Yokozuna

[9.0] "Yokozuna was an incredible performer for his size. The moves he was able to deliver was absolutely incredible. The first Samoan WWF Champion. Yokozuna's legacy has been told greatly through the Bloodline story."

[8.0] "Yokozuna was a great monster heel. Early on in his career he wasn't the most athletic, but he could move. Later on especially after WWE his mobility went away. Part of the legendary Anoa'i family he understood the business well and filled the role perfectly. Could put on good in ring performances."

[1.0] "One of the fattest, least athletic wrestlers in history, who deliberately got fatter and less athletic as time went on. Other, better, less fat wrestlers could have a decent match around his corpulent form; however, Yokozuna himself contributed virtually nothing to the matches he was in, getting instantly winded, waddling around laboriously, and doing only the most basic moves."

[7.0] "A great attraction, Yokozuna was a great foreign heel. His work in my opinion is heavily underrated. Worked some good programmes with Bret in the 1990s."

[7.0] "Yoko was different, it was not good in the ring, towards the basics and at a moderately slow speed (in his best years), but the truly legendary is his character, since I started seeing Wrestling I have never seen someone like unstoppable. His push in the '93 was immeasurable, he faced the best of the best, such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Lex Luger, Undertaker, etc. It was the youngest champion (at that time) of the WWF Championship, and destroying Hulk Hogan (obviously not fairly, because of Hogan's ego and because Yoko was Heel). Sadly because of their physical condition, their level decayed incredibly, they always mention The Bloodline, they always talk about The Rock, of the current Bloodline, Umaga, but do not remember Yokozuna (maybe not because they have no love, I think because they forget that they also also He is part of the Anoa'i family). But he also deserves recognition, for everything he won with only 27 years."

[7.0] "Underrated. He was a great worker for a guy of his size. He was able to have serviceable matches before he put on so much weight that he pretty much became immobile. He had a good run as WWF champion and his tag run with Owen Hart was also very good."

[6.0] "Yokozuna, for the time, was one of the best guys with the stuff he could do. It was completely understandable and believable that he quickly became the youngest WWF Champion in history (at the time). Unfortunately, his weight gain got too much and effected his talent and well being at a rapid pace. He could barely do a 5 minute match in 95/96 and it would only get worse (his Heroes of Wrestling match springs to mind). He died far too young and it's a shame that he couldn't get his weight under control to see what he could have done in the Attitude era and beyond. Overall, he was good in-ring early on but quickly went downhill."

[7.0] "For a guy as big as yoko it's just impressive to him see him do basic wrestling moves. It's just hard to belive someone 600 pounds could move like that most people that size can barely move at all. If he'd kept his weight under control he could have been the next andre a real attraction"

[6.0] "Mild Edits: I wish I could rate him higher, because when he was on he was ON and he had a real knack for timing. But he would also keep that damn nerve hold on for what seemed like 18 straight minutes, all while gritting his teeth and looking like he was dying out there. While I truly loved his initial build and I ADORED that he KILLED Hulkamania in the WWF for many moons, and while I rather enjoy a *good* Yokozuna match and the pairing with Owen Hart was mostly fun... There is also a wealth of mid day nap triggers. 5.75"

[3.0] "Yoko matches are so lame and slow. He had an okay match with Hart, and some entertaining spots when tagging with Owen, but nothing else stands out as anything more than a slideshow. If he could move he would have been a great performer. He had a certain charisma that was interesting, but he never did anything with it because he was hamstrung by Vince."

[9.0] "When working in moderation, you could argue that he's the best superheavyweight to ever do it. Yoko due to his immense size, especially by the time he got to WWF, was never going to be a guy who was going to be able to do long matches without getting gassed. That's why he relied on rest holds a lot in his WWF days and many of his opponents were made to work around him, so that when he did get his stuff in...he did it with a ton of agility and moved his 500 lbs frame around like it was 200 lbs. On top of that, he had the mannerism down for his sumo wrestler character, he had the facials (Yoko mean mugged all the time haha) , he could sell great for a bigger guy... I still remember his long hair in the ponytail hanging half way down his back when he when lean backward after taking a clothesline, the way he would take the bigger moves for someone his size always left me in awe. I didn't find out he was actually Samoan and not really Japanese until a couple of years after he died. Incredible, once in a life time talent. I don't think you'll ever see anyone move like he could move for someone his size ever again in wrestling."

