Kento Miyahara

[Grimmas]

Boss Rock said:

"Can be a bit formulaic and inconsistent when it comes to limb selling, but there are few if any who are more consistent in big match settings than Kento Miyahara. Fantastic offensive wrestler who can make any match, regardless of opponent, exciting because of just how good he is. Can play a great babyface against monsters like Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama or a cocky, hotshot heel who drives Wada mad. Has carried AJPW on his back for the last 5 years at least and has been one of the best in the world while doing so."

[Jmare007]

How high can Kento get will depend on how much you like or dislike his formula, he very rarely goes away from it so it's kind of a make or break thing. One thing I think it's undeniable though is how charismatic he is and his ability to connect with a crowd no matter what role he's playing in the ring. As Boss Rock says in his nomination case, he can be a great underdog and annoying cocky heel.

I feel he best suited as an underdog as up until early 2020 (when I kinda stopped following him) his match mostly consist on getting one body part worked and shrugging it off any time he's on offense, which often comes as spurt of energy. His banter with Wada never gets old for me, though I can totally see others being annoyed with it.

I was really high on Kento from 2016 to 2018 or so then I became kinda tired of his schitck though I still enjoyed matches like the ones against Okabayashi and specially the one against Naoya Nomura.

 

[Boss Rock]

I will say another annoyance is, like mentioned above, comebacks coming too easy. But his offense is so exciting it's hard for him to fall outside of "pretty good" territory.

[SegundaCuerda]

For me, Kento is the kind of wrestler that has two or three match structures and after the years it starts beign repetitive, but it took me more time to get less excited for a Kento match than for an Okada match for example, and has been good in the "big match feel" thing during a lot of time.

I still love his match against Akiyama in 2016, and it made me put attention on AJPW again and discover a lot of good matches in the process.

[Reel]

I feel like if you watched current AJPW week-to-week it might be a little different, but I just helicopter in and watch the big matches every few months, and boy is every Kento match about him hitting the 7th or 8th German for the win. Matches are still good, but I feel like you could set your watch to it. 

[Makai Club #1]

The big plus about Kento is how much bigger he feels when compared to literally everyone else in All Japan. But past that, you do have a repetitive act who gets by by having a lots of charisma and personality. His peaks are quite up there with quality matches against Naomichi Marufuji, Zeus, Suwama and Akiyama. 

[ohtani's jacket]

The only Miyahara match I've seen is one I saw live. He got the building to pop. 

[DylanZero]

I think the earlier comparison to Okada is pretty on the nose for all sorts of reasons, for better and worse. It's too bad his earlier career is all but lost to time as I completely enjoyed his run as he was coming up with his 2013-2015 series with Akiyama and subsequent team with Go. He has something that many don't in his charisma and ability to connect even in the most dire of situations (which AJPW has often been when HE wasn't on top)

 

He's objectively a great wrestler but like Okada there are glaring flaws that would prevent me from even thinking of him for this, but if things break right in 5 years he could be a good candidate, and personally I have WAY more hope for him than his contemporaries in the modern Aces on that regard. But he can disappear outside of just the right kind of matches, and when not pushed can sometimes actively hurt matches IMO with his one note ways. Telling in that his current tag team with Yuma Aoyagi, Yuma has been the better half of his team in every match they've had. I also think the Wada stuff with him is one of my most annoying things going in 2021 and absolutely tanks my interest in him. Then things just fall into place for him and suddenly he looks like the best wrestler in the world, and produces great stuff like his match vs. Zeus last year. Sadly those matches are way too few and far between in my opinion but the potential is there if he can bring it and streamline himself to cut down on his bad and keep his good more consistent. 

[smoldoink]

One of the best in the world until the bell rings.