"I know you probably hear this every day, but I'm your biggest fan"

Been thinking lately about why I like the wrestlers I do. One great thing about New Japan is that I can say I’m a fan of pretty much everyone on the roster. But, as we all know, there is a difference between being a fan and being a stan. In a match with two wrestlers I like, I light my penlights for the one I stan more than the other. But what makes me stan someone? Having given some thought to this topic, I think it boils down to the following four points:

1) Ability/Style

Wrestlers can do so many amazing moves, but I definitely have a style preference. When I was a child, I was deep in the trenches of the Monday Night Wars. One of the things that initially kept me tuned in to WCW was the cruiserweight division. The speed, power, and athleticism that comes with being in the lighter weight class has always fascinated me more than the heavyweight division. I’ve been to more New Japan Best of the Super Junior shows than any other type for that very reason. As I once told a friend who asked me why I liked pro-wrestling, “I love that crazy, flippy shit.” The wrestlers who perform in my favorite style are always at the top of my stan list. Hiromu Takahashi, Douki, El Desperado, that's who I'm showing up for.

2) Good hair

I’ll admit it, I am weak for good hair. In childhood, I loved Shawn Michaels and his lovely blonde locks. I first noticed Douki for his in-ring ability, but what really got me paying attention was attending live events and being close enough to notice that his hair is FUCKING FABULOUS (I have no idea what I would do or how I would feel if he ever cut it or radically changed it, but it would likely involve some sort of breakdown). Hiroshi Tanahashi is another example. I like him and I always enjoy his matches, but I would not enjoy them quite as much if he didn’t always come out with his fantastic hair. The man puts in the effort for the upkeep (check out his Instagram for multiple shots of him in the salon), and it is greatly appreciated. That isn’t to say hair has to be long and glossy for me to like it. For me, good hair is about what best suits a person. For example, I cannot imagine Sanada with hair as long as Evil’s. Evil could probably make a shorter style work though. Some people are lucky and different lengths and styles suit them. Shota Umino’s switch to a shorter cut looks good on him, and I think I might like this style better than the longer one. Color is also important. Master Wato and YOH are both good examples of this. Wato’s blue hair and YOH’s bleach blonde look were ok, and the styles suited the personas they were trying to present. But damn do they both look waaaaaaaay better with darker and more natural hair. I almost had a conniption when Wato came back at KOPW in 2024 and I found myself praying he would not change his hair back for any subsequent appearance (and he hasn’t yet!). They both moved way up my personal rankings when they debuted their new hair.

So yeah, I’m kinda vain and hair is a big deal for me.

3) Gimmick

Obviously a gimmick matters so much in pro-wrestling. It doesn’t matter to me how extreme a gimmick is, only that it is well-presented and the person behind the gimmick is committed to it. Referring back to Hiroshi Tanahashi, his whole “Ace” gimmick is as simple as can be, but it works because he always plays that role wholeheartedly. Hiromu Takahashi’s gimmick, broken down to its most simplistic level, is being a fun, unexpected weirdo and he makes it WORK.

Of course, some gimmicks will never appeal to me. Yujiro Takahashi’s “Tokyo Pimps” is the example that leaps to the front of my mind. Yeah, it’s a bad guy gimmick, but it’s gross and I’ll never like it.

How a wrestler chooses to present their gimmick affects me too. Initially I quite liked Clark Connors, even when he turned heel and joined the Bullet Club War Dogs. A cowboy who likes pink and isn’t afraid to show it? Hell yeah, I will definitely get behind that. However, his decision to include smoking and cigarettes in some of his promotional images turned me off of him so much. I’m hoping it’s just supposed to be part of his heel persona and it’s not something he actually does.** Even if it is just part of the gimmick, smoking absolutely disgusts me for many reasons and so, while I still overall respect Connors as a wrestler, I can never stan him as long as that is part of his imagery.

4) Outside interests

Hiromu and Wato are cat people. I am a cat person. I love that they love cats.

Douki likes kabuki and a traditional Japanese aesthetic. Me and my Japanese studies degree love this.

Satoshi Kojima loves bread. I would unhesitatingly fight someone to the death for a slice from a decent loaf. I love Kojima and his unabashed love of bread.

If I like a wrestler, what really will push me over the fan limit into stan territory is who they are outside of the ring. It isn’t always necessary (I’d stan Hiromu without the love of cats, it’s just an added bonus for me), but it definitely influences what color I flip my penlight to when a match starts.

**************************************************I think these four things are the main factors in what push me from being a fan of a particular wrestler into being a stan. There’s probably more to it, and maybe I will write a continuation post in the future if I think of more things. But these four absolutely matter and define the difference between me being fair weather or ride or die.

*Because I’ve watched someone die of lung cancer and because it will impact his ability to perform, if not cut his career short.