KUSHIDA

[9.0] "KUSHIDA is an amazing talent. Had some amazing matches in NJPW especially as a member of the Time Splitters. Enjoyed his WWE run. He hasn't done as much post-WWE as I thought he would have. He is an amazing in ring competitor and has a ton of charisma."

[6.0] "KUSHIDA's first NJPW run was so awesome. His WWE run was also great but ever since he has not delivered at all. His current run with NJPW he was average for years now and that's unfortunate because he was such a talent"

[10.0] "Really good wrestler. Enjoy him in new japan. He is the heart of njpw. Him and his tag partner need to tag again in aew maybe."

[7.0] "Kushida is 42 years old and still going strong. His 1st run in New Japan Pro Wrestling was absolutely legendary for a Junior Heavyweight wrestler, great matches, moments and title reigns. He went to WWE and had a horrible run there and then came back to NJPW to have noticeably slown down. He's still good don't get me wrong, very consistent as well but he's not the KUSHIDA you'd see around 2016-2018."

[8.0] "KUSHIDA is a fantastic wrestler still let that be known, but it looks like NXT2.0 killed this man's love for the business, he's still pretty good in TNA but he doesn't carry himself the same as when he was the back to the future dude in Japan, maybe that's because he's getting on now. He's still a great wrestler but I think his time in major spotlights is over."

[6.0] "*This rating is based off of current day KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA a brilliant wrestler with some great matches in the best and some decent matches in the current. I enjoy his work with Kevin Knight but it is more because of Kevin Knight rather then KUSHIDA. But if I'm being honest the WWE run quickly kneecapped him and hurt his ability. His charisma isn't his strong suit but it was made up for by the good matches he would regularly have. I enjoyed some of his previous work but this run is lacklustre and fails to impress. If someone was to watch his current run only they wouldn't understand the hype. I also think if it wasn't for the Jr division being less stacked then it is now he wouldn't have been booked to be champion as much. Overall I like his older matches but I don't enjoy his newer stuff. I want to like him as previously he was an (8.5) but now he is a (6)"

[7.0] "Very good wrestler. Obviously the move to WWE didn't work out, I feel like it was a mistake to leave NJPW then to be honest. All his momentum went, still capable of having good matches but I feel like he missed the boat by jumping to WWE instead of sticking with NJPW. Fantastic Junior Heavyweight though, one of the best of his generation and really put on some fantastic matches as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion."

[9.0] "Gets booked like a geek currently but man everything Kushida does, looks fluid and just feels like real wrestling. One of the best junior wrestlers there has ever been and has constantly put on great performances. Since the time he left for WWE, he was just booked badly but everytime he gets to show what he can do, he exeeds."

[6.0] "Whisper it quietly but he really is not that great. He had a great run around 2015 to 2016 but has he done anything since then? He did nothing in WWE which is not a huge surprise but really has not done anything post WWE run to suggest they got the current version wrong. These days he is just doing the same tired old gimmick he always have while delivering a 3.5 star match."

[8.0] "Almost the perfect junior wrestler. Able to wrestle multiple styles with ease with such believability and crispness. Somewhat hindered by his height and gimmick that he was never really going to succeed outside of that junior arena."

[9.0] "One of the greatest junior heavyweights of all time, I really wish he didnt go to WWE but thank god he is back in New Japan now."

[9.0] "Great wrestling happy to see him finally free of the career limbo that was NXT for him. Hopefully his return to New Japan allows him to wrestle more and to the best of his abilities both in Japan and in America."

[10.0] "I want to make this as short as possible: KUSHIDA is the single best jr heavyweight wrestler of all time. You cannot hear his music, see him, and not smile. He is impossible to hate and easy to love. Every match he has is elevated by the fact you just want to see him succeed. He is fantastic in ring but his main shine is his likeability."

[9.0] "Kushida was fantastic in NJPW, featuring a perfect mix of superb grappling and clean high-flying. His grappling focus was especially awesome when he was paired up against more pure high-flyers like Ospreay, but he could also have fantastic technical-based matches against the likes of O'Reilly. The junior division often became a bit samey with him always on top as champ, but he always proved that he deserved it. He always showed good fire in his performances, and he carried himself very confidently to reflect just how skilled of a worker he was. It was genuinely heart-breaking to see Kushida decide to leave NJPW in 2019. He had obviously run the junior division dry by that point, and I don't know if he could have made heavyweight while maintaining his trademark speed and agility, but all I know is I miss seeing him show off his abilities against other top-level talent. He's been good enough from what I've seen of him in NXT, but they simply don't have the caliber of talent or the booking mindset to allow him to show what a star he is. One last, serious run in NJPW (even as a heavyweight, if that was the only option) would probably be enough for me to bump him up to a 10/10 if he came back and was as fantastic as he was before he left. Otherwise, I can't really consider him as being on equal ground to the likes of the Okadas, Tanahashis, Naitos, etc. Still, he's a fantastically unique and immensely skilled wrestler who is better than 99% of his peers. I'm forever hoping he finds his way back to NJPW and reminds everyone just how godly the Time Splitter is. EDIT: HE'S BACK HE'S BACK THANK GOD HE'S BACK HOME. LET'S GOOOO THE JUNIOR GODKING IS BACK YEAH BOIIII"

