World's Worst Man

The Lance Storm stuff was just an overreaction to him being overrated, with a little bit of the "smark" contrarian "Wrestling ability doesn't matter, it's all about ability to play their character/cut a promo/act in skits!!!!!" aka the "How do we justify Steve fucking Austin being matched up against Jushin fucking Liger in a better wrestler poll". Not to say that that Lance Storm has a whole lot of wrestling ability anyway. But really, I don't even know where the idea that he was some super worker came from. He seems like a merely passable worker, which pretty much means that while he wouldn't stink up the joint, he wasn't exactly responsible for much that was worthwhile. Yet for as long as I can remember, he's had a rep for being at least a good worker. Maybe it's the Calgary connection.

Benoit vs. Finlay didn't do anything for me. It wasn't all that rough (compared to say, the Regal-Benoit matches), nor was it passionate or emotional. Didn't really see any story or build to anything. It was merely good, as the work was solid enough and the match was structured alright, but I didn't see anything special there at all. Rey vs. JBL was quite good. Kind of what one would expect, with Rey getting the beatdown and making the big comeback. JBL is a great heel and brings a lot to the table in terms of getting over the story, and of course, Rey knows how to sell and get that story over as well. The goofiness at the end kind of brought it down, but it was still a very good match.

Nakamura is the most likely guy to be the ace of New Japan for years to come. He's even won some MMA fights and is already quite popular. He's also incredibly talented given his rather limited pro-wrestling experience. This isn't some talent trade. I'd say it's just a case of the Japanese sports media bullshitting about a Japanese guy signing with the WWE just because he's on an excursion to the US. This is a recording.

I'm not denying that. I'm just saying that the Japanese media seems to be ignorant of what the WWE is about these days. I mean, Nakamura doesn't fit in there at all, nor would he be used properly if signed, nor would he likely learn anything that would benefit him back in New Japan. It's exposure in the US sure, but I sincerely doubt that many of the people who watch WWE would care, much less seek out more Nakamura/New Japan after they see him in the WWE.

Everytime a Japanese wrestler comes to the US, there is invariably talk about him signing with WWE. It seems like the Japanese media doesn't really understand how the WWE works (nor how shitty the promotion is).

Toshiaki Kawada vs. Akira Taue (1/15/91) A hidden gem among the mounds and mounds of great All Japan matches from the 90's? This match wasn't what one would expect. It was a hated-filled, bloody brawl, not a technical masterpiece that these two would have years later. Taue jumps Kawada before the bell and roughs him up on the outside, including clotheslining him over the metal barricade. Kawada pays him back by ramming Taue's head into the steel rail, busting Taue open. Later, Taue viciously goes after Kawada's knee with a knee crusher on a table and a steel chair attack. Eventually the match stays in the ring, as each man tries to flatten one and other with all manner of strikes. It was really quite an intense struggle, they managed to get the hate across even while in a simple achilles hold. This is how a brawl should be. Not two guys rhythmically exchanging loose punches for 20 minutes, but two guys clawing and grabbing and swinging at each other trying to pound the crap out of each other and get the win.

Crowd reaction in TNA has nothing to do with anything. The crowd cheers who they want to cheer, even if they're acting like a heel. The only thing Joe could do to alienate the fans, would be to completely dumb-down his moveset, and start working loose, but then he doesn't fit the "Samoan submission machine" persona. So either way, I'm sure people would be complaining about him not playing his role properly. He was playing a heel in Styles vs. Joe. It didn't gain him any heel heat because the crowd cheers who they want to cheer, but he certainly wrestled like a heel would (beating the shit out of the face, dominating the bulk of the match) and it certainly got face heat for Styles. TNA isn't even all that important. The bulk of Joe's good work is as a face in ROH, where the whole "can't work as a heel argument" becomes moot. And besides, saying a guy isn't a good story-teller just because he can't work heel is incredibly narrow sighted. There are plenty of ways to get a story across that doesn't involve a face/heel dynamic.

