Naomichi Marufuji

[5.0] "Marufuji has been finished for basically three years now. If I get his overall career rating he would've been higher but I only rate active wrestlers based on their current form. On his day he has all the skills to give you a GREAT performance but it's definitely mixed with some sorry selling. NOAH is nowhere near the best Japanese wrestling promotion but they always have some of the most charismatic wrestlers but Marufuji isn't"

[10.0] "A lot of wrestlers end up being called geniuses, but to me Naomichi Marufuji is the personification of the term. He's simply faultless in every area, and has been responsible for unmatched innovation over the course of his career. His matches against KENTA should be watched by everyone."

[8.0] "one of the best wrestlers of the last 25 years, been a big deal in NOAH, maybe could have been a bigger deal tbh. Technically very talented and athletically very gifted, has had some banger matches against people like Misawa and KENTA. Brilliant talent in his prime."

[9.0] "If I had to think of one word to define Naomichi Marufuji, I'd choose Innovation. This man is responsible for so many moves in the history of wrestling. He's a true avant-gardist. He's just a living legend."

[10.0] "The second best wrestler in the world. Pretty good as a wrestler, pretty charismatic too. His in ring work and charisma is undeniably good. He deserves his achievements. He still deserves a 9 at 44 with huge injuries."

[6.0] "As a junior he's probably a 9, one of the best of all time in regards to that. His matches against KENTA were some of the matches that really got into NOAH as a whole. His heavyweight stuff brings him down a little, he has some real good stuff in there as well but as a whole it's a bit boring at times. Where Marufuji is really falling for me at present is his booking of NOAH, it's abysmal, everything he is doing, especially within the main event scene and Team 2000X is actively making me not want to watch or keep up with NOAH."

[10.0] "So many of his moves were "borrowed" that he should be getting paid royalties. There's nothing he can't do and is one of the best ever."

[10.0] "The face of NOAH, be grateful to be alive while he is active. One of the greatest of all time, no debate."

[10.0] "One of the most underrated wrestlers of all time, a genius in the ring. It is a crime he is not in the WON Hall of Fame"

[10.0] "The most innovative wrestler of all time. He has some of the best kicks and knee strikes Ive seen, I absolutely love his scorpion kick and bicycle knee strike he executed them so beautifully. Influencing what wrestling is today as well combining high flying spectacles with heavyweight striking. Very under appreciated by a lot of people truly one of the best of all time."

[10.0] "One of the most talented wrestlers of all time. Awesome high flyer and such a great technician. Some of his kicks are brutal. His style in the ring influenced the next generation of wrestlers. To this day he still competes at the highest level."

[10.0] "If Marufuji spent his prime years in NJPW instead of NOAH, he would be held in similar regard as Okada and Tanahashi. If you've never seen his matches, you're really missing out, he's one of the best to ever do it, and his influence can easily be seen today, especially in AEW."

[10.0] "The man. Such fond memories of watching Naomichi Marufuji in his prime while growing up and still to this day get a buzz watching him perform. Felt for him in the infamous match vs. Ibushi at NOAH's New Year show... But enjoyed his match vs. Ospreay last year and always look forward to seeing him in singles action. Matches vs Danielson, Kobashi, Nakajima, Sugiura, tag runs with Kenta and matches vs. Misawa and Ogawa.. I could go on. There would be a fair few Marufuji matches in my top 25. Legend."

[10.0] "Quite simply the coolest fuckin dude to ever exist. When that "here we go" hits you know shits about to get wild."

[10.0] "Anything less than 10 feels like a crime... Marafuji has become an icon in wrestling and inspired wrestlers across the world. Personally I like his tag matches more but can easily watch his singles matches aswell."

[10.0] "Naomichi Marufuji is INCREDIBLY UNDERRATED. Trained by the gods of Japanese pro-wrestling (Misawa & Kobashi), Marufuji has proven time and time again just how close to perfect he is as a wrestler. His bouts with Misawa & KENTA are legendary and are mind blowing even after watching them multiple times. His athletic ability is comparable to Rey Mysterio in his prime, Marufuji is just that damn good. Will go down as one of the GOAT's in pro-wrestling."

[10.0] "An all time great! His influence not just in Japan, but around the world is very much evident (Ospreay for example cites him as an influence). An absolute star as a junior in NOAH's early days, also is great mixing up with the heavyweights. Has slowed down with age and injuries, but his versatility shines through as he has been able to adapt. Maybe 2023 Marufuji is a 7, but I think ratings should reflect careers and with the highs of his peak and the influence he has had, a definite 10."

[9.0] "Incredibly important and influential wrestler, who's sort have been the standard bearer for NOAH's juniors. AJPW had Fuchi, NOAH had Marufuji and KENTA. While he's significantly older now, Marufuji can still go. He's had an excellent career and it looks like he has no plans of slowing down. It'll be interesting to see what people think when it's all said and done."

