Shingo Takagi

"what can i say about the dragon other than perfection? i mean he is literally a full package wrestler. from his look -and tbh his AURA- to his performance in the ring and his style... his style is something else. that's all i can say TAKAGI SHINGO"

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers in modern times, even in his 40's Shingo is still putting on classics on a pretty regular basis."

[6.0] "The dragon himself! Shingo shingo takagi! Man I really like shingo and I really enjoy some of his matches, his style is not always for me but when it hit it hit. The way he works in that ring man.. I watched some of his dg matches he really rocks lmao. In Njpw is way better genuine to be honest and fair, the guy rocks, I wish he win more iwgp's cuz like are u kidding me ? It's the dragon and he deserves some gold."

[10.0] "The insane thing about Shingo is he's always been this good. One of the most consistent wrestlers I have ever seen enter the ring, when you see his name on the card in a singles match? You're in for something that starts at great, and could easily rise to excellent. Shingo is simply fantastic, and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon."

[10.0] "What is there to say about Shingo. From his days in Dragon Gate as the top heel ace, to his early days in New Japan as a junior and his 2019 match with Ospreay, to his gradual ascension up the roster, Shingo has stayed one of the most consistent wrestlers on the planet.The guy can put on a solid match with anyone and anywhere on the card. With a great look, great theme, great finisher, and tons of charisma Shingo has all it takes to be a top guy. And while he hasn't been fully been pushed to those heights so far in New Japan compared to in Dragon Gate he has still had an excellent run overall. And with LIJ coming to an end it's exciting to see what he will potentially do the rest of the year."

[8.0] "I've become an instant fan of The Dragon, He's so intense and brings a breathe of fire in the ring against anyone! Got a sweet pumping bomber he can bust out of nowhere on top of incredible strength and agility which benefited him as perviously being apart of The Junior Heavyweight Division that makes he a Jack of All Trades in Japan & NJPW as a whole!"

[6.0] "My previous rating of Shingo Takagi was actually a 10 and if it's about his whole career he will also get a 10 but this new rating is for his 2024-2025 form. He's been ok, nothing special. Even his performances at the G1 till now wasn't as good as he used to be."

[10.0] "[10.0] One of the very best wrestlers on planet earth and that is a hill I'm willing to die on. Everything he does is smooth and always has bangers. Love watching this dude wrestle."

[10.0] "Shingo Takagi is my favourite wrestler, so this may be a bit biased, but he has to get a 10 from me. His intensity is like nearly nobody else, and he can bring the fight out of his opponent with it. You regularly see him, to this day, pull the best match possible out of his opponent. I'm sure at some point he'll slow down, but it's not yet."

[10.0] "Consistently one of the best wrestlers on the planet at anytime through his career. He can wrestle literally any style. You want technical hes got it, you want strong style hes got it, you want junior high speed stuff hes got it. Incredible wrestler"

[10.0] "If you don't think Shingo Takagi is a great professional wrestler we just have different taste in wrestling. He has a lot of style, is incredibly smooth, hits hard, has a great skill set, puts everything in a believable way, and can outshine a variety of the best in this generation. Shingo Takagi could be in any promotion at any point anywhere in the world and still get over."

[9.0] "Has great music, entrance attire and wrestling gear. He's also one of the best wrestlers of the last decade or so. He rarely, if ever, has a bad match and has exponentially gotten better every year."

[9.0] "Takagi is just so fun to watched and I really enjoy his work. His in-ring work reminds me a lot of old school Mitsuharu MIsawa where I always have full attention when his matches are on. His IWGP World Heavyweight Title reigns was great and I would not complain if he ever won the belt again. I definitely think he's one of the best in NJPW right now."

[10.0] "When I get depressed, I imagine an alternate timeline where Shingo was in 1990's AJPW and early NOAH, and in that exact moment I am in peace. Shingo is probably the best overall wrestler in NJPW right now, and whilst Shingo started his career in Dragongate and such, he's also the best representation of everything I love about NJPW as a whole. Additionally, Shingo is also probably the best baby-face there is right now in wrestling generally, he's so lovable and he's great at making the audience get invested in his matches. But still, I believe Shingo could've been near the top of the entire wrestling whole if he wrestled in the same generation as Misawa and Takada, he's generally that good and surely he must be IWGP champion once more before he retires."

