Yuji Nagata

[9.0] "Nagata will always have my upmost respect for the way he was able to persevere through the dark ages of the early 2000s and inokism to truly become one of the best heavyweights in the history of New Japan. His rough, no - nonsense style in the ring was something to behold while also being very charismatic and over.I feel like he doesn't fully get the credit he deserves for being the sorta pseudo ace of the company and filling the void before Tanahashi was established as the true top guy. Not to mention his year long IWGP title reign which is still one of the best ever in my opinion and the title defenses he had were stellar. Also he's the only guy in the history of puro to win all three major tournaments and one the few to win all three major titles. 33 years in and he is still going strong and seems to be a true pillar for the company helping train and usher in the next generation."

[10.0] "Many many wrestlers or pro athletes have their bad times and lack of stability within their public image, some almost couldnt keep up with appearances helping a promotion during boom periods like a brand new thing, towering over this old system called professional wrestling. Yuji Nagata was NOT one of those guys. In 2002, he defeated Tadao Yasuda to become IWGP heavyweight champion for the first time. Those times unfortunately were not glorious and only the true fateful of NJPW in hundreds was there for Nakamura vs Tanahashi, Nishimura vs Fujinami & Tenzan vs Akiyama. Amist those matches was Blue Justice defending the IWGP heavyweight title, facing Yoshihiro Takayama, Kazunari Murakami, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kensuke Sasaki & an underrated 60 minute classic vs Manabu Nakanishi. Blue Justice earned the epithet, Mr IWGP. He would not slow down after his passing of the torch for Hiroshi Tanahashi, he would train the future greats like Okada, Fale, White, YOH, Uemura, Shota, OKhan, Honda, Anzai, Fujita, Oleg and it continues. He would go on to be on international cards in RevPro, MLW, NWA and a quiet MMA pioneer for UWF-I & now GLEAT. I personally take him over Conor McGregor any day. But he is far from done, in fact he is slowing down slowly, he had became singles champion long after his prime. GHC heavyweight title in Pro Wrestling NOAH was quite uneventful but important, defeated Takeshi Morishima in his final few years, NEVER openweight champion defeating Katsuyori Shibata in his best years, instant time portal matches with Minoru Suzuki and Togi Makabe. He was one of the first challengers to go through the forbidden door against Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite for the IWGP United States title. And finally, for the first time in almost ten years without being world champion for a long time, Yuji Nagata became Triple Crown Champion in one of the best upsets in 2023 vs Kento Miyahara, held it for a decent 133 days losing to Yuma Aoyagi. He claims he wants to wrestle until 70+ & fought Boltin Oleg for the NEVER Openweight championship. Yuji Nagata is a legend who given a lot to pro and amateur wrestling, training pros for New and All Japan along with training olympians ready for the games. Larger than life wrestling character and tons of respect by the Blue Justice Army."

"The only reason why he's still good in ring is just because he already looked 50 when he was 30, not surprised"

[10.0] "I remember seeing this guy in WCW in the 90's on TV, I then saw him live years later in 2018, at 50 years old he was STILL as good in ring, definitely one of the greats of Japanese wrestling."

[10.0] "For my money, one of the absolute best to ever do it, on the level of a Misawa or a Kobashi but without similar-level talent around like they had, Nagata is the ideal wrestler. I think he deserves his flowers, not just for his work as a veteran, but in his prime as well."

[7.0] "Great wrestler. Inoki putting him in that MMA fight really ruined him though, never recovered from that to be honest. Then again, put anybody in a ring against Mirko Cro Cop and they'd come out the loser, so I can't exactly hold that against him. I liked his work in NJPW throughout the 90s and 2000s, has done a lot to help train talent and whatnot."

[9.0] "Absolute killer in his prime and has done wonders sticking around to help build up new talent. All you could ever ask for in a professional."

[6.0] "Only saw his stuff in WCW back in the late 90's when he was feuding with Ultimo Dragon. Didn't stick around very long and judging by the comments, he had waaay more success in Japan. Just as well. With WCW's bloated roster and the nWo hogging the top spots, he wasn't going anywhere fast in Atlanta."

[10.0] "The brightest spot in NJPW's dark ages, Nagata has pretty much completed wrestling in Japan, and there's a reason why, even now, he is highly demanded. A fantastic technical wrestler, with a high-impact and no-nonsense style. He was not an innovator, but he did what he did as well as anyone could ever do. He is also insanely charismatic, either as NJPW's ace, or the smug outsider role he played in places like in NOAH. He really is one of the greatest of all-time."

