BUSHI

[4.0] "If this was all about his career he would be a solid 7. He was a good worker in his prime and if paired with the right person can give an absolute banger of a match. Despite having no charisma he's been a nice figure for any NJPW watchers for a while now. He's worked NJPW, AJPW, CMLL, RevPro, ROH, Gleat, Noah, AEW, ROH and TNA. Currently it seems like the glory days of BUSHI is behind him. He's 41 years of age and seems to not be able to put on a competent performance other than basic bland and generic wrestling and he really hasn't had a singles match in a WHILE."

[6.0] "It's weird trying to rate BUSHI. He's not great in ring, but he is decent and when the time is right he can give a hell of a performance, albeit not often. Now he's just the pin eater for LIJ with the only thing I could actually see him doing is winning the Jr tag league and/or the Jr tag titles. Other than that he's mostly bland."

[6.0] "In his prime, BUSHI was a very good solid performer. He's not very charismatic and really lacks that it factor that most other LIJ members have. Overall just kinda plain wrestler."

[5.0] "One day I wish to have as much job security as BUSHI has in NJPW, generally I find it so inspiring. BUSHI is the definition of the faction's pin-eater, as his t-shirt wearing ass was eating pinfalls to the like's of Okada when BUSHI was in the IWGP junior heavyweight championship picture, and tbh that's totally ok, but I wish BUSHI showed more interest in his matches overall. But still, BUSHI isn't the worst thing of all time I guess :/."

[5.0] "A wrestler that really only seems to be employed by New Japan to eat pins in multi-man matches, BUSHI is not bad but he is very very average/mediocre in a company where average seems more like a 7.5/10 instead of a 5.0."

[2.0] "I've only been watching NJPW since 2020, so I might have missed some better times of BUSHI. However, the lack of intensity, personality and passion really throw me off. He's just super uninteresting and never goes the extra mile in matches. Even in the BOSJ, where everyone tries to have at least one remarkable match, he doesn't care and has the same basic 8 minute over and over. I think BUSHI is a consequence of the NJPW politic of keeping their homegrown stars on the roster forever until they retire. He got comfortable and will never do anything more than this, which is super frustrating to know since he will probably be around for quite long and he's on one of the main factions and everyone there is miles ahead of him. When I see him in a match, I already lose interest because he's the most predictable wrestler I've ever seen. Like I said, I didn't and probably won't watch his earlier work but it makes me mad remembering he's a former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Sorry about the rant but I really enjoy New Japan, there are people who work a lot to achieve their dream of wrestling for this promotion, like Eddie Kingston for instance, and then there's this guy who doesn't even put the minimal effort on."

[5.0] "Aside from the awesome mask collection, BUSHI is average all-round. His matches are never offensive but they're never great either. A competent worker who plays his role well as the stable pin-eater. His main asset is his reliability, he's on pretty much every show. Occasionally has very good matches in tournaments where he can play a believable spoiler if required."

[5.0] "Getting so bored watching BUSHI. Just feel like something's missing with him. His mask is cool, but I think the rest of his ring attire could do use a do-over. Not a lot particularly stands out in most of his matches. Would like to see a bit more intensity behind some of his moves."

[5.0] "BUSHI is a perfect 5/10. He's got a cool look, the crowd likes him, and he's competent in tournaments. But he's very rarely a must-watch wrestler. I almost can't name a single remarkable match from him over the last 4 years besides the Ospreay match. He's forgettable in tags and comes across like he's phoning it in most of time. It's obvious to anyone watching that the average young lion/rookie has more fire and passion than BUSHI does. He's got good fundamentals and he's not a bad wrestler in the slightest. He's just an uninteresting guy to watch."

[6.0] "BUSHI is pretty fine. He was pretty cool when just introduced into LIJ. He's had some good matches in his career and he's a good guy to have in the junior heavyweight div."

[6.0] "I'm a little surprised with how low BUSHI's rating is right now. While he's certainly not one of the premier Jr. Heavyweights right now, he's definitely a solid in-ring worker and someone who fits well in that division. Also, am I the only one who thinks that BUSHI might have the best mask in wrestling rn besides Pentagon?"

[8.0] "I think BUSHI is a great wrestler, but he's a victim of a bad booking and he is not being given a spotlight he deserves. I've seen some epic matches with him in Super Jr division. He's got the best look and attire in the company. He's charismatic and has a very unique wrestling style. The problem with him is the fact that on every 10 matches he has, only one of them is great - the rest is average..."

[8.0] "People sleep on this guy but he's really good, he can have great matches and has a very cool look and I love to see the mist"

[5.0] "Bland, boring, stale. BUSHI is by far the least interesting LIJ guy (and that's coming from me, and I hate Sanada). Great mask though."

[5.0] "The definition of an average, bland Japanese wrestler. Mechanically smooth, strong fundamentals, zero fire, zero intensity, next to no charisma, and an attire that screams 'style over substance'. Can have a great match with the right opponent (see also: Will Ospreay and Kushida), but otherwise coasts off LIJ's popularity and relevance. Let me amend that: the average Japanese rookie has *more* fire and passion than this masked bore. That said, he's mostly a filler-tag match guy who New Japan rarely subjects us to in singles action, so I should count my blessings."

