SANADA

[10.0] "This man has had a very long and complicated rise to stardom, he's somehow the proof that not everybody gets to have a happy ending and go down as a hero, sometimes you might not get what you want from life, and bad luck gets in the way. But if things go bad, you can make them go bad in style, and what style jesus fucking christ. I understand some folk feeling like SANADA has lacked the urgency and may have phoned it in when it comes to some matches, but you fail to understand his point of view: imagine being a sexy as hell guy and not being given every belt that wrestling has to offer, in a New Japan that, as stellar as it was, still managed to push foreigners who eventually left and put belts on the like of Michael Elgin and mistreated IC, US and NEVER straps before SANADA could have a well deserved run at them. This guy is just very charismatic, he has a special look and presence and can turn it up in matches very quickly, which is why he has occasionally struggled in NJPW's beloved long as fuck epic overly long formula, but when allowed to shine he managed to make the fans cheer him against Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada, and when he bested Naito during the G1 30 it seemed like it was the natural evolution of things. Unfortunately, NJPW being the dumbass bitchasses they are, they never followed on it and retarded his push and breakup from LIJ for 2 more years. His run as IWGP champion wasn't as bad as many make out to be, it was actually a good run if you consider the level of opposition he faced: his first defense was a junior, a legendary GOAT at it but still a junior. His Dominion foe was designated in Tsuji, a stellar rookie but a rookie nonetheless. Then, all that goof TK had for him was Jack Perry. Then the G1 rolled around, and by the time he faced a serious threat in EVIL we were in September, and the title never changes there. Read all of this again, and ask yourself if any of the issues that his IWGP run faced are his fault. They are not, you're just ugly. His current persona is the result of him needing to wrestle a lighter style with fewer bumps, because he gave all of himself to the ungrateful idiotic New Japan, but between his ridiculous attires, his falling low blows, guitar shots and BC/HOT antics he might be the best "fallen from grace delusional comedy heel" of all time, and is still able to provide entertainment with his performances, because at the very core of his heart SANADA is a performer who doesn't need 40 minutes to catch your attention."

[7.0] "Sanada is a weird wrestler to rate in that for majority of his career he was always a great tag team wrestler especially during the LIJ days with evil as well as being believable enough to challenge for any title but I never viewed him as someone who could be a top guy. But with that being said when he broke away in 2023 and got pushed it was a great and organic story that had a phenomonal pay off with him beating okada for the title. While the moment was good the actual title run felt lackluster and it is clear that he pushed himself too hard and was wrestling even while dealing with injuries. Thats why it's no surprise he is a shell of his former self now and frankly seems to be phoning it in. I mean if you just look at the way he comes out for matches now with the most ridiculous albeit funny outfits it's clear he has taken a turn for the worst. I'll always appreciate Sanada for being a good in ring performer and a solid hand for NJPW for years but just not someone destined to be a main eventer."

[2.0] "No better than EVIL. Whatever this guy had when he was drawing with Okada and holding the top title, he absolutely lost it in House of Torture. The outfits and guitars and general buffoonery could work, but I always found him a charisma vacuum in Los Ingobernables de Japon, so now that all he has to lean on is charisma in this House of Torture iteration (since no one in House of Torture traditionally 'wrestles' anymore), it's not working very well."

[8.0] "I have a real soft spot for SANADA, he was champion when I started watching every NJPW show and I think he has done a very good job in whatever role he has been put in. As a champion he felt prestigious and the crowds undeniably loved him, as a heel he is despised and he carries himself with a swagger befitting his character. Love him or hate him it is hard to deny that SANADA has earned his spot in NJPW and that he can both draw when in the right position and put on good matches when he is not burdened by the HoT schtick. Not a world class worker but far better than most in any role."

[7.0] "When I first got into NJPW, I was a fan of SANADA. I watched his work pre-2020 and saw that he was really damn good in the ring but after his loss to EVIL in G1 33, he hasn't really had that fire that he once had and it shows big time. After he lost the World title to Naito he just got lost in the shuffle and never found that spark that he once had. Leaving Just 5 Guys really put his career further down the card too. If it wasn't for his work pre G1 33 I would have given him a 5 or 6."

[8.0] "SANADA gets a lot of shit, and it's somewhat understandable, as in comparison to NJPW's previous main-event scene, he is a clear step down. However, SANADA doesn't outright suck, he is a good wrestler and can definitely cut a very good promo when needed. His IWGP championship run whilst pretty shit, was good in places and would've been a whole lot better if it didn't include Jack Boy and EVIL. So, I'm not going to say SANADA's a bad main-eventer, he definitely had his place in history as a surprise road-block to Tetsuya Naito. Admittedly, there's not a whole lot of other compliments I can give him, he's just bog-standard, fun but nothing earth-shaking nor nothing worth breaking a television over."

