Katsuhiko Nakajima

[4.0] "Was incredible with Kensuke Sasaki as Sasaki's Office and as a young boy but as soon as Kensuke retired the wheels fell off for Nakajima. An extremely boring i kick you you chop me wrestler who tends to go extremely long with large stretches of absolutely nothing, Factor in that he's completely thrown away his career due to his own selfish actions it's hard to see anything redeeming in Nakajima."

[9.0] "Nakajima is truly one of the greatest performers of this generation. His momentum during his time in Noah has helped him skyrocket in his career after he left the company and became freelance. He completely changed the landscape of All Japan after winning the Triple Crown and converting himself to Toukon Style and Inokism. While some people think his moment there completely cracked the company, his time there has actually gained much more attention for the company while also shaping up the roster. He did this for GLEAT as well after capturing the LIDET UWF Title. He's definitely a radical person when it comes to fighting in the ring and outside the ring, but he's arguably a top prospect and cannot wait to see what the future holds for him in the next 10 years."

[9.0] "One of modern Japan's top wrestlers, a masterful striker with incredible charisma and in-ring intelligence. A prodigy turned elite performer, he excels as a cocky heel technician, delivering MOTY-level matches consistently. Known for his brutal kicks and precise offense. While sometimes controversial outside the ring, his talent and presence are undeniable. At 35, he's still evolving and poised to be remembered as one of his generation's greatest."

[6.0] "Oh boy, where do I say. Katsuhiko nakajima was a pet project of kensuke Sasaki and considered nakajima as his son and tried to put him over very much. Nakajima enjoyed the fame with Sasaki, and tried to grow without sasaki's shadow, he is talented and charismatic, but his atitude has let many people calling him difficult to work He has burn bridges with Noah and ddt after shooting tetsuya endo to a Knockout. Then burned bridges with all japan after mocking their tradition and using inoki's theme without informing them which could lead to severe copyright lawsuits against him. He burned bridges with new japan after not working a proper match with tetsuya naito. He is now scalping in GLEAT and he is barely making an appearance. Kinda sad that he threw away years of his work just because he isn't satisfied despite being on top."

[10.0] "One of If Not the greatest Japanese Wrestler of the modern era, He has insane Charisma and the best Kicks in the business. His feuds with Kento Miyahara and Go Shiozaki are legendary and he always puts on a great match. IDK why no Major company will sign him idk if he has attitude issues but he needs to go somewhere RN because him hiding away in GLEAT is not it."

[10.0] "Simply put, Nakajima has been the best wrestler in the world for the last few years. Great N-1 Victory performances, great GHC Heavyweight and Triple Crown title runs, now doing his thing in GLEAT. Nakajima is excellent in-ring and he has a certain level of charisma, which makes him very enjoyable to watch. His title vs title match with Kenoh is one of the best matches of the decade. Brilliant wrestler."

[10.0] "One of my favorite wrestlers to watch. He's been really good ever since his teenage years. He was a prodigy and learned from some of the greatest wrestlers ever. His strikes are brutal. In-ring work is excellent. One of the best in the world."

[10.0] "Arguably the ace of AJPW currently. One of the hardest hitters in the business and a joy to watch, extremely charismatic in-ring too. Loved his work in NOAH and deserves more recognition than he currently possesses."

[10.0] "I think he might be my favorite in ring wrestler of all time. yeah I love danielson, omega, angle and others but nobody speaks out to me in ring than nakajima. He consistently puts on moty contenders every year and his matches against always get me so hyped and invested. Such an amazing wrestler and I cant wait to see what he does next like how I have for many years."

[10.0] "Huge fan of Nakajima and as a regular NOAH viewer was disappointed to see him leave last year. However, having kept up with his AJPW run so far I can understand why he made the move. He is well suited to being positioned as the top guy in that company and he is more than capable of carrying that responsibility. Hard to argue against him being the best pure striker in wrestling. Love watching him work, from his methodical pacing to his cockiness to his strikes themselves. A very worthy main event level talent, champion and sure to go down as one of the greatest in his generation as time goes by. AND, there is so much more to come from him, at only 35 years old!"

[10.0] "It's hard to believe that he is 35, as he has been elite for a long, very long time now. The best pure striker in wrestling today, Nakajima has also evolved into an versatile technician, and has put on display his evolution as a performer and character this year. His insane levels of charisma as a cocky prick makes him a top name wherever he goes."

