My Top 30 Favorite Japanese Male Wrestlers

The master of Strong Style and the Brainbuster. Sure he was fat, but his reckless style makes him one of my favorites.

Grumpy attitude, intensity and a wide moveset with kicks, suplexes and submission holds. That's why I love Nagata.

Best. Junior Heavyweight. Ever.

The most reckless and merciless wrestler I've ever seen.

I loved his work since 2005 when he was a "submission artist" for his use of the Triangle Hold and the Jujigatame. Nowadays he has a different style but still has the same in ring quality as those years, and he improved his personality, becoming one of the most charismatic wrestlers in Japan today. His trademark knee strike, the Boma Ye, is my favorite finishing move today.

The definition of "hybrid wrestler" in the sense of being a mix between a "spot wrestler" and a "technician". Also one of the most innovative wrestlers in what comes to moves and spots.

Awesome wrestler, as himself as well as his alter ego, The Great Muta. One of the few 90's wrestlers that still deliver in the ring today.

My favorite aerial wrestler of all time, the master of the Phoenix Splash himself

Probably loved mostly because of his work in FMW, but his later work in Zero-One is more interesting to me.

IMO, the most underrated wrestler in Puroresu history. He had a great wrestling skill, but never won a major title in his career.

Probably the best Japanese wrestler of all time, and the real master of King's Road style. I slighty prefer other workers, but in his prime he was fantastic.

One of my favorite Juniors in Puro history, a bit overlooked IMO.

The personification of the Fighting Spirit in Japanese wrestling. A lot of epic matches, brutal moves and memorable moments in this business. I just can't consider him "the best of all time" because he worked the same formula of "ultimate underdog" along most of his classics, showing little versatility. Beside that, he was an amazing wrestler.

The master of the Exploder Suplex, and one of those wrestlers that don't need a lot of moves for doing great matches.

The Japanese version of Shawn Michaels, IMO.

Technical as hell, the best user of the Jujugatame, IMO.

He doesn't have a fancy moveset, but his fearless attitude is sufficent to entertain me.

Powerful as hell. Maybe the best Japanese indy wrestler today...

Great Junior in 90's NJPW, and a solid Heavyweight in Zero1.

Probably the only current wrestler whose lariats are as stiff as Hansen's

My favorite gimmick in wrestling. Maybe not the best athlete in the business, but still a great wrestler that could have been better if Steve Austin hadn't broken his neck.

Overlooked by even Puroresu fans, he's one of my favorite juniors in Japan. His mixed style between a shooter and a highflyer is the reason why I find him more interesting than most of juniors in Japan, especially the 90% of Dragon Gate roster.