Tetsuya Naito

[10.0] "My favorite wrestler of all time, nobody understood storytelling more than he does. Insane character work and an unfathomable amount of swagger. My personal idol and somebody who taught me how to dream."

[10.0] "My great Tetsuya Naito, where do I even start? Words can not explain how much you've impacted the world of professional wrestling, I have loved you from the first ever moment I laid my eyes on you, you have given me joy and pain through out my years of watching your career, your dedication to excellence both in and out the ring is nothing short of mesmerizing, no matter how many times they can tell you that you are washed or you have no knees, you always prove the haters and critics wrong time and time and time again, you are the complete package and I hope you never change Tetsuya Naito, you are the definition of Professional Wrestling, you are the orchestral conductor, you are the greatest to ever walk the face of the earth and I know that you are eternal"

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers of all time. Kenny vs Naito G1 Climax finals is one of the best matches of all time and the best match of both their careers. Naito in his prime was a top 5 talent and I enjoyed watching him more than so called better wrestlers like Okada. It is sad watching him now since his body is so screwed up but no one can take away how amazing he was from 2013-2023."

[6.0] "One of the most overrated wrestlers of his generation. A competent worker, but incapable of reaching greatness unless guided their by someone else who is truly great. While the disaffected gimmick is fun sometimes, it's just too one-note to be a great storytelling vehicle. There are maybe a dozen Naito matches I genuinely love, but in all of them I am always far more impressed by the opponent. And of his contemporaries, he's aged terribly and should retire while most have fond memories of him, because the ring work is getting worse by the day on his terrible knees."

[10.0] "One of my favorite wrestlers of all time, but someone who burnt the candle at both ends. Prime Naito is some of the best work in New Japan history, classics with Tanahashi, Okada, Omega, Ibushi and more. L.I.J is one of my favorite factions of all time. He shined so bright and competed at an extremely high level, often being the man with the longest G1 times each year. You see the toll he paid for that style in his current work in NOAH, where he's showing the wear and tear on his body. Always a 10, just a shame to see him perform in his current state."

[10.0] "Literally has it all. Oozes charisma, constantly puts on amazing matches and is a phenomenal heel. He can always get fan reaction and have great title reigns, he also is extremely versatile in the ring and can wrestle any style, though he is broken down now this doesn't stop him from getting a 10 and being known as (and rightfully so) one of the greatest of all time."

[10.0] "Tetsuya Naito is the complete package in wrestling. He is an outstanding in ring performer, has tons of charisma, and overall just has aura. Despite never being the biggest or most popular wrestler, he has a way of connecting with fans that makes him a cornerstone of NJPW in the 2010s. His resilience and dedication to improving himself over his career make him stand out too. Even though his body is broken now and he is a shadow of his former self, he still gets a 10 from me because in his prime he was insane."

[9.0] "Right now, he is past his ability and is getting carried by BUSHI for the last years of his career. But Peak Naito was and is Top Tier Entertainer. His story from being an uncharismatic stardust genius jumping through hoops in order to entertain the fans but getting no reactions to becoming TRANQUILO, forming LOS INGOBERNABLES DEL JAPON and embracing the slow, methodological and psychological wrestling approach while still retaining his impressive aerial skills is a very fascinating story. Naito got more reactions than Tanahashi and Okada at one point, which shows how invested the fans were in his transformation. Nowadays, it's very hard to watch his matches in one sitting, but the AURA is still there. NAITO! NAITO!"

[6.0] "Can be tremendous when he chooses and with the right opponent, but his career has been inconsistent even during his prime years, which are behind him. His tranquilo gimmick will either hit for you or it won't - for me I CANNOT STAND IT, and I fast forward through his excruciating entrances and his incessant stalling gets old immediately. But he stays over with the Japanese crowd and has a lot of good will with fans. He's beaten to fuck now, and yet refusing to hang up the boots despite being absolutely thrashed."

[5.0] "I like Tetsuya Naito a lot and I was so happy to see him at Hiroshi Tanahashi 's retirement ceremony. Naito has entertained us all throughout the years with his charismatic presence but we definitely have seen a massive drop in his in ring work because seriously the last good match he was part of was WK 18 which is over two years ago. I know currently he barely wrestles every now and then but he performs very badly and I am not sure if he still has it in him when he hangs up the boots I will happily change it into 10 because I have him at #12 of the best wrestlers ever but I am only rating his current form"

[10.0] "Naito became incredibly charismatic after adopting his Ingobernable persona. During his prime, he always delivered in the ring. I'll always be frustrated that NJPW never gave him the push he truly deserved, despite being one of their biggest stars. His world title reigns deserved much better booking. His matches against Tanahashi and Omega are things of beauty -- I know he has many more great ones, but those are the ones that come to mind."

