SHO

[4.0] "Pretty good wrestler then he just let it go once he split from YOH and joined HOT. I originally had him at an 8 years ago and an 7-8 would be accurate for the time but he's really lost whatever he had."

[4.0] "SHO is a strange one. The man has had a short carreer up until 2020 which was awesome to watch. He was very good in the ring and so fun to watch. Since 2021 onward the man has been poor and uninspiring"

[5.0] "I know him only by his House of Torture period and I think its not his best work. Looks like there a good wrestler behind all the shenaningans but we just never has the occasion to see a real wrestling match when he is in the ring and not in the really fun way"

[6.0] "I'm kinda disappointed in SHO. His tag team run in Roppongi 3K seemed to be priming him as the next Junior Ace of NJPW; an unstoppable power wrestling babyface with an awesome finisher who was gonna carry the division into the next decade. Instead we got a heel turn and the House of Torture. He's grown to become good in this role but he's nowhere near the star he could have been. I feel like I was sold a false bill of goods."

[4.0] "His murder machine persona was inspired by his CMLL run as Ruijin and his long time tag partner Yohei Komatsu as Fuijin, scummy buggy type of heel who pulls the facial expressions of evil tendencies. Before that, he dabbled into sparring competitions among MMA and dojo classes. He entered the NJPW dojo back in early 2012 where he bounded with Yohei and Takaaki Watanabe who are completely fresh in the business at that time. While SHO and YOH went to Mexico for the tag run as Okumura wants them for his final incarnation of La Ola Amarilla. Soon afterwards they made their way to the US for the first time representing ROH as a tester tag proto run as RAW FISH or in Japanese The Tempura Boys. It lasted although the year until King of Pro Wrestling 2017 before Junior Tag League, where Rocky Romero begun managing his first tag team in the form of SHO and YOH known as Roppongi 3K. 3K was the flash young heartthrobs with light up shoes and spandex gear. Many years of success and short coming injuries goes by and SHO throws it all away by letting his follow peer Evil, Yujiro and Dick Togo suck the literally soul out of him. He went from flashy stylish technical wrestling standout to a full brown stone cold statistic form of cancer in the junior heavyweight roster. He achieved success as NEVER Six Man tag team champions with his group known as The House Of Torture. Fans are exempt from clean action to tortuous games played. It hurts to say in this run, he won the IWGP Jr heavyweight title by COUNT OUT. Its like being snake bitten and embracing the pain. And the title reign lasted more than a month losing to El Desperado once again in a steel cage. His persona makes him above average but talking before every match is sacrilege while using everything from spanners to potato bags. That is all he is but not what he could be."

[5.0] "SHO used to be one of my favorites in the junior division and a clear candidate for a future ace of the division, but sadly ever since the heel turn his potential has completely evaporated. The constant interference and cheating that comes with HoT matches robs SHO of any chance to show off his incredible ring skill and leaves his matches ranging from skippable at best to downright awful at worst. I still hold out hope that SHO can ditch the HoT stuff and regain some of the magic that made him great in the pre-covid days."

[4.0] "It's unfortunate, but SHO has regressed in a big way, which is a shame for a guy who was touted as being a future Ace of his division. Being in the House of Torture hasn't helped him one bit. Hopefully he finds a way back to fulfilling his potential, but at the present moment, I just cxan't see it happening."

[5.0] "I give him a 5 because its hard to give him a proper rating. He was an 8-9 before joining House of Torture, now he's a 3-4 because I haven't seen much good stuff from him since. Sure, he's been doing his character well but it doesn't help that he's not using the skill he had before. It's the same case with EVIL. Everyone wanted them to win their respected divisions titles but once they became like this, they did."

[7.0] "The HoT stuff is clearly not working at all but his skills before that debacle were very apparent. His matches with Shingo were standout and he was clearly on the trajectory to being the Jr champ. I hope they put an end to this heel run ASAP so SHO can realise his potential. While I think he was an 8 during his peak Jr days, he's unfortunately falling down the ranks pretty fast doing this cringe heel shtick."