[5.0] "BUSHI on paper: Cool Mask. Does Lucha Moves. Crowd likes him. Looks cool in a group photo. BUSHI in reality: Uninspring matches. Forgettable in tags. I don't hate BUSHI, I just don't care to see him wrestler. Injuries, injuries. Yeah, it's sad. And maybe he'd stand out more without them. He connects with people so he is doing something right, even if I don't like him."

[5.0] "Let's get one thing out of the door: Bushi was a good wrestler even before injuring his neck, but he has never been remotely "great". He has had entertaining matches with the right opponents (Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida, Will Ospreay... notice the trend here) but nothing more. Having him join LIJ has been the right choice: he's the designated fall guy for the stable but at the same time it helped him escape the total mediocrity he was sinking into at the time of his injury. At least now the poor guy sells some merchandise and gets the occasional title shot."

[8.0] "BUSHI is pretty underrated and can do some good matches. Like Ryusuke Taguchi, I would give him an 7. 75/10, but I can't."

[6.0] "I heard he was a better wrestler before. The only thing I saw from him is his work in New Japan. From what I've seen he can be carried to good matches but I think he is one of the less exciting juniors in the whole roster because he just doesn't seem to give his best. He's still useful, mostly as a pin eater to protect other members of LIJ and he has some good looking entrance attires though, so I'll give him that."

[5.0] "A fine single wrestler and rock solid tag worker overall. I have never been blown away by Bushi. He is the worst worker in LIJ. He almost has no great match without KUSHIDA. Yes, he is over with the audience as a part of LIJ but it doesn't mean he is great by any means. Every time he has a chance to step up his game, he fails to live up. Just a mid carder - nothing more."

[6.0] "BUSHI is a decent wrestler and a good utility worker to have in the NJPW's junior heavyweight division. That being said he is very limited in the ring and needs good workers around him to make the match interesting. BUSHI for me is pretty much all about the mask and the entrance and if you'd strip those away there wouldn't be much anything under."

[7.0] "Bushi is quite underrated as an in-ring performer but I find him sort of dull overall. I mean, what's his character? Black Death Mask is a cool nickname but what does that mean for him? His whole shtick just isn't quite clicking for me."

[10.0] "BUSHI is such an underrated gem it? s unreal. He? s one of the best Jrs on the planet yet I feel like he never gets the credit or recognition he deserves. Gedo always books him like shit which upsets me & I hope that will change sooner than later. I hope he & Hiromu will at least become Jr Tag Champs since they rule as a team & maybe even BUSHI can challenge Hiromu for the singles belt."

[8.0] "An incredibly underrated masked wrestler, Bushi is solid, quick and cunning. As a heel he gives his best, and with Los Ingobernables he's going through a successful period, winning a lot of titles. It's a shame he isn't used as a serious challenger for the Junior Heavyweight Championship, and I hope he will win it again soon. Another idea would be see him winning the J. H. Tag team championship along with Hiromu Takahashi."

[10.0] "BUSHI has to be one of the most, if not, underrated wrestler in LIJ & NJPW as a whole. He was the 2nd most popular guy behind Naito, before Hiromu joined. He's an amazing wrestler, has amazing gear , amazing masks & he's just amazing in general. He also unfortunately gets booked the shittest & always takes the L for the team which baffles me a lot considering he's above that & is talented af. Just wish he would actually get booked as strong as his other stablemates. Really hope he gets the Jr. Title again soon & gets a proper run with it since Gedo really fucked him up there. He also has the best theme song ever. ENSERIO MAJIDE."

[6.0] "Bushi is in a pretty sad state in NJPW. When he returned and joined Naito's newly formed LIJ stable he was very cool. He had the coolest mask designs, had very smooth movement in the ring, and played an entertaining cheeky jokester character as he would mock his opponents and annoy them. I thought Bushi was awesome for a while, but then he stopped getting pushed. His finisher never finishes ANYONE these days (and it looks pretty basic), he is always using mist to ruin matches (even matches he is not a part of), and he hasn't had a noteworthy match since his bout with Kushida back at the New Beginning in Niigata 2016, well over a whole year ago now. He is a decent presence in the LIJ multi-man tag team matches simply because his style still feels so fresh, but his character hasn't developed and he hasn't been built up to feel like an important figure. While Bushi is still solid he just doesn't interest me as much anymore, and going into the 2017 BOSJ it's clear that NJPW has FAR too many new and better skilled junior heavyweights on their roster to experiment with and push instead of Bushi, which is a shame because I'd love to see if Bushi is any good with an actual strong push behind him, but I'm far more confident that the other NJPW juniors on the roster can perform better."

[6.0] "A good wrestler, but the worst of the LIJ. I can't understand why the New Japan give him the Jr. Title just to lose in the next tour. I think this rating is enough for him."

[5.0] "I find BUSHI pretty bland - easily the worst member of LIJ. People seem to think he's underrated, but I have yet to see him work a really impressive match, and he's certainly had opportunities over the past year."

[4.0] "I want KUSHIDA's with the Junior Heavyweight title again. I will change this rate to 10 when this happen. I'll be waiting, metrossexual luchador."

[8.0] "Bushi before LIJ was at best a 7, he just felt so generic. After joining LIJ he has gained a fan base and sows off such charisma he actually went from generic under card worker to super over major player in the Jr. heavyweight scene."

[10.0] "Dudes been awesome since joining Los Ingobernables de Japon. Slowly became one of my favorite Juniors. Hoping for an Iwgp title reign in the near future for him."