches with the likes of Kanemaru, Marufuji, and Ishimori. But if you watched him in the last decade you would probably see a shell of his former self for the most part. His WWE run was plagued by injuries and just terrible booking and even when he went to New Japan for a full run the company mishandled him and could have positioned him as a bigger heel capitalizing on the audiences disdain for him but instead just fell flat. It now seems like things have come full circle for him as he's back in Noah and very over with the crowd whilst putting on solid matches."

[6.0] "He's overrated. His GTS is sloppy and misses by a mile most of the time. I don't find him convincing. He's a bit better than middle of the road. There is a long list of wrestlers who can do anything Kenta can do but better."

[10.0] "KENTA is a warrior who perfectly blends hard-hitting strikes with sharp pacing. From being NOAH's rebellious symbol in his early days to a composed veteran today, he has always dictated matches with precision and intensity. Whether it's the Busaiku Knee or his original Go 2 Sleep, every move reflects his "one shot, one kill" philosophy. He doesn't need exaggerated acting -- his eyes, timing, and body language tell the story. Despite injuries and a tough stint in WWE, his return to NOAH has proven he's still elite and embodies the fighting spirit that defines the promotion. KENTA represents the continuation of true Japanese strong style and the undying spirit of a warrior."

[10.0] "KENTA has been a consistent favorite of mine for two decades now. He was one of the first wrestlers from outside of WWE to catch my interest, and while he's not always been the most consistent worker in the world - when he's on and motivated, there are few better to lace up a pair of boots. Since returning to his home base promotion of NOAH after a run with NJPW, KENTA has been back to being excellent and a highlight whenever he has a singles match."

[10.0] "G2S! Busaiku he no Hizageri! Ura G2S! GAME OVER! Sakura Knee Strike GTS US! These are finishers innovated by the Mount Rushmore of Puroresu. The very best homegrown talent from PRO WRESTLING NOAH. The first major signing in the 2010s and the true originator of the G2S. This guy was also a junior heavyweight and he was headlining cards while being in the middle. His battle with fellow homegrown star Heel Master Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the Tokyo Dome Destiny 05 was a hidden classic considered the perfect junior heavyweight match today. His early tag work with Naomichi Marufuji critically acclaimed, tag title reigns with him, Taiji Ishimori and even Yoshinobu himself, his ever youthful look captured the female population internationally and three time Junior heavyweight championship reigns during the glory years of the company. And his injuries in his WWE years aside, he also made good becoming the Japanese sensation that he is, bringing his style to WWE before Nakamura, Balor, Inamura and even main event names before or since. His last PLE appearance was on the RR preshow as a cruiserweight in front of a flat 48 thousand people to debut in NJPWs G1 Climax also in the states as a heavyweight in front of a roaring 4, 846 thousand people. After that G1 tour, he aligned with Bullet Club with a iconic twist, turning on the wrestler who used his style for yearrrrs. A NJPW US Cup win over future Bullet Club War Dog leader David Finlay and the first REAL forbidden door moment with Jon Moxley later, he became the most talked about player that isnt a champion in New Japan. Three more years, trolling marks here, a US and tag team title win there, GTSing skulls everywhere in the local independents and reestablishing his place in the Mount Rushmore of puroresu once again. Then 2025 he left after NJPW, losing the DEFY world title after the longest reign as of today and signing back home on the ARK. In his prime he became GHC heavyweight champion during a bit of a bad era for Pro Wrestling NOAH. 11 years later, after KENOH saved NOAH winning the GHC heavyweight title, a day afterwards facing one on one against the man who fought back in the new year January event. In a MOTY category, definitely the best korakuen hall this year for sure; KENTA at 44 years of age became Global Honored Crown Heavyweight Champion! 25 years into his career and still a badass, one of my personal favorites and again, the Mount Rushmore of Puroresu!"

