Yoshiaki Fujiwara

[10.0] "The prototypical technical shooter, Fujiwara is undoubtedly one of the greatest ever, and one of the most iconic shoot fighters of the 1980s and early 90s. He's also a surprisingly decent performer even now, although obviously definitely not the animal he was in his prime. There are certainly wrestlers with "limited move sets" who are still able to get over, but most of the time it's through cartoonish selling and "charisma" that's more goofy than charismatic, but Fujiwara lived on a diet of leg locks, his famous armbar, headbutts, and some kicks, and was able to deliver some of the most real and raw performances in all of pro wrestling. He's not a guy you'll expect to work a high-pace spotfest, but there's very few people better his specialty than he is. He's a guy you could very realistically see thriving in an environment like Bloodsport in his physical prime. An icon, to say the least of his elite status."

[10.0] "Yoshiaki Fujiwara is THE Living Legend without a doubt he has been wrestling since 1972 and 54 years in wrestling, I'm actually impressed that he's looking good for his age"

[9.0] "Uncle Dave hates this man and that is a whole indictment of Mr. Meltzer and him being a prime taste maker for western fans. Seemingly born looking like he was 50+ years old since he went through puberty, it's hard to find a more directly influential and IMPACTFUL wrestler in the modern age. Fujiwara was the former gym enforcer of NJPW during the late 70s and early 80s of dojo challenges, one of the founding fathers of the UWF and the Grandfather of Pancrase, one of the few men designated as an instructor from Karl Gotch and probably trained either your favorite wrestler, or was the one who trained the trainer of your favorite wrestler. Get a single -1 for not really having a laundry list of great matches, but a towering figure in puroresu and technical wrestling in the states."

[10.0] "Too old, too cold. The expressions on this man's face tells all you need to know about him. His athleticism combined with the plethora of holds he can lock from the side, front and back, defensive and offensive turns him into a invincible machine and a tremendous in ring psychologist. His headbutts were beyond scary, considering the way he aimed and attacked the foreheads on point. Basically he's Minoru Suzuki before Minoru Suzuki came to be."

[10.0] "Yoshiaki Fujiwara is one of the best pure wrestlers and overall workers to ever grace the business. He was a master at the art of defensive wrestling and probably more or less inspired modern-day wrestlers like Randy Orton and Jay White in terms of that approach in the ring. He was a major star in Japan during his time and was a key player in the UWF revolution and the development of shoot-style throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It's a travesty. he isn't in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame."

[10.0] "Has great submission holds. Reminds me of a MMA fighter. He is a pioneer of bringing in mixed marital arts into wrestling. A long time member of NJPW. Today he is still wrestling at nearly 70 years old. Impressive!"

[8.0] "A personal favorite of mine, especially to watch live: Yoshiaki Fujiwara is possibly the only pro-wrestler I have seen acting so intimidating in the ring he looked like he could kill his opponent or tag team partner in cold blood merely for looking at him the wrong way. Great striker and amazing submission wrestler, and he has kept himself in good shape despite being older than dirt."

[9.0] "Yoshiaki Fujiwara was a great technical wrestler, and he had a unique charisma. Indirectly, he also played a part in the evolution of pro wrestling into mixed martial arts in Japan, which in turn influenced mixed martial arts throughout the world."