Destroyer

[10.0] "I've only seen two of his matches so far, but in just those two, I've witnessed two of the best heel performances I've ever."

[10.0] "One of the first glorious heels in wrestling business with incredibly decent in-ring background. Historical importance of this figure is criminally underappreciated by modern fans."

[8.0] "One of the all time greatest heels in wrestling history. Basically, nobody in the world could draw heat, especially in Japan, like The Destroyer. And The Destroyer was also a brilliant technical wrestler, at his peak, he was a damn machine in the ring with a great basis in mat-work and striking. I don't love all his matches but out of the work I've seen from the 60s and from before late 70s, The Destroyer stands out as the one most likely to entertain, which is even more impressive given that he was 40 in 1970 and still having really entertaining matches (like with the younger and faster Mil Mascaras). It's a huge shame that a lot of The Destroyer's work doesn't exist in the archives, especially his AWA run as Dr X. The Destroyer is probably a top 5 gajin of all time, with Terry Funk probably the only guy more over in Japan. For his time, The Destroyer was damn great and when he went full heel mode, he was very entertaining. I prefer his JWA work to his AJPW work as he wasn't really heeling it up in AJPW but I do enjoy him in AJPW."

[10.0] "An absolute legend and my all-time favorite masked wrestler - just incredibly technically solid, and was a big deal in both Japan and USA. It can't be understated how often he was featured in wrestling magazines during the time period! Just absolutely perfect at submission movies, and was said to be an incredibly nice guy outside the ring as well. I'm honored to own an autographed wrestling magazine with him as the cover star."

[10.0] "I've had the pleasure of watching quite a lot of Dick Beyer (Destroyer, Dr. X, Masked Superstar) over the years, and while it did take me a while to come around, the more I watched the more his solid fundamentals, smart workrate and infinite charisma drew me in. He was just as good as the very best opponents he faced, and was more than happy to lead any who weren't quite at his level. One of the very best to ever do it."

[10.0] "A legend of the 60s and 70s. Dick Beyer transcended wrestling and became a bit of a cultural icon. A great heel in the AWA, JWA and AJPW."

[10.0] "if someone was to ask me who to start watching as a good introduction to the wrestling of the 70's I would recommend them The Destroyer. Destroyer was every bit the sound technical wrestler that guys like Dory Funk Jr. and Jack Brisco, what made him truly special was his charisma. He was the consummate heel, always loudly talking trash and working the audience and was willing to work a dash of physical comedy into his matches to keep things fresh. Destroyer had the talent and skill to have a great match with anybody whether it was a big lug like Toyonobori or a very athletic performer such as Mil Mascaras. Just a joy to watch perform."

[9.0] "A underrated technical wrestler, but best known for being a brilliant heat magnet: guy was a master at playing the crowd and really squeezing every reaction he can from the simplest of things. His stuff with Mascaras, Baba, and his tag work really cemented his place as a great prototypical heel that would set the standard for the guys after him. The old fashioned style of AJPW/NWA wrestling gets a bit of overpraise from how slow it is, but I think Destroyer's best aspect was that he could make those plodding moments go much easier with his unique style of jawjacking and trash talk while being extremely quick in the ring when he needed to do so. A great hand in the ring and a very solid basis for a lot of heels after him."

[10.0] "A excellent wrestler, one of the best masked wrestler of all time. Is one of my favorites of all history"

[9.0] "I guess this guy was a heat magnet... people who know him better than I will call him an all time great. he achieved the highest levels of success in japan... was a top guy in AWA... was big in California. im going to be a know it all and give him just a 9 based on very limited viewings. he was 50 before I really became a fan and was definitely on the downside of his career. I have tried to get into his early matches. to me... he just doesnt quite measure up to the guys I give a 10 to. if im rating my top 1000 wrestlers of all time... the destroyer wouldnt be in my top 50.. Im going to save the 10's I hand out to my top 50 guys. he definitely knew how to get heat though... fun guy to watch"

[10.0] "RIP. A true trail blazer and one of the most accomplished mat wrestlers of all time. A legend on both sides of the Pacific."

[10.0] "Excellent in the AWA, WWA and AJPW. One of the best masked wrestler of all time. Very technical in the ring and great at submission moves."

[10.0] "A legend who doesnt have enough praises, he is one of the best technical wrestler of all time and a lot of new guys could learn a things or two by watching him, his figure four leglock was amazing because of how well it was booked (at least in japan), it seemed really painful. his talent is timeless"

[9.0] "One of the most underappreciated guys from the old days, The Destroyer (AKA Dr. X) was a very good in ring talent who could work face or heel, though as far as heel work goes the guys one of the best Ive seen. Just watch his match against Giant Baba (JWA, 3/5/1969 2 out of 3 falls). Hes one of the few who knew how to make Mil Mascaras sell and hes just a joy to watch in the ring. Seriously though go watch that Giant Baba match its amazing, especially for its time."

[10.0] "Definitely another underrated legend who saw his greatest success in Japan. Although, he was WWA champion for a period of time, and had great success in the AWA, his match with Rikidozan which 70, 000, 000 people watched on television, in addition to his phenomenal feud with Mil Mascaras in All Japan earns this ring general a page in wrestling history."