[10.0] "A deathmatch legend and the founder of FMW in Japan. He had some must-watch deathmatches like the exploding cage match and multiple exploding barbed wire matches."
[8.0] "The true king of hardcore, Onita was a revolutionary, he looked at the traditional and clean Japanese wrestling scene and said, nah lets do something different, he looked at violent American wrestling and said, yes but 10x more. Onita also booked women very well in one of Japan's few mixed promotions. Onita understood that spectacle and emotion can do so much for wrestling. In the ring, Onita used his mastery of psychology to be a compelling star."
[9.0] "Maybe the craziest man to ever make in Professional Wrestling and that is something. Onita is a innovator with the deathmatch style basing it around his excursion in Memphis and using such influence to continue his career up till now, Onita will probably never be duplicated and it's hard to imagine what Hardcore Wrestling would look like if Onita didn't suffer the knee injury in All Japan because he was also a good Junior Heavyweight though he will prehaps always be overshadowed by close friend Masanobu Fuchi's run as the top native junior worker under Baba. Also lastly as I hinted at the start, Onita's insanity is a benefit to crazy spectacles that hadn't been seen before like the Goto matches as well as those with Aoyagi and that iconic match with Terry Funk in 1993. In short, Onita is a god-damn legend who has given some of the craziest moments in pro wrestling."
[8.0] "As much as I dont like death match wrestling, I must admit that Onita made it popular for a reason. No he wasnt particularly good after his knee injury, but he was such a charismatic figure that you couldnt look away while he performed. He was ideal for death match wrestling as its not about workrate, its about how much youre willing to take and how you can get the crowd invested in the pain you are inflicting and giving. And in that sense, Onita was good at what he did. His absolutely horrid backstage behavior doesnt deter from how well he played his role. Im amazed he still is wrestling today. Hell he is wrestling now more than he did in his past 5 years, and most of his matches are hardcore or deathmatches. Yes theyre tag matches, but how can he still go like that and endure punishment after everything he took before? And while those matches are not the best of his career, he is playing his part to make them entertaining. Thats dedication."
[10.0] "He was a great contender to be legend of puroresu since day one, but until 80s from other perspective. His gruesome injury fortunately opened the doors of hardcore, which provided him national fame and respect in whole wrestling industry. Without FMW would be no ECW, so this side of careers of Funk, Foley etc. would be underestimate. Incredibly charimatic figure, even with some controversies he deserves an eternal respect from wrestling fans."
[6.0] "Japan's Foley but crazier. A great figure of extreme wrestling, but it's hard for me to tolerate his lack of respect for the health of other wrestlers, exposing them to ridiculous situations. His bookings are made so that only he wins the main events in matches with explosives. He is a great figure but he should retire and leave his place to the new generations."
[6.0] "A man who's charisma is both his best asset and biggest liability. I don't mind his FMW output since there is a lot more psychology in his deathmatches than you'll find with those who came after him. That said, there isn't much he ever did that excites me a whole bunch either."
[10.0] "One of the most charismatic wrestlers of all time. Easily able to switch from being the sympathetic babyface to despised, trash-pelted heel, in a heartbeat. Not the most able in-ring competitor, but he never needed to be. Punch, bleed, explode, smoke, throw water, MONEY."
[5.0] "If i only looked at how iconic and charismatic he was, i would've gave him a perfect 10 but i think a 5 would be good for him. He did start as a promising junior heavyweight for AJPW and was positioned to be AJPW's ace for their admittedly inferior junior division until a freak accident when he injured his knee stopped that from happening. Since then, he was pretty limited in-ring. Additionally, he is a HUGE carny and is an egotistical prick who isnt keen of putting younger talent over and treated his employees crap while lived so lavishly from the millions of yen he got from FMW's large gates during FMW's heyday."
[10.0] "Always played as him in WCW vs the World on PS1. Many years later find out what a living legend he is lol! Favourite hardcore wrestler all time!"
