Kota Ibushi

[6.0] "Amazing in the ring. I like watching his matches. But outside of the ropes he has nearly nothing to offer. This is a problem with many NJPW types. Japan treats pro wrestling much more like a sport. The result is very talented in ring performers who lack charisma relative to their American counterparts. Still, fantastic in ring performer."

[5.0] "The most boring wrestler ever. He has no character and does stupid stuff that I don't like. He can wrestle, and his moves do look good but he's boring to watch. A great example of this is his match with Tanahashi. Tanahashi carried that match because he was the more interesting wrestler. And then there's all of his injuries since he wrestles a very risky style. I wouldn't say he's as injury pron as Edge, but he's still out of action quite a few times. I personally don't see what everyone else sees in him."

[1.0] "Most of the time i have seen him wrestle is just him kicking you hard and with no in ring psychology or ring awareness (gunther hits hard but he his a master storyteller) . He is also most injury prone wrestler i have seen in my life. I also don't like his matches at all other than the time he has spend in golden lovers which is his only bright spot of his carrier."

[9.0] "Kota Ibushi is an insane wrestler, He comes from early DDT then starts working NJPW in the early 2010s as the guy from DDT. His matches during early 2010s NJPW are so insane, he takes the most craziest bumps i have ever seen, Ibushi remained to be good well into the late 2010s and early 2020s. But suffered a really bad injury while facing Okada in the G1 Climax finals and never was quite the same. After that he wrestled while injured against Naomichi Marufuji and injured himself further, Nowadays he's looking a lot better and wrestling a lot better. But sadly he got Injured badly wrestling Josh Alexander in AEW and it seems it might be it for him."

[9.0] "The embodiment of puro-resu perfection. Watching him, you feel the sheer athleticism, striking precision, and gravity-defying aerial work that made him a must-see in Japan. Even with injuries and the slower pace in recent years, his ability to craft drama out of pure skill is unmatched. He might not always get the narrative spotlight, but in the ring, he still radiates brilliance. Ibushi isn't just a wrestler, he's an art form, a golden star whose legacy is cemented despite the setbacks."

[10.0] "My favourite all time wrestler, who's gone through so many injuries and continues to be a beast. His in ring work is so good yet he's so underrated. New Japan never saw him as THE GUY for some reason and that always will bother me. Hoping his AEW career goes great now that he has signed that extension. And one day I'm hoping to hear YOUR AEW WORLD CHAMPION.. THE GOLDEN STAR... KOTA IBUSHIIIIIII"

[10.0] "one of the all time greats. his new japan career is some of the best work of any wrestler ever, and his matches are just next level."

[8.0] "I understand the criticisms of Ibushi especially his early career where he did more comedy matches than showing his abilities in the ring. That being said for a period of years he was on a streak of great matches in NJPW and the Cruiserweight Classic. Feels like the last few years injuries and age has slowed him down but he still has potential for good matches."

[9.0] "Ibushi is one of the best wrestlers that's ever existed. If there's any reason to not give him 10/10, it's because he's become sloppy and makes stupid decisions with his body. He needs to get better at that, then he'll truly be great again."

[10.0] "I can see why people dont like Kota Ibushi but in my opinion, he is one of the best wrestlers of all time. He can tell a story if you really book him right, his moveset is one of the best in wrestling history, his kicks are brutal and just him in general is awsome, the only problem is his comedy stuff that he was in DDT, other than that great wrestler and one of my favorites."

[2.0] "I don't like Kota Ibushi. It's the same reason I kinda don't like Edge in ring because he's a very average wrestler but Ibushi can't really wrestle at all. He just does big moves, with no psychology, and does kicks. Literally that's his whole schtick, he can kick you really hard. But I don't think I have ever watched an ibushi match I liked and if I did like it, it was because of the other person involved. He's just not my kind of wrestler and although he is an insane athelete, I feel like the only reason he is talked about is because of his friendship with Kenny Omega and don't get me wrong, him in the Golden Lovers is another story, one of the greatest tag teams of all time but I am talking about him as a singles wrestler. I will say though that the Golden Lovers and the match with Omega at the G1 in 2019 is a reason he doesn't get a flatout zero as the Golden Lovers are one of the greatest tag teams of all time and that match with Omega at the G1 in 2019 is pure cinema."