[10.0] "When you've been as good as Nakajima has been for nearly 20 years, you might be considered an all-time great just off longevity. He's performed at a world-class level since he was 16, and really became consistently elite by 20. Mind-boggling to think he might be better now than he was back then."

[8.0] "Katsuhiko Nakajima is a really good wrestler. A great one! But he works for Pro Wrestling NOAH. A company that loves to simply get in its own way. A lot of the guys in Pro Wrestling NOAH are good workers. Pretty much the entire main event scene sans Jake Lee are excellent workers. But some of these wackos should not go over 20 minutes! Nakajima, Kenoh, Marufuji, Jake Lee, etc, they simply are not interesting enough/and or just not build to go long the same way Shiozaki or Sugiura were. Nakajima is better than Kenoh as hes low key an upgraded version of him (cooler, better kicks, etc) and hes LIGHTYEARS better than 2023 Naomichi Marufuji but his track record in recent 25+ minute matches just isnt there for me. Nakajima in under 20 minutes is a 10/10 wrestler, but he works in the main event scene of a company that it feels like a requirement to go long. Nakajima in a company like AEW in a Takeshita like roll (another guy who has since seen his hit rate go up by leaving Japan) would own. But hes not. So were working with what we got. 7.5/10, which rounds up to an 8. A shame."

[10.0] "If Shibata did not exist he would be in the running for my favorite wrestler ever. Even before he grew out his hair and became the cockiest motherfucker alive he was an elite worker who never really disappointed me. Once 2017 hit though? Dude just became a different animal entirely. Growing a mustache unlocked a level of charisma I didnt think was possible. His 2018 year is one of my favorites for any wrestler the last few years and he was mainly just doing tag work with Kitamiya. When he did get the opportunity to work his first singles match it ended up being one of the best of the entire year. Thats the level he's been at and continues to be at. Its ridiculous to talk about 35 yr old having almost 20 years of outstanding work but its true for him. Just imagine how amazing he'll be when he becomes a grumpy old man oh my god."

[10.0] "As a new fan of NOAH, this guy is so easy to instantly gravitate towards. He kicks so much ass and has one of the coolest auras of anyone currently wrestling, his striking is amazing to watch and he has great in-ring charisma. Nakajima never leaves the ring without giving at least an enjoyable performance, his matches are must watch even when they're squashes because of how fun he is to watch."

[10.0] "You want a striking exhibition? You call Nakajima. You want a hard-hitting war? You call Nakajima. You want a great match? You call Nakajima... Undeniable talent, perfect striker, deserves every accolade he gets and so much more!"

[10.0] "This man beat up and gaslit Kento Miyahara as a young boy and then stole his girl and married her. One of the most disrespectful things I've seen in all of wrestling. Ain't nobody doing it like him."

[10.0] "Best striker in the game right now, by quite a distant margin. Has one hell of an aura around him that few can match. Really hoping he gets another run at the top, as I genuinely thought his early 2022 run would catapult him to superstardom."

[9.0] "Absolutely destructive force. Appreciate that he sits on the outside of KONGO during their team pose, heightening his "outsider" nature."

[10.0] "Katsuhiko Nakajima is the fucking man. People are talking about Roman, Danielson, Punk, Shingo or whoever as the best wrestler of 2021 (All 4 have had great work last year to be fair, especially Shingo and Danielson) but in terms of pure in-ring work Nakajima has to be in the discussion. It really felt as if last year showed Nakajima growth as a character and as the ace of NOAH. Every match he elevates. From any filler 6-man or tag match to an undercard singles match. Nakajima always delivers. Once he moved up to the main event scene again after The Aggression imploded he was stellar. From the N-1 tournament, his final with Kenou, his GHC Heavyweight Championship win against Marufuji and successful defenses against Tanaka, Kenou and Shiozaki he is on a hot streak unlike almost anyone else. I haven't even touched the surface of his greatness as that would deserve a much longer review probably longer than 3000 characters. He's full of charisma and arrogance and has a distinct in-ring style and look. He carries himself like a star and can have a good match with any opponent. His selling, timing, technique and striking are all world-class. Endless amounts of great matches even from his early days in NOAH against guys like KENTA. Tremendous wrestler and the most underrated wrestler of the last 5 years alongside Konosuke Takeshita in my opinion. He and Kaito are going to carry NOAH this decade for sure as long as they remain."

