KENTA getting a NXT tryout

PW.NET wrote:Japanese star KENTA (a/k/a Kenta Kobayashi) is getting a tryout at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week, Prowrestling.net has confirmed.

Powell's POV: I was told that KENTA wrapped up a NOAH tour over the weekend and immediately made the overseas trip to the WWE Performance Center.

I haven't seen KENTA wrestle in a long time. I wouldn't get my hopes up but I mean good for him.

Wait... WHAT?!

Glad they tried him out first to make sure he knows what he's doing.

look for KENTA to use the Pepsi Plunge and Cattle Mutilation in NXT.

KENTA /highpitchedgirlscream

More importantly they made an offer to Devit.

Haven't they made offers to Devitt before?

CapitalTTruth wrote:Haven't they made offers to Devitt before?

They've be interested in him, but I don't think they've made real offers.

I want to have high hopes for KENTA potentially ending up in the WWE, but Japanese wrestlers tend to get pigeonholed in the company.

They usually end up playing comedic characters that play up every terrible Asian stereotype. I mean Tajiri did get a pretty good run when he was practically running the Cruiserweight division on SmackDown, but he did play that type of role for his first year in the company. He also got really badly lost in the shuffle when he got transferred to Raw, aside from a very brief feud with Triple H.

And does anybody know where Yoshi Tatsu's been?

Also as much as I'd like to see KENTA and Devitt both get signed, didn't WWE JUST pass on the Wolves and Ricochet because they were "loaded with small guys who can go"?

Selfishly, I would be really cool with them being on NXT because they would have great matches, but I am not sure what we, as fans, would really get if they made it to the main roster. Devitt vs Sin Cara and Fandango for 6 at least 6 months and KENTA playing some crazy pop-japanese character?

I feel like Ricochet and the Wolves might have been passed over because they weren't guys HHH found himself. Total speculation but that could have been the reason. I feel like HHH has been on Devitt for a while and who knows who gave KENTA the try out but if they're guys HHH found then I believe they will probably get signed.

Slayer wrote:
And does anybody know where Yoshi Tatsu's been?

The last I heard was Yoshi put in a request to move to Texas, but was denied because he needed to stay in FL and work on his training at NXT. So pretty much they no longer think he belongs on the main roster, which is a shame.

Note from 2/3 Observer:

In what to me was a huge surprise, Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA (Kenta Kobayashi, who turns 33 in March) has been at the Performance Center since Sunday for a several day tryout. I’m not sure if he’ll work this coming week’s tapings or not. His last match in Japan was 1/25 and he flew out the next morning to Florida and started his tryout the next day. The KENTA thing has its ironies. KENTA was one of the hot young stars in Japan a decade ago, and Punk, in particular, copied a lot of his stuff, including the GTS finisher, and made it his own in the U.S. market. He was also one of Bryan’s favorite wrestlers, and Bryan’s Busaiku knee was KENTA’s other finisher. Except for his really fast kick and chop routine that Punk used to do when he first came in and was either told not to or stopped on his own, almost all his big moves are already established by someone else here (who took them directly from him), which means he’s going to have to drop his biggest spots. At the time, KENTA was a big star and Punk and Bryan were indie guys who studied tapes and looked up to him. Now, KENTA, even though he held the GHC title for a year and was second in the Japanese MVP voting to Okada by Tokyo Sports, because NOAH has fallen so badly, he’s less of a star while Punk and Bryan are two of the biggest stars in the world. As a general rule, the cornerstone guys of the promotions in Japan have great loyalty to their companies and are lifers, so between his size (5-foot-7, 180ish) the hard striking style (which doesn’t fit well with WWE) and language issues and WWE’s usual treatment of Japanese talent (Yoshi Tatsu was a good worker and a bigger guy, who had a cool look, maybe could never be a superstar but could have been a good working underneath guy), it’s not the right fit in some ways. Still, this may tell you just how bad things in NOAH are because you don’t go to Orlando for a week as a tryout guy when you’re a long-time main eventer unless you’re looking to get out. He’s also considered NOAH’s biggest star to its limited audience, so it’ll be a big blow to that group if he signs here. That also changes the dynamic of him in Japan. Daily Sports in Japan reported he was going to be offered a contract and NOAH would be doing a farewell show for him. That may be a premature story but I have little doubt he’d impress WWE officials since it’s not like they see talent at his level walking into the Performance Center for first looks, and aside from having to tone down the physicality, and tweak a few things, his style will work against Americans a lot easier than the guys from Mexico.