[10.0] "Kota Ibushi is one of the most talented wrestlers of all time. At one point I thought he was going to be New Japan's next top babyface star, but ultimately his career never worked out the way that it should have. Despite that, he has one of the absolute greatest catalogues of matches of any wrestler ever, and that can't be taken lightly. I think history will look back on him as a cautionary tale, but ultimately he has produced some of the greatest pro wrestling art of any wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots"

[10.0] "Kota is the Man, he is the total package a perfect wrestler and one of my favorites of all time. Ibushi is the most skilled in ring wrestler ever he can do every style at an elite level. He is unbelievable, a legend, a badass and easily one of the best Professional Wrestlers ever."

[8.0] "Man what could've been with Ibushi, he still had stuff left to give to the sport and maybe he still can just not in his current role. He is throwing away everything he worked to create. However you can't deny his peak was one of the greatest to have ever happened. His moveset his ability to create drama out of nothing was incredible, it felt he could work a good match out of anyone that stepped in the ring with him."

[7.0] "I'm going to try to put this as delicately as possible: Kota Ibushi is currently ruining his own legacy. The past two years of Ibushi have been incredibly frustrating. He has been trying to work through injuries, to the detriment of his in-ring work. He has burned bridges with multiple companies in Japan, including the company he basically grew up in (DDT) and the company that gave him his brightest spotlight (NJPW). His match with Marufuji where he broke both of his ankles was both the worst and saddest match of 2024. Recently, it's suspected that he wrestled for a joshi company with a noticeable staph infection on his back. He's started garnering comparisons to Jeff Hardy in his worst moments. All of this because he doesn't believe in modern medicine. It's by the strength of his previous work that he still gets a 7 from me, but someone needs to save him from himself at this point."

[10.0] "THE BEST. Over the years, Ibushi wrestled pretty much every match type possible, and he never disappointed. Doesn't matter if you need a man to do Comedy match, Normal wrestling match or some kind of strong style match, Kota can pull of a instant classic. In my head, at some point, this man was the best wrestler in the world, and even if this status is long time gone - Kota Ibushi is still one of my favorite wrestlers of all time."

[9.0] "The Golden Star is easily one hell of a wrestler and someone I feel anyone can work with and turn it into a must watch match. He was the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and although it wasn't the greatest reign, he still was a great and deserving champion. Once he comes back to AEW, I'm excited to see what the company does with one of the best wrestler currently."

[10.0] "Kota Ibushi is the perfect professional wrestler. He's called the golden star for a reason. Very good at high flying and such a great striker. He can be very technical in the ring too. Kota Ibushi has it all. Going down as a Japanese legend"

[9.0] "Ibushi is among the most unbelievable wrestlers that ever existed! Everyone basically saw the original Tiger Mask watching him, for his surreal perfomances in the rings. His DDT career was as successful as it gets, and then with NJPW he only went uphill with his bangers (his G1 28 matches were my favorites perfomances of his). His high flying moves, his brutal Kamigoye and ease to sell moves to make opposition look strong is one of a kind! Ibushi's problem however is that he believes he is a superhuman, that his pain is easy to ignore, that despite his moves being dangerous, it's no big deal! That and with all the neck drops, body bumps and divings he did, his shoulder, his ankles and his torso are currently a mess, and to make things worse, he refuses to seek treatment. And this takes us to his incident with NJPW, a company known for their harsh demands of conditioning and resistence, something Ibushi wasn't having thanks to his injuries, and then their infamous debate on the Internet started, and that was Ibushi's end of a great career in NJPW. Sadly, I think after G1 31, Ibushi met his end not only in NJPW, but in all of wrestling, as apart from GCW, his performances were poor, and his body obviously is screaming for help. I hope he comes to his senses and understand the gravity of his condition, or sadly he will end up just like Mitsuharu Misawa."

[10.0] "He reminds me of AJ Styles or Will Ospreay because he is not only incredibly athletic but also a highly skilled and well-rounded wrestler. His aerial skill is especially notable, showcasing impressive moves like the pele, standing shooting star press, standing hurricanrana, corkscrew moonsault, phoenix splash and standing stardust press, many of which even most of the best high flyers in WWE wouldn't execute very well. Additionally, he can deliver great strikes and power moves. He delivers quality matches and his work in NJPW speaks for itself."