[9.0] "Takagi is the best LIJ member in terms of match catalogue. I don't have any much idea during his time in Dragon Gate, so I am only reviewing his time in NJPW. Takagi's hybrid of powerhouse and heavy hitter makes him one of the very difficult opponents to deal and to catch up with. He had amazing matches with Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada and most notably, Will Ospreay. Takagi always make the match better even when he faces average guys like EVIL, Taichi and Toru Yano. He is the guy who has a slew of 5-star matches because of his insane work in the ring. His mentality reminds me of a samurai and that's why I love Takagi. He respected the business very much and he is one of the guys who takes the sport very seriously. No doubt whomever opponent he pairs with, expect that you will have a great match. He had a great set of moves like the Last of the Dragon, Pumping Bomber, making his finishers very devastating. The reason why I am not giving him a full-fledge 10/10 rating is there is a little bit of holding back due to being a part of LIJ probably because they don't want to outshine Naito since he is the leader and their star. I knew that there is something Takagi still hides, maybe a darker version of Takagi perhaps. He needs to go solo or create a new faction with himself as a leader so that he can fully establish himself in NJPW, as he is the only guy that even going out of LIJ would not affect the state and career of Takagi unlike EVIL and SANADA whose careers are going nowhere. A total package wrestler."

[10.0] "Shingo always delivers in his matches and one of them guys who drags out the best in his opponents, I love watching him and believe he is one of the best wrestlers anywhere in the world."

[10.0] "He is my favorite superstar in todays wrestling. He is great at in-ring and he is great at cutting promo too. And he is very charismatic man. He knows how to make great matches. His IWGP wolrd heavyweight championship run was great and saved NJPW. He was great when he was in DG too. His rivalry with Will Ospreay is one of the greatest rivalry of all time."

"One of the most consistent in ring talents in the world for the past 10 years almost. Shingo has one of my favorite movesets in wrestling ever, hope he gets another main title run either in New Japan or wherever he goes in the future."

[10.0] "Shingo Takagi is awesome. his matches are always great. He hits hard, is effortlessly cool and has charisma to burn."

[10.0] "Shingo Takagi is my favorite wrestler in the world currently, so obviously him being on this list is no shocker in that regard but oh... my God I just love this man! He is so fucking good! Look, I get that he is never going to touch the world title again and I have accepted that. But he absolutely has all the tools to still be a believable world champion. Not only is he an incredibly versatile talent between the ropes, capable of adapting to pretty much any opponent to deliver a great match, but he is also a great character, and will make anything you throw at him work. He carried NJPW through 2021 in a tough period as its world champion. He has brought more relevancy to the King Of Pro-Wrestling Championship than anyone else before and made it a title worth fighting for. Takagi is just amazing."

[9.0] "Amazing wrestler, one of the most adaptable of all time, the guy can work every type of match against a huge variety of opponents and execute with perfection their kind of match, Shingo is a chameleon, what a special wrestler."

[9.0] "Shingo Takagi is a fucking unit. A one man wrecking crew. He simply excels at everything, from his in ring offense to his selling. He is also charismatic and a good talker. Shame that his only World title reign was during the pandemic and he will probably never touch that belt again. He deserves way more than the awful KOPW title or the NEVER title. If he never wins the big one again NJPW should bring back the Intercontinental Championship and give it to Shingo with a long ass reign. He truly deserves it. I'd love to see him in AJPW or NOAH and see him win the Triple Crown and GHC."

[10.0] "From his spell in the dying days of Crazy MAX and Toryumon to being in the super group Blood Generation, you could tell Shingo would be a Dream Gate champion without a shadow of a doubt. His work continued to impress with each outing and his rivalry with BXB Hulk helped to elevate Takagi very quickly within DG. Under the wing of CIMA, Shingo was protected and steadily pushed and formed successful teams with former rival BXB Hulk and with DG Ace YAMATO to great effect. When he had acheived all he could, he left to NJPW and continued to steadily rise including a NJPW title run. The Dragon / Pumping Bomber has returned on occasions and hopefully will return finally to Dragon Gate. When asked, he has said NJPW is work, Dragon Gate is home."