[9.0] "A very talented wrestler and storyteller no doubt, but there's something for me that is lacking with Naito when I compare him to the likes of Okada and Tanahashi. Maybe it's his mediocre physical appearance? I can't quite put my finger on it as the majority of fans seem to love him, but I've just never quite got the hype. I still get excited for his matches and I do get that big fight feel, but I'm just not as invested in him as I'd like to be despite his long list of great matches."

[10.0] "The AURA this man has is otherworldly and undeniable. Even at this stage of his career where he cant go as well as he used to hes still incredibly over. Part of some of the best matches of all time for me partnered with his character work and how over he is makes one of the best wrestlers of all time."

[10.0] "Naito will go down as my favorite New Japan wrestler when it comes storytelling, character work, and pure charisma. While guys like Okada, Omega, and Ibushi may have been better in-ring no one came close to being as interesting as Naito to me. From his early days as the stardust genius and getting rejected by the fans to going to Mexico and reinventing himself and coming back to form LIJ, Naito has had one of the most remarkable stories of any wrestler . And his ability to remain towards the top of the card and be extremely over with the fans is unprecedented. Even throughout all the exits of guys like Kenny and Okada, Naito was able to stand tall even with being as broken down as he is. It sucks that he never got to have the proper run with the world title he deserved but even if this is the end of his career, what a career it was."

[10.0] "Very sad to see him knocking on retirement's door right now because this is undoubtedly my favorite wrestler of all time. We can talk about his promo ability, always speaking the truth backstage without a filter, despite his current condition or how people see him and still has always cut deep to the heart of the industry and never once spoken lies about anything he truly believes. We can talk about his in-ring ability pre-injuries, which may seem simple in some ways, but he's still managed to create tons of great matches with literally anyone, down to JONAS, which is probably one of my favorite matches from him. We can talk about his aura, his attire, his entrance like every move he makes just radiates the very definition of the term itself, and it feels like he's the perfect wrestler, the perfect leader of LIJ that you can really get behind. We can also talk about his workrate, even while injured, where the guy would still hit the Stardust Press for the love of the game, or sell neck spots viciously to create chemistry, or how great of a storyteller and hype-builder he could be. Even if the outcome of that dream match could have been the worst possible, the hype around it was all due to his ability to promote it. Naito is absolutely a 10/10 wrestler, and he's been my main reason for watching wrestling for so long, until his late condition, and he's the one who got me to become a fan of NJPW. If I truly have only two months left to watch him, I'm going to feel grateful that I've seen him wrestle live and that he's been my favorite wrestler of all time."

[10.0] "Naito is very over and has the best aura in all of NJPW. Although he's broken down these days, he used to be able to go in the ring like no other with the Aura to prove it. Great in ring skills, great story teller and is the living definition of what a super star is in wrestling."

[10.0] "An extraordinary wrestler who has sadly declined sharply in his last couple years. I believe Naito's career would be looked at as even more impressive if his victory at Wrestle Kingdom 14 had been a year or two earlier and had truly capitalized on the new eyes on New Japan at the time, and at the peak of Naito's cool factor. Its a shame he can't still show out the same way he could for the first decade plus of his career"

[9.0] "Somebody please get this man some new knees, Naito is fresh out the shop with a new coat of wax and a bright sparkly shine given how washed he is. Regardless of his inability to really move let alone wrestle nowadays it doesn't take away from the fact that Naito in his heyday was absolutely one of the best in the world and has the resume to back that claim up. Long live Yujiros buddy, long live the eyeball man, long live Tetsuya Naito and long live our troops"

[10.0] "Naito has always been one of the top guys for NJPW. Super talented and charismatic. Great technician skills and master of phycology. His matches with Omega and Okada are legendary. He built one of the best stables in Japan. One of the pillars of NJPW."

[10.0] "One of my favorite New Japan stars that I just love to see succeed. The fact that he went from getting the Roman Reigns treatment by getting booed for being an over the top baby face, to becoming one of the greatest anti-heroes in pro wrestling, not to mention putting on some classics with the likes of SANADA, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and so many others."