[9.0] "There was once a time where Ibushi was genuinely one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and while that's no longer the case, it's ridiculous that people here are only judging him for what he is now. Sure, his work in AEW has been terrible, but watch his NJPW matches and you'll see how unebelievably athletic and talented Ibushi was."

[9.0] "Ibushi's gonna wrestle until he dies, which will probably affect peoples' perception of him if they never saw his earlier work. But make no mistake, for a stretch of a decade plus, he was one of the best cruiserweights in the world, known for his freakish athleticism. Even if he continues to wrestle after his body can no longer keep up with him, it won't change the fact that he's put on so many classics, most wrestlers with an equally long career won't be able to do even half as many."

[8.0] "It is somewhat insane to read peoples comments here basing their reviews on the few WWE/AEW matches he has had including one purely from the Blood and Guts match. Has Ibushi fallen off a cliff the past few years? Absolutely. This is not the first time a great wrestler has completely dropped off like that. In his day in both DDT and NJPW, he was one of the most cutting edge performers around. His style is not always to my taste hence an 8 but you can't deny he was very good."

[8.0] "It feels painful to not give Ibushi a 9 or even a 10 but I feel like the performances of the past year or two which have mostly been pretty bad counteract the decade of 9 and 10-worthy performances. Still, I'll be generous and keep him at an 8 for now... as long as he either retires or FINALLY gets the surgery that probably could've prevented such embarassing displays as his match with Marufuji that kicked off and probably ended 2024 for him at the same time."

[9.0] "Freakish in ring athlete, was half of my favorite storyline ever. But when he isn't paired with someone more bombastic than himself he struggles to sell a narrative. Waiting on his return from his shoulder injury and hope he recovers completely. Edit 2024 - Ibushi's refusal to get surgical correction and proper rehab has destroyed his body and hopes of returning as anything but a morbid shadow of the man he used to be. I have never seen a more startling decline."

[10.0] "A god of pro-wrestling in his prime and nothing less. Sadly, people do not remain in their prime forever, and Ibushi is a shadow of the wrestler he once was. If you have only seen Kota Ibushi's post-NJPW work, you have not seen Kota Ibushi. But I refuse to give this man anything less than a ten, even as I've rated his most recent match with Marufuji (02.01.24) a zero."

[10.0] "Kota Ibushi is one special wrestler. His style is unique for me.his strikes are perfect and look legit scary. He maybe have the best firely baby face comebacks in recent years. I just love ibushi and his epic style of wrestling"

[7.0] "Amazing performer when put against the right opponent. Rather dull when not. His offense is visually incredible at times and his execution often flawless. His selling is non-existent which brings my rating down a notch. He has a weird charisma - and this is meant in a good way - but nowhere near the level of the Naitos, Tanahashis and Okadas of this world. Overall, a performer capable of having ***** matches in the right circumstance, but I dont believe he's an all time great, especially considering how stacked the NJPW generation he grew up in was. Sad to see him broken down from injuries, at his peak he could have shined in AEW"

[6.0] "I'm disappointed in him now. It's body is so heavy that I can't bear to look at it. It's so sad seeing it in its heyday. He seems to be isolated because he can't keep up with the level of AEW matches. It's probably not because he's getting older, but because of mental anxiety. I wonder what a great match we could have watched if we could have used a time machine to bring him back in the past."

[10.0] "From 2007 to 2021, Kota Ibushi was an unbelievable high flyer & striker. Absolutely unbelievable. He had some of the best reversals and sequences I have ever seen in professional wrestling. He was easily 1 of the best wrestlers in DDT, and has gone on to craft an incredible legacy within puroresu. To go along with his in-ring abilities, he was also very strong for his size, became a great storyteller as he got older, has some very good technical wrestling skills, and as far as "the look" is concerned, he looks like a J-Rock star. As of 2023, the future is uncertain. At 41, some could argue that he's past his prime, & that the shoulder injury in the G1 2021 finals was literally the end of his main event career. He has had some excellent multi-man matches, but he was far from the most memorable part in them. Hopefully he just needs some time to fully heal & breakthrough the obstacles - but if it doesn't work out, he still left his mark."

