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“Stardust Genius” Tetsuya Naito has been a guy on the verge of breaking through to the highest level in NJPW for years, but due to injuries and other obstacles he never seems to quite be able to get there.
Naito is a flashy, fast paced in-ring performer that always seems to shock people with his performances as he always seems to be able to silence critics.
Naito is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team champion with his long time No Limit tag team partner Yujiro Takahashi. He is also the winner of the 2013 G1 Climax and a one time holder of the NEVER open weight championship.
Naito was in the process of being groomed for a top spot in NJPW after he split from his tag partner and many thought he might be the man to take over from Hiroshi Tanahashi eventually.
However, a severe knee injury in late 2012 derailed these plans and Naito missed 8 months of action. Upon his return, the following May his push continued where it left off, but many thought Naito was a shell of his former self and never really regained his in ring form.
Naito went on to feud with Takahashi and would win the hugely prestigious 2013 G1 Climax tournament. It was almost a given that Naito would win the IWGP heavyweight championship as NJPW seemed to be sticking with the plan despite the buzz for Naito dying and some crowds actually turning on him in favor of more consistent performers.
Naito would win the NEVER championship and head into Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome with some people dreading the thought of what was thought to be a foregone conclusion and that was Naito winning the title.
NJPW held a vote to see what match would headline the show, Naito vs. Okada or the Intercontinental title match between Tanahashi and Nakamura. Naito lost out which confirmed that the fans just hadn’t taken to post-injury Naito.
However, this seemed to be a turning point for him in my opinion as the match with Okada (which Naito lost) was in my opinion the best match of the show and blew away everything else on a loaded card. This was the best Naito looked since his return and many were excited that the Naito of old had reappeared.
Since then, Naito has had a classic series of matches with Tomohiro Ishii over the NEVER championship and was a stand out performer in this years incredible G1 Climax.
He scored huge wins over Okada and IWGP champion AJ Styles. 2014 Naito is what everyone wanted in the previous year's tournament.
Naito will move onward and upward and it is very likely that he will indeed move to the top of the mountain at some point in the future. With his direction not fully set in stone there are possibilities for Naito. He has lots of fresh match ups waiting for him, and more importantly the NJPW crowd have once again gotten behind one of their brightest stars.
What to look out for?
Naito’s ring style stands out from other heavyweights as it resembles more of that of a junior heavyweight. Naito is very fast paced and flies around the ring with explosive flurries of offense. Watch out for his Koji clutch and his Stardust Press which is a corkscrew moonsault.
Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Wrestle Kingdom 2014
Naito challenges as the 2013 G1 Climax winner against one of the finest in the world, Kazuchika Okada. In my opinion the show stealer of night as Okada and Naito prove that they should have been the main event and Naito returns to form. You can view the match at this link.
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii –New Japan Cup First Round
Naito and Ishii face off in the New Japan Cup shortly after Ishii defeated Naito for the title. Naito wanted his win back while advancing in the tournament. This match had huge expectations as the first match was a match of the year candidate and blew people away. You can watch it at this link.
Tetsuya Naito vs AJ Styles – G1 Climax Match Block B Match
Naito goes up against the IWGP champion in a huge G1 tournament match. With Styles having a career rebirth and Naito hitting top form, this match was one of many standouts. Check it out here.
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