[9.0] "(Sorry english is not my firtst language) My only problem with him is the fact that he can be that much dynamic like in the past (bcs of his health), Its sad for my but as his fan i need to write that..... i think he needs to end career, still for me one of the goats on NJPW"

[10.0] "Father time is undefeated but that doesn't diminish what he did up to now, his charisma and character are amazing and his moveset is one of my favourites ."

[7.0] "Back when I first started watching New Japan, it was stacked with talent like Okada, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Shingo Takagi, (still technically being able to walk) Tanahashi and many others I'm forgetting. My favorite was Naito. He could work the crowd like a motherfucker and was able to bring amazing feats of athleticism with a more limited moveset than most guys in Japan. He had a great character, was the leader of (then) the best faction in New Japan. But in the last few years he's had so many disappointments. So many matches where you can just see he doesn't care and wants to get out of there as quickly as possible. I know he's had multiple long-term injuries, but man... Take some time off and get them healed then. But what we got is this and it knocked him down signifantly for me, I don't even really care about him anymore. His uncaring attitude is really annoying sometimes. Maybe that's why he was never THE guy for New Japan like Okada or Tanahashi."

[7.0] "When he wants to give a good performance, he does, although those days are rare now as his body breaks down. I give Naito a seven for the simple fact that he has always been uneven in his output, and although the crowd supports him he has never felt like THE top New Japan guy."

"Naito is definitely one of my favourite wrestlers currently. His charisma is off the charts and he is just such a likeable performer that it's hard to root against him in any situation. While he's slowed down a bit in recent years, the aforementioned qualities still make him a must-see wrestler. He's got a great moveset with some very impressive moves such as the Stardust Press, although he rarely uses it now. Destino is one of the most hit or miss finishers for me though - it all depends on the guy who's selling it. Some very athletic guys like Ospreay or Omega usually sell it perfectly by taking the bump on their head more as opposed to just landing flat on their back. On the other hand, it doesn't look as good on a lot of bigger guys in my opinion. Naito has some of the best matches of the last 10 years or so, and he gets a 10/10 from me."

[10.0] "Tetsuya Naito is the symbol of a whole generation, he's the guy that defended New Japan multiple times and criticized people who left, the guy who keeps putting New Japan and puroresu over, a true Japanese icon, a role model. Naito's story is based on imperfections, he couldn't be the next Tanahashi, a babyface hero that he wanted and tried to be, because fans rejected him, he couldn't be the golden boy, because the fans rejected him, that was Okada, and even with a path of so many rejections and frustrated plans, he managed to reinvent himself, and bring one of the coolest gimmicks that Japan has ever saw, after an excursion to Mexico he returned Ingobernable and Tranquilo. A guy with so many lows, found himself, in a poetic way, as a rebel, an anti-hero, a man that doesn't play by the rules or respect traditions, and the character not only worked, but became probably the most popular and beloved in his country, what a turnaround. Naito is the ultimate renegade, what a trajectory he has, he's the face and one of the greatest wrestlers New Japan has ever had, being a Naito fan is wild, the whole time it felt things weren't going to work out his way, but I think it's safe to say now that he fulfilled everything and buried every demon."

[6.0] "If we're talking about Naito's full career, the man is a living, walking, breathing icon. Wonderful wrestler on his day and has had a very fun career thus far. But now? 2024? Naito feels like an old tool that needs replacing sooner rather than later. He can't move like he used to, he can't carry matches like he used to neither. Gave SANADA his best match to date at least, not like that's hard. But his latest IWGP championship run felt more like a stalling pass rather than something NJPW can build off."

[10.0] "Tetsuya Naito is one of the most intriguing characters in all of New Japan. The skill, the charm, the charisma is simply undeniable and unmatched. People were rejecting him as the next heroic babyface being too cheesy and too played out. Glad that Naito took it up a notch and became one of the best anti-heroes of wrestling. His matches are very entertaining, and I liked that some of his signature moves named after Spanish female names like Valentia, Esperanza and Gloria. The Destino is one of the most beautiful and smoothest moves that I've ever witnessed, and I never get tired watching it. Most of his moves, his persona and his gesture incorporate a Mexican stereotype without being racial about it. The Los Ingobernables de Japon may considered be as one of the best factions that the NJPW ever produced, and I love that all of the members have distinct individuality, and the same time shows a brotherhood amongst the group. The way that he dresses in an LIJ shirt in undercard tag matches and dresses in a suit in big time matches denotes the level of importance Naito is in every match. A good company man that once criticized Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada for leaving their homegrown company to the big leagues, proved that Naito is a reliable and a dependable guy. I also love that his smug nature highlights himself as more important than the championships he wears, it's like Naito doesn't even care that he's the champion but needed to do so just for the sake of accomplishments. A guy who pokes fun of the opponents and telling his opponents to "Tranquilo" is savagely amazing. One of the best showmen of all-time."

