Michael Elgin

[7.0] "I've never not been entertained by Michael Elgin during his time with Impact, I must limit my rating to 7 due to especially heinous, confirmed IRL behavior both legally & online. Again, though, it's impossible for me to rate lower this with Elgin's strong moveset, phenomenal build, great promos & a propensity to always pump out a highlight match on whatever episode or PPV of Impact he was featured on that day. Truly an unfortunate & " needs to be studied" example of a wrestler's garbage behavior affecting his career."

[4.0] "Talented enough in the ring, I guess, but an absolute void of personality, and just in general a guy who does moves really well, without much in the way of rhyme or reason for WHY they're happening in a match. Also doesn't help that he seems like kind of a scumbag outside the ring, which is never fun."

[2.0] "He did a bunch of moves and argued with a lot of people on twitter. Trying to give him a fair ranking is hard because the personal stuff literally derailed his entire career, and even his career was kind of in a bubble because for some reason NJPW was still willing to use him after a bunch of other incidents. Heard he tried to make a comeback and instantly started social media fights with people because they didn't want to be on shows with him. I think the Elign or whatever his name is now exerperiment is over."

[1.0] "Tiny tot Elgin is a wrestler who is trying to play a uncomplicated powerhouse wrestler when he is as short as Adam Cole (babay). While this is somewhat passable in Japan, it doesn't work at all in the North American indies, even with the smaller wrestlers you see there. Check out Elgin vs Hagar or Elgin vs Keith Lee for a hilarious sight. An abuser with no mic skills, a comical look and only gained some traction because he was Uncle Dave's backstage rat while he was in NJPW."

[5.0] "Elgin is an outstanding athlete who possesses tremendous power as well as quickness and technical skill. There's simply something about his technique that doesn't quite work for me - while he has a lot of great skills, it sometimes appears like he goes from one move to the next without much thought. He should also have a mouthpiece. "He's still young enough to have lots of time to progress; I wouldn't be shocked if it all comes together for him sooner or later.""

[5.0] "A very passable powerhouse in the right environment. He's got good size despite being a little short and his offence is nice and impactful for his role. Not the most well versed in psychology so he needs leading through the longer singles matches. Lacks any charisma or character work so his ceiling is either as a midcard heel or the power guy in a tag team."

[5.0] "He had a pretty strong run in New Japan from 2015-2017 but everything outside of that period I generally find uncompelling."

[4.0] "Elgin saved his career getting over with the japanese crowd because not a soul in the west gives a shit about him lol. He's capable of good matches when working with guys who know his strengths but never EVER let him layout a match himself. Just the dorkiest "big movez" guy the last few years and this is my complaints without getting into him being a creep and abuser. If he just shut up for 5 seconds he wouldn't have to run to japan just to wrestle mediocre matches"

[4.0] "Never have understood why people think he's so great. Elgin is just the most uninspiring wrestler I've seen reach prominence as a gaijin in NPW/NOAH/etc."

[8.0] "dude got his mental faculties (rightfully) destroyed piecemeal by the unknowable eldritch horrors of too much social media but in his prime he was doing great things. sad he's a loser irl"