[8.0] "He's looked pretty cooked since returning to the ring following his unfortunate injury, but that shouldnt diminish how good he was back in the day. He started as a crazy spot monkey but gradually added things to his game, also becoming one of the deadliest strikers in Wrestling history. He adjusted his style to the njpw heavyweight matches and thrived there. There were always holes in his game though, he's a very poor long term seller and he usually needs someone like Tanahashi or Omega to tell a complete story in the ring. Its kind of interesting how he was seen as the more talented one out of the Golden Lovers, but when its all set and done, Kenny will have ended up with the more complete and impactful career. Of course he cant go like he used to, but I hope he sees this and transitions into a pure striker, I'm sure he can continue having great matches like that."

[10.0] "It's hard to describe how much of an amazing all round talent Ibushi is. He literally can do it all, and he will do it all. He's an amazing high flyer, the height and speed he attains is breathtaking. He's a great Striker (maybe not recently) but he would just beat the shit outta people with kicks & punches. He's also a neck bump master, and as a connoisseur of neck bumps, I love that he's crazy enough to take that shit. That time he took a Burning Hammer in WWE in one of the craziest moments in the company."

"No clue why someone rated Kota during the Blood and Guts match like that's the first time they've ever seen him. And if it is the first time they've seen Kota Ibushi, should prob just go watch WWE lmao. But yeah, all time legend. AJ coming to Japan really but all these now legends over and give them a global name. Kota ibushi was one of if not best worker in that match yesterday, atleast 1 of the top 2."

[4.0] "Im watching him here in the AEW blood and guts match, and this guy absolutely sucks, he litterally just kicks and ocassionally punches, walks up to someone in a submission, waits a solid 3 seconds kicks them and they sell it like it did something, his punches are lackluster, man is just slow and clunky, where the one good thing he did in that whole match was just a single moonsault onto Mox on the bed of nails. He is lucky that moonsault looked ok, or he woudlve gotten like a 2"

[10.0] "Kota Ibushi is one of my favourite wrestlers ever. There is this spark to him that not a lot of people in the business have, there is a certain uniqueness to him and his ability to seamlessly mix Shooto and stiff striking with some of the most graceful high-flying maneuvers everand that Phoenix Splash is irresistible. While most were introduced to Kota through Kenny, it was the opposite for me. I have personally considered him better than Kenny, for the simple fact that he can do some things Omega just cannot. Their match at Budokan Peter Pan is a highlight of that, and my first exposure to Kota. Other personal favourites include vs. HARASHIMA at the first Peter Pan in 2009, The three-way KO-D Tag Title match, Ibushi & Marufuji vs. KENTA & Ishimori, Tiger Mask W vs. Okada at NJPW 45th Anniversary, vs. Hangman Page on ROH television in 2018, and vs. Yoshihiko at a DDT event in 2015(a.k.a the match where Kota wrestles a blow-up doll). Update: I will be there for Blood and Guts, it will be Golden."

[10.0] "Welcome back Kota alias one of the most gifted athlete of this generation. His style is exciting and he is even able to get a 5* match from a blow-up a doll. I'm really excited to see what he 'll do in AEW. *****1/2 (11/10)"

[9.0] "My second favorite NJPW wrestler OAT. Ibushi is just that guy. Glad he is back but hopefully he goes to AEW because I absolutely DESPISE GCW. Top notch matches in every company he has worked in. HE DOESN'T MISS. 10/10 / Recommendations: vs Omega [G1 Climax 28, DDT], vs Devitt [WK 10], vs Ospreay [G1 Climax 29], vs Styles [Invasion Attack 2015]"

[10.0] "He is pretty much the complete package between the ropes. Fast, agile, strong for someone his size, technically gifted, can strike with the best of them, can be funny, he can practically do it all. Hes also been a part of amazing stories in the past to, more than just playing his part."