[10.0] "The perfect power wrestler. Fast and agile and can hit like a damn truck with his lariats. He has always delivered since debuting with the LIJ, but he really brought prestige to the new IWGP Heavyweight championship with some killer matches."

[10.0] "One of the best Wrestlers I've ever seen. Power, speed, stamina, presence, great offense, perfect execution, strong-style master."

[8.0] "What a beautiful man. He can put on tremendous matches, and has a great look and natural charisma. His character work with guys like ELP is hilarious. There are still many matches I would like to see before his bump card fills up."

[10.0] "Shingo Takagi is the one of the best in ring performers in pro wrestling. He is too charismatic and very good at microphone. If you just look to his moveset you may say Shingo is not that good but if you watch him you will understand why he is that good. I hope he will get 1 more world championship before his retirement."

[10.0] "As someone who knew nothing about Shingo when he came into New Japan, he quickly became one of my favourites just through his work as both a junior and later heavyweight. It's very rare you see a bad Shingo match and to be honest, I'm mostly writing a review due to the sheer negativity of the review below mine."

[8.0] "Just an all round badass. Can go with the best of them and has some great offence. Was really cool to see him get a run as IWGP champion after being consistently great for many years. His only downside is that he has never really been able to create a great series of matches with anyone, with a story that developed over the duration."

[10.0] "He is the perfect professional wrestler, has nothing but great things said about him, impressively charismatic, and one of the greatest workers ever. Shingo Takagi is the best singles wrestler going today, followed closely by Will Ospreay."

[10.0] "He doesn't get as much attention as he came to NJPW later in his career, and while he was great in Dragon Gate, it's not viewed on the same level unfortunately. He immediately rose to the top when got there and became one of the company's best. Still, as many people haven't seen him as much as say Okada or Tanahashi, he's on their level. An incredible wrestler and very charismatic, he's rightfully getting his due as one of the best of his generation, even if he still remains underrated. His run of matches with Will Ospreay are some of the best all time. His inclusion to LIJ was much needed as well and gave the group some new life as they seemed to be getting old at the time he joined."

[9.0] "The Dragon Shingo Takagi continues to impress me in every one of his matches with his amount of focus, intensity and power behind every one of his moves, all while being complimented by some of the best counter sequences I've ever seen in any wrestling match. One of my favourite move sets in all of NJPW with his powerful Last of the Dragon finisher."

[10.0] "One of the best wrestler of all time and one the wrestler among my mount Rushmore with Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero and AJ Styles. I know it is very odd one pick him now in a Mount Rushmore as he is proving every thing now. It was very see for me to pick other 3 but Shingo made me to watch every single matches of his even if it is a random tag team match in NJPW. I know there are so many wrestlers in New Japan likes of Okada Naito Tanahashi Hiromu even though I watched them before Shingo he made it special for me. Let the Dragon ROAR forever."

[10.0] "Best wrestler in the world last year for me. He's just unreal. NJPW got worse but he just got better and better."

[10.0] "Without this man, New Japan would've been a much bleaker promotion to watch in both 2020 and 2021. Shingo is one of if not the best big match wrestler in the entire sport right now."

[10.0] "If NJPW got one thing right this year, it was to screw the tradition of faction leaders as World Champion, and allowing Shingo to shine. His NEVER Openweight title defense vs Cobb at Wrestle Kingdom was tremendous, and the Tanahashi match was very good. He then provided a top level challenger to Ospreay and Okada, and had a blistering G1 run against Ishii, ZSJ and Ibushi. He has as much charisma and appeal as anyone in New Japan, and has made the top spot his own. Here's hoping he keeps that spot."

[10.0] "He had an Amazing 2021 ! Started the year with 10 out of 10 match with Cobb, and my Match Of The Year with Will Ospreay (at Wrestling Dontaku), It's hard for me to choose who is the wrestler of the year Shingo or Kenny Omega, but who cares i am just glad i got to see them wrestle."

[10.0] "Shingo is great! He is carrying NJPW on his back since the pandemic started and I'm so happy that he is the world champion right now."