[9.0] "The true ace of NOAH, his style and character do as much to bring in fans as anyone. Every opportunity he got this year, he smashed. His GHC Tag Title win at Great Voyage in Yokohama was great, but it was The Aggression disintegrating when it all got crazy. The hair-vs-hair no audience cage match was my unique MOTY, a totally bizarre, brutal spectacle. Losing that, and his hair, was the point of metamorphisis. The N1-Victory took him to the heights he deserves."

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers of 2021, the best GHC Heavyweight Champion of 2021 and the best wrestler of the second half of 2021"

[10.0] "Nakajima might just be the best wrestler in the world in 2021. I can't believe he is only 33 and already has the resume he has."

[10.0] "The fact that this guy has been wrestling for almost 20 years and is somehow only in his early 30's is shocking to me. I can still barely cook my own meals as a 20 something, but Nakajima has been putting great matches since before he was 18 years old. NOAH had so much amazing young talent in the 2000's, but funnily enough, Nakajima was probably the youngest amazing talent they had. Him regaining the GHC heavyweight championship seems to have been perfectly timed, as he should now just be hitting his prime as a wrestler. Looking forward to all the great work he'll do as champ."

[10.0] "Nakajima is one of the best right now, the best in my opinion, from his smile to his kicks, every single thing he does is so good, he's incredible and still quite young."

[10.0] "Nakajima has been one of the best wrestlers in the world since his teenage days, but he's really come into his own as a full performer in the past three years. Arguably the best heel in the world, and unquestionably the best kicks in wrestling since Kawada. The best wrestler in the world when he's invested in the match in my opinion."

[10.0] "Easily the most consistent NOAH wrestler alongside Sugiura, Nakajima started with a good Babyface that showed great fire and passion but that really shone when he changed his character, today with gigantic confidence and charisma and simply enviable skills, easy one of the best match makers we have today, I am sad that he didn? t get to win the GHC H Heavyweight this year, but with this current heel persona he can simply become the standart for years to come"

[8.0] "A protégé of puro star Kensuke Sasaki. Kakajima started wrestling at the very young age of 14. Early in his career Nakajima put on amazing performances wrestling in almost every single major promotion and was competitive with the top stars in each of them, even though he always lost. After 10 years as a freelancer and having competed in almost every tournament or for title you could imagine, he finally singed with a promotion long term in Pro Wrestling NOAH. The promotion gave him quite the push that first year he signed with them, even winning the GCH heavyweight Championship, ultimately that fizzled out and truthfully Nakajima has not nearly lived up to the huge potential he displayed in those early days."

[8.0] "Katsuhiko Nakajima's skill as a wrestler is undeniable. It may have taken him a bit too long to settle down his character as an arrogant, laid back, fearsome fighter who will mock and underestimate his opponents both inside and outside the ring, which is something that seems to come to him very naturally, but his no-nonsense offense has always been there. His thunderous kicks, polished vertical spikes, powerful suplexes and some occasional smooth matwork are always a joy to watch - combine all of this with his current attitude and, in many ways, you have a wrestler's wrestler. In fact, if I were to take only the best matches of his career in consideration, Nakajima would certainly get a 10 from me. That said, it's been a long time since we could take for granted Nakajima will give his all in a match. I don't know if that's something he does on purpose, as part of his gimmick, or if he really just doesn't care that much anymore, but Nakajima has been phoning in a lot of his performances for years, now. It seems he's always in need for his opponent to take the best out of him, or else he'll just go the formulaic route and recycle the same spots you've already seen he doing a million times before. Nothing illustrates this better than both his defenses of the WRESTLE-1 Title: when Daiki Inaba let Nakajima just be himself, we got a subpar performance from him; one month later, Shotaro Ashino made Nakajima dust off his grappling skills and actually think the match through, leading to a way, way better combat than the one before. So, in the end, Nakajima can still give stellar performances when needed, but he won't really take the initiative to do so. It should be noted, however, that he is far more consistent when paired with Shiozaki. As a tag team, they have amazing chemistry and cover each other's shortcomings to the point they become unnoticeable."

[7.0] "Mechanically, a great worker. Polished, smooth, rarely botches, and can bring the fire. While he's no master of psychology, and generally lacks the charisma and the presence of his forebear (Sasaki Kensuke), his newfound confident, smiling sociopathic character work has helped distinguish him from the more generic fighting-spirit trope of past. Nakajima was one of the most promising rookies in the entirety of the wrestling world in his time, but he has yet to find within himself that certain 'it' factor to cement him as NOAH's main event stalwart."