[10.0] "Kenta is still a force. Think of your favorite's wrestler's move set, if they didn't steal it from Kenta, they stole it from Marafuji. It's that simple. I don't give a shit how much slower he is, he's a trailblazer and has earned the respect the comes with it. His NXT run was marred by injuries and typical WWE incompetence of not knowing how to book an Asian wrestler without "am Japanese" being the gimmick."

[6.0] "Seen very little of his early stuff or NXT run so judging this rating and review more or less on his New Japan stuff. I have to say, Kenta hasn't really aged well. I dont think I have seen a single match of his that I would put at 8 or above on Cagematch...... goes off to check my Kenta match ratings! EDIT..... there are 2! a match against Bryan Danielson and a match against Will Ospreay - says it all really."

[10.0] "KENTA has had it rough since Hideo Itami days... but he's still KENTA and even at his worst he's absolutely fantastic. Glad to see him back in NOAH, my wishlist has a tag run with Marufuji again and a GHC World title reign."

[10.0] "At his peak had a legitimate argument for greatest wrestler in the world and he's still one of my personal all-time favorites. Unfortunately his work this past decade especially in NJPW and WWE hasn't been the greatest a mix of injuries, poor booking, bad luck, and he's just lost a step. His singles matches in NJPW and elsewhere are still generally pretty good his time in Bullet Club has been mostly in middling tag matches."

[9.0] "In his prime he was easily one of the best. Now later in his career he's kinda gotten out of it, but I still enjoy his matches. I really enjoyed his matches against Danielson and and Tanahashi. Overall amazing pro-wrestler that I would like to see in more singles matches."

[10.0] "In Kenta's prime, he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. His striking was very good. He's had some of the best matches from the mid 2000's to early 2010's. From Marufuji, Nakajima, and Danielson, some of his best rivals. His moveset is awesome."

[7.0] "The sheer disappointment of KENTA's career since he left NOAH. Upon lurking some NOAH matches on YouTube, safe to say that KENTA could be one of the all-time greats. One of the best strikers in the game and credited for most of the signature moves that made popular by other stars like the GTS (often used by CM Punk). His team-up with Naomichi Marifuji and Taiji Ishimori were great and somehow garner success. He also had amazing matches in NOAH that solidifies himself as a megastar. Sadly, ever since he signed to WWE, his mystique was truly lost erasing all of the KENTA-esque personality in a flash. His time in WWE was utterly terrible and completely forgettable. Upon signing with NJPW, he somehow struggled to reclaim his lost glory and became a former shell of himself. He is just there non-significantly as a sidekick in the dying faction, the Bullet Club, doing little to no benefit. Also, his number of injuries throughout his career setbacks him big time and his matches are not very impressive since then. Just sad to see the state of KENTA these days. Pretty sure that his "real" run only lasted until 2014 and he should hang up his boots at that time. Leaving NOAH for WWE was his biggest mistake and made a domino effect of his career as a result."

[10.0] "Rating him based on his prime he was one of the best strikers ever in the business. Extremely influential and had great matches with the likes of Danielson, Marufuji, Nakajima, and of course Kobashi. Yes he has regressed although hes a pretty good promo now and his constant hate for a certain Chicago native is hilarious. his in ring work has suffered probably due to injuries and just being washed unfortunately here and there he can give a good match with a good opponent like Ospreay for example. But still look at a guy like Tanahashi who is far past his prime now but will always be a 10 in my book. KENTA has earned that much, in my eyes."

[8.0] "Really wanted to give him a 9 but his career has gone downhill a little bit since the jump to WWE all those years ago. Was incredible in NOAH, put on incredible matches and his ability in-ring was so damn fun to watch. Can't blame him for trying WWE out, especially given the state of NOAH around that time, but injuries really ruined it and his booking was dreadful. Saw he lost to Akira Tozawa on 205 Live... KENTA, god damn KENTA should not be wrestling on 205 Live nor losing to the likes of Akira Tozawa. Obviously WWE didn't see "it" in him. Has been alright in NJPW, but he peaked in NOAH and nothing he can do now will ever live up to those times (mostly due to injury to be honest.) Great wrestler for NOAH, wouldn't really rate him highly for other promotions."

