KENTA appears at NJPW Dominion, declares for G1

In a big surprise, KENTA appeared at NJPW’s Dominion event this morning and announced his intentions to enter the G1 Climax.

It was Katsuyori Shibata who introduced KENTA, who came out wearing Shibata’s Takeover shirt. KENTA kept it short, saying that he will be in the tournament, which kicks off next month in Dallas, Texas.

KENTA has not been seen since February 22, when he was granted his release from the WWE. He had been on 205 Live prior to his departure and had competed for the Cruiserweight title at the Royal Rumble, losing in a fatal four way match.

KENTA has never regularly wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He graduated from All Japan Pro Wrestling’s dojo in 2000 and jumped to NOAH along with the majority of the roster later that year. He wrestled in NOAH for 14 years before signing with the WWE in 2014.

His run in NXT was plagued with injuries that kept him in developmental for years. He was called up to 205 Live in 2017 and while he had a few opportunities at the Cruiserweight title, he never held it.