[8.0] "Elgin is the prime example of people pretending someone was "never good" just because controversial information comes out about them. I always rate wrestlers based on their wrestling and business-related actions rather than their personal actions, since I'm here to rate wrestlers and not shoot personalities, after all. As a wrestler, Elgin was great. I haven't seen any of his ROH run, but I understand he became pretty stale towards the end, so he instead got the chance to totally revitalise his career in Japan with NJPW, and boy what an amazing decision that was. He came in an instantly became a great powerhouse, capable putting on many great and amazing matches with the likes of Okada, Naito, Omega, Ishii, and having really good matches with quite a few others. His strikes and power moves could be absolutely obliterating, and he could wow audiences with his strength displays. He also knew exactly how to hype up a match as being appropriately "epic" whenever it was called for. As others have mentioned, his matches admittedly became a bit samey with some of the same spots and by almost always seeming to devolve into an "epic" that didn't feel totally deserved or necessary, but whenever the setting, stakes, and opponent were right, he could give an amazing performance. It's a shame that his Japan run came to an end, since he perfectly fit that style. It's also just a shame that due to various reasons (some relating to Elgin's own doing, apparently), he no longer wrestles in general. US smark audiences appear united in absolutely hating him, and I doubt he'll ever be able to win them over in any meaningful numbers. That's why Japan is really the only option if he wants to continue wrestling, but he's got a kid over in the US who I'm sure he's far more interested in being with, especially with how difficult he's found life the past few years. It's a damn shame this has all happened this way, because Elgin was winning over both Japanese, North American, and European audiences before the drama surrounding him started (and don't let anyone gaslight you into thinking that people universally hated him, because that's a total lie). He probably would have ended up in AEW or at least remained an upper-midcarder in NJPW if only he kept his head down and nose clean. I hope he manages to sort out whatever he needs to sort out and gets back to wrestling in some capacity, because he truly was great at it and he'd immediately enhance any promotion that would have him."

[0.0] "Its wild that this guy has over 1500 matches under his belt and still doesnt understand how to put a decent match together. One of the worst parts of New Japan while he was there, i like muscle dudes as much as the next guy but literally all he brought to the table was a 1000 moves and a chemically enhanced physique and that was it.. Dude sells like Road Warrior even though he has to look up at most of the guys he wrestles. He got carried in ROH and was mistaken for a star. Total piece of shit outside the ring too. Remember kids, roids can give you big muscles but they cant give you talent."

[6.0] "Every match of his tends to be the same. Give him a small, athletic ball of energy and that can be really good. Give him anything else and Elgin quickly feels exposed. Still has had some genuinely great matches at points by virtue of being surrounded by BITW talent"

[0.0] "While we can point to the variety of abuse allegations against him as a reason why he's a terrible man who shouldn't be booked, he's also a desperately terrible wrestler and firing him is one of the most beneficial things NJPW have done in the last few years. Stunk up every G1 he was in and never had a match that was any good that wasn't alongside best in the world Tetsuya Naito."

[8.0] "Elgin is a great big man wrestler despite not physically being much of a big man. Elgin has a reputation for being a bit cutesy in his matches with some very bad habits. He's forces a lot of his matches to be epics and spams a lot of his big moves. Sometimes less is more. Move spam isn't his only flaw. He can also be bad at selling. It feels as if he's just giving a performance rather then trying to win a match. Although that isn't the case in all of his matches. Elgin excels in King's Road style matches. Such as those during his NJPW run. He works best when against a great opponent who not only can sell for Elgin, but elevate him to a truly excellent match. Such as his matches with Naito, Okada and Omega. New Japan matches were the height of his career because his singles run outside of New Japan was lackluster. Which was partially impacted by his personal life."

[8.0] "Michael Elgin was/is arguably the best "big man" wrestler in his era being able to have success in U. S. , Canada, and Japan. However, he is also a case of wasted potential in a way as issues with his personal life, and how he was able to handle some political issues in Ring of Honor, New Japan, and Impact had stop high profile pushes at the worst time possible. The allegations that are against him where considered in ways that I felt that they had impacted his career but not in a punitive way."

[7.0] "Before I start, I'm not gonna factor in the allegations or his confirmed shitty behaviour because that doesn't have anything to do with his professional wrestling in the ring ofc. Good "big" man, even if he's not exactly the size of one he still wrestles with a lot of power moves, throws, and plenty of bombs of his own. His style doesn't really fit a Western standard which is more spot oriented, and isn't exactly a particularly inviting place for powerhouse guys whom rely more so on big moves rather than a crazy dash to the finish or big sequences. When Elgin is working a more King's Road style of match, his best qualities come through great: he's a good worker from below or above, he can work long matches despite his way of wrestling, and the more physical aspects shine brighter than what they would be as he becomes more of a hoss where he can tank strikes and deliver devastating power moves that actually get sold, as compared to him spamming them out to a guy who forgets to sell after like 20 seconds. He needs guys who can also push themselves physically (like a Omega or Okada, etc) to really get a great match, however. He has a habit of bad selling as well which can pop up at really bad moments. Decent but is a good example of a B player that needs someone better than him to get his best qualities."

