Shuji Ishikawa

[Grimmas]

HeadCheese said:

The Big Dog, a great overdog that has a really interesting variety of wrestling. Really good presence. 
He is a wrestler I'm hoping look more into. Good at comedy, tag team wrestling, big singles, bloody wrestling, and more.
Being the top champion for AJPW, BJW, DDT, and Kyushu Pro is very impressive.
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 9/25/2016)
vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 12/4/2016)
vs. Suwama (AJPW, 7/17/2017)
vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 7/27/2017)
w/ Suwama vs. Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu (AJPW, 12/12/17)
w/ Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW, 6/17/2023).

[Ma Stump Puller]

Ishikawa will 100% be on the top 100 list.

He had a bit of a lull nearing the end of his second AJPW stint but the guy has had 15+ years of being a big crowbar fuck who just hits as hard as he can with whoever he's paired up with, taking insane punishment be it from ultra-violent bloodfests in BJW or doing some of the dumbest big-man bumps possible in more classical epics in their Strong division, also proven he can work as a more immobile giant in later years.

His recent freelance resurgence as this wandering enforcer has really ruled as well and cemented his status as one of the best giants of his time and probably a bit beyond that to boot.

 

 

[Owen Edwards]

I don't think he'll make my #100 but massively enjoying his Kyushu Pro run right now. A couple of very enjoyable matches with Kodai Nozaki. His speed, fitness, and strength for a guy in his late '40s are great, and his decision to spend time in a regional charity promotion is impressive in a different sense.

[Boss Rock]

Lowkey one of the best workers of the 2010's. I caught most of his AJPW run 2017-2019 and he was arguably top 10 in the world. Catching up on his older stuff in BJW, deathmatchers or otherwise, and he'll rank.

[Ma Stump Puller]

I had Shuji Ishikawa #75 on my ballot. There's something to be said about how grand someone's career is when you can legitmately find like 3 moments in time that could be determined as their "prime" career-wise. Ishikawa had his BJW run where he did great stiff-affairs with their crew (arguably the MOST proficient when it came to pushing boundaries) alongside being a deathmatch pro, then he had his AJPW stint where he holds the tag titles with Suwama for what feels like forever and now we have his indie run where he's having pretty great work in every promotion you can think of and even some you can't. He's not terribly versatile; you're getting violence with his hands or with weapons; but it's about just how impressive he's been able to use those limitations to his advantage irregardless of the opponent or setting. He has had a hell of a career and is still adding to it week by week.