KENTA debuts for New Japan, enters G1 Tournament

In a shocking turn of events the former Hideo Itami has returned to Japan but not in the company everyone suspected.

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dominion was an emotional rollercoaster of a show filled with several big moments and surprises, but the arrival of the former ace of Pro Wrestling NOAH undoubtedly takes the cake for the biggest surprise.

The former WWE wrestler spent the majority of his career in the emerald green rings of NOAH and many fans theorized that he would return to his former home promotion. But it looks like KENTA will be plying his trade in the cerulean blue rings of NJPW moving forward.

KENTA’s former tag partner and close friend Katsuyori Shibata came out looking to address the crowd but then pointed behind him to reveal KENTA to the audience.

KENTA greeted his friend and walked with him to the ring as the crowd tried to figure out what they were seeing. Shibata introduced KENTA to the fans before passing the mic to him. KENTA reintroduced himself and then proclaimed he wanted to show his version of professional wrestling by entering the historic G1 tournament.

KENTA wasn’t the only NJPW roster member who used the Dominion platform to declare their intentions in the G1 though, as Shingo Takagi and Jon Moxley also declared themselves as participants.

KENTA had not directly said he would be returning to NOAH after leaving WWE, but it was a foregone conclusion for the majority of fans so his arrival to New Japan was quite the blindside for the entire Japanese wrestling fanbase.

KENTA looks to have a chip on his shoulder and a message to send as he enters this year’s iteration of the G1 Climax. What that message is and what his intentions are have yet to be revealed.