"Yes sometimes he botches a few moves and it is scary looking. But Michael Elgin is a good wrestler. He doesn't deserve the 1 rating. I admit he is a bit stiff but his pacing is quite good and his matches with Naito, Omega and Okada were really good. Sure some will say that his opponents deserved the credit but it takes two to get a ****3/4 and ***** match. The man is under serious allegations and I hope the allegations against him are false but if its true, he should be punished."

[8.0] "Boy this guy sure seems to have been all over the place huh? After spending years in the independents Elgin caught his first big break in 2010 when he signed with ROH debut as a heel with the House of Truth stable. Elgin first made his big wave on the wrestling world in 2012 when during WrestleMania weekend he challenged for the ROH championship against Davey Richards in a match considered by many to be a modern classic. ROH broke him off from the House of Truth stable and turned Elgin face after that. Elgin had feuds with Adam Cole and Roderick Strong and even won the ROH title but nothing he did matched the praise he got for the Richards match. Elgin always wanted to go to Japan and try his hand there as he believed his style was suited more over there. Using ROH relationship with NJPW, he got his shot being a participant in the 2015 G1 Climax. Elgin finally got to prove himself in a big way performing strong in the tournament, getting over with the Japanese crowd and signing a contract with NJPW. The clear highlight of his run in the promotion has to be when he defeated Kenny Omega in the first ever (and as of this writing only) ladder match in NJPW history to win the IC belt. Elgin has since parted ways from NJPW and had a brief run in Impact Wrestling, now his future in wrestling is up in the air."

[10.0] "An incredible athlete, one of the best big man, never disappointing all time delivering. This is BIG MIKE."

[10.0] "One of the best Canadian wrestlers of today. Down with the negative comments and ratings. Great in ROH!"

[4.0] "Elgin will main event a sold out Korakuen Hall show this week for my favorite promotion. I wouldn't be surprised if he is a champion there by the end of the year. People clearly like him. I can not. From his look which has never been strong to the stories of awful things he's done, Elgin's constant success baffles me. If he's your first exposure to this kind of wrestling maybe I can understand it, but he's far from the best strong man in the game today."

[7.0] "Great example of modern powerhouse, surprisingly agile and immensely strong. He has improved a lot since he broke onto the main scene in 2013 or so instead of merely focusing on his strongman act. He has done well in ROH but even better in NJPW, always hard working and entertaining. His weak points are really bad promo skills (a manager or mouthpiece could really help him) and the need for a highly skilled opponent (Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Nakajima etc) to cover some of his most glaring weaknesses. On the average a very good modern wrestler though."

[8.0] "Despite the stupid story involving him in 2017, Michael Elgin is a great worker, his matches with Okada, Omega and Naito are awesome. Now that he's out of NJPW, I would like to see him in AJPW or BJW."

[0.0] "This guy gasses out within seconds, can't sell for anything, is a horrible dude in real life, and just bores me to tears whenever he wrestles. I can't remember a good Michael Elgin Match in the past 5 years, and that's incredible, Absolutley outstanding, that he has had no good matches since at least 2012."

[6.0] "As a worker, Michael Elgin is good to really good, depending on the night and the opponent. As a human being, he is sorely lacking."

[6.0] "A solid big man wrestler. Kinda lacking in the old charisma department but has put on a handful of great matches. (Would give 6. 5 if I could)"

[8.0] "Big Mike is as good of a wrestler as he is a shit person. It makes it hard for me to root for him, given the man who gets between the ropes, but damn if he doesn't consistently deliver in big match situations."

[1.0] "As others have said, a really bad person. And lately, a really sloppy, lazy looking wrestler. Whatever fire he had before is gone lately, as though he thinks he deserves better, and as though he's not even appreciative of the fact that he's still getting booked regularly after the things that have come out about him. I've lost track of the times I've seen him almost end someone's career on a real scary looking botch the times he's been given spotlight singles matches in 2018, and aside from looking disinterested in those matches, he honestly seems to be sleepwalking through any six-man he's in. I started skipping matches with him entirely at a certain point, because seeing an abuser sloppily dropping my favorite wrestlers on their necks repeatedly is not what I watch pro wrestling for."

