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.
Kenta Kobayashi has 252 screen credits in a career dating back to 1993. Signature works include NOAH Neo Global Tag League 2026 ~ Day 5, NOAH Legacy Rise 2026, NOAH After Mayhem 2026. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
