YOSHI-HASHI

[2.0] "oh BROTHER THIS GUY STINKS. Get this guy and his two minute long intro to his theme music the fuck OUTTA HERE. From day one back from excursion looking like a geek against Okada, to around about a decade of being the lesser talent in tag team situations, Yoshi-Hashi has always been a dull, uninteresting, wet fart of a pro wrestler who does absolutely nothing compelling or interesting. He's a boring man with a stick and I hate him. It is probably irrational. I don't care. He sucks. He gets 2 points for being in some really good 6 man tags with 5 wrestlers better than him and playing his role well enough to not completely stick out like the most boring sore thumb of all time, but this dude has been CARRIED by Goto and Ishii for AGES and I can't stand this narrative of people saying he's good now."

[8.0] "YOSHI-HASHI is the man. Such a reliable hand and can really get to that next level when he flips the switch."

[6.0] "Nothing spectacular. Nothing that bad. He has overachieved in his career being an accomplished tag team wrestler but don't see that much of a singles push for him."

[7.0] "YOSHI-HASHI is such an odd wrestler, because he's not the best in-ring, however him as a tag team wrestler is some of my favorite tag team work in all of wrestling with Goto. He's won multiple tag team gold with Goto, he's wrestled so many amazing matches as a tag team, and he's had a handful of good singles match. But he's best when he's a tag team worker because he just gets 100x times better for some reason."

[10.0] "Yoshi-Hashi is one of the most uplifting wrestlers that i always get to watch. An amazing talent who was stuck in the New Japan lower midcard for who knows how long, soon as he got a chance to show off his fighting spirit he's one of the most delightful wrestlers on most NJPW shows. he has everything you want a big heart, passion, and he's someone you can always get behind whenever you watch him wrestle. I hope sooner than later people will recognize what they've been missing from Yoshi-Hashi when he's done with wrestling."

[8.0] "Yoshi has always been 3rd or 4th best in Chaos and never won something for himself. Has had some great singles matches but is always overlooked and thought of as the tag guy with Goto. Although I highly doubt he wins the big one in his career, a NEVER or TV title win would be nice to see so hopefully soon he can get his big moment. Will always love Yoshi."

[10.0] "Yoshi-Hashi is one of the most inspirational wrestlers I've seen. A true hero of the downtrodden. He wallowed in the turmoil of New Japan's lower midcard for so long, but when he finally got his shot to show off his spirit he's become one of the most enjoyable wrestlers on any NJPW show. He has heart, he has passion, and in these last couple of years he's shown his in-ring prowess too. I hope that Yoshi-Hashi fan from years ago feels vindicated watching a multi-time champion shine now!"

[7.0] "To put it frankly, from every perspective, he shouldn't have been a wrestler. Whether it's in ring, on the mic, charisma, the look, he just doesn't met any of the critiques to be more than an below-average journeyman. But damn, does he work really really hard and thrive to be a likable undercard guy. Compared to his partner Goto who has all the tools, doesn't win the big one, and slips into mediocrity, tacos is still pushing it and having his best matches in the last two years. I very much appreciate that, hard to hate this mf."

[7.0] "I used to be unable to stand YOSHI-HASHI whatsoever. This rating would've been a 3 or 4 prior to Bishamon, his tag team with Hirooki Goto. Since forming it, my opinion of him has radically increased. A great tag wrestler. Just still a bit dull in singles matches. Would give a 6.5 if .5s were included in the rating, but I'll be nice and round it to a 7."

[4.0] "Yoshi-Hashi is as the rating suggests - adequate. Obviously someone has to eat the pin in tag matches and job in singles matches. I'm sure he's a lovely guy but if never wrestled in NJPW and went to a smaller promotion for a run higher up the card there - that would be fine with me."

[7.0] "Very inspiring wrestler. I'll freely admit, I wasn't a big fan of YOSHI-HASHI to begin with. He seemed kind of dull, almost complacent, just kind of going through the motions and never really accomplishing anything. Post-Covid shutdown YOSHI-HASHI though? Dude is money. I'm not sure how exactly all the stars aligned but in the last three years he has established himself as one of the premier tag wrestlers in NJPW and a solid utility player. Along with his fellow CHAOS members he managed to restore credibility to a set of belts that had become kind of a joke, with well over a year of great title defenses. His chemistry with Hirooki Goto is something special, and Bishamon are always reliably fun to watch. At this point in his career there's about a zero percent chance of him becoming a World Champion, which is fine. He fills his current spot perfectly. However in the future I could definitely see a run with the NEVER Openweight or maybe even whatever new belt they're replacing the US title with. YOSHI-HASHI is proof that sometimes persistence, determination, and a good work ethic really do pay off in the end."