[8.0] "Rating only based on his merits as an in ring worker, Michael Elgin is amazing. Hes like a modern Steve Williams, just with more emphasis on moves and less emphasis on Psychology (though hes gotten better with his time in New Japan). His strength feats are often featured, which is definitely a smart move but the guy moves as well as a lot of the Juniorweights. He has great timing (not quite on the level of Ishii but I'd argue better then Omegas), keeps a great pace and isn't afraid to take a nasty spill when the match calls for it. Its a damn shame he ended up being as absolutely stupid as he is when it comes to social media. The dudes as good as done now, and that sucks because I would've loved to see him face Naito or Okada again, or Juice in a high profile match."

[9.0] "Elgin is really amazing. An impressive powerhouse. Sure, his run in ROH was highly disappointing. But when he joined NJPW, it was a career resurgence. He quickly got over with NJPW crowd and put on consistently good/great matches. Only small issue is that he tends to sell poorly the limb work. Other than that. He is great."

[9.0] "Elgin as ROH champ wasn't great tbh but after G1 25 he has been one of the best wrestlers in the world and he did have great matches with Omega. Hopefully he becomes IWGP Champ in a few years"

[7.0] "Elgin's had a fascinating run of it. After a less than stellar ROH run, which included a world title reign, people were left scratching their heads when Big Mike was chosen to represent ROH in the 2015 G1 climax instead of Jay Lethal, or Roderick Strong, or Adam Cole, etc. Turns out the 2015 G1 was the greatest thing to ever happen to him. He excelled in his role as a powerful hoss of a wrestler, and as such he was rewarded with an IC title run in 2016 when he subbed in as a late replacement for Tanahashi in the ladder match Vs. Omega. Elgin's "Power move or nothing" style might piss a lot of people off since he's often accused of hitting one or two moves two many in his matches, but it's hard to deny that he is tailor-made for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and has found a nice home for himself as one of the top gajin."

[9.0] "For sure one of the best "big guys" that I ever seen in a wrestling ring. Great matches both in the ROH and in the NJPW. It's not the Tanahashi, Okada, Omega's caliber but it is not far and he proved that can have good matches with almost anyone and be an important part in NJPW."

[10.0] "Elgin is really a beast. The best powerhouse wrestler in NJPW. Since his debut in G1 25, he has been delivering great matches after great matches. His matches against Ishii, trilogy with Omega and Naito and his recent match with Okada at G1 27 all these matches have been top notch. Elgin has the potential to be major champ in NJPW in near future."

[10.0] "Jesus, why the fuck is Elgin rated so low on this site? I know people are still bitching about his ROH run, and quite honestly I wasn't too into him back then. But man, Elgin improved so much since 2015, New Japan didn't have a true powerhouse wrestler, and Elgin fits the role perfectly. He came in like a beast, exceeded everyone's expectations, and delivered great matches after great matches. He's still young, promising future ahead of him, and definitely a guy to watch."

[9.0] "Big Mike is just awesome. He got one of the better offensives in wrestling today with his power-moves and incredible stiff strikes and amazed me how great he developed since he's go to NJPW, and aside from that, he is a great babyface. The most important is that he's proved that he deserves to be in the Main Event scene, delivering a absolutely classic with Naito and getting the fans behind him against the most over guy in New Japan at the moment. The best powerhouse in the world right now alongisde Shingo Takagi, IMO."

[9.0] "Elgin is an incredible in ring worker. He can put out great matches with anyone and he has been improving since signed to New Japan. The only problem is his in ring psychology is below average, especially on his selling."

[6.0] "He's solid, and the NJPW crowd seems to like him pretty well as a babyface, which is impressive in itself. He's a good worker, with immense strength for his size. Doesn't have a ton of charisma, but you can tell he's passionate about the business, and that counts for something. In many ways though, he's like a slightly smaller, just as strong but less defined, Ryback."

