Luke Jacobs has made it clear that the stars of classic AJPW have heavily influenced his style of wrestling
The English star has quickly become one of the most exciting wrestlers in the UK. In 2024 he became the only man to hold the top titles in RevPro and Progress concurrently.
While he has since lost the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship to Michael Oku, his matches have consistently been some of the best Britain has ever seen.
The style is hard-hitting and filled with big suplexes and neck drops. Its like watching a classic clash between Kobashi and Misawa, which is entirely by design.
Luke Jacobs spoke about his influence with Wrestling With Johnners and revealed that his style was inspired by some of the stars of All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s.
He cited Stan Hansen, Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa and the King’s Road style of wrestling as what he based his wrestling style on.
“It definitely comes from old-school wrestling — guys like Stan Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, and Mitsuharu Misawa. These guys are my idols. When I discovered them, I just fell in love with that style of pro wrestling.”
The Stan Hansen inspiration became very clear with his entrances at RevPro’s 12th Anniversary and Uprising shows.
Luke Jacobs entered his match against Michael Oku with a distinctive cowboy theme, something that Stan Hansen embodied while part of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Wearing a black cowboy hat, Luke Jacobs entered to Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive as the crowd sang along.
Whilst I didn’t see it as a particularly good song for a wrestling entrance (but a great song nonetheless), it perfectly fit the cowboy aesthetic Luke Jacobs was going for.
He continued to discuss how the AJPW stars like Stan Hansen and Kenta Kobashi influenced his wrestling sttyle.
“As a young wrestler — I’m only 22 and debuted on shows when I was 17 — I knew I had to separate myself from other young wrestlers. A lot of them are into flipping around and doing flashy stuff, and I think everyone wants to do that. But I decided, ‘I’ll do it my way.'”
“Then I saw these guys, and I knew: That’s me. That’s everything I love about pro wrestling — the nitty-gritty, not necessarily the flash, but the impact. Everything’s got a purpose. No nonsense. It’s traditional pro wrestling, and that’s how I wrestle.””
“You know, I just want to keep ascending and reaching the top level because that’s where I want to be. I’m not in this to stay at the low level, the midcard, or the smaller shows around the country.”
“I’m doing this for the big time. That’s what the guys I’ve emulated are all about — big-time, famous, well-respected pro wrestlers. Everything I’m doing here is about following in their footsteps and carving out my own path to greatness.”