Ren Narita

[3.0] "I want to like Ren Narita. Prior to his addition to House of Torture, I thought he would inherit what made Shibata such a compelling character despite a simple package. But the House of Torture has just been such a forced annoyance on the New Japan fanbase, and they seem to think pushing them more means we'll like them more. And that has unfortunately tainted any interest and potential I saw in Narita. He's still talented, but even worse than being a bad wrestler is being a wrestler I couldn't care about. After H.O.T. eventually perishes, I might revise this but as it stands; I couldn't care less about what he does."

[4.0] "I have the same issue with Ren as I do with SHO and EVIL. Before joining House of Torture? Would've given him an eight. After joining House of Torture? Probably like a 3 or 4. He's been an EVIL knockoff ever since and it's bored me to tears. His matches against Shota at the New Beginning 2024 and against Gabe in the 2025 NJC is his best work. He's only had a year to show us how good he is post excursion and he was impressive but EVIL and SHO had a whole career before H.O.T and they were more impressive. Side note, Naritas entrance jacket looks like dog shit."

[5.0] "I liked Narita as a fiery babyface young lion and was intrigued by his return as a Shibata clone, he'd put on some weight and had that mean look to him. Unfortunately, he just hasn't kicked on and I'm not looking forward to his matches as things stand. He's lacking any real identity and crowd engagement and is currently being left behind in terms of in-ring quality and crowd connection in comparison to Tsuji & Umino. His heel persona seems to fit him better but being part of HoT is severely hampering his ability to put on good matches."

[4.0] "Ren Narita has good basic abilities but not much else. Very boring wrestler, especially since joining HoT. Him and Shota are battling for worst wrestler of this new generation. Will give him credit for having an awesome blade job, as shown in the HoT vs War Dogs cage match."

[5.0] "Ren is not a bad wrestler, but he never really made me feel much before his heel turn, and post he just annoys me a bit. A decent midcard wrestler right now, and unfortunately given the House of Torture's record... I'm not entirely sure he will significantly improve either"

[5.0] "I hate everything about Naritas HoT run. Normally he was a solid wrestler and I think he could've been someone. A shame to see him develop like that. Get him out of that faction and get him a gimmick that's not Shibata Jr. as that will never get over"

[5.0] "I believe Narita is extremely held back by being in House of Torture. Ive seen some of his matches before he joined and he showed promise but every time hes in a match nowadays Im always so bored. I also absolutely hate his finisher it does NOT look good in any way, shape or form even if someone was to spike themselves on their head it just stinks."

[6.0] "I've always deposited lots of confidence in Narita, the son of strong style, protected by Suzuki and impossible to not compare with Shibata, but so far he's really falling behind his contemporaries, ever since joining the House of Torture, he didn't had good matches and can't have a breakout moment. The HoT is a lost cause, and he's very young and much more will come, I hope he gets better booking and performances with time, so far he's only regressing, but I still have faith in him and know he can do a lot better."

[8.0] "Of all young lions of his time, Narita always looked like the shy kid of the family that was scared to interact or even smile to the fans, but that of course changed when he went to America and conquered the American fans' interest. When he came back to Japan on the Tokyo Dome against Shibata in 2022, it was clear that it was not only about Shibata's triumphant return, but also a preview that Narita was ready, and it wouldn't take long for him to come back, which it happened in later October, having a killer streak on the TV belt Tournament. When it was proven that being a Shibata student was more of a rip off than a benefit (something Umino fails to realize when he imitates Tanahashi and Naito), he turned heel and joined HoT. Well I have to admit, Narita is the other HoT member alongside Kanemaru that I'm not feeling tired of. Maybe this was the result of his betrayal being a benefactor for him to create something original around his personality and move-sets, moving away from Shibata's shadows and the lame talk of change of the guard he had going on. Unlike SHO or EVIL, he doesn't act obnoxious or delusional, but still maintains the blind eyed act and preserves his cheating right."

[10.0] "ren narita is going to be a very special wrestler who will forever be underrated the same way kanemaru is purely because a large portion of the western njpw audience are pretty moronic (what else do you expect from people from the USA & UK lol) and one dimensional in their enjoyment of wrestling. narita has everything you need from a guy in your upper midcard. he can go in big matches if he needs and has proven that with his G1 in 2023 and his TV title tournament stuff in 2022. he can also do the fun comedy stuff alongside the usual house of torture shenanigans which i love personally. i think people like ren narita are a dying breed in wrestling and it's really good that kanemaru has passed fown a lot of his amazing tendencies to narita. going to be criminally underrated forever."

[6.0] "Ren Narita was alright as a mini-Shibata but has excelled in HoT, his character work has been excellent. While he is looking far from being a main event worthy talent, his big match against Moxley was pretty good and he is a reliable undercard entertainer at present. His arc of actually wrestling until he starts to lose is really fun to watch and I cannot wait to see how it develops. Overall the worst of the Musketeers + Uemura, but that is still a high watermark and he is a reliable and solid worker."

[6.0] "Because I'm fucking insane apparently, I'm one of the only people who was generally happy when Narita turned heel and joined the House Of Torture, as Narita is otherwise just too fucking bland in comparison to Umino and especially Yota to really play a factor in the company. Nonetheless, events have shown that doing so was perhaps harmed his career severely, including his matches and especially his moveset (which is probably the worst in NJPW right now). Still, the story that they have made with Narita is fun, so I can't complain with that, and also, the fact that he hits people with a comical piece of wood/steel is hilarious."

