Kenta signs with wwe

[Ty]

Scary

1) he's great wrestler
2) wwe will probably misutilize him
3) isn't he kinda old? (Edit: only 33? I thought he was closer to 36)

[Duckman]

They've confirmed this?

[Ty]

Apparently he confirmed it on his private blog

[Fnord]

Source: PWInsider

It was announced in Japan this morning that Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA will be leaving the promotion on May 17th.

We noted earlier this year that KENTA spent a week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, working an informal tryout and training with some of the NXT talents. KENTA returned to Japan and downplayed his time at the Performance Center. He later wrote a blog about always wanting to get a spot in WWE. KENTA claimed to Japanese media that he wasn't seeking a WWE deal but he would consider it if WWE offered.

Speculation now is that KENTA is headed to WWE but that's not confirmed yet. He's been with NOAH since they launched.

[Hondo]

Wow!

It seems to me that the WWE brass (HHH?) is finally giving us the right mix of wrestling styles. Are the days of nothing but immobile 300 pound lardbuckets finally over? Maybe, maybe not. But with Bryan finally getting his push, several middleweight guys like Rollins, Ambrose, et. al., and several high flyers in NXT, it certainly seems that way.

The eclectic blend of styles is what made Nitro so great in the 90s.

[Marq]

Kenta: "Glad to be here!"
Triple H: "No problem! But FYI, you know those moves you do? Like the Busaiku knee kick?"
Kenta: "...yeah?"
Triple H: "No go, my friend. Daniel's using it."
Kenta: "It's all good, I've still got the Go 2 Sleep! That'll work, ri--"
Triple H: "Hahahahaha! Good one. Now go find Yoshi Tatsu and let's get started on this Kaientai 2014 thing."

[Duckman]

Lol.  Nice work Abrigo.

So it's not confirmed yet then...

Let's hope his signing and that of Prince Devitt are confirmed soon.  Two amazing talents.

[GZG Online]

Out of interest, has WWE ever had a Japanese wrestler whose gimmick wasn't just "they're Japanese"?

[GM Franchise]

Out of interest, has WWE ever had a Japanese wrestler whose gimmick wasn't just "they're Japanese"?

Ultimo Dragon is the closest thing to that they've had to my knowledge.

[Flins.]

What nationality is Jimmy Wang Yang? There was the cowboy gimmick...

[Rob]

What nationality is Jimmy Wang Yang? There was the cowboy gimmick...

American...

[Marq]

American...

Homeboy's Korean, too.

[Fnord]

NOAH 13.10.2008 - KENTA vs Bryan Danielson

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

As noted, top Japanese star KENTA is leaving Pro Wrestling NOAH and speculation is that he's headed to WWE after working an informal tryout earlier this year.

KENTA spoke to media in Japan and said that he's beginning a new challenge in his life at 33 years old. His NOAH contract expired on April 30th but he will work two show on a per-show deal - May 3rd for NOAH and then his farewell show on May 17th.

It's still not confirmed that KENTA is joining WWE but most believe that to be the case. There's speculation that he could join New Japan Pro Wrestling as well.

WWE issued this response to F4Wonline.com when asked about KENTA coming in:

"Unfortunately, we do not have any further information to share at this time. We will keep you posted if/when we have any news on him."

[Fnord]

- We noted before that there were reports coming out of Japan that KENTA is indeed headed to WWE. There are people within WWE who are under the impression that KENTA has signed but that the official announcement may be held off on out of respect to Pro Wrestling NOAH. As noted, KENTA's farewell show for NOAH will be on May 17th.

[thecolonel]

This is really cool for KENTA, but a bummer for KENTA at the same time. He is an awesome wrestler, and WWE will give him much better exposure to most casual wrestling fans (if they let him out of NXT). At the same time however, WWE will without a doubt put many restrictions on him in the ring, plus they will give him a terrible gimmick with almost a promise of a mid-card ceiling. I hope I'm wrong though..