[8.0] "Obviously. His moves are legendary. Great in-ring worker but from the matches I've seen from him. I don't know why he's rated at a 10. He's at least a 8 because of how good he is as a in-ring worker. But in general, I had struggles clicking and connecting to him in comparison of someone like Misawa or a Kobashi. Obviously comparing apples to oranges. But even then, I've always fancied Go instead of Marufuji."

[10.0] "A legit legend. He is highly respected but it still doesn't feel like he's recognized enough today for his body of work and influence, but I'm sure that will come in due time."

[10.0] "One of the most innovative and creative wrestlers in recent memory, Marufuji has consistently been one of the best wrestlers in Japan every year since the mid-2000s, this man truly is the heart and soul of Pro Wrestling NOAH, sticking with his beloved home through the extreme highs of the 2000s and the lower points of the 2010s. Whether as a junior or a heavyweight, Marufuji deserves his credit as one of the most influential wrestlers of his generation."

[9.0] "So many wrestlers especially in the west owe their careers to this man. So innovative with his offense and is still going strong now. His main event style and tendency to not sell a single thing does hinder some of his matches but I love this bastard so much."

[10.0] "One of my favorite wrestlers of all time and an absolute pioneer. His rivalry with KENTA is legendary. His moveset is awesome, probably the best combination kicks ever. Precision and quickness."

[10.0] "Influence. Creativity. Impact on the industry. Popularity. NM has it all and should go down as an all time great"

[10.0] "The most influential wrestler since Rey Mysterio Jr. this late in his career he's still amazing, Marufuji has always stood out from the beginning and knew how to adapt, in a land of heavyweights and being the protegee of Misawa he had no choice but to be great, and he stood out by being the fastest, most agile wrestler in the roster, as he had to slow down he changed to a more strike heavy moveset. He should be put along with Misawa as one of the best of all time."

[10.0] "Watch any pro wrestling show in 2021 & from top to bottom you will see his influence. Potentially the most influential wrestler of the last 20 years, Marufuji will go down in history as one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step in the ring in my honest opinion."

[10.0] "Possibly the most influential wrestler of the 21 century along with KENTA. Those two probably did more to change the perception of undersized main eventers in Japan than any wrestler not named Liger."

[10.0] "Not many wrestlers can touch prime Marufuji, that guy was scary good, having some of the most incredible matches ever, his feud with KENTA is a top 5 feud honestly, as he's aged he's barely slowed down and still bring great performances, his NOAH run is an all-time great run, his NJPW run was incredible, his AJPW run was great"

[8.0] "He cannot (or will not sell) sell a move to save his life and he's not exactly interesting nor charismatic outside of the ring. But when he's on the offensive all can be forgotten: he may not be the Marufuji of 2009-2010 but his offense is still amazing."

[8.0] "Naomichi Marufuji is known as the "Junior Genius" for a reason. He is one of the best when it comes to unpredictable strings of wrestling and high impact strikes. Had his prime years during a bad era. My heart would give him 9/10 but since he's not as young and fast as he once was, I have to give him an 8."

[10.0] "Naomichi Marufuji is the most unpredictable wrestler when it comes to the kinds of moves he strings together and at which point in the match he brings them out. One of a kind, so many classics, in particular his first GHC Heavyweight Title win from Jun Akiyama on 9/9/2006 and his quest to take the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title from Yoshinobu Kanemaru on 7/10/2010. His recent brief but fantastic return to AJPW that lead to a first-time-ever clash on 4/30/2018 with the current Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Kento Miyahara was special. It was the same place where Marufuji watched his senpai, Misawa-san, lay the foundation for what The Immortal Bird eventually became. Here he was, eighteen years later, to push the talented Miyahara to his absolute limit, the way Misawa-san had done for him so many years ago. Finally, his match with Hideo Itami at his twentieth year anniversary show on 9/1/2018 brought Itami out of the ashes of 205 Live booking and served as a stark reminder to the whole wrestling world how brilliant the two of them really are, especially against each other. Marufuji is an all-time great, and if NJPW really wants to keep their momentum going after all these talent losses, it would serve them well to shell out some cash and bring him back for the G1."

[10.0] "Naomichi Marufuji is one of the GOATs of Puroresu, his Junior style is very good, is a shame that he brightened at the wrong time. But still, he's a legend and certainly is in the Top 10 Wrestlers of NOAH and Puroresu in general."

[8.0] "Naomichi Marufuji can still deliver a great performance. Unfortunately, these instances are infrequent."

