In professional wrestling, few transformations have been as profound as that of Tetsuya Naito following the disastrous Wrestle Kingdom 8 fan vote.
Once heralded as the “Stardust Genius,” a high-flying babyface destined to be the next Ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Naito’s path to superstardom was anything but straightforward.
The story of his rise is a tale of rejection, reinvention, and ultimate redemption—one that began to unfold on a cold January night at Wrestle Kingdom 8.
Check out our list of the best matches in the history of Wrestle Kingdom
What should have been his crowning moment turned into a career-altering setback. Following his G1 Climax victory in 2013, Naito was poised to headline New Japan’s biggest stage against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Yet, the fans’ lack of faith in the Stardust Genius led to an unprecedented fan vote that relegated his match to the undercard. It was a public dismissal that not only crushed Naito’s aspirations but also marked the beginning of the end for his initial persona.
But as the stardust faded, something far greater emerged. This is the story of how Tetsuya Naito’s rejection by the fans and his failure to live up to their expectations led him to embrace the philosophy of Tranquilo, giving birth to one of the most compelling characters in wrestling history.
From heartbreak at Wrestle Kingdom 8 to his rise as the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japón, Naito’s journey is a testament to the power of reinvention in the face of adversity.
Tetsuya Naito & The Rise Of The Stardust Genius
Debuting in 2006, Tetsuya Naito was immediately seen as a future star by the company. However, he was a much different wrestler than the LIJ leader we know today.
He came into New Japan Pro Wrestling, not as the Tranquillo star. Instead, Tetsuya Naito was known as the Stardust Genius, a high-flying and entertaining babyface star.
The Japanese star claimed to have “stardust all over him”, another way of saying the phrase “star written all over him”. He seemed destined for greatness, even if not everyone shared that opinion completely.
Comparisons were drawn between himself and Hiroshi Tanahashi (although that would be part of his downfall later on) and he seemed to have a future as the top star in the promotion.
After an initial excursion in Mexico between 2009 and 2010, he returned to the company as a top star. New Japan pushed him as a new babyface hero, built in the mould of Tanahashi.
The smiling, high-flying, wild-haired babyface had all the tools to become the man to take over from the ageing ace, but it wouldn’t all go as planned in the career of Tetsuya Naito.
His G1 Climax Victory Did Not Endear Him To The Fans
The G1 Climax 23 in 2013 was a new one for the company. Not only were all the events broadcast live online for the first time, but they also sought to crown a new top babyface in Tetsuya Naito.
Naito had been entrusted in some big matches in the past. He’d faced stars like Keiji Muto and Jeff Hardy in marquee matches at Wrestle Kingdom, mainly owing to his incredible work rate and exciting wrestling style.
En route to the final, Naito picked up wins over Karl Anderson, Shelton Benjamin, Yuji Nagata, Shinsuke Nakamura, Minoru Suzuki and Yujiro Takahashi. This led him to a final match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, the undisputed ace of the company and the man Naito was looking to take over as the top man in Japan.
However, the comparisons between the two men drew fans to resent Naito. He had a moveset similar to Tanahashi, and seemed to base his in-ring style on the Ace of the Universe.
His finisher, the Stardust Press, seemed to be just a more complicated version of Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow and it became clear to many that he was just a knock-off version of New Japan’s her.
While he beat Tanahashi and got a good reaction when declaring himself the new top star, this did not last long. Crowds became more and more muted and reactions dwindled every time Naito appeared.
At Power Struggle that year, the final matches for Wrestle Kingdom 8 were confirmed. Despite fans hoping to see another Okada vs Tanahashi match in the main event, Shinsuke Nakamura challenged The Ace in a match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
This left Naito, the G1 Climax winner, to wrestle Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The confrontation between the two at Power Struggle 2013 has gone down in history, but not for a good reason.
When Naito made his way into the Bodymaker Colosseum, the reaction was incredibly telling. The fans were silent.
Not a peep was made. The utter lack of reaction to the man who was supposed to main event the biggest show of the year showed that NJPW had made a huge mistake with their booking and that Naito was simply not working as a top babyface.
As he stood across the ring from Okada and proclaimed himself to be the top star in New Japan, the crowd actually laughed at him. The idea he could match up to the beloved Hiroshi Tanahashi was simply laughable to the Japanese fans.
