[9.0] "Shota is a wrester I've slowly been falling in love with ever since I saw him, his Match with ospreay at Power Struggle is a star-making classic that too many people sleep on. And his recent match with Narita how's just how much Star power he has, while he's not there yet, we're witnessing the rising of an Ace every time he steps in the ring"
[7.0] "Though Yota Tsuji is so far the best of the Reiwa Three Musketeers, Shota Umino is my favorite of the three and has a huge amount of potential, his character development reminds a bit of Tetsuya Naito when he was in his Stardust Genius Fighter persona, he's a bit a copycat of Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi but this is really interesting to follow and as soon as he will be his own self, he will be a major star and the ace of NJPW. He has a great ringskills, babyface fire and play his character really well."
[8.0] "The expectations that have been placed on Shota since he returned from excursion are unfair. He was never going to be the next Okada because wrestlers like Okada are the exception not the rule. Not often do we have a wrestler come in at 25 and run the the table. All in all Shota is a solid young wrestler who is missing just that little bit of something, and I have faith that he will find it. All the tools are there, the framework is solid and he has great mentors that will help him get there. Starting with a 7/10 with room to grow."
[7.0] "On one side he can look really lame when he comes with his Moxley jacket, the weird mix of Tanahashi-Naito, he's pretty confusing in that sense. He can feel like a fucking nerd but at a point where sometimes it's somehow endearing, I don't know if that's the expected reaction to him though. Anyway, he's a very solid wrestler even if I think he still has to improve a lot. When he is more dominant than his opponent and has to lead the match he can be very bland (see his matches against Naito or SANADA) but when he fights as the underdog fiery babyface he is great (see his matches against Kiyomiya, Hikuleo or when he's in the ring with Okada). So right now he still feels limited in the dynamics he is able to work. Hopefully he can improve because he clearly has the potential to become a main eventer and he is still more over with the crowd than someone like Ren Narita."
[6.0] "Shota was mediocre as a young lion and REALLY underwhelming upon his initial return to the main NJPW roster, but he's actually turned things around in a meaningful direction the last 6 months, to the point that I now finally think he has the upside to be a genuine star in future. He was way over-pushed upon his return and got immediately exposed for it, highlighting how he didn't have *any* impressive athleticism or physicality in his offence, and even more fundamental things like his timing always seemed to be off. Shota's one saving grace was that he has always had a really strong connection with the crowd, which always confused me because of how underwhelming he was in the ring, but the fans got hyped for him in his unique entrances in the stand, and that carried over to giving him some strong babyface charisma and making him quite sympathetic with his babyface-selling. Now, by the half-way point of 2023, he's actually finally carving out a good style of offence for himself, too, since, as he now does really well stringing together very speedy and quite physical attacks one after the other, and he's becoming a lot more polished technique-wise with his already quite creative and distinct attacks (which mostly all used to lack any top-level poise). Pair that with him becoming more emotive and sympathetic in his facial expressions and vocalisations and he's actually becoming a genuinely good mid-carder, abandoning the previous image I had of him as this relatively embarrassing youngster totally ill-prepared for the big time. He still missteps every now and then, and I still don't think his offence is anywhere near blow-away, but he's shown genuinely promising improvement in just under a year since his return, and his already strong crowd connection is far more valuable than if he was just a generic 'flashy' athlete who did 'cool' things in the ring. All he needs now is to stay healthy and rack up experience."
[7.0] "He has gotten better (thankfully) but he's not on the level that New Japan are trying to present him on. He can pull it off in the ring and I really like his theme but the charisma is very stop-start. Sometimes, you can see a little bit of fire from him, which happens when talented wrestlers like ZSJ and Okada bring it out of him. In terms of being charismatic or interesting on his own and without strong opponents or Moxlex by his side, there's a lot of improvement. I hope for a heel turn (I can see him as a cocky young heel) or a character change. He's not comparable to Narita or Tsuji as I think they are both ready for gold or a big push, while he still needs some work."
[7.0] "I don't know man, I just like Shota. He's been improving so well since his debut. I honestly hope this man has a great G1 Climax and maybe even make it to at least the semis."
[7.0] "Shota feels like he gets better with every match he has, but he still isn't quite there yet. I'd say his biggest problem right now is that he's yet to develop a personality and style of his own. He looks like Hiroshi Tanahashi's Cloned Son but uses Jon Moxley's moves, but as I said, give him some time and I'm certain he'll start to come into his own."
[7.0] "I'm starting this at a 7, with a ton of room to grow for him. I've only seen him wrestle for a few months, but almost every time I see him, I find myself convinced that he's a future cornerstone for the company. The dude can go, and he's just scratching the surface."
[6.0] "Shota Umino pretty much just started his career and I see him as a future player. Not as good as the likes of Ren Narita but I still see him as a pretty talented player."