[10.0] "kenta is possibly the best striker ever, there truly isnt anybody like him. he may not seem as good currently as he hasnt had the motivation, but in some of his recent matches you can tell he is still incredible. his pro wrestling noah run is one of the most incredible runs in wrestling history. hes an innovator, making the go to sleep, busaiku knee (the knee strike bryan danielson uses), and the omaplata cross face (the lebell lock) famous or invented them all together. kenta really is one of the best."

[9.0] "would give a 10 if he wasnt so damn underutilized in the W. He is so talented and one of the best of his generation imo. Amazing matches against danielson, marufuji, naito, nakajima, low ki and others. A great who had his peak shortened by a underwhelming wwe run. Still love the guy tho"

[9.0] "Like most have said, an incredibly influential wrestler and one of the best strikers you will ever find. His matches against Marufuji should be required viewing for any wrestling fan."

[10.0] "not great nowdays but still one of my fav out of all times. i hope he return to noah he would put big matches with same striking wrestlsters"

[8.0] "KENTA has long since past his prime. He was one of the most outstanding performers in the 2000s; He brought success to NoAH; Injuries plagued him during his time in WWE and he never lived up to his hype. While his run in New Japan is far better than his run in WWE, it's a shadow of his time at NOAH. He remains a very good perfomer even now although not quite as great as before. Its unfortunate that he never shined in WWE or in New Japan."

[8.0] "Kenta is a phenomenal striker and the stuff i've seen of him in NOAH is amazing and he was truely a deadly striker, His WWE run was bland but injuries slowed all of his momentum and ruined him for many fans, then he went to NJPW and joined bullet club and that first year or two was great and feel like he should have beaten Naito for the belts instead of Evil, but right now Kenta is just kind of wandering around NJPW in bullet club and it's too late for a major push as his age and injuries weigh him down a lot. But Kenta will always be one of the many aces of NOAH."

[9.0] "Prime KENTA, so, from 2005 to 2014, was no doubt a top 3 wrestler in the world. But the actual KENTA is painful to watch, while he mastered the asshole gimmick, he hasn't been the same, inside the ring, since his WWE failed crusade. But I'm not gonna be rude and rate him as KENTA the Ace of NOAH and not NJPW KENTA."

[7.0] "Tied with Shibata for my favorite wrestler. Kenta is just a badass, plain and simple. His legendarily stiff fighting style coupled with his extraordinary in-ring presence make nearly every match he has fun to watch. He has had countless classic matches, whether it be in the indies or WWE. At his best, KENTA was one of the world's most exciting wrestlers. Update: I used to have him rated as a 10, and hell my username is literally KENTAfan, but modern KENTA is just a massive disappointment. In his prime he was excellent, in WWE he had his moments. In NJPW his first G1 was full of great matches, and he REALLY looked like he was back, or at least close to becoming as good as he once was. But then it all came crashing down. I dont even know what happened, maybe he got injured again, but his matches since the pandemic have been so incredibly lackluster, and he seems to be almost incapable now of having anything more than a good match, and even then the good matches are few and far between. I would literally give this version of Kenta a 3 or 4, but Im going to also take into account the fact that he was an easy 10 during his prime. Still he should just retire at this point."

[9.0] "Giving KENTA a 9 because early-mid 2000s KENTA was a killer. His influence can be seen all over the wrestling scene today. Although age and injuries have definitely slowed him down in the ring, his character work and promos have been enough to keep him relevant."

[8.0] "Once one of the best wrestlers in the world has now fallen from grace. The bulk of this rating comes from his fantastic NOAH run where he had some of the greatest matches ever (vs Marufuji in October 2006 being the most famous example), but unfortunately after joining WWE he has been coasting. In WWE injuries plagued his career ultimately ending up being on 205 Live for the last few moments. Now in New Japan he has been ruined at the hands of the House of Evil. Hopefully he leaves soon and returns back to his former glory."