[7.0] "Sanada is great, pretty solid wrestler, of course, if you compare him with what New Japan used to have at the main event scene, he's behind, and ideally he's a mid carder, but he delivered well when inserted at the main event spots, and I really like his attitude, he's a showman, a good babyface, the guy the kids and the elders love, very charismatic. Technically I think he's a good worker, nothing to complain."

[6.0] "He's ok I guess, not much going on with him. His IWGP World Heavyweight Championship reign was ok but nothing special, I did enjoy his bouts with Takahashi and Naito but other than that is was pretty boring. His character work is okay and everything about him is just kinda dry."

[5.0] "I don't really like Sanada. He's never had the connection with me like some other guys in New Japan and it seems for the Japanese crowds as well. To me he's got a boring look, zero personality (both in and out of the ring) and boring moveset. He can put on a good match here and there but that's all he is to me."

[8.0] "For some reason, SANADA gets a lot of hate online, being criticized for being a boring wrestler. Ive never agreed with this, and usually enjoy his matches. I think hes just under the level of guys like Naito, Okada, Omega, and Ibushi were at, and I dont know if hell ever get there, but he can be a solid world champion from time to time"

[8.0] "SANADA isn't perfect, he can be sloppy from time to time and maybe needs an even better crowd connection but despite that he's a great wrestler who has a nice resume of great matches against guys like Okada, Tanahashi, Ibushi etc and it's not only thanks to his opponents because he can really go. I admit he's among my favorites since a while now and is far too underrated among fans, he's actually a great wrestler and is really fluid inside the ring as well as really technically gifted, and can deliver when it's needed like in his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship run which was underrated due to a disappointing booking and a lack of title defenses (and a really boring match against EVIL at Power Struggle) but look at his matches against Okada, Takahashi, Tsuji and even against Naito, he really showed how good he's and doesn't seem out of place as a World Champion, just i hope they will give him a better booked reign and with the departures of White, Ospreay and Okada, they need to create new main event stars and SANADA isn't a bad choice at all."

[8.0] "SANADA is unfairly criticized, although he is not as good as the likes of Naito, Okada and so on that is not what the point is. He has bags of charisma and his singles matches are not always amazing but then that is not a normal thing, he delivers when he needs to and I am glad he got a world title run, he hasn't had the benefit of a great booking team the past year but hopefully in the future he can continue to improve and be more consistent with his singles. Overall though he is a top star and doesn't deserve the hate that he gets."

[8.0] "Sanada's puzzling to me. On one hand I can get super invested in his matches but on the other hand he can drag a bit. He has improved in the past year but even still he drags. He is charismatic and decent in ring. He is good, but not great. He had a great title run though."

[5.0] "As technically sound as SANADA is, I find him rather bland and boring, even his most appreciated matches aren't particularly great, and there are many people that do whatever he does but more convincingly and with more charisma. I honestly dont see him as a world champion ."

[10.0] "Love this guy so much because he is just so good. His stoic character was pretty rad as is but now he added a bit of champion cockiness which made even cooler in my eyes. Of course SANADA always was a great in ring worker and couple everything with a great look and a great faction in J5G and we have one of more complete wrestlers in all of NJPW. Hope they make him a prominent main event player for years to come."

[8.0] "Very clean technically, a has a tendency to make his matches drag more than they should. He is generally not the most exciting in-ring, though most of the time he will manage to bring a few truly great sequences of wrtestling which makes his matches still engaging (his finishing stretches in big matches are usually really worth the watch). Character-wise he is likeable enough though he dosn't stand out much. Since leaving LIJ and becoming IWGP World heaviweight champion he has shown interesting an interesting evolution, he is more lethal and has a carefree confidence that is refreshing to see."

[5.0] "One of the most boring wrestlers of all time. He's not particularly good at any aspect of wrestling. He doesn't stink up the joint or anything, but great matches are almost non-existent and even good matches are quite rare. Just the most bland and mediocre wrestler I could think of. The very definition of 5/10 in every possible category."