[9.0] "Arguably the highest on the pecking order of the Four Corner's pupils alongside KENTA and Shiozaki, Marufuji is no contest the most talented and most athletic of his bunch. Every move of his is smooth and crisp, and his strikes are a sight to see and hear. His high flying is different than most as while he relies on jumping all over the ring, he is never excessive with his dives. Unfortunately his biggest flaw, especially in recent years, is if it's not a big time match, then his effort is always minimal. He has other few flaws like his inability to connect with the crowd (even though he still impresses them with his skill), and lack of size compared to his senpai, the legendary Misawa. Even though the crowd didn't fully accept him and his generation at his peak, he still must be respected for sticking around through the peaks and lows of NOAH since it's inception."

[10.0] "If Suwama is the ace of All Japan and Tanahashi is the ace of New Japan, well there's no doubt that Marufuji is the ace of Noah. Despite the age he remains astonishing to watch, and he also gives a lot of space to younger wrestlers like Nakajima and Kenoh. Watch out from his kicks!"

[9.0] "The former ace of NOAH. His offenses look fantastic for sure. That is the one i love from him. The chops, kicks, knees are well-timing, well-executed. The flying moves are amazing. However, his matches sometimes feel like spotfest or go too long for no reason. Another downside is his selling- very hit or miss. He tends to sell poorly or ignore the limb work by his opponents. That's why i don't give him 10 like i do with ospreay or ibushi."

[9.0] "Marufuji get’s a bad rap for some reason but everytime I watch a match of his, I’m amazed by his innovative offense and his athletic ability. His kicks are amazing, his chops are wicked, his knees are brutal, and his hair is amazing. He has unreal amounts of charms for a guy who doesn’t pull a lot of facial expressions."

[9.0] "I actually think that Marufuji was the better half of his amazing tag team with KENTA. Marufuji was a more versatile worker being able to fly around the ring and work the mat much better than the guy who was chosen to be the next big star."

[8.0] "The criticism I see being thrown around against Marufuji is that he never changed his style one bit. That's not a bad thing in itself, given that Marufuji was and still is ridiculously good, both as a wrestler per se and as a high flier. He seems to have gone down the cards a bit lately but I wouldn't mind seeing him feud with the likes of Nakajima for the HW title."

[9.0] "Maru is just amazing. He can work stiff, he can work high-flying and his matches are a joy to watch most of the times for me. His style of wrestling and offensive are awesome with those knees strikes, chops and kicks. The only reason why I don't give him a 10, it's because of his selling. But damn, I love this guy."

[7.0] "Marufuji is smooth in the ring and very technical. He puts on a great match whenever he wants, however 50% of his matches are spotfests and very boring. Thats why I can't give him higher than a 7. I enjoyed some of his stuff with KENTA, Danielson, Nakajima etc tho. And his performances in the G1 this year, have made me appreciate him abit more, he was really killer in it."

[8.0] "Marufuji will probably go down as one of the best jr. of his time. He can do almost anything in the ring - from fast paced action to technical mat wrestling - but he relies too much on combination, overkill and move spamming, which is good in NOAH sometimes - since the late ark style is basically this - but not everytime. I used to complain about his strikes a lot, but in the G1 Climax run of this year he showed something different, something new. While he keeps on doing move spamming - ko-oh, flash kick, spinning heel mostly - he's more consistent and it appears he has improved his in-ring psychology which is one of the flaws he had during all his career. Something that would be surely remembered is his feud and tag with KENTA."

[10.0] "Marufuji is not only one of the best in Japan, but is one of the best in the world. His chops are insane, his kicks are innovative, and he has charisma that shows in his matches. He has truly proven himself in the G1 this year and this should only help Marufuji's momentum moving forward."

[8.0] "I have come to follow Japanese wrestling for about a year or so and I have just watched several Marufuji's matches, but I could say everything he does in the ring is satisfying enough for me. He is so smooth in the ring. His matches with Prince Devitt in Super J Cup Final and Okada in G1 Climax were very good."

[7.0] "Marufuji is a very good wrestler in general, but I don't think his style deserves such a high rating."

[10.0] "Pro Wrestling NOAHs diamond over the last 15 years. A man who has wrestled all over the world, taking on the best of the best, winning every title in NOAH and the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title."

[5.0] "A likeable guy, he was a part of some great tag matches in NOAH in the 2000s. Unfortunately his silly offence became a bit much to take when he moved into long singles matches. One of the most overrated wrestlers around for me. I've enjoyed a couple of his matches whilst GHC Champion but the recent Kojima match reminded me how poor he can be."

[10.0] "Absolute greatest in NOAH's heavyweight division in my opinion. Footage of him is what made me start watching Japanese wrestling."

[9.0] "Man, Marufuji is a bummer. He got really, really good, but then he also became injury prone. As a result, he just hasn't been able to get any sort of steam going for the past many years. Still a brilliant in-ring performer."

[7.0] "Good wrestle, capable of epic things when he wants."