[9.0] "Amazing big guy. He could move so fast for such a huge man, was always entertaining to watch him destroy his opponents. RIP Yokozuna, a true Legend, BANZAI"

[6.0] "Yokozuna gets a bit if a bad rap by way of historical revision. Yes, the transition to the New Generation was rocky to say the least, and Yokozuna couldn't keep his weight under control due to binge eating, but for late 92-mid 94, Yokozuna was a GREAT monster heel. The best the WWF had since Andre The Giant. He could move pretty well and his moves looked like they could kill an opponent! Giving him a 6 out of 10 for being at the front of the main event scene for nearly all of 93 and early into 94 but his obscene weight gain took away his ability to move like he did when he first arrived."

[8.0] "Let's be honest, she moved damn well to have that kind of physique. Unique to beat Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart at WM."

[7.0] "I rather enjoy Yokozuna's work to be honest. It's really hard to be that nimble his weight so I think that's super impressive. His title reign from 1993-1994 was actually quite good tv. His tag team with Owen Hart was a highlight of a rough time for the Fed. I've heard some say that he would be rough on enhancement talent which sucks, but people can be complicated and he was very well liked amongst his coworkers. It's really sad that he died so young. A reminder that we all need to take eating disorders seriously but never fat shame."

[8.0] "By all accounts from his peers, Yokozuna was a consummate professional who was well respected and universally liked by the locker room. In the ring, he was a dominating force who carried the mystique of unbeatability, as a heel, so effectively that his build to the WWE Championship never lost momentum from the moment he entered the company. Mr. Fuji was the logical and perfect manager for him, his chicanery always offered a respite to his heels and worked well with the huge sumo. Yokozuna had incredible agility for his size and it says alot to his selling that he had numerous matches with much smaller wrestlers such as Bret "Hitman" Hart and Shawn Michaels that are looked back upon as classics. A truly great villain of the early 90's in front of the camera and an unforgettable presence in the ring,"

[8.0] "He was a great heel for his time. More importantly, he had the benefit of being from a great wrestling family as well. As a heel champion, he was truly dominant. And it was unheard of for a guy of his size to be that athletic."

[9.0] "A larger-than-life attraction that would grab my attention every single time. That's a huge compliment for any pro wrestler. Terrific worker in and out of the ring, his mannerisms made the gimmick that much more believable and successful. Yokozuna was very agile up until his last few years in the WWF, where his weight got crazy under control. The sad last couple of years are what prevent me from giving him a 10/10, but Yokozuna is unquestionably one of the best monsters in wrestling history."

[4.0] "He's one of the bestbbig men on his best day. But there are infamous moments of him getting blown up too early and getting home minutes before. I know that's because of his condition, but how can I rate him higher if he didn't have the stamina? That's also part of the package. A shame he passed away so soon"

[9.0] "One of the most recognisable wrestlers in history, a highlight of the New Generation era. Had surprisingly good cardio and athleticism for a man of his build. A truly unique talent."

[9.0] "Can't believe Yoko is under a 7 right now. This dude was amazing! He came into WWE at the exact right time, when they needed big imposing top-level heel wrestlers but were also facing the steroid crisis. So what's the solution? A 400-pound monster who was actually quite agile in the ring. Go back and watch his early stuff; it was simply awe-inspiring what a guy his size was actually capable of. But much like his cousin Rikishi, he packed on a ton of weight as the years went by so his in-ring quality naturally became worse and worse worse towards the end of his career, but unlike Rikishi, he was never able to keep his weight in control and unfortunately it led to him passing away way too soon. Still, Yokozuna was something of a precursor to the modern "superheavyweight with more of a cruiserweight style" wrestler, paving the way for guys like Ace Romero and Hanson to achieve some truly remarkable physical feats. Yokozuna was also a real bright spot during a particularly dark time in the WWF, both financially and creatively, and he also helped to put an end to Hulkamania in the WWF (at least for ten years or so) so he's got that going for him too."

[5.0] "His kink for the buffet both helped him get his push and led to his far too early death. I enjoyed his bumps to the outside and he played his character well. Often had to try and get a decent match out of the undertaker which is never easy."

[8.0] "Incredible big man wrestler. Actually very agile before his body sadly deteriorate in the mid 90s. He worked the Yokozuna gimmick to perfection, adapted his in-ring style to match the character perfectly. Really underrated guy. Gone far too soon. RIP."

[9.0] "Larger-than-life monster heel. One of the few bright spots of that dreadful New Generation Era. One of the greatest super heavyweights in the history of the business."

[10.0] "Was one of my favorite bad guys back in the day. For a superheavyweight, he was amazing in the ring. Very agile for his size. Had an Andre-like presence. A moveset that was unique & fun to watch."

[8.0] "His rating is far to low. He was a huge name a monster heel and helped transition the company out of the 80? s style of wrestling. He could move fast for a big man and the fact that he was just the 5th guy in wwe to win the heavyweight title on multiple occasions goes to show you how good he was. He just got to big towards the end of his career but, you have to admit that a 600 pound human being is a hell of a visual. He is the first wrestler that I Have actual real memories of lol I was probably 3 or 4 at the time but I can clearly remember him and the undertaker making an entrance for some show, needless to say they hooked me. Rest in piece yoko."