[6.0] "He is the ultimate mid carder. Slot him in the middle, a singles mid card match here and there and a man in a multi man that no one pays attention too. Occasionally you can move him up to more important spots, a title shot here and there, a tag run and then cycle him straight back down before it over stays its welcome. A roster needs a Yoshi-Hashi, Wrestling needs a Yoshi-Hashi."

[8.0] "He plays his role perfectly, he started as a likeable loser, improved a lot and became a very good tag team wrestler. I don't know if he'll ever win a singles belt but he showed he can hang with the biggest stars in his company and push them to the limit even if he never wins. Very reliable and great worker, loved by the crowd. He will forever be underrated but every company needs a YOSHI-HASHI to make their stars shine brighter and make the low/mid card compelling."

[9.0] "Of two guys who improved through the years of hanging in the NJPW undercard, Yoshi-Hashi and Taichi have stepped up through the years. Yoshi-Hashi had a great underdog character early for when he was starting to improve and then I guess some injuries and bad luck happened to him. But after that he gradually worked his confidence back up, has gotten very solid in the ring again and honestly his team with Hirooki Goto in Bishamon and the NEVER Trios team with Ishii is probably the best thing Gedo has done with the Trios and Tag divisions he normally heavily neglects and books terribly. Great and solid wrestler, even if he looks like he's hungover half the time & used to be thought of as a joke"

[5.0] "It's extremely disappointing what has happened to Yoshi-Hashi over the last few years. I loved him back in 2015-2019 when he was still pushed as the loveably dorky perennial underdog. Yes, he looked like a totally unathletic, anti-charismatic, nobody schlub, but when you add that PLUS his great displays of fire AND the fact that he was booked to never (or at least extremely rarely) achieve anything of note (let alone get a win), you had a wonderfully endearing character who you always wanted to cheer for against all the heavy odds stacked against him, hoping that *this* time his efforts might finally pay off with an unexpected win. The fact that I'm now seeing Yoshi-Hashi in matches where he will have your standard big-move trades and shocking near falls against the likes of truly top stars is, frankly, ridiculous, and it's ruined his charm for me. When he was the dork wearing his heart on his sleeve, giving his all but eventually, quite clearly falling short, I could overlook how mediocre his offence was because it was his *effort* and selling that mattered. But now, if he's being pushed as a genuinely competent mid-carder, thereby completely ripping away his loveably dorky underdog character, I can only reevaluate and judge him for more harshly for how underwhelming he is against the guys he's now booked to be viewed as equals to in the ring. His big moves often don't connect the cleanest (especially his kicks), his set-ups are usually sloppy or overly slow, the way he moves into position for one of his "sudden" counters or to receive his opponent's next move can often look unnatural, and basically every move he hits is, or can be, hit about twice as well by about 90% of the rest of the NJPW roster because he lacks genuine athleticism and physicality. The fact he also gets *any* control segments these days is stupid, since he was the perfect underdog who needed COMEBACKS to bring his character to life, since he's so naturally unintimidating that it's ridiculous to buy into him dominating basically anyone outside of the young lions. I can't take away that Yoshi still puts in effort to his matches when it comes to selling his pain and fiery determination to get the win, but that stuff feels rather wasted when it's not paired with proper commitment to an underdog presentation. It can't be done now because it would be considered far too 'devolving' and a 'burial', but I'd far prefer to see Yoshi go back to being that guy who sells really sympathetically while getting dominated in most matches with only brief comebacks before eventually losing them, and then maybe once or twice a year he would break that mould to put on a slightly more 'epic' back-and-forth with one of the upper-mid level guys (someone like Taichi), and then maybe once every few years he would ACTUALLY score a big upset over one of those sorts of guys. Yoshi becoming a 'big-match wrestler' ironically just highlights how limited his skills are."

[8.0] "Extremely hard not to like him. He has improved a lot ever since he came back and now he's one of the most underrated workers on the New Japan roster."