[8.0] "Light Tetsuya Naito. He Is over with the fans but probably NJPW Is not according to. He Needs more character, he Is too similari with the leader of Los Ingorbernables de Japon. ***3/4"
[6.0] "So much potential in this man. First experience with him was at Forbidden Door and he had me sold. His match with Ospreay was great and a nice debut match for his new character in Japan. But his match with Naito was a mistake. Even though it was a mistake in booking, I believe he will be fine enough to become a new main event star. He has a great look and has potential to bring more foreign fans into NJPW with his wild character. My favorite match of his is him, Yuta, and Kingston vs Jericho, Suzuki, and Guevara."
[9.0] "Nach meiner Meinung der neue Hiroshi Tanahashi, dass heißt nicht das man auf Tanahashi verzichten soll. Umino ist neben Kawato und Ren Narita einer der das Ziel zum Ace schaffen könnte."
[6.0] "Shota Unimo... where do I begin? There's so much Tanahashi in this guy I can't begin to describe it. He's got potential, but he REALLY needs to put in the work and improve enough to appeal to the high standards of the wrestling audience. His stuff in RevPro was fun, and he did improve, but he still has a ways to go until I can say he's title material."
[5.0] "Clearly viewed as a star of the future but there's a long way to go. Showed great promise as a young lion and has good size. His in-ring work is solid but still quite basic and he doesn't yet have much psychology and is lacking is nuances like timing, positioning and feeding. Still very young so that can come with experience so I hope he's not elevated too quickly."
[7.0] "Shota is very young, but he already feels very good in the ring. Wrestling was in his blood, his father is a very significant figure, who is considered by many to be the best referee in history, and perhaps that is why he quickly began to make progress. His experience is only 5 years, but he already has some amazing matches, including a recent clash with Will Osprey and a 3-on-3 match in AEW. He has what it takes to become a big star in the NJPW in the near future."
"He is way too high on the card right now and he will not ever be accepted at the top. It's like putting a utility player with babe ruth and lou gehrig. I hope to see him develop and keep his spirits high. Naito was too high too soon and rejected early in his career too so maybe Umino just needs to go to Mexico."
[4.0] "Can have a 4 star match with an incredible, god-tier opponent (Will Ospreay) but otherwise falls short, and fails to impress, he has not done well in RevPro, he does not bring any fire to his matches and is so disappointing, he was given a good spot in the company, but has lost it due to failing to have many good matches or connect with the crowd despite everyone wanting to support him, when he was a young lion he was thought to be the next ace, but now it is all in doubt. Also he is so dull."
[8.0] "Despite some hang ups still, Shooter has a bright bright future ahead. If he can put together one or two missing pieces, he can solidify himself as the future of NJPW. I'm really hoping that when he comes back it lights a fire under his ass and kicks him into high gear cuz when he gets into high gear it's a sight to see."
[7.0] "Shota Umino hat sich wirklich sehr gut entwickelt und habe mir jetzt wirklich einige Matches von ihm angeguckt um eine Bewertung abzugeben. Die Beziehung zu Moxley ist einfach extrem gut dargestellt und prägt ihn extrem. Auch wenn ich finde das es irgendwie nicht zu ihm passt. Ich sehe noch extrem viel Potenzial in Shota und er erinnert mich etwas an den Jungen Hiroshi Tanahashi. Bin auch gespannt wann New Japan Pro Wrestling, Shota wieder in ihre Show's in Japan einbinden wird. In meiner ersten Bewertung bekommt der junge Shota 7 Punkte. Ich bin gespannt wo er in 10 Jahren stehen wird."
[7.0] "entertaining when paired with mox before going to RevPro, an impressive and captivating new appearance he created! im excited to see what he'll produce when he comes back to japan. 7.5"
[7.0] "I think he was the stand out of the last group of young lions in New Japan sadly he got the short end of the stick being sent to the UK for his excursion just before the world shut down"
[8.0] "The best Young Lion of NJPW! Shota Umino is going to be the future Ace and will break records, just like Kazuchika Okada. This dude has everything to be an ace, he just needs to be booked right, which he will."
[7.0] "Obviously this guy is new. So I'll keep the 7 as the ceiling for young Lions. This guy is really good, especially when you look at his moveset, Wich is minimal. He has charisma even in his current Young Lion gimmick. It's also obvious that he's been working out since every tour he seems to put on more muscle weight. He also just physically looks great, he's handsome and in shape. I've seen him in interviews and heels even good there. This guy is going to be a champion eventually."
[8.0] "Shota Umino now take the Kawato's role as the most explosive young lion in New Japan Pro Wrestling. His work in ring is improving a lot and he already show his charisma a little bit. I can see him in the future that he will compete in Heavyweight and he will be as the one of the wrestler that New Japan will push as one of their main attraction."