[4.0] "I used to like him. He had potential and still does. Unfortunately he seems to have learned all the wrong lessons from the House of Torture - or maybe House of Torture just sucks that much - and gotten extremely lazy with his work. You can be bland in the ring if you're charismatic enough to cover for it. You can be uncharismatic if you're great in the ring. But being boring on the stick and boring in the ring is a a one-way ticket to the lower midcard."

[2.0] "Ren is a competent worker. That is about the best that can be said about him. He performs moves well. He can't talk. He dresses like a young lion. His offense is drab and uninspired. He doesn't seem to have come up with a single fun sequence, let alone a high spot. As a Shibata clone he was unconvincing, and as an EVIL protege he is unwanted. He is currently more deserving of a pink slip than a push, and really needs to start proving his worth."

"Ren Narita went from a Shibata clone to a full blown heel with the House of Torture in just 1 year but he has a new finisher so that is good but needs more charisma with his new "SOULED OUT" character and I kind of saw the turn coming even before World Tag League."

[7.0] "Another interesting young wrestler in NJPW with an intriguing character development, he started as Katsuyori Shibata clone but once he turned against Shota Umino, he shows other than being a clone, howewer i'am skeptical to the idea of him joining the House Of Torture given it destroyed EVIL and SHO's careers but it can also help him to find a character, just don't let him in HoT for too long. Narita was already a really interesting prospect when he was a young lion and is not a disappointing talent, he has great ringskills and works well either as a face or as a heel. Like Umino and Tsuji, Ren Narita will taste IWGP gold within 5 years."

[7.0] "Very solid technical wrestler that sadly is stuck in a gimmick that doesn't feel like it fits him right now. Maybe my opinion will change with time but for now I think he lacks character and charisma, he doesn't play a specific role either in this roster so sometimes it feels like he's just...there. He's a very good wrestler, can still have some great matches right now, but for now it doesn't seem like he clicks really well for the audience. Especially for someone announced as one of the future main eventers of New Japan, he lacks some sort of crowd connection or another direction for his character."

[7.0] "The least flashy of the Reiwa Musketeers, but that's not necessarily bad thing. Narita has bright future future in NJPW. Starting him off with a 7 w/ room to grow."

[6.0] "Narita was my favourite young lion from his class, but I've grown a bit tired of him since his return. I initially thought he was really endearing as the Shibata pupil who was also his spitting image in looks and offence, but I've since become rather bored of him being what can best be described as just "off-brand Shibata, since his displays of intensity and aggression all look a bit forced and uncomfortable, and his offence isn't nearly as hard-hitting or precise as Shibata's was. Add to that that he offers nothing meaningfully distinct from Shibata in terms of character or offence either, instead only recreating whatever Shibata did at about 50% the success rate, and you have a pretty underwhelming performer. I still think he's definitely more good than bad, since he can still impress technique-wise with his strikes and submissions, but he never really steps above that to do anything *truly* impressive. Obviously he's still young and has room to grow with this strong base of his, but I'm worried about how long we'll have to sit through his cheap Shibata cosplay before finally getting something truly exciting and unique."

[8.0] "I like this guy. He Is the mix of Ishii and Suzuki and probably he 'll be the future of this kind of style, he Just Need a push. ****"

[6.0] "Was very promising as a Young Lion but he didn't have the typical excursion that others did and I thought that might hinder him but he's really coming into his own anyway. It's not a certainty by any means but he could be a big star eventually."

[8.0] "Might come back someday and rate him a 10, he is the true "Son of Strong Style". There is so much of Katsuyori Shibata in this kid it is absolutely CRAZY. A future main eventer that the people can get behind for sure."

[8.0] "One of those guys that I cannot wait to see where he goes. Narita could very well be the future of NJPW eventually"

[9.0] "It is a good feeling to follow in the footsteps of Shibata Katsuyori. So it's a strong style I'm looking forward to."

[8.0] "One of my favourite Young Lions along with Gabriel Kidd. His style is heavily based on Shibata's wrestling style whom he idolizes."

[8.0] "If they keep Narita as this shooter character cut from the same cloth as Katsuyori Shibata when he comes back from his excursion in the states, he will become my favorite wrestler in New Japan."

[6.0] "He was given a big chance at the Best of Super Juniors 2019 when he replaced Flip Gordon and grabbed it without hesitation, putting up a truly impressive performance for somebody with so little experience. Very promising and NJPW's idea to put the Young Lions in sink or swim situations albeit brutal brought out the best in him. The only thing I fear is he'll be packed off to a foreign promotion where he'll just lose his edge like it happened with Kawato."

[8.0] "When I first saw Ren Narita in the Young Lions Tournament I didn't think much of him. However, I truly believe he has a tremendous future and could be a star. He's a year, nearly 2, into his career and he's putting on good matches with the likes of Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll. In none those matches did he appear to be carried or outwrestled. I see big things in his future and will probably be back to update his number."

[6.0] "Young Lion's like Ren Narita are why New Japan Pro Wrestling are assured of a bright future in terms of having top-quality wrestlers on top."

[8.0] "Umino and Narita is already passed my expectation about them. Their progression as young lion is great. Narita attitude and mentality in wrestling in the ring already won my heart. Of course, he still young and new in pro wrestling but with his talent, he probably gonna be one of the great in the future. And yeah NJPW dojo is full with talented yooung lion and I can't wait to see all of their progression."