Biography

Kenta Kobayashi (born March 12, 1981), better known by his ring name KENTA, is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he original debuted in 2000 and is a former two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, one-time GHC Tag Team Champion and three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Between 2014 and 2019, he worked for American promotion WWE under the name Hideo Itami. After leaving WWE, he signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), becoming a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and one-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, before returning to NOAH in 2025.