[9.0] "I would give him a ten but he called me ugly at a wrestling show when I was 10 so, that costs him a point. Insanely talented would love for him to get a chance in WWE."

[8.0] "Good powerhouse but with a very small size. Lacks charisma and sometimes, In ring Psychology. He should try a bit more of Puro adventures to give a step up."

[10.0] "Talking about a guy who has worked his ass off to be one of the best pro-wrestlers today. Last year i gave him a 8 for his incredible performance in the 25th G1 Climax. Since then, Elgin has proven that he is a very well-versed competitor and can have 5 star matches with anyone. His rivalry with Kenny Omega in 2016 has been the greatest this year. The fact that two gaijins got to be in the 1st ever ladder match in new japan's history, speaks volumes for their work rate and credibilty. And what a match it was ! Elgin stands now as the IWGP IC champion, the Lucha Libre Elite GP champion and again he is having MOTYC in the G1. He is the living proof that hard work, pays off. A solid 10 !"

[1.0] "Much like his tag partner, Brian Cage, Michael Elgin is horrible wrestler. His selling sucks and can not tell a story or put any psychology into his matches. His finisher the "Elgin Bomb" looks pretty impressive and he has a little bit of charisma, but honestly thats the only good things I can find about him."

[8.0] "I'm giving Elgin 8 out of 10, I'm so happy this mas has finally found his place in the world, NJPW! the Crowd loves him and he's doing great, showing everybody how good he can be, he's not best in the world, he's too far for being that good, but Michael Elgin IS REALLY GOOD, a Strong Powerhouse who can move like a Highflyer, the only thing he still has to work about is the Microphone, but he's pretty decent tho"

[5.0] "I have never been a big fan of Michael Elgin. I think that his matches can get a bit too "movezy" w/ no psychology involved, and his selling can be bad sometimes, BUT w/ his performances in the G1 Climax 25 & the World Tag League 2015, he has proved that he has a place in New Japan. Had some awesome matches vs. Honma, Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & others. #BigMike!"

[8.0] "Till this year's holidays, I thought this guy is terrible. But when I saw his G1 Climax stuff, I changed my opinion on him. He's a really talented wrestler, knows how to work his strength and weaknesses, knows how to connect with the crowd. He's super over in New Japan, I think this is a place for him."

[5.0] "Elgin is, no doubt, an impressive athlete, possessing immense power as well as a great deal of agility and technical prowess. There's just something about his style that doesn't quite come together for me - while he has plenty of impressive moves, it often seems that he moves from one move to the next without a whole lot of psychology behind it. He also really should have a mouthpiece. Still young enough to have plenty of time to improve; I won't be surprised to see it all click for him sooner or later."

[4.0] "Incredible overrated in the ring by many people, he wrestles a very poor man's version of the japanese strong style."

[6.0] "In my opinion Michael Elgin is extremely boring to watch and he is incredibly overrated. People who compare the guy to DR Death are complete idiots , Elgin does the same moves over and over again and they become less interesting each time he goes out there , the guy didn't deserve to be ROH world champion and I'm glad he isn't anymore , He is a bitter asshole who goes on about wanting to wrestle in Japan all the time yet in Japan they have loads of other wrestlers who wrestle just like him and do it better. That being said Elgin can put on a good match from time to time when it is with the right person , His match with ACH from PWG All Star weekend 10 Night one was a great match , Elgin has his moments in the ring but overall I feel that he is overrated as fuck."

[10.0] "Elgin is this generation’s “Doctor Death” Steve Williams. I was really impressed with Elgin on the PWG DVDs I purchased, especially with his “dead lift” power bombs an German suplexes. Yet it was his performance at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle 2013 at The Hammerstein Ballroom last year that sold me on Elgin as a future star. Elgin isn’t just a powerhouse who mauls people, he connects with the crowd and people really, really love this guy. He also is a terrific seller, something a lot of power wrestlers never master. 2014 is a going to be a banner year for this guy."