[10.0] "One of the greatest wrestlers of his era with a fascinating underdog character and a lot of charisma. Knows how to put a match together, can work with anyone and is able to move on from the standard New Japan big match formula like he has shown when he fought Jericho in a no DQ or when he fought Taichi in their series of matches in 2019. Has great psychology and is one of the best at pacing his matches. Plays so well with the crowd and is one of the most captivating performer on the mic. The story of his career took a major turn when he became Ingobernable, he has a really unique path. His rivalries with Okada and Tanahashi specifically are some of the best stories ever told in the ring. He has a great career, almost winning every title possible, at this point he has been the biggest star in New Japan for more or less 8 years, has been constantly over and loved by the fans even when the booker made some questionable decisions. Find a wrestler in the current wrestling landscape who manages to stay as over for 8 years, you just can't because this type of connection to the crowd is very unique and that's why he is a special wrestler. Throughout his career he has shown a great ability to adapt his style to the role he was playing. A very explosive style as the Stardust Genius, a slower pace and some cheating/shenanigans during his first year as an Ingobernable. And now at his age and with all the years of work and brutal matches he went through he's not in his prime physically even if he can still go if he really wants to like he has shown with the Okada and Ospreay matches he has done in less than 24 hours during the G1 33. But he fights smarter, finds safer ways for him to work the neck (notably more emphasis on his elbow strikes to the neck) but still remains as over, still gets the same strong reactions from the crowd. Is still one of the best at creating rivalries and giving character interactions that makes the crowd interested. This is how you can see how big of a star he is and how great of a wrestler he is. In an era with more flashy wrestlers who barely know what selling is or how to pace a match properly, his work can be underappreciated and downplayed but the reactions and the love he gets from the fans don't lie. He is a legend and a true genius in the ring."

[10.0] "Naito will go down in history as one of the best to ever step into a ring, he oozes charisma and backs it up in the ring. Often he has been overshadowed by Okada, Tanahashi and Omega but when push comes to shove he'll be remembered as the guy who never gave up and won the fans over by believing in himself, the peoples champion."

[10.0] "Naito is the one of the greatest wrestlers of this generation. When he was stardust boy, his in-ring performances were great but little boring. After gimmik changed and became the leader of LIJ, his in-ring skills upgraded and became best in the world. His LIJ gimmik is coolest gimmick ever. His promo is really fun and he can sell every style of matches. Finally he accomplished his dream which failed at WK 2020, and I hope him to keep his eyes and knees in good condition."

[9.0] "A very good to great wrestler (if slightly below some of his contemporaries with maybe not being quite as consistent), but an amazing character guy and super charismatic. You pair that with one of the best career narratives around, and there's little wonder why he's still possibly the most over wrestler in japan, and one of my personal favorites ever."

[10.0] "A story tale ending of 18 years destino paid off at Jan 4th 2024. Ungovernable to the core, rebuild his vision of what no limit is and suppress his class to build Los Ingobernables where Andrade, Rush, La Mascara and La Bestia created controversy on its wake. Numerous factions. Los Ingobernable De Japón. His true family and since then replayed his dream of headlining the Tokyo Dome that he dreamt as a child to roll calling his family that took 8 years of frustration, neglect and despair to overcome injuries, betrayals and typecasting as the guy who cant win the big one in the end. It had been broken and with LIJs new found stardust Ingoverable energy. World title 4 reigns at 41 years old and a define legacy good & bad with the once smashed up and rejuvenated intercontinental title. Naito climbed the mountain to become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Battles with the likes of Kenny Omega, Michael Elgin, Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi, Shingo Takagi, Will Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA, Hirooki Goto, Kuji Mutoh. Very good in-ring wrestler and can win the big one. Destino."

[8.0] "I'm not gonna lie, although I appreciate Naito's FANTASTIC character and personality, he's never struck me as THE guy in New Japan. When other faces are Tanahashi, Ospreay and Okada, he strikes me as one of the weaker ones. But still, a low tier NJPW main eventer is still an NJPW main eventer, and you do NOT get to that level without being at least "very good"."