[5.0] "Another one of the HoT guys without charisma at all and making his whole style about cheating and dumb stuff. His match against El Desperado was so hard carried but Despe, it is not even funny. I hear he was a promising wrestler once and I hope he goes back to that."

[6.0] "SHO should be a solid 8 or 9 right now based on his own career. He's great in the ring and has put on some great matches for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Sho's career has seemed to have turned absolutely cold ever since joining House of Torture and now he looks almost lost in the ring. Sloppy, hated and botchy at times. He seems almost uncomfortable in his heel role. He's had some absolutely horrible matches with the likes of Drilla Moloney, Ninja Mack, Hiromu Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori in the first 7 months of 2024. He can pull out good matches now and again but his potential has diminished and the only way to bring him back is removing him from HoT."

[9.0] "Okay, look. In the current climate of SHO's career, a 9 looks crazy. He's in the middle of an okay, if a little disappointing run as JHC, just finished outside of the block winners in BOSJ 31, and won the title he currently holds via count out. It's about what he does for me, personally. House of Torture was once a massive black spot on the face of New Japan, but SHO has turned it around for me. He's funny, he's fast, he takes the repetitive HoT formula and he makes something out of it. He has my current match of the tournament with DOUKI, a 20 minute interference laden comedy fest, perfection. He's got it. A fun set of moves, a great presentation as the 'Murder Machine' who looks like he couldn't hurt a fly. It's all so wrong, but it all works so well. I love this guy."

[4.0] "What was once a promising talent in the Jr. division is now a complete shadow of his former self. The bangers with Shingo and his workrate as a Junior are long gone. Of course he could still work like that (which is why he, at least, gets 4 points) but this gimmick is ruining his carreer."

[6.0] "SHO is just SHO, I could basically copy and paste the review I left for EVIL and it'd somewhat work but fuck it. SHO is completely fine, but again being in HOT doesn't justify being IWGP junior champion or anything really close to that, especially given the fact that SHO doesn't wrestle like a junior at all anymore. Additionally, thinking of SHO now to what he used to be before the HOT is depressing, as he went from being one of the best tag wrestlers in the company to a wacky man hitting people with a comical wrench. But still, SHO does get good heat, and if you're a wanker and that's all you care about, kudos (btw Cagematch that was a joke, please don't seize my assets)"

[5.0] "Sho is a good example of how being in House of Torture just sucks everything out of a guy. Hes talented in ring, and I thought he was really good as a baby face, and despite being a smaller guy height wise, he was bulky, and could have been used as a heavyweight. Hes a missed opportunity, get him out of House of Torture for the love of god"

[7.0] "Disregarding the HoT filth that comes with the faction label, SHO is an great heel. He stood out from the rest of the Jr. division as a face because of his powerful techical ability and devastating moveset but while in CHAOS was clearly still "the guy that used to be in a tag team". Now, he's developed into a great slimey, snarky, wormy cheating character, that honestly gets the ire of audience more than even EVIL does. Out of the whole roster, SHO is the "little bastard" of the cast, and his gaining of the Jr. Heavyweight title will finally allow him to show off his character more now that he's in the spotlight. UNFORTUNATELY house of torture will house of torture so a couple of his matches might be stinkers from overbooking but we'll see."

[8.0] "As a babyface, SHO was a great powerhouse/technical wrestler. His tag team with YOH as Roppongi 3K worked well and both guys completed each other because YOH was way better at showmanship meanwhile SHO had the better strikes/impactful moves but was shy and bland as a character. Then he turned heel, joined House Of Torture and changed his wrestling style. He can still show some of his great strikes and technical skills but obviously had to change his style in a way that gets heat and fits his new character. SHO right now is, like the other House Of Torture wrestlers, a cheater, a snake, doing everything he can to make his match go off the rails so he can create more opportunities to cheat and steal the win. I would say that currently he is the best product of House Of Torture as he is able to be a little more creative than EVIL with the ending of his matches. His performance in the Best Of The Super Juniors 2023 highlighted this really well, he constantly found a different way to cheat. Right now he just beat El Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in one of the dirtiest way possible which gave him some good heat and makes him the undeserving champion to chase for the babyfaces. He is a great (and funny) heel to watch and the junior division definitely needed someone like him. So to sum up: SHO is a very smart guy, he knows how to work as a babyface with more fighting spirit, and he knows how to adjust to work that heel role really well. That's what makes a great wrestler: being able to play your role in the most efficient way. This heel turn gave him a big boost in confidence and charisma, he's great at comedy but still finds the right balance to get heat as a heel should. "Murder Machine" SHO doesn't get enough credit."