[7.0] "He's obviously had some good matches here and there but he's so badly needing of a personality or...anything, really. I'm looking forward to his inevitable return to NJPW but at the same time the scene has moved on so much that I'd argue that he kinda doesn't fit the big main event scene anymore: guys like Desperado, Ishimori, SHO, Takahashi, all of these guys arguably surpass him in terms of crowd investment and workrate. His Back to the Future shtick was funny but it doesn't replace having a actual persona to get people invested. Sure, he was a ace in a era where the Jr scene was a lot worse (seriously, BUSHI was a mainline contender around this time, now he doesn't even get a look in) but now he's arguably going to be stuck in the same place he was when he left: always behind the top guys, which is most likely why he left in the first place. That time in WWE while having some high spots was mostly not great, namely because of the personality issue as mentioned above: he's just not a big charisma guy in general outside of the ring, which is fine enough in most promotions but it was never going to fly with them. He's a good dance partner but I find that his opponents tend to make his big matches well, "big" more-so due to them than his own contributions."

[8.0] "He's an amazing wrestler who put on some of the better matches in NJPW's junior division over the years. I found him lacking charismatically though compared to others in the promotion and that hasn't changed since coming to NXT. He did well in his tag team with Alex Shelley but as a singles star, he has kind of reached his limit. Don't get me wrong, he's great in the ring but lacking in other areas that makes one elite. His work in NXT hasn't helped matters and I think it was a mistake to come to WWE. However, he also got hit with some bad luck with injuries and then rebranding NXT."

[8.0] "Kushida is excellent, but I think my rating is capped by only being familiar with his NXT work. There were absolutely glimpses of greatness from him, but the average level combined with infrequent appearances put a damper on the total package. I hope to be able to see something more from him now that he's back to NJPW."

[10.0] "Not only was KUSHIDA was one of the very best Japanese junior heavyweight wrestlers of the 2010s, he is one of the best junior heavyweights of all time. He is been in more than a dozen of matches that were excellent or better. Especially his matches against Kyle O'Reilly are highly recommended."

[9.0] "One of the top Jr. Heavyweights in New Japan's history. His character isn't very interesting but he is an outstanding performer and one of New Japan's best during his time there. His moveset is quite basic and simple but his execution is brilliant."

[7.0] "Kushida is a good light heavyweight. I like his moveset and the back to the future aesthetic. Hard to rate him higher due to limited promo ability. I don;t see him going to the main roster so he will be a solid hand for NXT."

[10.0] "Kushida in ring abilities are superb, Fantastic wrestler, very talented, his technical skills are AMAZING.He can adapt to each and every style, from striking to highflying, he also has crazy chemistry with most of the big stars on the roster, i hope wwe gives him another chance with a title.The only complaining i have is the lack of charisma, i hope he works on that."

[8.0] "A great bell to bell wrestler who has always been held back from stardom due to his lack of charisma or character. A fun tag team wrestler in the Time Splitters, he eventually developed into the ace of New Japan's junior heavyweight division. In his prime, he was one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, with a string of excellent matches. Unfortunately that seemed to be his peak, and he hasn't exactly set the world on fire since joining NXT."

[9.0] "KUSHIDA's one of the best, and most underrated, junior heavyweight/cruiserweights on the planet. He's proven he's adept at both singles matches and tag team matches, and his ability continues to translate well at NXT."

[8.0] "Was consistently amongst the best junior heavyweights in NJPW from 2014 -2019. In NXT occasionally reminds us how good he once was and then gets forgotten."

[7.0] "For me Kushida is a difficult wrestler to rate. On one side you have the second half of his NJPW career, especially as a singles wrestler: he was absolutely excellent in the role with a ridiculous string of incredible matches, albeit one has to wonder how great that run would have been without outstanding opponents such as Kyle O'Reilly, Will Ospreay, Taichi Ishimori etc and without Alex Shelley as a tag team partner. On the other you have everything else, including the first half of his NJPW career, where he was basically "just" an adequate to good wrestler and really didn't stand out. It's a classic case of somebody who had an incredible run in the middle of a satisfying but otherwise unremarkable career."

[8.0] "KUSHIDA is a very technical fighter. I love his matches with O'Reilly and Ospreay. I think, he doesn't belong in WWE. His career is not going through the best of times."

[5.0] "Solid but unspectacular, Kushida is the most overrated Japanese junior of the last few years. With him on top the Junior Heavyweight division was at it's least interesting state. Solid in the ring, no character, no promo, not that flashy, not that athletic, etc. He hasn't changed my mind in his NXT run and he probably never will."

[8.0] "I'm not as sold on the Marty McFly wannabe gimmick as many others are. I also don't like his finisher -- it's one of the worst looking arm submissions I've seen in a long time. But everything else seems sound with Kushida."