from Meltzer's Daily news update -
KENTA will make an announcement on Monday at Pro Wrestling NOAH's show at Korakuen Hall regarding his future in pro wrestling.

taken from lordsofpain.net
- Pro Wrestling Noah star KENTA has blogged about why he was at the WWE Performance Center this week. Here is a translation from Japanese to English from yottsumepuroresu.blogspot.jp:

"I am sorry for having you all confused over the various information about my visit in the US.

As a matter of fact, I am in the States and enjoying the WWE training. But as for now, it’s not about getting a tryout or a contract.

It is indeed true that I have always been yearning for a spot in WWE, and I’ve always wanted to give it a try sometime. After all, you only live once. “I should have given it a try.” “I should have chosen another way.” I’ve had those regrets when I was in my middle and high school, and even after I got in to this business. I just did not want to regret later about something I haven’t tried, so I used my time off to participate in the WWE workout. The executives were at the workout, so perhaps I may have left a mark.

The place is full of competition and hungry guys. It’s not as simple as being good at Puroresu or having strength. There are so many guys with monster physique and guys who are way athletically superior to me. And even they don’t get into the big league. That’s how tough this place could be. I can easily imagine that surviving in this environment could be severe. And spending a few days in that environment became a really good experience for me.

I’m sorry to have caused the confusion, but one thing I can say for sure is that “I’m glad I came”. I would like to work even harder making use of this experience.

And lastly, I would like to thank [NOAH] President [Akira] Taue for letting me take this chance."

Strong words, strong bewildering words

WWF Attitude wrote:Strong words, strong bewildering words

In short, i believe he was trying to say "YOLO"

Not only did he try to say YOLO, he did say YOLO.

right but he added a bunch of other words in there too.

he really should have put tl:dr YOLO at the end of the post.

Swarles wrote:right but he added a bunch of other words in there too.

he really should have put tl:dr YOLO at the end of the post.

That's the motto.

It was announced this morning in Japan that Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA (real name Kenta Kobayashi, 33 years old) would be leaving the promotion, with his final appearance being 5/17.

As PWInsider.com broke in January, KENTA spent a week at the WWWE Performance Center, training and working out with developmental talents. Upon his return to Japan, he downplayed the time spent in Orlando, Florida, claiming he wanted to take part in WWE's training and a break in the NOAH schedule allowed him to do so.

In a blog entry, KENTA wrote, "It is indeed true that I have always been yearning for a spot in WWE, and I’ve always wanted to give it a try sometime. After all, you only live once. “I should have given it a try.” “I should have chosen another way.” I’ve had those regrets when I was in my middle and high school, and even after I got in to this business. I just did not want to regret later about something I haven’t tried, so I used my time off to participate in the WWE workout. The executives were at the workout, so perhaps I may have left a mark."

With the announcement that he is leaving NOAH, a promotion has he been with since it formed, the obvious question is whether KENTA is leaving for a WWE deal? Obviously, it's easy to assume such (and it's possible those assumptions are correct) but we don't have 100% confirmation on that.

KENTA debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000 but quickly left for Pro Wrestling NOAH when the late Mitsuharu Misawa led an exodus of talent and management from AJPW to form his own company. Over the last 14 years, KENTA rose from an undercard talent to one of the best workers in the world and is credited with the creation of Go To Sleep, a move later popularized in the United States when former WWE champion CM Punk adopted it as his finishing maneuver.

Stateside, he is best known for appearances in Ring of Honor, including incredible bouts with Low Ki and then-ROH champion Bryan (Daniel Bryan) Danielson.

When KENTA returned to Japan following his one-week workout at the Performance Center, he claimed that he wasn't seeking a WWE deal but if one was offered, it would be something he would be interested in pursuing, noting his dream was always to wrestle for WWE.

In due time, we will see if that dream has come true, but the loss of KENTA is a major hole that NOAH will have to try and fill - one that won't be easy.

Oh man oh man oh man

KENTA