[6.0] "Sho is fine. He was good from before HOT, now due to bad booking he can't do what he used too do. Having said that, he still can make me smile or even laugh out loud when I watch him. I love some of his matches, not because of him, but because he lost. Overall he ranges from me not giving a shit to me loving his matches"

[5.0] "Although he joined the most lazy and stupid faction in NJPW history now, SHO (along with Ishimori) still manages to separate from them in terms of wrestling ability. After finally separating from YOH (and while he was away), he got to show what he really can do (apart from the cheating skits) as a singles wrestler. SHO's 2020 was a year that he broke free and has shown he was a no-nonsense technician and submission artist to a huge avail. Edit: My rating for him decreased. While YOH proved us all wrong by reinvigorating his career by tasting success, charisma and have actual fun with his new trickster gimmick, not to mention the awesome matches he was having, SHO in the other hand managed to make us question if he accepts being booked like that because he became lazy or tired of giving 100%. Dude was a beast, a promise, literally re adjusted himself while YOH was away and was having great matches. But now, all he has is people chanting "go home" and a stupid wrench he uses during his matches. It's sad, but guess what, it's House Of Torture, so no surprise."

[4.0] "This guy went from potential to be great to becoming the most unwatchable Jr. Heavyweight wrestler in NJPW. Another victim of bad booking due to being apart of the worst faction in pro wrestling today: House of Torture."

[5.0] "5 feels like the only justifiable score right now. Consistently part of the worst parts of New Japan's shows but we all know he used to have potential so maybe there's a chance he'll turn it around one day."

[9.0] "SHO is honestly amazing. Whether it is the Shock Arrow of Chaos or the Murder Machine of the House of Torture, SHO serves his roles amazingly. He has banger themes, nice moveset, neat finisher, and overall charisma. I do feel like out of all of the members of HoT, he is the only one who actually fits and does his job perfectly. But then again, he could be doing something better than being EVIL's lackey. Overall, SHO is an amazing talent for NJPW and I honestly hope that somehow, someway, SHO can get a singles title run."

[7.0] "SHO is a very good worker and has proven time and again that he can be one of the top performers in New Japan. Initially, I love his heel turn; He would put on sadistic perfomances against Young Lions befitting his new attitude; However, his association as a member of House of Torture (HOT) might not be the best move forward. Hopefully, the guy gets pushed to the top of the Jr. Division(A division in need of fresh faces and new feuds) keeping his violent character but without the negative influences of HOT."

[9.0] "Before becoming a sort of mini EVIL, SHO was the best worker of Roppongi 3K. More charismatic, more athletic, better moves than YOH, SHO should be at the top of the Junior Division right now, but the HOT affiliation is dragging him down beyond belief. I hope he gets away from them soon."

[7.0] "I liked him more as a cruserweight, his attual gimmick Is a failment for me. He has to leave House of Torture or his Carrer Will be completey fucked. ***1/2"

[6.0] "I thought SHO would have kicked on a bit more by now. He's a very good worker and was the clear stand out to break through a few years ago and be a big player in the junior scene but it's just not happened. It might still happen but time is beginning to run out."

[9.0] "Very talented, skilled in ring, and I love SHO, but I just cannot give him 10 because of 1 thing, House of Torture, I'm really sad he is there, when he will leave House of Torture, then I can give him 10 because I love SHO"

[6.0] "Eh, SHO has never really done much for me. He can be great in the ring; but he's unlikable as a babyface since he's just too intense/angry (around his peers) to root for, and he's not particularly interesting as a heel due to the House of Torture crap. Honestly, I think YOH is the better performer out of Roppongi 3K. His matches have been far more consistent over the past year."