[9.0] "Last time I gave him an 8, here's what I said in 2019: "SANADA clearly has some potential and he keeps improving but he still lacks something to take the next step. His selling can be awkwardly non-existent sometimes, I don't know if it's due to his "Cold Skull" gimmick wich prevents him to show more emotions. He needs a little more personality, a little more consistency and I think he can be one of the top stars because besides that he has a cool look, some great athletic and technical abilities and has the potential of telling good stories. He is also pretty popular. I don't think we've seen "prime SANADA" yet, hope he can become the star almost everyone sees in him." Fast forward to 2023, and it seems like he finally had a clue and changed things. It's not perfect yet, there is still a few things that I don't like that much about him but he's a great wrestler and makes a great IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He is refreshing and right now his gimmick is a mix between modern and old school wrestling, leaning a little more on his Keiji Muto influence. He has a much more professional look and Gedo doesn't book him in overly long matches, which plays on his qualities. Even though he opened himself more since leaving LIJ, he still has this kind of stoic feel, I guess that's part of his appeal. But for some it might be the thing that makes him feel weird and harder to connect emotionally."

[9.0] "I can understand the criticism that people have for him, specifically during his LIJ run, with the main argument being that he didn't really care, and that his matches weren't for everyone. I totally can see that. That being said, since the move to J5G, he has been a DOG. I haven't watched NJPW consistenly for a long period of time, but since I've started (WK17 and most shows since), he has been a consistent highlight. Now that the company is behind him and presenting him like the star that he is, I think a lot of people are going to change their minds."

[6.0] "The embodiment of doing just enough. He's not notably bad, but he doesn't excel at any single aspect of wrestling either. His character work, his promo, his in ring is all middle of the road. Unless he's paired with a worker that can press him, or rally the crowd on his behalf, his matches are often forgettable, monotonous, and lack emotional investment. Sanada is now the champion, and has an overall better presentation since leaving LIJ. The crowd is behind his reinvention, but feels like they will turn quickly if presented a more charismatic rival, such a Tsuji."

[4.0] "SANADA is a ok wrestler, a mid carder, he should not go above this, he has moments of greatness, for example his match against Okada in the 2019 G1 was a great match, but his matches in the 2020 G1 were bad, with the only good one being against Yano, ZSJ and Hashi, his match against Naito was the worst of the tournament being 0. 75*, with only point of interest being ruined by a botch, Sanada vs Kenta was almost as bad, although I had less hope for this do to Sanada's horrid match against Naito and KENTA being a terrible wrestler since joining NJPW, the rest of his tournament being just as boring ending on a 3* final he did not deserve, I just did not watch his match against EVIL in Wrestle Kingdom and I am not excited for his match against Kota. I hope he does not become a true main eventer, it would be just as bad if not worse then EVIL becoming one. EDIT: He became the World Champion, and he has not improved enough to be in this position, although his image is much better, nothing else has really changed, and he is still the same horribly dull wrestler."

[6.0] "I certainly prefer this new Sanada presentation than his LIJ iteration. However, the new look and the new belt doesn't change my overall impression of him. His matches linger around the "satisfactory" range, but often dip into tedium. I find him fundamentally sound but dull, often slowly paced. I cannot remember a single Sanada match that I wanted to re-watch, or even remember, at a later time."

[9.0] "Sanada has always been a good talent, but there seemed to be this limit to what he could achieve in NJPW. He was really close to becoming a Goto-level "Almost Guy" but then something changed. He left LIJ, changed his whole appearance, his whole outlook, he's got a new group backing him up more than LIJ really ever did. And guess what, he finally broke through that limit, and has become the top guy in Japan. Only time will tell if he can become one of the all-time great champions but with this new fire burning inside him, I think he can just do that."

[8.0] "I like Sanada, he has put on so many great matches but everytime he gets a big push, he just doesn't utilize his chance. Look at his G1 29 match against Okada and you see how special he can be. EDIT: He's now the world champ and his presentation is VERY different...I like this new Sanada, let's see how far he can go."

[8.0] "SANADA is the silent wrestler. He doesn't do a lot of talking, doesn't react much; He seems like a gifted performer with very fluid movement but His work has never been truly amazing imo, good but unspectacular and his matches leaves you wanting more. Also his character needs a little work and he needs to change up his finisher; The Dragon Sleeper Skull End isn't a great finisher."

[9.0] "While I'm not to big on the other members of Just 5 Guys, I do think very highly of SANADA and the effort he puts in. It was absolutely the right call for him to defect from LBJ is New Japan are really planning to push him. It really felt for the longest time at that promotion that they didn't want to put the world title on wrestlers that originated from the other big Japanese promotions like All Japan or NOAH. Though this remains to be see at the time of this review, SANADA has put the time in making incredible matches and finally seeing him win the big one would make this all the better for it."

