10 Best Technical Wrestlers In NJPW History, Ranked
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has consistently featured a roster of some of the best wrestlers worldwide. Stars like Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi are highly ranked among fans as some of the greatest of their time. New Japan is also famous for the styles of wrestling that its roster works with. The famous All Japan-style King's Road, Strong Style, high-flying, etc.
The sheer amount of talented technical wrestlers that have worked with New Japan is outstanding. Names like Dean Malenko and Owen Hart are some that fans might think of and quickly deserve an honorable mention for a category like this. Many names from New Japan Pro-Wrestling have been featured in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for Best Technical Wrestler. Here are the best technical wrestlers that have worked for New Japan, ranked in order.
10 Minoru Suzuki
New Japan's local "Murder Grandpa" Minoru Suzuki has an impressive technical moveset featuring moves like the Gotch Piledriver, chokes, slaps, and armbreakers. Suzuki would be an integral part of the formation of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts promotions in the world.
During his time with Pancrase, Suzuki would beat Ken Shamrock and become the second King of Pancrase. Suzuki would return to NJPW in 2010 and continue to use his skills with striking and grappling to capture titles like the NEVER Openweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
9 Taka Michinoku
Fans of the WWE Attitude Era might remember the short-lived Light Heavyweight division featuring stars like Brian Christopher & Taka Michinoku. Michinoku would capture the title in the finals of a tournament against Brian Christopher and would have one of the longest reigns of the belt's history before dropping it to Christian almost a full year after winning it.
His time in New Japan would see him capture the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Championships on two occasions, Much like Suzuki before him, Taka would also create his own promotion, Professional Wrestling Just Tap Out, a promotion with most matches taking place under submission rules.
8 Hiroshi Hase
Hiroshi Hase would showcase his impressive skills during his time with New Japan. Hase would capture the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship twice and the IWGP Tag Team Championships four separate times. His match with The Great Muta would be one of the bloodiest matches ever, thus creating the infamous Muta Scale.
Hiroshi Hase would also be rated as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Best Technical Wrestler in 1993, beating competition like Bret Hart and Jushin Liger that year. Hase would also hold the honor of being one of the few wrestlers to train under both Antonio Inoki and The Giant Baba.
7 Katsuyori Shibata
Katsuyori Shibata would start his career with New Japan back in 1999 and would become a part of the Three Musketeers alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura. Shibata would leave NJPW in 2005 without capturing any championships.
Shibata's moveset consists of strong kicks like his penalty kick and submissions like the octopus hold. Shibata would also work with Ring of Honor quickly capturing the ROH Pure Championship.
6 Minoru Tanaka
Minoru Tanaka, much like Shibata, would join NJPW in 1999 as a Jr. Heavyweight. Tanaka would take part in the Best of the Super Juniors where he would get 4 points. He would stay in the Jr. Heavyweight division throughout his time with NJPW capturing the Jr. Heavyweight title four times and the Jr. Heavyweight Tag titles five times.
Tanaka has since left NJPW and started working as a freelancer, appearing in All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah. In 2019 Tanaka would capture the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship finally capturing all three major Japanese promotions Jr. titles.
5 Tiger Mask
One of the best Jr. Heavyweight wrestlers of all time, Satoru Sayama would make his return to NJPW in 1981. NJPW would try to capitalize on a younger fanbase and started using the Tiger Mask character based on the Tiger Mask anime.
During his time in NJPW, Sayama captured the NWA Jr. Heavyweight title and WWE Jr. Heavyweight title twice each. 1982 would also see Sayama be named WON's Best Flying, Most Impressive, and Best Technical Wrestler.
4 Tatsumi Fujinami
Tatsumi Fujinami etches his name in history for his incredible six reigns with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Fujinami would also capture seven other titles during his tenure with NJPW and win the Super Grade Tag League with Vader and the G1 Climax.
"The Dragon" would earn his nickname due to his creation of the dragon sleeper and suplex moves that he would use as his finishing moves. Fujinami's accolades would earn him a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
3 Jushin Thunder Liger
One of the most recognizable faces in New Japan's history, Jushin Liger would start his career in 1984 at the age of 19. Liger would capture the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship 11 times and hold the record for the longest reign at 626 days.
He would adopt the Jushin Liger gimmick from the popular anime in 1989 after wrestling under his real name for a few years. Another WON Hall of Famer, Liger would be awarded Best Gimmick, Flying Wrestler, Technical Wrestler, Wrestling Maneuver, and Match of the Year multiple times before retiring in 2020.
2 Antonio Inoki
New Japan Pro-Wrestling founder Antonio Inoki would have an impressive career in wrestling capturing multiple championships across the world. Inoki would even once capture the WWE Championship from Bob Backlund in a reign that isn't officially recognized by WWE.
Inoki would train countless future greats like Riki Choshu, Fujinami, and Shinsuke Nakamura. Inoki would be such a massive name during his time as a wrestler that he got the chance to face boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a very controversial special wrestling match.
1 Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre has been awarded the WON's Best Technical Wrestler award seven times from 2014-2020. He would also be awarded the Best Technical Wrestler of the Decade for the 2010s by the Wrestling Observer.
His championship prowess would see him hold the IWGP Tag Team Championships three times, win the New Japan Cup twice, and win the NJPW World Television Championship. Sabre's impressive chain wrestling and submission style comes from the World of Sport promotion back in the 60s and 80s.
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