[9.0] "After stumbling in the midcard for 8 years after coming back from Mexico, 2020 was the year YOSHI-HASHI could flourish to show his deserving spot in NJPW. Also, what the guy needed was a belt to motivate him more. As ZSJ said in an interview about the NEVER 6 Tag belts, "YOSHI-HASHI of all people, elevated those belts to high gear", so it was a just a matter of he did the same with the Tag team belts later on, and adding the World Tag League trophies just to add more to the receipt. All of that made his character evolve around the "It doesn't matter how late you are, what matters is getting there someday. Things can change in an instant" saying, and it's just beautiful to see him do more and more."

[6.0] "Is he even close to being in the conversation for the best wrestler in New Japan? No, but I still think he's gotten a really bad rap. Yoshi Hashi is not especially athletic, or charismatic, nor does he have an especially good look. But he connects with me because of how he tries his heart out every time and has surprisingly good performances on a consistent enough basis for me to invest in him. The loveable loser is a trope that I have always really liked and I can't think of anyone who embodies that better than Yoshi Hashi, whose energy keeps me invested in him even though I know he's never going to break out past the undercard. In many ways, he's sort of like the opposite of Sanada, who is the technically proficient, incredibly smooth, perfect athlete with a great look but he lacks any of the intensity or fire that makes Yoshi Hashi compelling and thus struggles to really keep me engaged in his matches despite seeming like the perfect wrestler on paper. Yoshi Hashi seems to lack any of the traits you'd expect a great wrestler to have on paper, but he keeps me engaged. If you combined Sanada and Yoshi-Hashi, you'd have the perfect wrestler."

[7.0] "Yoshi-Hashi is a guy you can't help but root for. He's not the best wrestler in all the land, but goddamn can he put on a fantastic match. He spent years as sort of an afterthought, the guy who would always take the pin as CHAOS' tag matches but his team with Goto has allowed him to put on some of the best tag matches in years."

[6.0] "He is a solid worker but compared to his peers like Okada, Ishii, Tanahashi, Naito, etc. , he rarely stands out. I do like Bishamon team he has with Goto, they balance each other well. In terms of personality, I like him more than Goto but Goto is the better wrestler."

[8.0] "Few have as much heart as YOSHI-HASHI. He's yet to sink his teeth into a career rivalry as Okada blew past him, but through his NEVER run with Ishii/Goto and now his Tag Team ascent with Bishamon, there isn't a better tool player in the company for the mid-card. He needs to stay in that role for at least two to three more years to pioneer the tag division, but a run as a challenger for the WHC should happen before it's all said and done for The Head Hunter. Quiet perseverance."

[6.0] "A very underrated babyface. It took quite a long time but he really started to come into his own a few years ago and has been in some great singles and tag matches lately. Not the best offence but he works around that well in his underdog role."

[6.0] "I remember someone describing him well as the Yamcha of Chaos awhile ago. I? d say that? s pretty accurate. Don? t think I can ever see home being a legitimate threat to more established talent, but Hashi can still put on great matches and has a kick ass theme song."

[7.0] "YOSHI-HASHI is a wrestler that benefitted from the pandemic as the hole it left in the New Japan roster gave him a chance to step up and finally stake a claim higher up the card. To his credit, YOSHI-HASHI worked super hard from 2020 onwards and started having some of his career best performances. He's now a valuable member of the New Japan upper-mid-card and someone who can be relied upon to deliver solid performances against a variety of opponents. He'll probably never reach a sustained spell in the Main Event scene, but he's improved his standing significantly and you can't help but be pleased for him because his rise up the ranks was a genuine "underdog coming good" story come to life"

[10.0] "The best underdog babyface in all of wrestling. One of the best in New Japan and you can tell which wrestling fans aren't watching contemporary NJPW by their takes on YH. His matches against Okada are always incredible."

[9.0] "Okay, YOSHI-HASHI is super underrated here. Ever since he won those trios tag titles in August 2020, YOSHI-HASHI has seriously stepped up in the ring. He was low-key the MVP of the B Block for the G1 tournament in 2020 (along with Tetsuya Naito), and he had a great reign with the trios tag titles with his fellow CHAOS members in Hirooki Goto plus Tomohiro Ishii since they consistently delivered bangers for over a year. YOSHI-HASHI was also one of the better performers in the D Block for the G1 tournament this year (especially against Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay respectively). YOSHI-HASHI is a great underdog, and he's charismatic enough to get over with crowds too. He has a cool/unique look too, and I particularly enjoy his stiff strikes/chops as well. YOSHI-HASHI gets an easy 9 from me!"