[10.0] "AWESOME wrestler! One of the best Junior Heavyweights in history! KUSHIDA is going to be missed in NJPW, but I'm sure that he's going to kick some asses in NXT and make some classic matches too!"

[10.0] "When I saw him in CHIKARA in 2009, he had good potential. Today, he has grown into an elite wrestler, dominating the japanese junior scene with ungodly talent and ability, yet also cultivated a larger than life persona that conquered the heart of american crowds and netted him a WWE Contract. He is flat out awesome, and will mark his generation."

[9.0] "Kushida is a very likeable and talented guy. He was on top of NJPW's Jr Heavyweight division for ages and rightfully so. Sad to see him leave but it's fair considering he seems to have hit the ceiling of what he could accomplish in NJPW."

[9.0] "KUSHIDA is an excellent worker; everything he does looks so smooth, and he can work into and out of holds with a great fluidity."

[10.0] "KUSHIDA is one of the best wrestlers in the world and doesn't get nearly enough credit for it. Pretty much the complete package, it is no wonder that he is the top star of the NJPW junior division."

[10.0] "The ACE of jr division in njpw. Great in ring work, psychology. A total package for sure. Can have good matches with anyone with any styles. He also plays tremendous babyface role. It is not exaggerating to say he is okada/tanahashi of the jr division. He definitely carries the division at least in next few years."

[9.0] "Great junior heavyweight wrestler who's has great matches with nearly everyone. Think in a few years he might move to the heavyweight division and have matches with Okada"

[10.0] "He is one of the best junior heavyweight of all time.. He have done good work as ace of the Junior heavyweight. His matches Against Kamaitaichi, Will Osprey, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet are some of the best matches in NJPW history.. Maybe future IWGP heavyweight champion."

[10.0] "KUSHIDA has gone from a promising and unique Jr. wrestler into the man entrusted to resurrect the ailing division into the standard-bearer of Jr. wrestling around the world. His transformation over the last two years from the prospect into the ace has been one of the best and more underrated developments of a performer and their demeanour in a long time. In addition to bringing the Jr. scene in NJPW back from the brink, he has actively elevated its position thanks to his outstanding performances. He's a master of understanding how to pitch a performance for the crowd he's working, and adapting his in-ring style to suit both crowd and opponent. He has an international experience and appeal that influences his work, while never losing that native Japanese babyface persona that makes him so endearing in the first place. He is the perfect counterpart to Hiromu Takahashi, hopefully for years to come. Prior to his push into stardom, he was often touted as the potential 'generation-defining' Jr. star. In 2017, with all his accolades and success and genuine achievements for his division, it's safe to say that KUSHIDA has lived up to the hype and then some."

[10.0] "The one thing that really impresses me on KUSHIDA, aside from him to be a workhorse and a natural babyface, is his consistency. Look, he has been good for several years now and he is only 33, puting amazing performances against Juniors from all over the world and very different styles. The Ace of the Junior Heavyweight Division is just great."

[9.0] "Still have never watched a bad KUSHIDA match. The guy puts it all on the line every time he steps in a ring. He's a tremendous athletic high-flyer and due to his look, always plays a great underdog."

[9.0] "KUSHIDA is an absolute joy to watch. He's the ace of the junior division, and he worked hard enough to be called rightfully so. His usual armwork is really good, and his storytelling is great as well. KUSHIDA is awesome"

[9.0] "KUSHIDA is an absolute workhorse - truly deserving of being the ace of the juniors division. He's a very consistent performer, he puts out good - very good - great matches pretty much all the time. Definitely one of my favorite wrestlers these days."

[9.0] "Fantastic junior heavyweight wrestler with a bunch of great bouts. One of future japanese wrestling legend. King of Junior heavyweight division in NJPW"

[8.0] "KUSHIDA is the ace of New Japan's junior heavyweight scene, he has a fun look, was part of a fun back to the future themed tag team with alex shelly- time splitters. He is someone who has an amazing work rate, my only concern is he has yet to truely feel like he could compete with heavyweights and has yet to have the opportunity to."

[10.0] "Great exponent like IWGP Jr. Champion. Great perfomance, great technique and one of the best highflyer of Japan"

[10.0] "One of the best going today in my eyes cannot wait to see how he fairs in the G1 this year working with the heavyweights"

[10.0] "Over the past year my like of KUSHIDA has become a full blown love, the man is hitting a tremendous peak right now that everyone should take notice of. His Super Jr final with O'Reilly was a thing of beauty and he is bringing his skill to bear in every match he is in. Perhaps my favorite part is that you can clearly see the influences of Tajiri, an all time great who is often underrated. Bring it to the forefront, KUSHIDA!"

"Very talented, deserved to win 2015 BOTSJ. Allround great wrestler, but I believe he is being held back. I think it is time for him to go solo"

[9.0] "This 31 year old has been with New Japan for 6 years. In that time he has won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title and is a 2X IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champion w/ Alex Shelley, who he has won the Super Jr. Tag Tournament with."

[10.0] "Favorite Japanese junior heavyweight wrestler, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for sure!"