NJPW: 10 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time

credit: wwe.com

4. Tatsumi Fujinami

Checking in at number 4 is a man that many see as one of the founding fathers of New Japan Pro Wrestling.  Heck, he even wrestled in their very first event in March of 1972.  And for the next 35 years, Tatsumi Fujinami would be a fixture for the company.  In 1999, he became president of the promotion, so his in-ring workload decreased significantly.  But before that, he was unquestionably one of the busiest workers in all of Japan.  In his first 17 years as a full-time wrestler, he was in the top 10 for most matches worked 15 of those years.  5 times he was number 1.

And with activity normally comes success, and Fujinami had that in spades.  To this day he still holds the record for most wins in the company with 2,220 (cagematch.net), he’s second in IWGP Heavyweight titles with 6, and fifth all time in days holding that belt.  His other accomplishments include 5 IWGP tag belts, the 1993 G1 Climax, and the 1991 Super Grade Tag League.  He also pulled off one of the rarest feats in the entire wrestling game when, in 1991, he defeated Ric Flair for the NWA title, becoming the first man and only person at that time to hold both that and the IWGP title simultaneously.  As mentioned previously, The Great Muta did it as well some years later.

Much like other members on this list, Fujinami seemed to get better with age.  He won the final 3 of his 6 IWGP Heavyweight titles after the age of 37, and his G1 Climax win came at the age of 40.  A true legend and workhorse for the company when they needed him the most, “The Dragon” will forever be known as one of the first, true greats and deserves his name on any type of Mount Rushmore that NJPW ever creates.