Atsushi Aoki

[9.0] "One of the greatest men to ever grace the mat. His pure technique was simple but beautiful. His adaptive swiss army knife style was world class. Every time I see him I miss him so dearly I get emotional. I discovered his aroun '06 and it changed me. He's neck and neck with the KENTA, Marufuji etc hell he does alot of things better than them in some cases. Wished he was still here. Long Live Aoki."

[8.0] "Discovered him through his classic matches teaming with Kataro Suzuki against Minoru Tanaka and Koji Kanemoto. Super underrated rivalry and super underrated performer."

[8.0] "I'm pretty crushed at the news of Aoki's passing. I had watched him from afar for a few years, but this year he easily become one of my favourite All Japan wrestlers after his incredibly unique performances in the Champion Carnival (a tournament that he wasn't even meant to be a part of in the first place). His style of going for big, quick unexpected counters and generally relying on his agility and speed to avoid his opponents' attacks and then quickly fire off his own attacks from the then opportune position was super exciting, and he mixed that all in with great grappling work, great near falls, and of course some awesome babyface selling. Seeing him get so easily dominated in the Champion Carnival but show so much heart and then end up getting those hard-fought wins was incredibly cathartic. Aoki was fantastic at selling the extent of the obstacles in his way, and it was incredibly cathartic to see him occasionally overcome them. We shouldn't be depressed. Aoki's death is a tragedy, but he leaves behind a 13-year career of content we can at least look back on, and he went out on top holding the AJPW Junior Title, just as he deserved. I also understand that he was heavily involved in the behind-scenes management of All Japan, so the best thing we as fans can do now is keep Aoki in our minds and support All Japan going forward. I'm sure Aoki would have wanted us all to support his friends and colleagues in his absence, so we should take this tragedy and use it in a positive way by celebrating Aoki's career and rallying around the promotion he gave his final years to. Thank you for the art you gave us, Aoki. I hope your work inspires someone to similarly carry the mantle of your style and constantly remind us of your legacy."

[9.0] "Now that hes passed , you are gonna see a lot of people call him an underrated wrestler. But for a good 8 years Aoki was the most consistent and reliable junior in all of Japan and could get a good match out of anyone. Amazing technical wrestler who was perfect at the smaller aspects that a lot of wrestlers skip over. A hard working very talented wrestler who was gone way too soon. Rest in peace Blue Flash."

[8.0] "Not one of my favorite juniors ever, but he was honestly underrated. Especially as a tag guy teaming with Kotoro Suzuki. Even in singles bouts he could still put on some bangers if given the opportunity. He might not have been given as much praise as he deserves, but he was certainly appreciated by most."