[10.0] "Intense charisma. Outstanding performer. Every time he steps in the ring, there's magic. The intensity, the speed, power, the charisma and the sheer athletism this guy possess is just freaking awesome. His matches with Will Ospreay is a must watch for any pro wrestling fan to watch."

[10.0] "Having followed his career from his early days, to his prime as a monster heel in Dragon Gate, to his rise to the top in NJPW, I never had any doubt that Shingo Takagi was going to be a huge deal. He's the total package of everything you could want in a great wrestler, and he could easily be a mainstay of the New Japan title scene for years to come."

[10.0] "He quickly became among the best, if not the best, wrestlers in New Japan when he arrived. That's not surprising for anyone who saw him in Dragon Gate, but considering the level of talent he's up against on that roster it's still notable."

[10.0] "The best wrestler New Japan has, I am so happy he has been pushed so far, since he did not start with them and came to the company at a fairly older age I thought he would not be pushed far, but he has gone far, winning his first Tokyo Dome main event. He is a high point for thr company when everything in New Japan seems to have turned to shit."

[10.0] "Shingo Takagi is a perfect wrestler, and it's hard to doubt it. I've never seen him have a bad match, from his time in Dragon Gate to NJPW now. Incredible run in Dragon Gate and he's just starting in NJPW. A perfect heavyweight with great moves and good promos. He deserves the 10."

[10.0] "Shingo's ascent and work in New Japan alone is enough to warrant such high marks, but of course he also had an incredible run in Dragon Gate too. He has definitely earned that IWGP Heavyweight Championship and is probably the best worker of 2021."

[10.0] "Best in the world in my opinion and has been for a bit, has had an insane amount of classics in just 2 years (particularly the Ospreay series and the Ishii match). Loads of charisma too and an intimidating presence, if a dragon became a human id expect him to be Shingo Takagi. So happy hes got the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, he truly deserves it like he deserves this 10"

[7.0] "Shingo Takagi has a very unpleasant disadvantage: he is one of those wrestlers whose matches are completely uninteresting to watch in series, within the framework of a feud. When he came to NJPW, I was consumed with every match he played, even when it came to the junior division, which I never liked. His first G1 Climax was unrealistically cool, and the match with Ishii is still one of my favorite tournament matches, and in my opinion, this is Takagi's maximum. But last year, I started noticing how hard it was for him to work with performers for the second or third time. Instead of telling a different story, we see the same thing, which naturally causes less reaction. The last two matches against Ospreay were met with indifference (although I consider the last one to be outright garbage without structure). The matches with Okada also lost their brightness. The matches against Suzuki were exhausting. Yes, Takagi made an unreal performance with Tanahashi this year, but I already know that by the third match they will simply cease to interest. Shingo is definitely a good employee, but in my opinion he has nothing to do in any promotion at full-time. He is ideal for working in all promotions as a freelancer, and moving from one place to another, like the same CIMA or Tanaka. Now its disadvantages are obvious and it's strange for me to see all the rave reviews."

[10.0] "One of the best in ring workers that I saw in my life, a guy that can give a good match with a highflyer wrestler, a strongstyle wrestler or a technical wrestler, he also have a great character and a great look."

[10.0] "Shingo just now is in his prime, and it's hard to believe he actually got better from where he was at already. I had high hopes and expectations for him in New Japan but he has surpassed them."

[10.0] "You can use any superlative you like for Shingo Takagi, he was always been an excellent wrestler, but has been unbelievable the last few years. Incredible match after incredible match, you could make a valid case for him being the best in the world. At this point, it appears to be he and his rival that he has now produced 4 classics with, Will Ospreay, that are neck and neck for that title and have a series up there with any in history. Extremely well rounded, he can have a great match in all styles, juniors, or heavyweights. With no sign of slowing down, and if anything only increasing his profile, he can achieve legendary status over the next couple of years, with a deserved IWGP World Heavyweight Title reign, and even more classics to his name."

[10.0] "The fact the he is not IWGP Wourld Heavyweight champ is ridiculous. He is the best in-ring performer in the world now. Everything he does is so intense. Speaks great. Incredible charisma. He always sets the ring in fire. I just love him."