[2.0] "He created FMW out of spite that his All Japan career did not turn out the way he expected it to, and he felt he deserved to be on the level of Baba and Inoki. Once he got there he stepped on a lot of people along the way and basically destroyed what he created. I have to give credit that he was a draw, but he's not for me, especially that hardcore style. Two points because he came back after his '84 run and because he was an innovator of today's wrestling"
"Absolutely adore this man. More passion and fire than almost everyone in the game. Had his share of negatives, sure but overall a pioneer of deathmatch wrestling."
[9.0] "Einer der Main Player des Hardcore-Wrestlings und Wegbereiter des Death-Match-Wrestlings. Von seinen Anfangsjahren bei All Japan vor seiner schweren Verletzung kann ich wenig sagen, da ich dort nur eine handvoll Matches von ihm gesehen habe (Auch wenn diese Zeit aus heutiger Sicht wohl die interessanteste, da am wenigsten dokumentierte, Periode seiner Karriere ist). Zu seiner Zeit als FMW-Besitzer muss ich wohl wenig sagen. Begründer von Gimmicks wie z.B. "No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire", "No Ropes Barbed Wire Double Hell" und "Explosive Barbed Wire Steel Cage". Von der Dramatik her sind dies für mich Top-Notch Stipulationen die es danach leider viel zu selten bis gar nicht gab. Sein Run als Top-Babyface bei FMW war ein Personenkult in den Arenen von dem sich die Kim Familie noch ein gutes Stückchen abschneiden kann. Bis heute sehe ich ihn nur aufgrund dieser Aura von damals sehr gerne, auch wenn er körperlich natürlich kaum mehr zu etwas in der Lage ist. Außerdem kann ich mir gut vorstellen, dass er als Chef ein sehr unangenehmer Zeitgenosse sein konnte. Sein Ego zeigt sich nicht zuletzt in der Behauptung den Wilt Chamberlain-Rekord von 20.000 Sexpartnerinnen gebrochen zu haben. So viele werden es bei aller Popularität und "Überzeugungskraft" wahrscheinlich doch nicht gewesen sein. Zusammengefasst kann ich nur von einer Legende seines Faches sprechen, der den Weg für viele nach ihm geebnet hat. In der heutigen Internet- und Social Media-Ära wäre seine Karriere mit Personenkult und zahlreichen "Skandalen", die auch sexueller Natur waren, wahrscheinlich leider so kaum möglich gewesen."
[8.0] "Onita started out as an ordinary wrestler in AJPW and turned into one of the most iconic hardcore wrestler/promoter ever. Even though he might lack some things as far as his wrestling skills, he was a natural born heel and had tons of swagger, generated immense heat. One hell of a promoter, drew huge crowds when he was in FMW. Is a great example of the notion that wrestlers are batshit crazy. I mean, him becoming a politican from being a hardcore wrestler, the sex scandal, having deep connections with the yakuza etc. this guy has had one hell of a life and can still go. With all these good things being said, Onita was very egoistical and constantly tried to get himself over every chance he got. I heard he disliked Hayabusa for becoming big and the two of em didn't really like each other. Even went as far as to bring the guy who killed Bruiser Brody to stab him and planned to make a storyline in which he was going to give this guy a lesson for killing Brody and would consequently become a hero for that. Also, he recently started a new promotion called FMW-E but i honestly wish he hadn't cuz i wanna remember him from his old days."
[10.0] "So Cool, Charismatic, a big big draw, great booker etc. Onita is a pioneer and a legend of deathmatch wrestling! Over 45 years of career and style working! Create FMW on of the hottest promotions in japan during 90s and a huge inspiration for ECW (with a partnership), BJW etc. Definitely Onita deserve a 10!"
[10.0] "Die Deathmatch Legende schlechthin. In seinem FMW Run von 90-95 hat er zahlreiche Momente erschaffen. Ein Draw, welcher von Dave Meltzer mit Hulk Hogan verglichen wurde (Kawasaki Shows von 93-95). Seine Entrance gegen Chono zählt zu den epischsten ever. Privat jedoch ein schwerer Typ."