[8.0] "Since 2016 and much more since 2020 I think Sanada can be a modern version of Masahiro Chono (good technicker, great look and a lot of charisma) I think he can won 2, 3 or 4 New Japan Cup and G1 and maybe 1 or 2 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship as a transition champion"

[7.0] "There was a time when SANADA looked like being the next breakout star. He's got good size and a weird silent charisma that got him over with fans. His work is incredibly smooth but lacking a bit of psychology which results in many of his matches that you'd expect to be great just don't turn out that way, although he's obviously coasting through his career which doesn't help either."

[7.0] "SANADA is a guy who should be so much more than he is, but unfortunately, I doubt he'll ever reach the upper echelon. To me, it just seems like he's been coasting on his entire act for the last decade, maybe. At times we get his match against Okada in the G1 2019, but at other times we get a very, very average wrestler. He has the tools, but he doesn't know what to do with them. See U Next Time."

[10.0] "I hope he can hold the US Heavyweight belt, I feel like he got screwed out of the whole situatuion with that title, he is a VERY GOOD wrestler who can believably hold any kind of gold."

[7.0] "I feel like Sanada brings so much energy with him to the ring and the way he executes his moves on his opponents. So many little instances where he went the extra mile to make a move look all the more real than it actually was."

[7.0] "He is a little lackluster in the ring but his style and look more than makes up for it. If he ever becomes better it the ring, he would be an 8 or 9 for sure."

[6.0] "People often compare Orton to Okada, but I would compare him more to Sanada. Both are great athletes who carry themselves well, look great, are very smooth in the ring, and rarely produce a bad match. However, they both share the problem of rarely producing 'great' matches unless they're wrestling people who can thrust intensity onto them (like Suzuki in the case of Sanada or Foley in the case of Orton). Though, I feel like this issue is worse in the case of Sanada, personally. The idea of him being a very naturally talented person who coasts by and comes up short in higher-stakes scenarios because he doesn't bring out the fire necessary to succeed could be used to produce a pretty compelling character arc, but we've had since 2016 for something to change. I really hope he ends up developing more because I feel like Sanada could be something special, but after 6 years, I don't have high hopes."

[8.0] "If you take a lifeless robot and program it be one of the most athletic, smoothest, and best grappling wrestlers in the world, you get Sanada. He is very popular in Japan, and his in-ring work is excellent, but his lack of emotion has held him back from being anything more than a borderline great wrestler."

[5.0] "The world needs to stop pretending Sanada is any good, he is remarkably bland and only capable of one facial expression. All the athleticism in the world means nothing if you can't draw the audience into your match"

[5.0] "SANADA is a real athlete and can be good... but it's often not the case because his moveset is weird and he doesn't use his abilities for doing a good match but for doing... whatever. Sometimes, whatever does a good match. Sometimes."

[5.0] "A utility year for SANADA - being Ibushi's first challenger post-Tokyo Dome; some decent tournament performances (vs Ishii and Ospreay in the NJC); most importantly, giving Naito a tag partner as he stepped away from the world title scene. SANADA's still young but with Ospreay and Shingo surpassing him, you have to wonder if he's missed the boat as a world champion."

"SANADA is a hugely mixed bag, which is a shame because I think he has the potential to hang with the greats of this generation. Alas, it seems he will never fully realise it; between his piss weak finishers and boring character work, he just doesn't have what it takes to completely escape the mid-card."

[7.0] "He has his moments but they are too few and far between. Every year there is a mini SANADA push and it never really leaves you wanting to see it go all the way."

[5.0] "Sanada is the classic worker that bookers and promoters just have to try and push into the main event scene multiple times with each and every push dying a quiet death. As an in-ring worker he's not particularly good: he has his big moves designed to wow the crowd and little in between. The longer a match goes, the sloppier and more careless he becomes. And since joining NJPW he put on what look like 30lbs of muscles. something that really impacted his mobility. Outside of the ring he's very much like Kota Ibushi: a complete non-entity. His attempts to build this "silent badass" persona have not been too successful: he's basically the same old Sanada, only he talks even less. Kinda like EVIL he's a midcarder who reveals all his limits when he receives a push, limits the Meltzer and NJPW fandom hype machine try to cover by giving his matches and storylines exaggerated and sometimes comical praise. Unless he undergoes some radical transformation (and charisma cannot be taught), he's perfectly adequate living in Naito's and Hiromu's shadow."