[6.0] "Perhaps because of his eye disease, he makes many mistakes in his techniques and is very dangerous. Although he is not very old, he lacks physical strength and is slower than his peers. I'm so disappointed in his current situation because I used to liked him very much"

[8.0] "Naito was never a favorite of mine, even though I recognize why he was so over with the crowd, and his in ring potential when paired with a motivating opponent like Okada or Omega. For a couple of years he was the entire package of charisma and physical talent, but even then his matches could be hit or miss, and now his body is pretty beaten down."

[10.0] "Naito has always been a natural in the ring. Very smooth between the ropes, great technician, very athletic, great seller. But, after he ditched the Stardust Genius gimmick and became Ungovernable, he became much more charismatic, his psychology got better and his mic skills improved. This turned him from a good wrestler to a great and legendary one, one that left an indelible mark on his generation and beyond."

[10.0] "One of the most charismatic wrestlers in Japanese history. His story is amazing, hes an amazing worker even with bum knees and I will absolutely say he deserves another IWGP world title run before he retires."

[9.0] "A fantastic smooth worker, great technical skills and psychology. Feeds really well for his opponents and great seller most of the time. A great example of how character work can elevate the in-ring product. Naito was always good in the ring but the heel turn took his matches to a whole new level. Insanely charismatic. Really hampered by his knees now but for a three or four year period there was arguably one of the most complete wrestlers in the world."

[10.0] "Naito is a 10. He is amazing at everything a wrestler is supposed to be amazing at and he makes other guys cooler by proximity and he sells merch and is cool enough people love his promos and anything he says. He is pretty much the best."

[10.0] "Tied with Ibushi for my favorite Japanese wrestlers of all time. He has an amazing moveset and created probably the top NJPW faction of all time in LIJ. Can work tags, 6- mans, and singles matches with ease and has championships for all three in his resume. His match with Omega in the 2016 G1 is probably my favorite match of all time. 10/10"

[10.0] "A 10/10 wrestler and a 10/10 gimmick, somehow one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time. I do wish we would see more Naito-like wrestlers in the US."

[8.0] "A great wrestler, but can be undriven and you can always tell when. His gimmick works amazingly as a heel, but he doesn't work as well as a face, even if he is super over, my 3rd favourite member of LIJ. He does hit very high peaks, never quite ever having a MOTY, although some were close, especially his series against Ibushi. Unfortuately it took him a bit to get were he is now, and may be cycled down soon, and will feel like a bit of missed opertunity."

[9.0] "Despite all the success Tetsuya Naito has had in his career, it still feels a bit of a "what if" when it comes to him. One of the most impressive wrestlers, and one of the most charismatic personalities NJPW has had. Even as Stardust Genius his matches were still good. Nowadays he's physically battered, and can't go at the pace he once did."

[7.0] "Against the right opponent is where Tetsuya shines the most. I think his move set is decent, but is rather in danger of getting old fast. Watching him I feel it's more obvious that he's picking and choosing the matches where he'll bring more or less power and intensity which is respectable but less entertaining."

[3.0] "Naito's acting is one of his main defaults. Also his knees' injuries avoided him from making great performance those last years. He is not absolutly awfull but it's a average perfomer that didn't change his gimmick which as overstate its welcome."

[10.0] "He was very unlucky with the timing of his big win over Okada at WK in 2020 but nonetheless, Naito is just awesome and an instant favourite of most people who start watching New Japan."

[10.0] "One of the most charismatic Wrestlers of his time. Insanely over with the crowd, he had perhaps the best character development in history: From a rejected hero to an undeniable & ruthless anti-hero. Incredibly graceful in the ring but his strongest suit is his tranquilo character work; Probably the coolest character work I have seen."

[10.0] "Naito's the man. He's a supreme talent in the ring. He's as charismatic as any wrestler I've ever seen. He's the leader of one of my all-time favorite factions to ever exist. And he's had classic matches with some of the greatest wrestlers of all time, from Okada and Tanahashi to Jericho and Omega. Dude's a legend."

[9.0] "Stepping away from the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture could've been rough for Naito, but he found a way to produce, mainly against his great in-ring rivals - Ibushi (WK and Castle Attack) and ZSJ (Summer Struggle and the G1). Like Ibushi he had a rough injury, but hasn't let up in the ring. He remains one of New Japan's most popular figures, and should be featured more even if it's not in the main event scene."