[6.0] "I'm not really satisfied with what NJPW has done with SHO consistently cheating in his matches. His in ring performances are impressive, but NJPW needs a do-over of the storyline they're working out with SHO so that we can appreciate him more."

[7.0] "One of NJPW's biggest wastes of talent. I don't mind the idea of turning him heel, but completely neutering him of his wrestling style to be essential be a old timey villain twirling his mustache is a shame. A lot of talent trapped in a terrible gimmick and stable."

[8.0] "I initially gave House of Torture SHO a 5, but I can concede where I'm wrong. In a perfect world, SHO doesnt defect to Bullet Club, but as it stands, it finally feels like SHO is hitting his stride in the House of Torture, his BoSJ showing this year was an underrated highlight, we all knew how good he can be as a pure wrestler but his House of Torture tenure has given him the platform to spotlight some of his lesser appreciated qualities, such as his brilliant character work, solid comedic timing and his cheating, which while we all know its coming, has been much more varied and creative this year than it was last year, such as using a loaded boot against Hiromu or hiding a 2nd wrench in a turnbuckle pad against YOH, and I think thats important for a stable whose only notable gimmick is cheating and outside interference. I dont know where this House of Torture ride ends, but I believe SHO will be a better all-round performer for it."

[5.0] "Promising Young Lion who got to gain a lot of experience around the world before coming back home and being stuck for years in a midcard tag team that highlighted all his limits. SHO is not bad, but he's not particularly good either: he's bland and generic in the ring, a major problem in NJPW, and has a gimmick designed to sell merchandise (which is often truly ghastly) to a certain sector of the public. NJPW is now trying the age old trick of turning him heel to see if he can shake off that "midcard for life" feel and get the most out of him. The jury is still out, but so far I have been far from impressed with SHO."

[8.0] "SHO is money. He's got a great look, he's very charismatic, he's fun to watch in the ring, and he's quickly become a key component to a somewhat diminished junior heavyweight division."

[9.0] "Between his excellent BoSJ last year and some tremendous matches in this year's NJ Cup I feel like it's safe to say that Sho will be the next big singles ace of the junior division. Just an amazing wrestler."

[7.0] "Sho was always my preferred guy out of him and Yoh when they were young lions, and now Sho is a full-time roster member, a fantastic junior powerhouse, and one of the most promising youngsters in the company. His intensity is off the charts and his offence is always suitably explosive. I easily foresee him as a future junior ace, or at the very least a future multiple time IWGP Junior Heavyweight champ. He far eclipses his partner, Yoh, in almost every field. He sadly doesn't have the best of chemistry with him in Roppongi 3K, even though they've been together for 2 years now, but he always manages to steal the show either in singles action or in a tag match. He still has a ways to go to unlocking his full potential, but he's shown quite a few glimpses of greatness already."

[10.0] "My absolute favorite Jr Heavyweight. Also the MVP of both super juniors he was in. And probably will be for several years to come. Highly underrated, Anyone who has doubts go watch Sho vs Shingo Takagi Night 1 Super Juniors 26 Or Dragon Lee vs Sho Night 3 Super Juniors 26. Keep in mind these matches are only few days apart, and both are unbelievable pace and hard hitting. Sho for IWGP Jr Champ, Or a Heavyweight push eventually."

[8.0] "SHO is the future of NJPW's Junior Division, he has everything to be a good Champion, he just need to be built. Also, I hope he becomes a Heavyweight in the future, he has a good body and move-set to become one."

[9.0] "Sho is step up big time in the last Best of Super Junior tournament. He has the biggest physique junior heavyweight in NJPW right now. I really like his combination of Powerhouse and Technical which make him great in ring. I hope he focus on his single career match in the future."

[8.0] "Very good basic wrestler with a intense and watchable mat game. Watching his development has been a pleasure. Not the biggest guy in the world but has a frame that might see him as a Goto-esque heavyweight in the long run."

[7.0] "Similarly to the other young lions in his class, Tanaka is showing a lot of potential. Although it's too early in his career to really see how he'll do, things look bright at the moment"