NNew Japan Pro Wrestling

A history of the top gaijin in NJPW

  • December 14, 2025

  1. Karl Gotch (1972-1974; 1982) – the man responsible for training (along with Inoki and Kotetsu Yamamoto) a great deal of the OG talent that filled NJPW's ranks, as well as the man who wrestled on a lot of the early cards and events.

  2. Tiger Jeet Singh (1974-1981) – The fiercest and most hated rival of Inoki's in early NJPW; a man who, along with Abdullah the Butcher, brought the "cheating and violent heel" archetype to Japan and made it popular.

  3. Hulk Hogan (1980-1985) – Before he became a household name in the States, Hogan's popularity was truly established in Japan, where the country embraced him a major star. Hogan won the 1st version of the IWGP, which he won in a tournament where he "knocked out" Antonio Inoki.

  4. Big Van Vader (1987-1992; 1996) – the man whose entrance in the promotion would see a riot erupt in Sumo Hall; a man who dominated Antonio Inoki, as well as beat down the likes of Fujinami, Choshu, Hashimoto, Mutoh & Chono. A truly feared force.

  5. Scott Norton (1990-2006) – the top foreigner of the promotion for perhaps the longest stretch of time, a man who was a staple of the promotion. Part of the wildly popular NWO Japan and later TEAM 2000 stables.

  6. Giant Bernard (2006-2012) – the man who came in to help NJPW fill the void and clean the mess left by Brock Lesnar taking the IWGP Belt with him. Bernard was as important as anyone to making Hiroshi Tanahashi the "ACE" and top star, with their rivalry cementing Tana as the conquering hero. Great tag team wrestler as well.

  7. AJ Styles (2014-2016) – while having the shortest span on this list, Styles phenomenal (haha) ability and built-in reputation kept him on top of the card for his time in NJPW, as he had classic matches with the likes of Okada, Tanahashi, Ibushi, Naito & Nakamura.

  8. Kenny Omega (2010-2019; 2023, 2025) – originally starting in DDT Pro in Japan, the man at the forefront of NJPW 2010's "Golden Boom" period, who had modern-day classics with multiple people in the promotion, as well as being the first gaijin to win the G1 Climax.

  9. Jay White (2015-2023) – one of the first gaijins to actually be trained in the NJPW Dojo and considered a "homegrown guy" for the most part. Got a rocket strapped to his back early on, winning the IWGP Belt twice, as well as main eventing several big shows.

  10. Zack Sabre Jr. (2017-present) – originally starting in NOAH, ZSJ would find his way to NJPW under the hand of Suzuki-gun. ZSJ would quickly become an established upper-tier wrestler, one who would impress with his throwback style (recalling the likes of Gotch and Robinson to some degree). Would get his much deserved push as a top star in the mid 2020's, becoming the second gaijin to win the G1, as well as becoming the 1st gaijin to win in the main event of WK.

Edit: I do want to mention that Prince Devitt is surely a top gaijin and probably has the longest stretch with the promotion next to Norton but I was more focused on the heavyweights rather than juniors here. Should also be noted that Devitt is the only gaijin I find to have become a true "Ace", as he dominated the Junior-Heavyweight Division for a good stint, whereas the rest of these guys didn't have anywhere near the same sustained amount of time on top of the Heavyweight division as a whole.

Honorable mentions: Johnny Powers, Andre the Giant, Stan Hansen, Bob Sapp, Karl Anderson, Will Ospreay

by MrPuroresu42