[7.0] "Very athletic for such a huge man. He was always very entertaining, and played a great big man role."

[10.0] "BANZAI! I can't rate him any lower than a 10. Yoko was my favorite wrestler growing up and he will always be my favorite wrestler."

[3.0] "I'm, quite frankly, baffled by this high of an average rating for Yokozuna. The guy was bordering on immobility for half his career and ran out of stamina in a matter of minutes. All he had going for him was a mean look mostly thanks to his size."

[7.0] "One of the best big men in the history of pro wrestling. He was limited with his size but was also very agile for his size as well."

[8.0] "Yoko has to be at least in the conversation of best super- (or mega-) heavyweights of his era. He was deceptively agile and possessed a great understanding of how to utilize his size to portray a monster heel, and also benefited from strong booking and presentation. He had a solid run with the WWF Title, winning it from Hulk Hogan and ultimately dropping it to Bret Hart, which could also be seen as a transitional reign for the company as it moved from the Rock 'n' Wrestling era into the New Generation. Injuries and weight gain did eventually take their toll - and sadly his last televised appearance was on the infamous Heroes of Wrestling PPV - but Yoko remains a memorable fixture of the first half of the '90s."

[7.0] "A very agile big man, when you were watching him in the 90's it was such a shock to see a man of his size throw a superkick. he got great height on it and was very athletic for his size, RIP you'll be missed."

[9.0] "His appearance alone made him always stand out. He was a huge part of why wrestling didn't lose me when the the Hulk Hogan / Roddy Piper / Ultimate Warrior era started dying down. The emergence of Yokozuna, Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid and the Undertaker helped pass that torch on from the Hulkamania era."

[6.0] "Early in his career, Yokozuna was a strong in-ring performer, with amazing agility for his size. Unfortunately, there was a lot working against him ?  a racist gimmick, a lack of mic skills, and a quick deterioration of his skills due to extreme weight gain. When you watch a match from the end of his career ? for example, the 1996 Royal Rumble ?  it's pretty painful to watch. Where once he was surprisingly mobile for a big guy, by the end he seemed to get winded just from executing a basic move."

[4.0] "Rewatching his time on top I have just one good thing to say. His WrestleMania IX match with Bret was surprisingly better than I thought it would. His match with Hogan was trash (talking about the KOTR one). His body of work consists of mostly squashes. His offense in not pretty and revolves around him being huge and Japanese. His gimmick was racist. His promo-skills were none existent. His manager is one of the worst ever. Basically one of the worst World champs WWE ever had."

[10.0] "This is the best overweight (obese) wrestler ever! The man was very fast and can do a drop kick of the ropes. One of the only big men to jump off the turnbuckle. He is part of the Samoan family which made him a wrestler. When he first enter the WWE he was excellent and dominant the company. He won the WWE Championship twice. He ended the Hulkamania era and was an icon for the New Generation era. The guy kept getting heavier and heavier going from 505 to 600 lbs and then in 1995 to 640 lbs and 1996 to 700 lbs plus. He had a great team with Owen Hart. It was ad to him in his later years as he got slower and slower. WWE had to release because of his weight issues. He had great matches with Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Owen Hart, and Vader. One time the ropes of the ring broke off when he tried to do the Banzai drop on Steve Austin and missed. He had a few appearances in the indies. Sadly his very last match was when he teamed with a drunk Jake Roberts against Vader and Jim Neidhart and lost. But make matters worse he was 760 lbs. He died very young at 34. RIP. he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame! My favorite heavyweight wrestler."

[9.0] "Yokozuna in my opinion is one of the best heels in WWE history with Mr. Fuji coming out with him with the Japanese flag and throwing salt into his opponents eyes. He defiantly deserves his place in the WWE Hall of Fame. And his finishing moves always looked so impactfull. Overall he will be remembered as an all time great."

[7.0] "One of the greatest Monster Heels in wrestling history. Usually guys this big are boring to watch, but did we all not wince in anticipation of squashed guts everytime he did the Banzai Drop? Also inexplicably left off the WWE 2K roster every year."

[7.0] "Probably one of the best wrestlers over 400 pounds. BANZAI! Him and Mr. Fuiji were really a cool team in the early 1990s and I wish I could have seen him in person! haha"

[10.0] "Great wrestler, one of the best. One of the biggest but also surprisingly athletic. It's a shame his weight got out of control but he had a good run and was very successful"

[3.0] "I never really enjoyed any of his matches, most of his career I just saw him as a big fat guy who couldn't really move."