[8.0] "Remarkable improvement over the years and is currently having a great G1. Very fun to watch even if not one of the best in NJPW."

[8.0] "He's become SO incredibly good compared to his former performances. Needs to change his finisher urgently since it's also one of Shingo's trademark moves and he's just arguably the bigger star. Also the Butterfly Lock is just so terribly unbelievable. If he changes those 2 things and improves his character work a little bit he could honestly be a 10."

[5.0] "Yoshi Hashi brings an impressive amount of power with him in his bigger G1 matches, and even in some of the smaller ones I've seen on New Japan Road/. With his amount of in ring experience, I was surprised by the amount of mistakes he can make in the ring. I think he should continue practicing his move set."

[7.0] "I'll admit it, I've become a fan of YOSHI-HASHI. Two years ago I gave him a 3/10. Man, I was blind to not see the appeal. Even before his breakout year of 2020 he was having great matches from time to time. But 2020-22 has been a hell of a ride for YOSHI-HASHI. He got his big NEVER six-man title win (He was the arguably the best worker of the trio in their title defenses, which was the best reign from that title ever) and went on to win the tag titles with Goto. He's given great performances in the G1 30 and G1 31, and his in-ring work has improved greatly since his injuries have healed. His offense is pretty generic, but he usually gets great impact on his strikes and power moves. He's also very passionate in the ring, and he's awesome when working from underneath against a better worker like Tanahashi, or a dirtbag heel like EVIL. I could see myself giving him an 8 if he continues this streak of greatness."

"Underrated simply put. Great in ring skills. He can work any style against anyone and it will be great."

[8.0] "YOSHI-HASHI is New Japan's ultimate babyface. By all accounts, he isn't the greatest wrestler (though he has improved so, so much in the last few years that I can confidently say he is one of the promotion's most consistently entertaining performers) but the fact that he has struggled through the system, the fact that he's been considered a 'loser' for so long has skyrocketed him to the position of THE underdog, and it has worked out very, very well for him. Easily the greatest NEVER six-man champion yet who makes every victory count, and a solid, fun performer at all times. Give YOSHI a chance, he might just melt your heart like he has for so many. Watching him, I can truly believe that everything can turn around in an instant."

[7.0] "Unfortunately, there are still some people who won't give YOSHI-HASHI a chance. For over a year, he's improved so much and has really found his place in NJPW as a solid tag team guy. Sure, he probably won't ever be main eventing a Wrestle Kingdom or getting a run with the world title, but that's ok. I'd at least like to see him win some singles gold though, probably as NEVER champ or maybe even the US belt."

[7.0] "Gotta give the man credit where it's due; he's really improved over the past year or so. Still not going to blow you away or anything as a performer, but he's very easy to root for, and has certainly stepped up his game."

[8.0] "The person who has somehow turned having a negative black hole of charisma into an asset. YOSHI-HASHI isn't amazing in the ring, although he has improved a lot in the past few 2-3 years. Every match of his I start out being uninterested in him and not caring if he wins or loses, yet throughout the match I get into it and start rooting for him. That's something incredibly unique that I don't think I've ever seen in any other wrestler, although it makes it so he won't ever be a mega star. He's pretty much the definition of fighting spirit, and one of the best underdogs I've ever seen. He has also become a fantastic tag team wrestler, gelling well with pretty much everybody he teams with."

[6.0] "If I had rated Yoshi-Hashi a year and a half ago, I'd have given him about a 4.0. He was just boring, nothing about him was important, stood out, nothing he did was important, he was mediocre at best in the ring. In the last 18 months, Yoshi-Hashi has improved though, his moves look better in the ring, he's connecting with the fans more, he's one third of the best NEVER Six-Man Champions of all time, during which you can argue he's been the MVP. Yoshi-Hashi has been alright, though not amazing, his offense can still be lackluster sometimes, his promos are a bit repetive, and his matches, and the results, can be fairly predictable."

[7.0] "YOSHI-HASHI has gotten better and better. He used to have been a failure, never having won a single title in his wrestling career, but he finally won a title in 2020 and ever since then has kicked ass in New Japan. He isn't as good as guys in his tag team like Ishii or Goto but he can still put out good matches, I especially like his won against EVIL in the 2020 G1, for the memes he has, he's a good wrestler."