[6.0] "Age and injuries are currently his two biggest problems. He's getting better again but he's just not the performer he once was. Promowise, however, he is at his peak."

[7.0] "I have a love hate relationship with KENTA. Between his years competing under Misawa and Kobashi's wings along with Sugiura, NaoMaru and Shiozaki in Pro Wrestling NOAH, KENTA had been the odd one out at times; one that was small for his size, but was able to take down anyone with relative ease complete with his heavyweight-esc. strength. His matches with the five mentioned, but also Kanemaru Y., Morishima and more remain some of the most remembered in the history of NOAH. Tragedy struck; what was once considered to be a great get happened to be a greater curse. Once he had signed with WWE, people were touting him as the future of NXT (and some, coinciding, were also referring to him as "Funaki 2". Weird.). As soon as he managed to pick up steam, he fell right down to earth; suffering numerous injuries, he would just be considered to be a popular middle-of-the-card talent for his entire WWE run. In 2019, the curse had finally been lifted as NJPW had signed KENTA, contrary to the belief of him signing to another promotion with a gold E in the middle. He had begun to spring up again, but then, injuries caught up again; but, worst of all, he managed to completely slow down and become a bit of a stale case. He was, perhaps, the reason that we have one of the worst stables in Japanese pro wrestling history with the House of Torture; Takaaki "EVIL" Watanabe, Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi and Sho Tanaka. With him being introduced into Bullet Club, it made me dislike him a lot more than what I did to him in WWE. His in-ring work had only transformed into a shallow replica of what was then a master class of talent. If only he had decided to build himself right, he would've been more of a contender for the Greatest of All Time in Japanese pro wresting; however, now, he has completely transformed himself into a sloppy mess. His work now is only a mere stain of the legacy of the Japanese Sensation. I'm sorry."

[10.0] "In his prime there is a pretty compelling argument he was the best wrestler on earth. He has slowed down a lot in recent years but there is still some of the old magic there every now and then."

[8.0] "NOAH era KENTA before his injuries caught up will be where you see his best in-ring work. An innovative and lethal offence. His WWE run can be largely ignored and it was all due to bad luck, I wonder what could have been. Resurgent in NJPW and while he's not able to do some of the things he could, his character work is fantastic."

[9.0] "Ever since he signed with WWE way back when, he has not been up to the level he once was, but goddamn is he one of the most underrated wrestlers ever."

[8.0] "Kentaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. The king of violence and one of the best modern Japanese wrestlers of all time"

[10.0] "KENTA is truly one of the best of all time, without question. His move set alone is the blueprint for hundreds of wrestlers today, and his matches are always entertaining. He has incredible hard-hitting matches from every corner of his career, and has undeniable charisma to boot. One thing that always astounds me about KENTA is that he will always find a way to keep people talking about him, and he will always find a way to carve out a story that puts himself in the spotlight. From emotional exciting matches to funny backstage promos, he knows exactly how get himself on the map and has the gumption to get himself there. He has an incredible sense of self and has always had the confidence the he would one day make his mark on the industry. And now, looking around at everyone he's influenced and continues to influence to this very day? It's clear he already has."

"Great worker with bags of charisma, a box office look and genuine presence. Something many wrestlers are still sorely"

[7.0] "Very recently have I been able to enjoy KENTA's matches so much more. A very good wrestler in the ring when he decides to work very hard. I'm yet to watch his older matches."

[4.0] "I have not seen KENTA pre Pro Wrestling NOAH, however he has not impressed me , especially since he joined Bullet Club, I have not seen that many good performances from him, I have only really liked his Noah 8 man match but he has not shown this ability in New Japan, he has had many bad matches throughout his New Japan run and is thoroughly overrated."

[10.0] "Not only a brilliant wrestler who's had countless great matches across NOAH, ROH, NJPW, and various other companies, but KENTA is also a huge influence on the modern Indy scene along with his NOAH contemporary Marufuji. While he has slowed down somewhat during his New Japan run, he still puts on great matches and cuts hilarious promos that are far and above most of the guys on New Japan's roster."

