For Shohei Ohtani, Will it Ever be Shotime in the Squared Circle?

For baseball fans across the globe, Shohei Ohtani is "Shotime", the double-threat sensation from Japan who throws fire and blasts homers with equal amounts of ease. But what if, after hanging up his spikes, Ohtani decided to trade the diamond for the squared circle? Could we one day witness Ohtani making an impact in the pro-wrestling industry with the same combination of athleticism and charisma that has made him a star in the baseball industry?

With pro-wrestling being an industry where having presence is important, Shohei Ohtani already has what it takes in that department- in Japan, his popularity transcends baseball. There are many people in Japan who watch American baseball, not because they are baseball fans, but because they are Shohei Ohtani fans.

Shohei Ohtani is also physically gifted. The baseball field is his playground, where his throws are legendary and he swings with a relentless flow. Imagine if those athletic attributes were translated to the wrestling ring.

Shohei Ohtani is also a showman, which is a valuable asset for a pro-wrestler to have. He draws attention internationally as he shows his love for playing baseball whenever he is on the field. In fact, during the 2022 Major League Baseball season, "The Greatest Showman" became Ohtani's walk up theme. A natural-born performer, he would probably love the performing aspect of pro-wrestling.



Shohei Ohtani already has the attention of the pro-wrestling world. WWE Superstars Bobby Lashley, IYO SKY, and Carmella met him at a Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game last year, and they had an opportunity to take pictures together.

And not only has Shohei Ohtani gained the attention of members of the pro-wrestling industry in the United States, but he has done the same with members of the Japanese wrestling scene, one of them being Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the largest wrestling organization in Japan. One of the most respected wrestlers in the country, he has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a total of eight times, which is more times than any wrestler in NJPW’s history. During Tanahashi’s fifth reign, he held the championship for 404 days, the third-longest reign in the company’s history. And in December 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi was appointed as President and Representative Director of NJPW.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated published in October 2023, Hiroshi Tanahashi expressed that Shohei Ohtani is one of the baseball players who he would like to see in the ring someday. In Tanahashi's high school days, he too was a baseball player.

Of course, transitioning from baseball to wrestling would be a challenge. Pro-wrestling's style of training, the amount of days that he is working (pro-wrestling is a year-round business), along with taking bumps on a regular basis, would be very different from what Shohei Ohtani is used to in the baseball industry. Nonetheless, the pro-wrestling industry may be something that he is interested in, as it would be a good outlet for his entertainer side as he continues to utilize his athleticism.

So, will we ever see Shohei Ohtani in the squared circle? Only time will tell, and it would be interesting to see if people who watch baseball because they are his fans would begin to watch pro-wrestling and continue to follow his athletic career, leading to increased revenue and overall growth for the pro-wrestling industry. But one thing is certain: if he ever decides to trade his cleats for wrestling boots and step into the ring, his athletic gifts and charisma will mean one thing: It's Shotime.

Attention Ladies: New Hanshin Tigers Tees Available!

(originally published 8/9/16 on KakehashiSports.com. Kakehashi Sports was the then-maker and developer of goods for the Hanshin Tigers, a member of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan. Kakehashi Sports also handled its English online presence. Our goal was to introduce the Hanshin Tigers to baseball fans in and outside of Japan.)

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Those of you who are new to Japan's baseball scene may be wondering- who are the Hanshin Tigers? And why are they so popular that baseball fans from outside of Japan want to buy Hanshin Tigers merchandise?

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan, and one of the longest-running teams in Nippon Professional Baseball is the Hanshin Tigers. Along with being one of the oldest teams, they are also one of the most successful. As a part of the Central League, the Tigers have captured the pennant a total of five times to date, and also have won the Japan Series.
The Hanshin Tigers have also made an impact in the United States/Canada's Major League Baseball organization. The Tigers played the New York Yankees in 2004, when the MLB season opened in Japan. The Yankees are recognized as one of the best teams in MLB history, boasting a total of 27 World Series Championship wins- an MLB record. When they played The Hanshin Tigers, they were defeated 11-7.
The Hanshin Tigers have also featured a former member of MLB. Randy Bass left the Minnesota Twins in 1982 and joined the Tigers. As their starting first baseman, he helped the Tigers win the pennant and Japan Series in 1985.
The Hanshin Tigers' popularity cannot be denied. A large of amount of baseball fans attend their games every year, sometimes totaling to over three million. And the Tigers popularity continues to grow, as baseball fans in the United States are becoming aware of one of Japan's most successful teams, and are joining their fan base.
Now that you know more about who the Hanshin Tigers are and why they are so popular, join us and become a fan, and show your Hanshin Tigers pride with our new tees! Go here to order.

Japan high school baseball

While living in Japan, I've heard about how big high school baseball is here. Every year there are two tournaments: Spring Kōshien (for the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Mainichi Shimbun), and Summer Kōshien (for the National High School Baseball Championship, organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Asahi Shimbun), and they climax at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya. Tournaments are televised locally, and some of them are televised nationally on NHK, as well as in the United States via ABC. Kōshien also attracts the attention of scouts, including those from the United States.

Kōshien is so popular that there have been video games created that are based on the tournament. The original game was released in 1989 for Family Computer (also known as NES), additional games were created for Super Famicon (also known as Super NES) from 1992 to 1995, followed by games for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Gameboy Color from 1997 to 1999, then for the PlayStation 2 from 2000 to 2002, and then later for mobile phones in 2005.

Even the Hanshin Koshien Stadium itself is well known. It's one of the largest stadiums in Asia, and along with hosting Kōshien games, it also hosts the Koshien Bowl, Japan's American college football championship game. It also has a connection to American baseball- Babe Ruth once played an exhibition game there.