History Wrestling / KatsuyoriShibata

Katsuyori Shibata (born November 17, 1979 in Kuwana, Mie, UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}) is a {{professional wrestl|ing}}er and former UsefulNotes/{{mixed martial art|s}}ist best known for working in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling, and Wrestling/RingOfHonor. Although he's worked as both a freelancer in Wrestling/ProWrestlingNoah and in Big Mouth Loud.

Katsuyori Shibata (born November 17, 1979 in Kuwana, Mie, UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}) is a {{professional wrestl|ing}}er and former UsefulNotes/{{mixed martial art|s}}ist best known for working in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, although he's worked as both a freelancer in Wrestling/ProWrestlingNoah and in Big Mouth Loud.

He finally won his first singles championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10 after beating Ishii for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/never-op.html NEVER Openweight Championship]] and subsequently defended it against him at the rematch. On March 3, 2016, Shibata signed a one year full time contract with New Japan, ending his days as a freelancer.

Sadly, Shibata's career was cut short after a match with Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis in April of 2017, when he was found with a hematoma that required emergency surgery. While he eventually recovered, it was said he would never wrestle again. As of writing, he's still working with NJPW as the head coach of their new training center in Los Angeles.

* BashBrothers: Inoue and Goto.

* {{Determinator}}: Shibata gives as much as he takes, which is stiff strikes, bone breaking headbutts and hard kicks. All in a [[TheStoic stoic]] and no-nonsense manner. If you want any proof, look no further than anytime he and Tomohiro Ishii get in a fight, at that point you can expect the two to [[NoSell tank]] each other's hardest palm strikes, headbutts, and other assorted attacks for as long as they can in at least two or three sequences, all the while screaming at each other for more.

* EveryYearTheyFizzleOut: This is his usual performance in the G1 Climax, starting off strong in the beginning weeks before choking in a major matchup, usually against the main stars of the company, and ending up near the top, but not enough to make it to the finals.

* NoSell: While people talk about lack of selling in New Japan in general, this is a large part of Shibata's whole gimmick.

* SignatureMove: Repeated forearms to his opponent at the corner of the ring followed by a running dropkick from the opposite corner.

** His career-ending injuries sustained while doing everything in his power to take the IWGP title from Okada, as well.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: '''N'''ew Blood '''E'''volution '''V'''aliantly '''E'''ternal '''R'''adical was to be about younger wrestlers and independent circuit talents, as the name implies, but Shibata was determined to make the NEVER Open Weight Title belt about proving his superiority to the rest of the "Third Generation" who brought New Japan back from the brink, not counting himself among their number. That said, it took Shibata awhile to actually win the thing and as champion he has been quick to answer challenges from many independent or otherwise not contracted to New Japan wrestlers, such as Silas Young.

* BadassBaritone: He doesn't speak a lot, but when he does interviews, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m5Wv9tPhXc&feature=youtu.be&t=8m53s you can tell how deep it is.]]

* CareerEndingInjury: Shibata suffered an acute brain injury during his match with Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis 2017 (most likely from a headbutt he gave Okada that was so hard that he ''bled''), and was immediately hospitalized and had to undergo surgery. While the surgery was successful, he cannot wrestle again.

'''Katsuyori Shibata''' (born November 17, 1979 in Kuwana, Mie, UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}) is a {{professional wrestl|ing}}er and former UsefulNotes/{{mixed martial art|s}}ist best known for working in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, although he's worked as both a freelancer in Wrestling/ProWrestlingNoah and in Big Mouth Loud.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_o0mpcddf541ti2dqho1_500.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Here to takeover.]]

Sadly, Shibata's career was cut short after a match with Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis in April of 2017, when he was found with a hematoma that required emergency surgery. While he eventually recovered, he can never wrestle again. As of writing, he's still working with NJPW as the head coach of their new training center in Los Angeles.

Learn more about his career in [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} That Other Wiki]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuyori_Shibata here.]]

He finally won his first singles championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10 after beating Wrestling/TomohiroIshii for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/never-op.html NEVER Openweight Champion]] and subsequently defended it against him at the rematch. On March 3, 2016, Shibata signed a one year full time contract with New Japan, ending his days as a freelancer.