[10.0] "Fantastic techniker, seller, trainer? 30 years in the ring and style incredible at 54 years. He's the only wrestler to have won the 3 biggest singles tournaments the NJPW G1 Climax (2001), AJPW Champion Carnival (2011) and Noah Global League (2013) (now N1 Victory) also one of the only 5 wrestlers to have held all 3 major singles heavyweight championships in Japanese professional wrestling, the IWGP 2x, GHC 1x and Triple Crown 1x. Aslo IWGP tag 2x, GHC Tag 1x, AJPW World Tag 1x, All Asia Tag 1x, G1 tag League 2x and New Japan Cup winner 1x. Nagata is just one of the best worker of the last 30 years in japan."

[8.0] "Even in his current age, Nagata could still hang with the younger, faster generation, and possibly teach them a thing or two. His 2011 G1 Climax run was awesome."

[8.0] "There was a time when it looked like Nagata was the next big Japanese star but Inoki did an Inoki and had him get murdered by Cro Cop. He actually came back well from it thanks to his great wrestling but never hit the heights he maybe would have done. Plenty of great matches over the years and had a terrific swansong."

[8.0] "Blue Justice, in his day, was an extremely good wrestler, that is all I have to really say about him."

[7.0] "Even though his output has diminished due to being an undercard guy now, Nagata is still very good. I've also enjoyed most of what I've seen out of his NOAH work"

[9.0] "Yuji Nagata's the man. While I didn't have a chance to see him in his prime, Nagata has shown flashes of in-ring brilliance even into his 50s. I hope that as I start watching more older shows from the 90s and 00s, this rating will only go up."

[10.0] "A Legend. Do I need to say something else. No one can have reactions like Blue Justice, Mr. IWGP. A true legend."

[8.0] "One of the most consistent if not the top 50+ wrestler out there currently in terms of quality matchups. It sucks that his prime years came during a era where guys like him (more of a throwback to more traditional champions than the irl mixed martial art guys that Inoki was high on at the time) were basically jobbed out to actual high ranking MMA fighters and given no real focus outside of those matches, always usually playing second fiddle. Nagata isn't a massively innovative wrestler nor particularly stands out look wise, but his more grounded and technical style works wonders with the right opponent and he's a solid worker, capable of working 25+ minute matches with little trouble. His understated charisma and ring work have allowed him to be over even far beyond his best years, and he still wrestles like he's in his late 30's, which is no mean feat. Nagata's the kind of wrestler you'd want in any company: reliable, durable as well, and a workhorse both in and out of the ring."

[9.0] "One of the top stars of NJPW during the dark days of Inokism, which unfortunately meant that Nagata while amazing in the ring was booked quite inconsistently. His first big push was his IWGP tag title reign alongside Manabu Nakanishi, they won the belts in August 1999 and nearly held them for a full year. Nagata's IWGP Heavyweight championship reign from April 2002 to May 2003 was also one of the few highlights of this era of NJPW, with Nagata even setting the defense record for a single reign (10 defenses) which lasted 8 years until Hiroshi Tanahashi topped it. Nagata's feuds with Minoru Suzuki and Hiroshi Tanahashi during the 2000s is highly underrated and I definitely recommend them to anybody who want to check out that era of NJPW. Despite Nagata being a NJPW mainstay, he is highly respected by the rest of the Puro scene. In AJPW, Nagata has won the Championship Carnival, making him one of the few wrestlers to win the major tournament in both NJPW and AJPW. In NOAH, Nagata has won the GHC Heavyweight Championship, making him one of the few guys to win the top title in both NJPW and NOAH."

[9.0] "I think of Yuji Nagata and I think good wrestler. An all time great figure for New Japan in a historic fashion but not one of my all time favourites of the promotion or in general. But then I look at my cagematch reviews of a ton of his matches and I generally give them high ratings. So he is a low key favourite of mine. Nagata is clearly a great wrestler with tons of great matches under his belt. Some of the best for the promotion in the 00 period. One of the big main eventers for his prime and well recieved by almost all. Maybe he's not the most charismatic wrestler and compenstates with goofy facials but there is a charm to it and I never don't pop for it. Still good for his current age (in his 50s) and more than capable for a great match or two. It'll be intresting to see how his career is regarded after his retires."

[10.0] "Yuji Nagata simply is an amazing wrestler, his charisma is beyond mankind comprehension and his technical skills are something else. When you watch his matches, you can only root for him (especially nowadays), you can't hate the guy. Also, he's the trainer of NJPW's Dojo, he's making sure that his legacy will move on by training these Young Lions while he slaps them on the face and rolls his eyes."

