Master Wato

[5.0] "I am by no means a Master Wato hater, I just don't think he's ever been entertaining enough to warrant a rating above a five. He is a decent opening tag level performer. He does not have enough of it together to be anything else. The gimmick does not fit him and he has nothing else beside it to make him stand out. I said the same thing about El Desperado early into his career so maybe he'll prove me wrong too."

[6.0] "He's improved in ring quite significantly since his return from excursion and he seems relatively popular as a babyface, but I just can't get past the goofy 'Master' gimmick. He just doesn't have the look of a top guy to me, and that's phrasing it kindly, so in my mind he'll struggle to achieve beyond mid-card status. The guy has a cult fanbase now which is nice and all, but I'll be stunned if he ever ends up achieving any sort of consistent run at the top."

[8.0] "After a pretty poor start, Master Wato finally seems to be putting all the pieces together to become a possible junior-ace contender and I'm all for it. A pretty good strength from NJPW these few years have been that they can create very likeable baby-faces, and Master Wato seems to be another example of this. The biggest instance of this I think was his work with El Desperado last year, which is woefully under-rated, as it really showed just how much personality Master Wato can have when he's given the material. I also think he's really good in the ring too, but most importantly he seems to have captured that rare-likeability that can be so rare. So here's hoping nobody fucks it up, as Master Wato's one I'm really excited about"

[8.0] "2023 was the best year of his carrear, not only because he got a big push, but his in ring matches were his bests, his team with Despe, his showing at WK and winning BOSJ make him look like the future of the Jr. Division, a shame he is injured now, but maybe when he returns he keeps his momentum"

[8.0] "I wasn't sold on him until BOSJ this year, where he completely won me over. I think finally having crowds back and letting him go on a tear was the best thing NJPW could have done for him, as he only continues to skyrocket. The ACL injury is super unfortunate, but I hope he heals up well and comes back better than ever!"

[8.0] "Wato is good and has managed to somewhat over come his awful gimmick that he was saddled with. Fun Wrestler, great in ring with a lot of upside in him. I except good things in the future but for now I can only rate him 8."

[6.0] "I am very surprised that this dude came out of the 2023 BOSJ as the winner. He has no charisma, he has no "IT" Factor. He pretty much needs to be carried at all times. He feels like a geek. It goes on & on. Also, his gimmick is wack too. You cannot call yourself a master if you are still trying to become a master or a grandmaster. Also, a "Master" is not an apprentice of someone else (Hiroyoshi Tenzan), because you are already supposed to be many years past that. You are supposed to be someone else's mentor. Wato becoming IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion feels like a failed experiment on the horizon. I hope that I am proven wrong."

[7.0] "Im still truly unsure what i think of Wato however his run in BOSJ 30 has made me respect him more than o previously did, He has potential im curious to see how the rest of 2023 hoes for him."

[6.0] "I don't know with Wato... there's not much charisma, he is solid in the ring and his gimmick is not really the best either. Even though I want to be a fan of his, I really can't see more in him than just a solid guy to produce an alright and occasionally good match."

[6.0] "He is solid in ring but I am not sure he is destined for anything higher than what he has already achieved and his gimmick is not great to put it politely."

[8.0] "I like Wato, I think that he has a good future. Probably he has to have more charisma but he 'll be able to do somethink great in future. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Way better than he used to be. Wato has made great strides in his workrate and presentation since his lackluster showing at the 29th Best Of The Super Juniors. He's gotten a lot smoother, a lot faster, and a lot more cohesive with his in ring storytelling. Still has a long way to go but it's clear that he has it in him to be the guy NJPW want him to be."

[6.0] "Suprisingly he has improved a lot, I thought he would be absoolute garbage forever, but he has gotten to a good standard, although he will need to do more to get an even highee rating."

[8.0] "Great wrestler cursed with a terrible gimmick but manages to get over anyway. He makes a good underdog for the junior division, he's still very young so he can only get better."

[5.0] "Had good babyface fire as young lion but was kind of overshadowed by some others in his class. Returned from a poor excursion with a ridiculous gimmick and it looked like the writing was on the wall for Wato. He doesn't have the look or charisma that you would think would help him overcome it but he's proving everyone wrong lately. He's really improved in the ring and even though I think he would be better off without the gimmick, he's starting to make it kind of work. His wrestling style is quite smooth and it feels like there's certainly a lot of potential to become one of the top juniors."

[6.0] "A passable-for-his-age worker who is chained to a rather unfortunate gimmick. He's still young and has every opportunity to ascend the ranks and become a pillar of a post-Hiromu/Ishimori Junior Heavyweight division but for me personally I couldn't take him seriously as a high level junior until he undergoes either a partial or full repackage."

[6.0] "Master Wato has become my favourite wrestler in NJPW so far. I love his move set and gimmick and he doesn't seem to botch too much. Sadly I missed his run as Tag Team Champion, but I hope that NJPW continues tell more stories with him. I think he needs to work on the intensity of and the way his moves connect."

