Tomoaki Honma

[5.0] "Tomoaki Honma was absolutely phenomenal in the ring but he hasn't been good in the ring for almost a full decade now and I can't imagine him getting back his momentum at this stage and on his age now."

[8.0] "Every time Honma appears in a NJPW ring i cant help but smile. I have no idea why but i always enjoy it"

[10.0] "Honma Rules! Maybe not so much in his later career after his horrific injury but there's no shame in that I'd say, being a New Japan Dad is more of an honor than something to criticize. He was never gonna be a main event talent but he was great for the NEVER division and gave his heart and soul into it."

[6.0] "A decent worker before his injury even though I've never personally enjoyed his style. Quite painful to watch now but he knows his place so it is what it is."

[3.0] "Tomoaki Honma is painful to watch wrestle after his neck injury that almost paralyzed him for life. Hobbles to the ring and is a shell of his former self. Was great as an underdog guy and small NEVER title push with Tomohiro Ishii, but otherwise since then its been a question of who is more washed up between him and Togi Makabe in GHB."

[6.0] ""The most beloved underdog in NJPW! Honma is a competent wrestler in my opinion, and he has had some good matches, but his in-ring performance may get monotonous at times. It works occasionally and occasionally does not.""

[7.0] "I feel like Tomoaki Honma is a weird one to rate. He's had crazy longevity in wrestling, and he's really morphed throughout his career. Pre-injury I think he was a very solid undercard guy for NJPW. I'm not well versed enough to speak on his deathmatch career, but he was influential."

[6.0] "Tomoaki Honma isn't really that great of a wrestler, but his move set is great and some of his matches have made me laugh so much. I love his character, and seeing him deliver a diving headbutt to Tomohiro ishii from the top turnbuckle was terrifying and hilarious."

[5.0] "nowaday NJPW use him just a jobber, i wish i can see him more than jobber. maybe have a feud with 6 man never is gonna be a good idea for him now"

[5.0] "Not really able to see whatever his fans see in him. He doesn't do anything for me that other wrestlers in NJPW cannot do better."

[9.0] "Here we have the Deathmatch wrestler who innovated the use of a light tube as a weapon within a wrestling match - resulting in about 90-95% of the bloodshed in BJW, CZW and IWA Mid South for years to come. After gaining that reputation in his early days, he left and went to AJPW in order to evolve into a traditional worker before going to NJPW. In the process, he went from a top Deathmatch guy to a very good but under appreciated mid-carder and tag wrestler. Something that played into his character as an underdog for the rest of his career. 2014/15 would go on to be his best years, and had he not received the neck injury (That paralysed his arms and legs temporarily and at the time looked like it had ended normal life, let alone his career), he would have been a good NEVER Openweight champion in time. Today he can be carried into good matches when placed in there with top performers who know his strengths and can bring them out (like Minoru Suzuki and Hiromu Takahashi). The 9 is for his prime, but today it would be lower than that."

[8.0] "This wrestler is pretty much a japanese version of Hulk Hogan. Blonde, tanned and ripped like bodybuilder. Famous from two things: extremely low voice and his destructive headbutts. And this guys has some creativity when we talk about delivering these. I've seen him doing Diving Headbutts from the top turnbuckle outside the ring. Insane. His deathmatch work is also worth mentioning. He did some crazy stuff in the beginning of his career. To sum up, guy with a great physique and very unique and funny wrestling style. He is a living legend."

[8.0] "Honma spent the early portion of his career hopping from promotion to promotion. His most notable work being for AJPW and BJW. Probably the most important thing you can say about Honma in the early years of his career was that while in BJW, a deathmatch promotion, Honma was one of the first guys to use lightube in a match and now that shit is a staple in Deathmatch wrestling. Honma joined NJPW in the late 2000s and ever since it has become his main promotion to work for. Honma was involved in a major angle for the company, when the entire of the Great Heel Bash stable defected from Togi Makabe to join Shinsuke Nakamura and form the CHAOS faction but Honma was the only member of G. H. B. to stick with Makabe and in turn he gained a loyal ally for the rest of his career. The peak of Honma's career was in the years 2014-2015, Honma entered the G1 for the first time in 2014 being an alternate for an injured Kota Ibushi, Honma went winless the entire tournament but by the end the crowd absolutely loved him as an underdog, Honma's feud with Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER title which spanned 2015 was the highlight of "Honmania" despite Honma not actually winning the belt. Honma biggest victory of his career came at Wrestle Kingdom 10, where on the biggest show in NJPW's calendar year, Honma won the IWGP tag belts with his long time friend Togi Makabe."

[9.0] "Great hardcore wrestler in BJW and CZW but possibly the greatest and most charismatic underdog in pro-wrestling's history, something a third rate Hulk Hogan impersonator with a silly finisher has no business being. This man has been literally giving me goosebumps when in the ring: those crazy matches with people like Ishii and Shibata may not be technical masterpieces but are in another level as far as emotional investment go. Kinda like Mick Foley one of those workers who make wallowing through all the junk worthwhile."

[8.0] "Tomoaki Honma at the peak of his popularity in the mid 2010s was an extremely charismatic lovable loser-type wrestler whose ability to elicit emotion from the fans was second to none, but in 2017, he suffered a tragic spinal injury that could very well have left him paralyzed let alone ending his career. Not to be deterred, Honma worked hard towards a return, eventually returning to the ring nearly 15 months later, although at this stage of his career his work is sluggish and wooden, newer NJPW fans would be robbing themselves of the magic that is Honmania if they didn't at least check out his work pre-injury, I highly recommend watching his matches with the likes of Ishii or Shibata."

[6.0] "Used to be an 8/10 underdog but these days it's genuinely unpleasant to watch him wrestle. Can't help but worry about the guy."

[8.0] "After moving up from the garbage style, Tomoaki Honma developed into a pretty good worker and one of New Japan's cult favourites. Not many can get sympathy and support like Honma can."

[10.0] "From being a deathmatch wrestler and the innovator of using light tubes in that style, to being an incredibly solid and highly charismatic wrestler for NJPW, Honma has been one of the greatest underdogs in puroesu over the past few decades. Just look at his performance in the G1 24, he lost every single match but just got more and more popular. Watch his match with Ishii from New Beginning in 2015 over the NEVER Openweight title if you don't think he can go in the ring, still one of my favorite matches ever and was ranked 5 stars by Dave Meltzer. But yeah, Honma is one of my favorite wrestlers around, always puts a smile on my face, and I hope he fights through his current injury and finally wins the singles title he deserves."

[5.0] "I find Tomoaki Honma pretty boring, all there is to him and his matches is the multiple falling head butts."

[6.0] "NJPW's most popular underdog! I think Honma is pretty good in the ring, and he sure has had some quality matches, but there are times when his in-ring work feels a bit repetitive. Some times it works, some times it doesn't."

[8.0] "Such charisma! He plays the role of an underdog so well, and captures the essence of the statement "never give up" whenever he wrestles."

[8.0] "This guy is so unbelievably over. Proof that wins, losses and titles aren't everything. His headbutt is easily the most over move in New Japan and the way his character plays the underdog is tremendous."

[10.0] "Having spent the last 11 years in New Japan, without a doubt Honma is a legend. A man with few accolades, but the respect of his peers, and a style that can put on a great match with anyone."

[9.0] "In my opinion THE most underrated performer in Puroresu history. Great style in the ring, he is a very reliable worker and he can easily deliver a good/great match with any kind of opponent."

[8.0] "Always enjoyed Honma, brutal deathmatch wrestler in his early days now working good matches as a freelancer(NJPW etc)"