It was at that moment that the company knew something had to be done. It was too late to change the match, as Power Struggle was the last big show before Wrestle Kingdom 8 and changing the match now would be a very bad look for the event.
Instead, they had a genius idea.
They let the fans decide.
The Wrestle Kingdom 8 Fan Vote Cost Tetsuya Naito His Main Event
After the horrendous reaction for Tetsuya Naito following his G1 Climax victory, the fans were given the chance to right the wrongs of the New Japan booking team.
A fan vote was called, giving them the chance to choose which match would go on last at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2014.
There were two options to pick from. These were:
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito
- IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
When the results came in there was a big shock.
For Natio.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship had gone on last at every Wrestle Kingdom since 2008. The trend was to be bucked in 2014 as fans voted for Nakamura vs Tanahashi to main event the historic Tokyo Dome show.
The pull of two of the New Three Musketeers, both in their prime and doing some of the best work of their careers, was too much to resist. Especially when the alternative was Kazuchika Okada defending his belt against a wrestler who had been thoroughly rejected by the fans.
Wrestle Kingdom 8 was the death of the Stardust Genius and any hopes of Tetsuya Naito becoming the number-one babyface in New Japan.
He was defeated by Kazuchika Okada in a match before the main event. It was…fine. Perfectly serviceable but nothing to write home about.
Tanahashi vs Nakamura stole the show, and Naito began his seething hatred for both men and the Intercontinental title that cost him his dreams.
Over the following months, Naito tumbled down the card. He began to lose matches regularly to starts he’d previously been much further ahead.
He soon lost his NEVER Openweight Championship to Tomohiro Ishii, as well as suffering many losses over the year.
Naito then performed poorly in the G1 Climax and World Tag League, as well as long to Okada (again) in his bid to become number one contender for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
His frustrations grew and the rejection by the fanbase took its toll on Naito. He decided to go back to Mexico with his new ally La Sombra (Andrade) and learn the ways of being Tranquillo from Los Ingobernables.
The Wrestle Kingdom Fan Vote Prompted Naito To Change His Character And Become A Top Star In New Japan
Tetsuya Naito couldn’t escape the shadow of the Wrestle Kingdom 8 fan vote, so instead decided to flee the country to Mexico.
He had wrestled there during his initial excursion from New Japan and joined up with his friends La Sombra and Rush to learn the ways being Tranquillo. Basically, meaning calm, level-headed and tranquil.
Naito had let his emotions rule him for too long. His continued use of the Stardust Press was costing him matches and he was getting increasingly frustrated at the fans rejection of him as the top star.
Having had enough of his emotions costing him everything (and the resentment of the fans for voting for Tanahashi/Nakamura ahead of Naito/Okada), he decided to no longer search for the approval of the company, the fans, or anybody.
He learnt the ways of Tranquillo from LosIngobernables and became a much more relaxed and focused wrestler. Naito threw away the Stardust Press, winning matches with an equally-impressive new move called the Destino.
Upon his return, he instantly became a hit. After years of putting his body on the line only to be rejected by the fans, as soon as he rejected their cheers and stop seeking out their approval did they accept him for what he could be – the top star in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Tetsuya Naito soon former his own chapter of the Los Ingobernables faction, known as Los Ingobernables de Jopon. He recruited fellow heels like EVIL and Bushi to help him cheat to win his matches as Naito began to win matches again, and at an impressive rate.
He kept calm in the ring. Where he would lose his head and look for the crowd for support, now he simply lay in the ring without a care in the world. This rattled wrestlers like Tanahashi and he used this new found tranquility to pick up some huge wins for the rest of 2016.
The biggest of which being against his Wrestle Kingdom 8 opponent, Kazuchika Okada.
With the help of new teammates like Bushi, Evil and the debuting Sanada, Tetsuya Naito defeated Kazuchika Okada at Invasion Attack 2016 to finally win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
This would not be all, however. He would go on to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and took great pleasure in battering the belt as much as possible.
He threw the title around, tossing it in the air and treating it like no belt had been before. This was the same title that cost him his main event in that Wrestle Kingdom fan vote and he would not let anybody forget it.
With his new persona, Tetsuya Naito became one of the most popular wrestlers in New Japan. He had huge successes over the following years, most notably when he beat Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 14, avenging the match that never was just six years prior.
The Stardust Genius died on the night of January 4th, 2014, but an even more impressive and more Tranquillo star emerged in its place.
That was man was Tetsuya Naito.