[6.0] "I feel like Wato is still trying to find his place in NJPW. He just got done with an ok run with the IWGP JR tag belts. It? ll be interesting to see what he does from here, I could see him being pushed towards to the top of the division, but also wouldn? t be surprised if he? s just treated as the occasional contender with the occasional run with the Jr. tag or 6 man belts."

[4.0] "i'm not really in to this guy, i dont have a problem with his ring skill but his promo & gimmick is something i dont really like"

[6.0] "Still rough around the edges, his execution is a little awkward and his character work is very stoic and stiff. He has got potential and there are still many rooms for improvement."

[5.0] "Master Wato hasn't really discovered himself since his return from CMLL, which is a shame because I know there is a good wrestler in there somewhere. He looks awkward and very uncomfortable with himself. He hasn't really had a good match since his days as a young lion either."

[6.0] "His character is stupid, and unlike most wrestlers who have come back from excursion he still feels like a rookie, although that could've been due to the real life circumstances of the pandemic. He shows flashes of brilliance, but is really rough around the edges, although he does seem to be settling in compared to a year ago. His kicks are nice, but sometimes they don't fully connect, and I'm confused why his style seems focused on strikes when what little high flying he does seems excellent. Definitely a work-in-progress, but lots of potential is there."

[8.0] "He will be a major star.He is not very charismatic and is sometimes sloppy, but damn, you can see his explosiveness and how much he improves every day. An I personally think that his kung-fu-like gimmick like in hong-kong action movies can actually word. You can do so much weird goofy shit with this. Anyway, I truly believe in him and I am sure he is the future of NJPW. Great dude."

[9.0] "When it comes to Wato, his best qualities are his age, his potential, and the amount of talent he already posses. Hes not Mr Jr Division yet, but mark my words, he will be."

[5.0] "Seems to be a elaborate rib where the rookie gets given a shitty gimmick to work with: maybe this is so he doesn't have any pressure on himself to get better in ring (considering no one is gonna be focusing on merely that) but in general, he's just a decent young worker with a really bad gimmick to work with, which is a shame because he definitely has that babyface/underdog/working from the bottom kind of style working for him quite well. It's not easy to have that when you can't get taken seriously. As he's very young, hopefully he improves in ring (because he can still be a bit sloppy work wise) and most importantly gets a FAR better gimmick where he can actually show how well he can do."

[4.0] "Kawato has gone from super-hot prospect to having a grotesquely long and extremely disappointing kengaku in Mexico where he had a grand total of two good matches, to back in NJPW with a gimmick and ring name which scream "opening comedy act". Master Wato? Way to the Grand Master? I chuckle just typing that. Mercifully somebody in the head office must have noticed the poor young man is actually pretty damn good so now he's tagging along with Ibushi and Tanahashi, which is definetely a step up over filming silly vignettes, albeit his whole presentation still sticks out in the same way as when Yoshi-Hashi came to the ring dressed as Son Goku. Hopefully this whole shtick will be dropped and when NJPW will be able to bring back some good foreig cruiserweight (or will patch up their differences with other Japanese promotions), Kawato will finally show how much he's truly worth."

[9.0] "Don't be fooled by his current presentation; Kawato is going to be one of the best wrestlers in the world quite soon."

[7.0] "My favorite Young Lion in NJPW at the moment, has shown flourishes of greatness already, cannot wait for him to go on excursion and blossom into something amazing. If you don't know him now, you will in a few years."

[9.0] "Kawato is my favourite Young Lion in NJPW. He has great babyface fire and tenacity, even though he usually tends to bite off more than he can chew, he is always up to the challenge. That attitude is just what you want to see from a rookie, he is also learning from the masters especially in his frequent tag team pairings with Jushin Liger. I can definitely see him as a future star in the light heavyweight division, Kawato has all the tools to make it big."

[8.0] "Kawato has such a fire to him, that you can't help but get behind him. He's brash, he picks fights he knows he can't win, but that's what makses him the best of the current crop, he's got an undeniable passion that's already gotten him very over, can't wait for him to graduate from Young Lion status, he's going to be a star."

[6.0] "This kid is awesome, and not just from the view of his age. He has great babyface presence and a great display of fiery passion. He lights up all NJPW undercards, whether its from the gleeful desperation he shows to get involved in a multi-man tag match or whether its from the high energy he outputs in his actual offence. He looks like an incredibly bland kid, but once he's in the ring he's 100% heart, and the NJPW crowds have been very high on him for a long time now, as have most foreign fans like myself. Of all NJPW's young lions for the last few years Kawato is absolutely my favourite. After a few more years of training plus maybe some excursions I could easily see NJPW finally banking in on Kawato's babyface charm and pushing him. As of now I don't see anything that points to him as the next coming of Okada or anything monumental like that, but he could easily occupy the upper-mid card in future, and with some work he could potentially be a main-eventer too. The fact I'm even considering the future of Kawato in such detail despite him being so young and new speaks for how greatly he's impressed me thus far. He's more than solid for now (he's the only interesting thing in NJPW under-cards, really), but hopefully he really develops in future."