>>12866726Where do you see smarks NOT praising Hashimoto? Who doesn't credit Muto with being one of the best characters in all wrestling, let alone just puro? Where do you find smarks not at least praising Chono's character work?
Smarks tend to focus primarily on ring work, so Hashimoto is easily within their tastes. Muto is top notch, even if Muta was guilty of some lazy spectacles. Chono was bland as hell when he was at his peak in terms of pure wrestling ability, so he's kind of the odd man out... like Taue.
Tenryu is amazing but he never stayed put, so you really need to follow his career movements closely. Most smarks are lazy, they plant their interests in one promotion for a period of time and then move on. Following trends not wrestlers.
Sasaki had the misfortune of rising to prominence in an era that was unfortunately synonymous with shitty booking. NJPW trying to replicate NWO when they had already pioneered the invader storyline a decade earlier (several times) was just the pits. Endless lackluster NWO booking, Team2000 and the rise of Inokiism made it an era difficult for some to dig into. Sasaki in AJPW was gold but, again, the post-noah exodus era was not seen as worthwhile. It wasn't until his NOAH run that people realized he was among the best in the world...
I don't give a shit what indie larpers call their style and neither should you.
I don't care about Meltzer and neither should you.