But this isn't the end. On August 12th, 2019, the night of the G1 Climax 29 finals, things got interesting. After bringing in his former tag team partner KENTA to New Japan for the tournament, everything seemed fine. Until KENTA joined Bullet Club. Shibata, enraged at this betrayal, rushed the ring and attacked his former friend, delivering his signature moves whilst also fending off Bullet Club members. Eventually, the numbers game proved to be too much, and KENTA cemented his allegiance by laying out Shibata with his own Penalty Kick and doing Shibata's signature "arms and legs crossed" pose while sitting on his chest. While this was supposed to lead to a match at Wrestle Kingdom, doctors confirmed that they wouldn't take the risk of clearing Shibata for a match ever again.

* {{Adorkable}}: [[http://entertainmentstation.jp/28724/ He once said in an interview that he would quit being Shibata all together if it meant wrestling as Spider-Man.]]

But this isn't the end. On August 12th, 2019, the night of the G1 Climax 29 finals, things got interesting. After bringing in his former tag team partner KENTA to New Japan for the tournament, everything seemed fine. Until KENTA joined Bullet Club. Shibata, enraged at this betrayal, rushed the ring and attacked his former friend, delivering his signature moves whilst also fending off Bullet Club members. Eventually, the numbers game proved to be too much, and KENTA cemented his allegiance by laying out Shibata with his own Penalty Kick and doing Shibata's signature "arms and legs crossed" pose while sitting on his chest.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: With Hirooki Goto, his childhood friend and former tag team partner. This occurred when Goto accepted the offer to join the Chaos stable to try and achieve success, but this irked Shibata. This lead to a match for the NEVER Openweight title at Wrestle Kingdom 11, which Shibata lost.

* TheAce: Downplayed, both in New Japan and Big Mouth Loud, as for whatever reason, he left potential stardom for what was supposed to be guaranteed stardom in Big Mouth Loud but was instead beaten by almost everyone they brought in. New Japan was then iffy about pushing Shibata when he came back and when they did eventually start to get behind him Shibata got injured pretty severely.

* TheStraightMan: In contrast to flamboyant and colorful characters like Nakamura or Tanahashi, he is billed as "The Wrestler" and wears plain black trunks, stomps straight to the ring with no fancy ring entrance, and after winning a match stomps right back to the locker room without any elaborate celebration. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness The few times he ''doesn't'' walk straight back out after a win]], they're usually for very good reasons.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Shibata was a promising professional wrestling rookie when he accidentally contributed to Masakazu Fukuda's death in the ring, which has been speculated (not only by fans, but by Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi of all people) as a point in which something broke in his mind. Although he continued his career as expected for four years, he shockingly rejected a large push and jumped at the chance to pursue an uncertain MMA career, screaming that he hated pro wrestling and would never return to it. Then, after he got no success at fighting, he returned anyways while claiming he had always been a pro wrestler and that he despised MMA. Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki and other wrestlers have spoken against him, accusing him of having lost the passion for pro wrestling a long time ago and only returning for the money. Even although Shibata claimed in 2013 that "he was starting to enjoy pro wrestling (again)", many have not completely forgiven him.

!!! "The Tropes":

* TheStraightMan: In contrast to flamboyant and colorful characters like Nakamura or Tanahashi, he is billed as "The Wrestler" and wears plain black trunks, stomps straight to the ring with no fancy ring entrance, and after winning a match stomps right back to the locker room without any elaborate celebration. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness The few times he ''doesn't'' walk straight back out after a win]], [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome they're usually for very good reasons]].

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Shibata was a promising professional wrestling rookie when he accidentally contributed to Masakazu Fukuda's death in the ring, which has been speculated as a point in which something broke in his mind. Although he continued his career as expected for four years, he shockingly rejected a large push and jumped at the chance to pursue an uncertain MMA career, screaming that he hated pro wrestling and would never return to it. Then, after he got no success at fighting, he returned anyways while claiming he had always been a pro wrestler and that he despised MMA. Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki and other wrestlers have spoken against him, accusing him of having lost the passion for pro wrestling a long time ago and only returning for the money.