[9.0] "Legendary junior heavyweight with a fantastic book of matches in NOAH. His work in NXT and WWE will be known for "the guy that was injured all the time", probably due to wear and tear working King's Road in NOAH. Now in NJPW, he works at a 1/2 speed as what he originally did but he's still a pretty good wrestler."

[10.0] "He is a great wrestler with great strikes. In his peak years, he was super fast. His feud with Naomichi Marufuji is one of the best feuds in NOAH history."

[7.0] "A good wrestler but he was not made for a mainstream market like WWE. Its big problem is also that it is fragile."

[9.0] "I can partially thank KENTA for making me a fan of wrestling outside of WWE. From his work in ROH back in the 2000s to his work today in New Japan, KENTA has always been one of my favorite wrestlers on the planet. All I want from him in 2022 is for him to do some more work in NOAH."

[7.0] "KENTA had a pretty fun year, once more mading history as the first real surprise in the 'forbidden door' era. He had some good NJ Cup appearences vs Juice Robinson and Shingo Takagi, but had an inconsistent G1 (good vs Ishii, bad vs GOK and Ibushi in the semi-final). Given he's older and has picked up injuries over his career, KENTA hasn't been able to follow through on the hype of his signing to NJPW. But he's still a very competent and versatile performer, evidenced by his almost comedy work at times this year."

"It might be controversial to say, but I do truly think KENTA might be the best in ring performer of all time. His timing is impeccable, and his moves were so innovative. You can thank him and Marufuji for 90% of everyone's moveset today. There is also nothing like watching him be killed. His selling is otherworldly."

[10.0] "In his prime, there was literally no one who could touch him in the ring. For a while the only matches I could watch were matches that atleast had KENTA involved in some capacity. He brings a level of intensity, cockiness and style that few guys could match. One of the few wrestler that uses a striking styles that actually looks like the moves hurt, mostly because a lot of those strikes are legit. If KENTA throws a kick or slaps you, you know he's looking for blood. He sorta fell off in terms of match quality in recent years, but that shouldn't understate the incredibly body of work he put together while in NOAH during the 2000's and early 2010's. His matches with Naomichi Marufuji are some of the best junior heavyweight wrestling has to offer. Rare you see two guys have such great chemistry and consistently put on great matches, both as partners and rivals. Even their one-off match in 2018 for Marufuji's 20th anniversary was great. Nothing sort of an amazing professional wrestler."

[10.0] "if i'm talking about just NOAH run KENTA, the man is a legend. innovator of moves that many wrestling fans even now still know like the busaiku knee (AKA Bryan Danielson's Knee Plus) and the Go 2 Sleep, Hideo Itami in WWE was definitely a far less notable wrestler due to all of the injuries that he received almost every time he would come back from one, but he's starting to revive his career after debuting in New Japan and joining up with the Bullet Club as the 3rd in command. so overall, NOAH KENTA: 10, WWE Hideo: 5, NJPW KENTA: 8"

[10.0] "Already a living legend especially thanks to his days in NOAH, he is now part of the best group in history, the Bullet Club, and the main protagonist of the most heelish segment I've ever seen. After the long-awaited moment of Naito standing tall at WrestleKingdom with the world championship, he screwed the tranquilo-one, destroying years of storytelling. Known for his stiff kicks, he's the one (at least in kayfabe) who kicked "the forbidden door" wide open."

[9.0] "KENTA is actually Japanese legend not like his father but still a great wrestler. He was incredible in his pre-wwe career. His ROH and NOAH matches are good examples. But WWE affected his skills so much. He failed to thrive there and it hurted his skills. His current run in NJPW is far from perfect but still he's trying and giving us decent to great matches. His NJPW run is more about character work."

[10.0] "He's an innovator and although his best days are behind him he's still doing good work in New Japan."