[9.0] "One of the few veterans of New Japan Pro Wrestling who could still put a good match with almost anyone. Great techinque, smooth moves, surprisingly agile and fast for a guy in fifties and great expresiveness. His match at Wrestle Kindom 2 against Kurt Angle is a piece of how a monster he was (both men have the same age and you can see that, whether Kurt is winded up, Nagata-san seems to have the tank full of gas) and, this year, he had a hell of a match against Ishii."

[9.0] "Nagata has had an long and amazing career with some negatives here and there due to some terrible booking. He always came back from it and that says how good he was."

[9.0] "Nagata's career was almost destroyed in one night thanks to Antonio Inoki's obsession with MMA. Nagata was able to come back from that, in part because he was so great, but it would have been great to see how far he could have gone had he not been forced to get involved with MMA."

[9.0] "I admit, when I got into NJPW I skipped Nagata's matches because I figured he was just someone being kept around because of his legend status. Boy, was I wrong. Still puts on amazing matches at 50."

[8.0] "A great mat technician, if you are unfamiliar with his work just watch a match and that will be all you have to see."

[10.0] "I was introduced to Mr Nagata's work during TNA's Global Impact show against Kurt Angle, which was Wrestle Kingdom II. I immediately got into New Japan at the time, because of his mat work. A true hall of famer, once he retires"

[10.0] "A personal favourite to watch, even after all of these years and a diminished role. Whenever they call his name to show up in a big match, Nagata can still deliver with the best of them and is perfectly in-tune with exactly what needs to be done with each of his diverse opponents. Tremendous talent."

[10.0] "Along with tanahashi, nagata is the heart and soul of New Japan. The Blue Justice, Mr IWGP, the ACE, A true icon, legend. A great technical wrestler and he was easily in top 10 best techinial wrestlers in mid 2000s. Great charisma for sure. Even he is 49 now, he still get it, outperform many young wrestlers and put them to the shame. His final g1 performances this year was spectacular, top 3 Performer of the tournament in my opinion. Thank you Blue Justice for everything. Nagata-san."

[10.0] "Yuji Nagata is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, without a damn doubt. His charisma is totes engaging, I swear that every time that he does the Blue Justice sign I shed some tears, since I've grown up watching him wrestle. His shoot-style never bores me, always incredible to watch him kick & slap rookies and fellow veterans. The dude's almost on his fifties yet he is still giving it all in the ring. He is like the wine... When it gets older, it gets sweeter."

[7.0] "A hard worker and always good for getting the audience excited, however I feel hes been in his twilight years for a while now and probably should find a dignified way to hang up his boots. Yuji was never the best worker in whatever company he worked in but he was an important element to the product. He had a respectable year in 2014 thanks in part to those he worked with."

[9.0] "Yuji Nagata is one of the best of all time, simple. He trained so many legends in the making, has had so many great matches throughout his career. And I love his grumpy old attitude and his facial expressions."

[10.0] "Yuji Nagata is one New Japan's all-time greats. He would be remembered even more fondly if he wasn't the number one victim of Inoki's MMA fetishism, being forced into the sport to build his mystique, which was a colossal failure. Despite Inoki's questionable (at best) philosophy, Nagata put on great matches as the New Japan ace. He hasn't slowed down much, even as he approaches 50 and is probably the best in-ring wrestler over the age of 45 in the world today."

[8.0] "Yuji Nagata is charisma, strong style, and emotion rolled up into a New Japan angry dad package. Dude is super over and still a good competitor who shows no sign of slowing down."

[9.0] "Outstanding physical conditioning, top-level in ring ability, charismatic, and has not been showing any signs of decline eventhough he is reaching 50 years old. Nagata is just legendary."

[10.0] "He and Ultimo Dragon were my favorite wrestlers growing up. The in-ring ability, Showmanship, Psychology, Charisma, and work ethic are all incredible. At the age of 48 he hasn't really lost a step in the ring at all and can still perform a top shelf match with any competent worker in the world. His ability to keep himself in great shape shows what it's like if a worker stays away from drugs and pain medication. He is a true testament to the business and I love watching his performances. My only knock on him could be his selling at times isn't always perfect, but that is a small complaint. He could have been a far bigger star in New Japan during the "Dark Years" which may not have been dark if his push would not have been derailed after his record breaking IWGP Heavyweight Championship run. I hope I have the opportunity to shake his hand one day."

[10.0] "Grumpy attitude, intensity and a wide moveset with kicks, suplexes and submission holds. That's why I love Nagata."

[8.0] "Really good in brawls, sprints and multi-man matches though tends to lose something in longer singles matches. Still a great wrestler."