A Look at Lord Tensai and Three Potential Rivalries for Him

Lord Tensai made his debut on the April 2^nd, 2012 edition Monday Night Raw and has since been one of the top wrecking machines in the WWE. As most of us know, Tensai was formerly Albert/A-Train years ago in the WWE. During that time, he held the Intercontinental Championship and was a standout individual, having a face full of piercings and a bad attitude. After he left the WWE in 2004, he wrestled in Japan with New Japan Pro Wrestling and adopted all of the characteristics of the Japanese culture. Now he is back as Lord Tensai, a disciplined and determined powerhouse hell-bent on destruction in the WWE. He hasn’t wrestled many matches, but he’s won all of them, most often by completely incapacitating them resulting in the referee having to stop the match. Most recently, Lord Tensai achieved what may be the biggest victory in his career when he defeated John Cena on RAW. Even though it was a botched match, a victory is a victory, and Tensai dominated Cena for much of the contest anyway.

Tensai is now more of a standout character than ever. His entrance is very unique (every fan loves cool entrances), having ominous Japanese music and Tensai himself all wrapped up in traditional regalia like some sort of massive ninja. Then there is his “worshipper” Sakamoto that walks out before Tensai, throws what I’m assuming is rice into the air, then puts his hands together as if in prayer as his master makes his entrance. Having Sakamoto at his side makes Tensai all the more intriguing. In this day in age, not many wrestlers have managers or anyone else that accompanies them to the ring, so this is refreshing. We found out on the April 16^th RAW that Sakamoto is not afraid to get physical, either, as he delivered a disciplined kick to John Cena on the outside mat. Not that Tensai needs any assistance, but having Sakamoto in his corner makes him even more dangerous. Then there’s the fact that Tensai is covered in tattoos and piercings, even having ink plastered across his face. That makes for a pretty scary looking guy.

Lord Tensai has quickly established his relevance in a WWE ring, and now it’s time to put this guy into an intense rivalry. That being said, there are many Superstars that could make a decent rivalry with this monster, but I have chosen three that would be the most entertaining.

It is true that both Tensai and Kane are villains, and usually we like to see good guys versus bad guys. Nonetheless, a good feud and fight between villains, or even faces for that matter, can be just as good. So why Kane? Well, much like Tensai, Kane is a nearly unstoppable force with a knack for destruction. He is also an intimidating looking man, as is Tensai. Here we would have a huge guy with a macabre mask facing off against another huge guy covered in tattoos and piercings. It would be like a fight straight out of a Mortal Kombat video game! In addition to that, both men are veterans of the business and are very familiar with the ends and outs of it. They know how to put on a good show, and every good fan loves to see two crazy monsters battle it out.

Here is another behemoth and veteran that would be a great rival for Tensai. Show is even bigger than Kane, and his style of power moves would clash perfectly with Tensai’s. There’s another interesting element to this situation, too: the Intercontinental Championship. Big Show is the current holder of that belt, and a rivalry with Tensai could be for the championship. That would add a whole different level of excitement to this rivalry because there would be a great deal more at stake. It would also give Tensai the chance to become a champion and further solidify his new persona.

Big Zeke Jackson hasn’t done much lately and that’s a shame. He is a jacked-up powerhouse capable of delivering the most devastating of moves and, though some of his in-ring skills still need polishing, he is usually pretty fun to watch. He is a former ECW and Intercontinental champion and his most recent deep rivalry was with former Corre companion Wade Barrett. At this point in time he is a babyface, and he should stay as such if he were to rival Lord Tensai. Being a face does not make him any less intimidating, though, and the fans would get behind him more if he is that way. Another good thing about this rivalry is that it could escalate the career of Jackson and give him more exposure.

Regardless of where Lord Tensai’s career goes from here, I really am excited about this new character. He has a great deal of potential in the WWE and is certainly a future champion of some sorts. The most important thing for him now, much like with characters like Ryback and Brodus Clay, is to give him a rivalry, a formidable foe. Putting him against John Cena on RAW, and the fact that he beat Cena, was a very good step for Tensai. It's time, however, for there to be fewer squash matches and more competitive ones. That is what the WWE Universe wants to see and that's what's good for business.