[10.0] "Kota Ibushi is incredibly gifted a great body, great high flyer, fast, powerful, good techniker, can shoot, can do comedy etc the low point his selling can be 50/50. He's member of one of the best team of the last 20 years with Kenny Omega as Golden Lovers, a 3x KOD Tag Team champion, 3x KOD champion, 3x IWGPJunior champion, 1x IWGP Jr Tag Team champion, 1x Tag Team Champion, 1x Never Openweight champion, 2x IWGP Intercontinental champion, 1x IWGP Havyweight champion, 1 IWGP World Heavyweight champion, King Of DDT 2009 winner, Best Of The Super Junior 2011 winner, New Japan Cup 2015 winner, 2x G1 Climax winner 2019, 2020 and 2 other finals 2018 and 2021. I really hope his return soon is the start of something huge for Kota."

[10.0] "He might not be the best wrestler in the world, but I don't think there is any wrestler who is as excellent at every aspect of in-ring wrestling as the Golden Star. He can work any type of style and is believable as any type of wrestler. Truly a genius of the ring who you will marvel at."

[8.0] "Incredibly gifted wrestler. Tremendously athletic, smooth in the ring, great moveset and charismatic. He's a lifelong babyface, his fire is great so you always want to get behind him. I feel he lacks with psychology sometimes but that is often glossed over due to being involved with many great workers who often have enough to make up for it. His selling is also sketchy as he has the annoying habit that is quite evident in modern wrestling to completely disregard the injuries in order to get some spectacular moves in."

[10.0] "The most outstanding wrestler ever, his way of life and wrestling just boggles the mind, you never know what you are gonna get out of Kota Ibushi."

[7.0] "Good atlete, good wreslter but what I just can't with him when he no sells the entire match... And I know that my ratings is influenced by the fact that Ibushi GETS 3 G1 FINAL IN A ROW ? At the time, this pissed me of a lot and when you look that every one of his push to the World title was a fail, I can't rate this wreslter 8 or 9."

[10.0] "Tied with Naito for my favorite Japanese wrestler of all time. His intensity is amazing and he makes the sit out last ride look like a million bucks. Hopefully he heals up soon and reforms Golden Lovers in AEW or goes to WWE for a short run."

[10.0] "I almost want to dock a point because he takes completely unnecessary risks that interrupt and shorten his career, but he's just so good."

[9.0] "Kota Ibushi might be one of the most athletic wrestlers of the 21st century. The dude is insane both physically and perhaps mentally with the bumps that he decides to take. Truly the whole package as a wrestler, he can essentially work any style."

[7.0] "Kota Ibushi's wrestling skill set is very impressive. This is especially true with his G1 Climax match against Hiroshi Tanahashi. It often feels like he goes that extra mile to make a wrestling match all the more entertaining. It's such a shame what happened at last years G1 Climax! I wish him a fast recovery so that we can see many more matches involving him on New Japan."

[10.0] "One of the best in the ring in his generation. I simply can't go below 10 as he does things in the ring that just make you shake your head because you can't believe what you just saw. He's not the most charismatic guy which hurts a little. However, when things connect in the ring, it's magic and some of the greatest performances one will ever see. Say what you will about him personally, and there is stuff we will likely never know the truth to, and sometimes it can be difficult to be a fan, but all the problems disappear when he gets in the ring because it will be magic."

[8.0] "Kota is a physical marvel. His athleticism and intensity are rivaled by virtually no one, even at this 'twilight' in his ability after years of head bumps. His personality as the absent-minded, eccentric savant is also pretty entertaining and I'd be remiss to mention that he was a crucial part of one of the great stories of the 2010s as part of the Golden Lovers. Unfortunately, Ibushi often lacks the ability to commit to a narrative, the most obvious example being his inability to ever sell his leg consistently enough (with the G1 final against Jay being an exception to this rule). When he doesn't forgo psychology in favor of spots, he's capable of producing all-time matches, as he often did during his incredible run in 2019. but the inconsistency that lingers within his match history means he peaks at around an 8-9/10 as a wrestler."

[9.0] "What a ride for Ibushi. He (somewhat surprisingly) finally broke through, winning and defending the IWGP Double Belt at Wrestle Kingdom. Then things got weird. His reign was marred by New Japan trying to introduce a new belt. Then he lost it immediately, picked up nagging injuries, and a very unfortunate illness. Finally he had a horrible injury in the G1 Final vs Okada. Throughout it all though, Ibushi put on stellar performances, especially against Naito (WK and Castle Attack) and Shingo (G1). He still has the ability, but being a fan of Ibushi has never been easy."