Kevin Knight is great. I want him in Japan as much as possible. That dropkick is literally money. People will pay to see that dropkick. It’s a different level, even to Okada. See that live, and there’s no telling people not to raise their voices, heh.
Katsuyori Shibata, NJPW1972
The dropkick is a staple of pro-wrestling. Since it was first used in the 1930s we’ve seen thousands of dropkicks delivered by thousands of wrestlers in a thousand different ways. Yet somehow, almost a century after its inception, New Japan’s Kevin Knight makes the dropkick feel special. Somehow, Knight has taken a fundamental move and made it his own.
However, this is not a one-move man. The dropkick will catch your eye, it will force you to pay attention, but Kevin Knight backs-up that one extraordinary piece of athleticism with an onslaught more. He backs it up with a swagger and confidence that separates him from the roster, an extra sizzle on every move he hits. He backs it up with star-power that can make him the future ace of New Japan’s junior heavyweight division.
A graduate of the LA Dojo, the Young Lion shackles struggled to restrain the budding star breaking through underneath. With matches sparse due to the schedule of New Japan STRONG shows and the pandemic, Knight didn’t have the luxury of getting the in-ring experience of a usual Young Lion. Yet, this didn’t seem to hinder him; restricted to a small selection of moves, not able to add any flair to his appearance, the confidence still oozed from him since his debut.
We got to see the real Kevin Knight when he made his first trip to Japan at the end of 2022. Teaming with KUSHIDA for Super Junior Tag League, Knight shocked when during the middle of the tour he entered the arena in his own, striking orange gear. Gone were the black trunks and boots that symbolise being a Young Lion, Knight had done what none had before and graduated mid-tour.
It was a proving ground experience, every match in the tournament had importance. He was thrust into the ring against the best junior heavyweights NJPW had, taking on the likes of Lio Rush and YOH, Suzuki-gun and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Catch 2/2, and Kevin Knight flourished. The meteoric electric chair-dropkick combination stunned audiences across Japan without fail every night.
Victories during the tournament were in short supply, but Knight was gaining something just as important. He was getting his first exposure in front of the Japanese audience, he was thriving against top-tier opponents, and he had one of the greatest junior heavyweights in history by his side to help him along the way.
Returning to Japan in April, the Jet Setters paring of Knight and KUSHIDA challenged Catch 2/2 for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Francesco Akira and TJP were a revelation as champions, the duo achieving the second longest reign in the titles’ history. But, they had to settle for second best.
An electric Hiroshima crowd roared as Knight pinned Akira to pick up the win. In his first shot at an IWGP title, Knight struck gold.
A new challenge awaited straight after though: with Best of the Super Juniors commencing in May, a chance now for Knight to showcase himself independently, the spotlight entirely on him.
A mass of matches in a gruellingly taut schedule proved difficult for both the fans and wrestlers alike, but in a tournament of speed and flash Knight instead stood out with his nuance for the little things; throughout his trips to Japan he has slowly endeared himself to the crowd, shouting in Japanese during his Best of the Super Juniors matches. Something so simple yet it works wonders.
It’s impossible to not root for the man. He enters wearing an orange tracksuit, a look that few could make work but it looks effortlessly cool on Knight, with a Cheshire grin and contagious enthusiasm. And once Knight gets moving in the ring you can learn to appreciate his otherworldly athleticism. He does things from the centre of the ring that most could only do by flying from the top rope, it leaves you wondering whether he has springs in his boots. No man should be able to do the things he can do; his no-hands frankensteiner to a seated opponent in the corner is equal measures astounding as it is terrifying. He’s taken a simple splash and added spice to make it his own. His finisher is a Spike DDT that always looks deadly.
That’s the most impressive thing about Kevin Knight. For the most part, what he is doing you’ve seen before. You’ve seen a dropkick. A DDT. A splash. But, you’ve never seen it done like this. He is taking the simple and making it sensational.
At just 26 years old and barely a few years into his career, Knight is still growing. This was his first Super Junior Tag League, his first IWGP title challenge, his first Best of the Super Juniors. If he continues flying like he is, he can be the next junior heavyweight ace, the next KUSHIDA, the next Hiromu Takahashi.
It’s appropriate that Knight has been dubbed The Jet, because the sky is truly the limit for him.
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