[9.0] "Onita was the epitome of cool, and evidently a heavy influence for Moxley. He was a deathmatch legend, not known for his technical prowess. What he lacked in technical ability, he made up for in the charisma and coolness department. A knee injury turned him from a traditional lightweight wrestler into the king of death match wrestling. Onita out of the ring is almost a good as he was in it in terms of being entertaining/nutty. He wasn't the first wrestler elected to public office in Japan but he went out in a style befitting his reputation. The heat Onita got for being a gimmicky, backyard, deathmatch wrestler was unreal. The guy who represented what wrestling wasn't supposed to be in Japan. The equivalent of having Necro Butcher come out with a staple gun to wrestle Sammartino in the '70s."
[7.0] "Starting off as a relatively hot property as a top junior in AJPW (through he admittedly wasn't really a fantastic wrestler, he could work pretty well above average) but was completely thrown off course when knee injuries took him off the shelf for a while and forced him to completely modify the way he wrestled. A time like this for a wrestler for changing their whole way of wrestling can cause a downturn in quality (see Austin, Chono, etc) but having also retired for six years on top of that meant that Onita had a big hill to climb, and well, he did more than just that by reinventing himself as a hardcore wrestler and making FMW one of the top companies in Japan with his drawing power and solid babyface work against brutal opponents. Never was the performer he was pre injury but he made up for that with brutality and completely chaotic matches. Yeah he's not a technical master nor was he a stiff striker, but what he did have was above all other traits needed for a wrestler: the ability to sell tickets. Definitely a hardcore icon and has influenced (even if they don't know it) dozens of companies and untold amounts of wrestlers with his antics and focus on character work over workrate."
[9.0] "1983 dass scheinbare Karriere aus, fast 40 Jahre und unzählige Explosion-Deathmatches später humpelt er immer noch durch den Ring. Natürlich seit ca. 20 Jahren kaum noch zu etwas außer den ewig gleichen "wilden" Brawls zu gebrauchen. Dennoch ist Onita eine absolute Legende und das beste Beispiel dafür, wie Erfindungsreichtum und Leidenschaft über körperliche Probleme hinweghelfen können."
[7.0] "An absolutely amazing draw, the kind that could sell off large arenas on his name alone and the chief reason why FMW was such a huge hit in the days and went in such rapid decline when Onita left. However like so many amazing draws he was nothing to write home about in the ring and once removed from AJPW he got rapidly worse through injuries, tear and wear. Onita was smart enough to acknowledge this and completely embraced the hardcore style to mask this decline, even if with hindsight it's easy to say the amount of blood in most of his "classic" matches was almost cartoonish and surely excessive for what was going on inside and outside the ring."
[9.0] "The high rating is down to the fact that Onita was an incredible draw, something that he doesn't always get recognition for because it wasn't for one of the 'major' promotions. Onita was never the best of workers, but his unique charisma and charm meant that he was major box office and single handedly carried FMW. The promotion's popularity took a major dive once he retired, and even though he was always going to come back, when he did, it didn't revitalize the promotion because he was seen to have broken his word."
[10.0] "The charisma and the passion that Atsushi Onita wrestles with makes him truly one of the most amazing wrestlers of all time. His matches are full of the most emotion of any other match on the card. The guy turned deathmatch wrestling into an emotional roller-coaster that truly captivates the audience. One of the all-time best."
