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Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2018)

152 Pts.



Jeff Jarrett is pro wrestling’s greatest businessman but Yoshinobu Kanemaru isn’t far behind him. Kanemaru parlayed a Suzuki-gun invasion in his Pro Wrestling NOAH home into a full-time role with NJPW. The storyline was worked perfectly as Kanemaru, long regarded as a Pro Wrestling NOAH loyalist, jumped ship to All Japan Pro Wrestling alongside Atsushi Aoki, Go Shiozaki, Jun Akiyama and Kotaro Suzuki. In 2016, Kanemaru returned to NOAH and almost immediately turned on Shiozaki (who himself had returned in the year prior) to join up with the invading Suzuki-gun stable from NJPW. Kanemaru instantly became one of the most hated men in NOAH and worked as a member of Suzuki-gun until the end of the year. In January 2017, Suzuki-gun returned to NJPW. To the surprise of, well, everyone, Kanemaru came with them.


211 matches later, Kanemaru is still there and he—along with partner El Desperado—are going into Wrestle Kingdom with one of the longest IWGP Junior Tag Team Title reigns in NJPW history. Not since Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa in 1999 has a team held the titles for longer. They haven’t been complacent champions either. Since they won the titles at March’s 46th Anniversary show, the Suzuki-gun tandem has successfully defended the title five times including wins of BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi, SHO & YOH and Tiger Mask & Jushin Thunder Liger. The duo even found themselves in a three-way tie atop the Super Junior Tag League, a rare accomplishment for a team already holding the championships. Kanemaru individually had a so-so Best of the Super Juniors tournament scoring six points in the A Block but finishing far out of the running for the championship.