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 Tanashashi'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.