[9.0] "Surprised Yoshi-Hashi is still this underrated in 2021 and his rating hasn't bumped up. He has been excellent over the last 12 months, and been a major reason for the NEVER 6 Man Tag Titles increasing in significance. Great underdog, he can become the next Tomoaki Honma of the G1 Climax."

[10.0] "Even though Yoshi-Hashi doesn't have anything extraordinary, he tries and his progress is evident, Hashi is not lacking in charisma, he has noticeably grown as an in-ring performer."

[9.0] "Yoshi Hashi is really underrated and I really like to see him in the ring since his G1 Climax 30 ! He did some very good performances since that G1 ! He is a great underdog babyface and certainly now one of the most interesting guys in NJPW ! His debut of 2021 is excellent. I hope he gets respected in his push because it really bothers me."

[8.0] "This man really stepped up last year. His G1 run was nothing but impressing, consistently delivering fun and exciting matches. I'm excited to see what 2021 brings for him. I'd really like to see him as a tag champion with Goto."

[10.0] "2020 is the year of Hashi. He proved to be an incredible underdog last year. I was shocked when I saw his changes. He's just incredible. Together with Ishii and Goto, they steal the show. The way he shows his opponents is amazing. And you shouldn't ignore the fact that he showed an awesome match with EVIL! He did what Okada, Naito and Takahashi could not do. I hope that Gedo sees all of Hashi's efforts and appreciates this wrestler"

[8.0] "YOSHI-HASHI has finally won a championship after years of toiling in the mid card. He has also been the MVP of matches that involved Okada, Tanahashi, Ibushi, Goto, Ishii, and SHO two nights in a row. Needless to say YOSHI-HASHI feels fresh and gives off the aura he is actually here to work! You love to see it. Hopefully he hits a boom in his late 30s. 7 for now, but I hope to get to change it! EDIT: God Bless YOSHI-HASHI. His G1 Campain, has been incredible! No misses so far. So happy to see him entering a career resurgence. He may even be MVP of his block. I mean he got a good match out of BC EVIL. That is an accomplishment. EDIT: 2020 is wild. I cannot believe I am actually about to give HASHI a 8. This is wild. His ring work since the return of New Japan has been among the best in the world."

[7.0] "Just like that, Tacos proved me wrong and has improved drastically since my 5 rating of him a year ago. Between this year's New Japan Cup and G1, he's been one of the more consistent competitors in the Pandemic Era of NJPW. While his submission work still sucks, his striking offense has become a lot more believable and he can keep up a good pace in his matches. He actually fits in with his contemporaries now."

[7.0] "A great underdog wrestler but let's be real, he's not really anything beyond that. The guy has a pretty plain moveset, no real oomf in the ring, and just doesn't look convincing as a real competitive fighter. The guy spent a good bunch of years as CHAOS fodder in three man tags and started to show off his weird charisma when he was around somebody who could work off his limited range and wrestling skills: I would say he's had far better matches than the wide range of meh and bad material he's put out there, and seems to be hitting a good stride as someone who can reliably work with pretty much anyone in short matches and get himself over as the eternal underdog at the same time. That being said, that's really his only gimmick, and I don't see him being beyond that any time soon."

[8.0] "Since the comeback he's more than proved he can hang with the best after many years of largely being the afterthought. A great, feel-good moment on the Summer Struggle tour has been followed up with a brilliant G1 Climax campaign, despite only being on 2 points heading into the final night of B Block. I may come back to this rating later on in the year, but for his recent string of high quality performances, an 8 seems about right."

[10.0] "This is one of that workers to be re-evaluated after his excellent G1 Climax. At the moment only two points but always outstanding matches. 10 just for this."

[10.0] "YOSHI-HASHI is the best underdog in the business right now, Every his match in 2020 is pure passion and will to win, he's pretty clean on executing moves and have great charisma of a goofy loser, that tries hard and finally achieving something in the company. I enjoy his matches alot."

[6.0] "A solid hand in the ring for NJPW and that's pretty much all you could say about YOSHI-HASHI for years. However in recent times, him being so average and never winning anything has turned him into a likable underdog. He just recently won his first title of his career but it was the meaningless six-man tag belts."

[8.0] "Entirely authentic character on a decades-long journey. Connects via both ring work and words. He? s an underrated worker and his entire body of work is so coherent that he invites supporters to commit to him unabashedly. It? s a rare worker that can succeed working the eternal underdog gimmick. His ability to generate interest in the quest for the Never Six Man belts was remarkable."