[7.0] "He's very capable of achieving greatness with the right opponent in the ring, but he has too many lulls at times to build a consistent reputation as someone worth pushing further."

[6.0] "I just can't STAND Sanada's gimmick. He's supposed to be this ice cold, stoic guy in the ring but this doesn't translate to anything beyond him having zero emotion and having a excuse to slack off, he's utterly dull and doesn't work at all with the more colorful members of LIJ, dude just stands there and somehow gets title shots and tag belt runs just by being around. This might have something to do with his.... rather large female audience (something which has also played into the likes of Shibata's big push as well, so it's not as wacky as you might think) and the fact that he's actually fairly over in the right conditions. That being said, his style of wrestling just puts most people off as he spams Skull End or botching, which are both often for him. I'll give him his due, he's had great matches when contending with top tier talent, but he's either too lazy or too incompetent in most of everything else he does. This is a guy who's been working for 14 years, drew with Go Shiozaki back in AJPW and was primed for the main event there, is in currently the most over stable in NJPW, and has shared the ring with multiple contenders for MVP's of their respective era. With all of that, you'd think he would be better than what he is now, which is mediocre. Might get better as he gets older but I'm not too sure about that."

[7.0] "Great wrestler but a gimmick in which somebody remains stoic in the face of the kind of emotion required for an all-time great pro wrestling match is simply beyond counterproductive. He is technically sound and has everything to build off of but I fear until he drops his Cold Skull persona, we will never see his enormous potential realised."

[3.0] "SANADA is a very bad wrestler. He can't do a good Dragon Sleeper, his moonsault sucks too, and he use all of this as finisher. The king of botch of NJPW, after every match we can see GIF of all his disasterclass. The only thing he has is a good look"

[7.0] "He is a great athlete, but his matches are often boring for me. Lack of explosiveness, lack of fire in the ring. I know he is the cold skull and so on, but even the cold skull should blow up sometimes. Look at Orange Cassidy. He is all lazy and slow, but then he gets angry and explodes. I wish Sanada could do the same. And I wish he had a great non-submission finisher, because Skull End often just slows down the tempo too much..."

[6.0] "Don't get me wrong, Sanada is a very talented wrestler, but there's little about his character that interests me. He has this aloof personality, which can be pretty entertaining at times, but sometimes he feels more dull than anything else. Even so, he's an integral part of the awesome LIJ stable, and that should count for something, so he's a welcome member to the New Japan roster, and certainly better than Evil."

[2.0] "I don't understand how to put a 9 or a 10 at this guy. He botches a lot, he is not fluide at all and he shows it to us every time he steps foot in a wrestling ring. Yes, I am the only one on cagematch who put a low rating at him like this, but I just think he deserves that rating. His Dragon Sleeper is awful. He can't do properly a TKO. He is sometimes laughable with some botches, and his big matches, for example against Omega at the G1 28, are really not good to me. If I have to recommend one match it's his G1 Climax 30 final against Kota Ibushi. But except this match, just don't watch this guy."

[7.0] "It pains me to only give SANADA a 7 but I feel it's his rightful rating. Immensely talented athletically and with a great look, his score for me can only reach a 7 or perhaps an 8 due to his infuriating lack of emoting during matches and poor mic skills. The all too infrequent glimpses of characteristic NJPW fire make me have hope he'll figure it out and become a true main eventer but as he is currently it's just not enough to reach the top tier of wrestlers. I suppose you could argue he's playing to his 'cold skull' gimmick but it just doesn't work, I can't get excited about a guy who just doesn't seem to be interested more often than not."

[7.0] "He's a really athletic guy, and he also has a solid technique. But he has to improve his moveset and learn to construct better his matches. Once he does, he'll be a hell of a performer."

[5.0] "You can't deny he's over with the Japanese crowds but for someone who has already been a journeyman through so many promotions, who got set up in NJPW's hottest stable and has been given an ongoing push served to him on a silver platter for 3-4 years now, SANADA just doesn't have it. He's crisp enough in the ring but he puts nothing into his work to make you feel what he's doing, and he doesn't even pull off his too-cool stoic persona. On occasion he gets dragged to a **** match by a better worker with a sense of storytelling but when he's the one leading the dance his matches are sluggish and meaningless. Even his feud with EVIL, which should have been hot and vicious given both guys' characters and history as partners, has fallen completely flat. I had hopes for him around his first big push but he's become possibly the dullest singles wrestler in the company today."