Billy Robinson

[8.0] "Billy Robinson was the 70s and 80s Bret Hart, in that he was THE technical wrestler, he was the best scientific wrestler in the world for around a decade (if not more). Lots of Billy's matches have aged a lot and aren't great (almost always because of the opposition) but Billy is always the highlight of every match he was in with his incredible move-set and brilliant striking. Unfortunately, lots of Billy's best work doesn't exist in the archive anymore. He also had the best backbreaker in history."

[10.0] "There are probably only a dozen or so wrestlers I would consider to be "no-brainer" 10s and Robinson is 150% one of those wrestlers. As a pure technician, he in fact has an argument of being called the best ever in that field, as he was more than just great in the sense of workrate, but he was able to tell a logical story and captivate crowds as a face or heel without ever falling into the common tropes of the time. Robinson arguably had an even greater impact as a trainer, with some of his most notable protégés being Gary Albright, Josh Barnett, Kiyoshi Tamura, to guys like Nunzio, The Iron Sheik, and even Ric Flair. There truly are very few wrestlers who combined the peak and longevity of Robinson, who had a lot of his best matches into his 40s, it's incredibly obvious to see why guys like Danielson gush over his work: he was really really really good at what he did."

[6.0] "I feel bad leaving such a lower review, but I've only seen his work in the early to mid 80s in AWA and it's nothing spectacular. He seems to be a solid technical wrestler, but just... routine. Average. It's possible he is a 10 rating spectacular wrestler, but I just haven't seen it yet."

[10.0] "The Emperor of Europe is one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. An innovative figure that helped to push the grappling side of wrestling to new limits, and who is one of the greatest trainers of all-time, I would need several pages dedicated to the man to explain how important he was."

[10.0] "Arguably the best grappler in the history of the game and the trainer of a great lineage of champions in both wrestling and mixed martial arts. A true legend."

[10.0] "Certainly one of the most skilled wrestlers of his, or probably of any era. Not only is his technical ability nearly unmatched, but he could always bridge that ability into providing a great match. Very influential and important name."

[10.0] "Very skilled in the ring! Master of submission moves. He reminds me of William Regal. Successful in Japan and the States. He spent most of his career in the AWA."

[9.0] "Billy Robinson was an excellent technical wrestler, who helped train or otherwise influence a number of people. He had some great runs in Japan, although his lack of colour and perceived attitude problems meant that his great runs in North America were mostly limited to the AWA, where Verne Gagne favoured amateur wrestling types."

[10.0] "Perhaps someone who suffered from being in an older era because he hardly gets the recognition he deserves from fans outside of the Japanese wrestling fans. Even fans who were into AWA and NWA etc hardly speak about Robinson. Nevertheless, Robinson is one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. Has a hand in training some great wrestlers like Hideki Suzuki and of course, Ric Flair (that's right). He brought a mentality to the ring, sending fear into his own opponents. Also having classics with guys like Inoki and Bockwinkle. No reason why he shouldn't be a 10."