[10.0] "One of the very best in the world right now, he's making Kawada and Sasaki very proud with his kicks. I hope he becomes GHC Heavyweight Champion again, he truly deserves it."

[9.0] "The odd one out when it comes to pupils of legendary 90s puroesu stars (KENTA, Marufuji, Go, etc. ) as Nakajima was the student of Kensuke Sasaki. That said I can't honestly say he has the star power that his contemporaries have, but I can say his talent is at least equal to them. He isn't as charismatic as Go, not as athletic as Marufuji nor does he have the intensity of KENTA, but he is much more tactical and ruthless than them. It all makes sense since he is literally called the "Genius of the kick". His chance at becoming the "Ace" of NOAH was a disappointment considering he didn't draw well because of the lack of fan connection, but he still churned out pretty good matches. Loving his new worn out look though since losing the belt."

[8.0] "Nakajima is an awesome athlete, but to be a wrestler you need to also have an endearing character. Nakajima lacks this, which is what I feel holds him back from being considered a top wrestler. His offence is stiff as hell, he can sell exhaustion, loss of consciousness, and pain very well, and he can communicate strong-style passion quite well. However, he runs through all these areas only to rather basic degrees and then repeats that for all his big matches. That results in Nakajima coming off as rather bland because he goes out of his way to have the same match each time and perform the exact same spots and character work each time too. Sometimes Nakajima is just so great of a wrestler that he still manages reach the minimum threshold for a great match, such as against Elgin, Shiozaki, Sugiura, Suzuki, and Kitamiya, in spite of his character's shortcomings. Perhaps experimenting with the use of some different facial expressions, gestures, and different style approaches (while still maintaining his trademark stiff strikes, of course) could make me more interested in him, but for now I still find myself suffering quite a bit through his GHC title reign. In my opinion his spot in NOAH is as a GHC title contender or GHC short-reign champion at most, but definitely not as the face of the company (at least not until he develops further). Still a very exciting competitor overall."

[8.0] "Nakajima is a great wrestler. He's able to convey this mean sort of presence, of a guy who can just mess you up with the greatest of ease. Plus, his actual work in the ring is great, too. He has his signature spots, but it never really feels as if he's just getting his stuff in when he does them. For example, the spot where the guy rests his head on the turnbuckle and Nakajima punts the turnbuckle to hurt them, that has always felt like Nakajima thought to do that, rather than "well here's where I do my thing". With all this in mind, I do have reservations about him as GHC Champion right now. Yes, he is the only real choice, and yes, NOAH will keep doing fine as they have been. However, I get this feeling that they're trying to push him as an ace character, ala Tanahashi or Miyahara, when the guy who I've been praising couldn't be further from that. He can seem awkward and unfitting in the role of the guy who ends the show, who high fives people and hugs babies. I think he can be champion without needing to, in a sense, compromise the personality that brought him to the dance. Other than this hang-up, I think Katsuhiko Nakajima is absolutely someone to check out."

[10.0] "I really have no words for him. He's a great wrestler. He's been Wrestling since 2004 and not even 30 yet. He has one of the most shocking wrestling careers ever."

[9.0] "Nakajima has been solid for years now and finally got the Ace spot. He got a very underrated psychology in my opinion, being able to work in any type of match in these days. His offensive are amazing, I love that stiff strikes, and definitely his reign with the GHC Heavyweight Title is one the best in recent memory in my opinion. The future is bright for this young man, as he continues to evolve already being a great wrestler."

[8.0] "Kensuke Sasaki's pupil. Nakajima is a very good wrestler who embodies what I like in a performer: good striking ability, speed, technicality and a badass look. He also has an incredible amout of experience for his age, which makes him one of the future stars of puroresu. I love his kicks, I love his combinations and I want to see him becoming GHC Hvt. Champion and IWGP Champion in the future. His run in the G1 Climax was good and his matches against Elgin and Shibata were a perfect showing of his abilities."

[10.0] "Hard hitting wrestler with some great offense, reminds me of Nagata, I'm very impressed with him after his G1 matches, he should be the next GHC heavyweight champ."

[9.0] "Looks very comfortable in the G1 tournament and has been on his fair share of good matches already. I see only good things in Nakajima's future."