[9.0] "As the 1st graduate of the AJPW Dojo, it isn't hard to say that Onita had the right foundations from the beginning. Up until his 1st retirement in 1985, Onita was 1 of the best wrestlers in the Junior Heavyweight division, and if he hadn't been injured, he may have remained as such. However, this eventually led not only to 1 of the best comebacks in wrestling, but also to the increased popularity of Deathmatch wrestling in the 1990s when Onita formed the FMW promotion in 1989. For the next 6 years, despite his junior-heavyweight style becoming limited, Onita would go on to wrestle in some of the bloodiest, brutalist, and most barbaric wrestling matches that have ever been conceived. Landmine matches, exploding barbed wire matches, electric cage matches, fire matches, Onita did them all. He took many the worst of the bumps, received hundreds of stitches and even once had barbed wire stuck in his throat. Some could argue that he was just some garbage wrestler who only did powerbombs, headbutts and DDTs. But he was a storyteller first. In every death match, he told a story, often starting slow, using in-ring psychology and holds, and therefore making the violence and finishers memorable when they happened. FMW is now long gone, and Onita is still doing these sorts of matches from time to time (even, for some reason, looking younger now). His glory days may be over, but he has left his legacy as being among the Masters of Hardcore Wrestling."
[9.0] "Onita in my opinion was always the king of hardcore. He's knows how to really entertain a crowd, and also knows how to piss off a crowd too certainly one of the best hardcore wrestlers ever."
[8.0] "Einer der größten Selbstdarsteller die es im Puroresu je geben hat, der Mann hat Garbage-Wrestling massentauglich gemacht. Für die FMW war ich damals zu jung, aber als er dann so 1999 und 2000 bei NJPW aufschlug wußte ich erst so recht nicht warum sich einige Kenner und Fans aus meinen Umkreis so aufregten. Als ich dann das erstmal Onita sah, habe ich gesehen was für ein Heat der Mann gezogen hat und wie er das sichtlich genossen hat. Für mich war die NJPW Death Matches etwas unglaublich brutales und Onita für mich einer der neuen Oberbösewichte die es je gab, verstärkt durch die sehr bunten und blumigen Erzählungen von meinen Umkreis über Onita seine Matches aus der FMW. Heute mit zeitlichen Abstand und Begutachtung von einiges an Material, kann ich erstens gut verstehen das es Leute gibt die sich über Onita aufregen, der sich selbst über alles stellt, das in seinen Matches eine gewisse Monotonie herrschte und auch über das mangelhafte wrestlerische Fertigkeiten und Ausführung. Aber der solide Junior Heavyweight Wrestler der er mal war und der wegen Verletzung eigentlich nicht mehr viel zu bieten hatte, da machte er sich selbst zum ersten Deathmatch König der Welt. Und wenn er es auch noch schaft das Riki Choshu, Chono und The Great Muta bei NJPW in Death Matches gegen ihn antreten, dann muss man sagen das der Mann ist ein Revolutionär, ein Ausreißer, Rebell, eine verdammte Kultfigur und der bester Great Muta Gimick Feind als Great Nita ist !"
[2.0] "Kurz auf den Punkt gebracht: Paul Heyman klaute von FMW, um seiner neuen ECW ein starkes Gesicht geben zu können. Vince McMahon bediente sich bei Heyman um die Monday Night Wars zu überstehen. Man kann also mit Fug und Recht behaupten, dass so gut wie jeder Wrestling Fan etwas von der besonderen Ausprägung der FMW hatte. Jedoch wo die Entwicklungen von Heyman und McMahon teilweise genial wurden, ekelten mich die Darstellungen von Gewalt bei der FMW so gut wie immer nur an. Deren Aushängeschild Onita war ein dumpfer Schläger, schmerzgeil, pathetisch, egomanisch. Danke für die Nachbeben seiner Organisation und noch ein größerer Dank dafür von der Bildfläche verschwunden zu sein."
[9.0] "Als Wrestler unterhaltsam, aber nicht überragend. Mit der FMW hat er jedoch Hardcore-Wrestling salonfähig gemacht. Wenn heute irgendwo ein Deathmatch bestritten wird, ist das auf Onitas Arbeit zurückzuführen. Hat zwar auch unwarscheinlich viel Mist gebookt, aber mit der FMW hatte er war geschaffen, was der Wrestlingwelt seinen Stempel aufdrückte. 9 Punkte für das Lebenswerk."