I really don't put any importance on whether or not a guy can work both face and heel. I doubt Kenta Kobashi could work heel, and if he did, he certainly wouldn't be even close to the wrestler he typically is. If Joe can't work heel (and he really can't, without getting rid a lot of what makes Joe, Joe), then it's the bookers fault for trying to force him into a heel role. Joe knows how to get a story over in a match, his matches are paced well, he knows when and how to sell (although dramatically, his selling needs some work), and his offense looks believable. He may not be as versatile as some, but I'd have a hard time finding many who were as good doing their thing and also as technically solid as Joe. I'd probably give Danielson the edge over him at this point, just because he brings the technical aspects AND the versatility. But too many WWE guys are lacking the technical aspects to get any love from me. And the technical aspects by far, are what I put the most importance on. Perfectly sums up one of my two big complaints about Benoit's matches right now. Depends what criteria someone is looking for in a worker. The way subjective arts are, there's no right answer. Joe is a much better worker to me, because I put importance on the technical aspects of a wrestling match, rather than the theatrical. Someone who cares more about the theatrics would say Benoit is better. And that's as far as it goes really, because there's no right or wrong. We can debate what goes on in the ring, but if someone says something like "Smart selling isn't important to me", what can you do?

Joe vs. Styles seemed to work well enough as a "heel beats down face" match. People don't boo Joe because they like how he wrestles, but that doesn't mean the match was laid out poorly, nor does it mean Joe wasn't playing his heel aggressor role well. It's more a mark on TNA's booking, that they make a likeable guy, with great offense into a heel. Joe basically uses the same offense as always (because that's what TNA seems to want), but he doesn't play to the crowd like he does in ROH. For Joe to be a good heel, he'd have to get rid of a lot of his offense and become a scrappy brawler. But that doesn't seem to work into his "Samoan submission machine" persona. It's TNA's screwup.

Anything other than results is just speculation though. Although I'd prefer to look at it the other way and ask whether Benoit could have the same quality matches as Joe and Danielson if he were working ROH. Obviously, 10 years ago, Benoit smokes both of them. Now, I'm not so sure, since he's older, he's had to deal with injuries, etc. And again, it's all speculation, so I don't think it really matters in regards to who is better right now. If I was going to speculate, I would guess that Benoit would be at least as good as those two in a similar enviroment. But I don't take that into consideration when comparing them, because there's no real evidence to suggest that. The simple answer is that their matches are better. And once again, that point is mostly related to the fact that Danielson and Joe work in an enviroment more condusive to good wrestling. More in depth reasoning as to why I think that would be that Benoit's offense looks terrible (which isn't his fault, but it is what it is), and his important matches seem to be repetitive (again, not his fault, it seems to be a pattern with the WWE style). Potentially, Benoit might be better, I don't know. Potentially, Liger is the best in the world. In my opinion, Liger's matches aren't as good as they once were not because he's regressed so much, but because of how the matches and the whole junior division is being booked. So if he was in a different enviroment, I think he'd be a truly elite worker again. But when discussing the present, none of that matters, because there are no observations that can be made to back up the claim that Liger or Benoit would really be better in a better enviroment.

I'd say Samoe Joe is easily better than anyone in the WWE at this point. Same goes for Bryan Danielson. I'm sure things would be different if a guy like Benoit was working in a better enviroment, but he's not, so it doesn't really matter.

I guess it depends what one is looking for. Back when I stopped watching WWF, it was easy. At that time, I was completely uninterested in angles or characters, I wanted nothing but good in-ring wrestling. So no matter how habitually I watched WWF up to that point, I just had no reason to watch them, because even if they were putting out a "good" product (good for the WWF/E), it wasn't going to appeal to me. (because even at their best, the in-ring wrestling is generally sub-par) Now I suppose I care a bit more about angles/characters, but I'm not in a habit of NOT watching WWE, and really, I'm not interested in the type of angles/characters they feature anyway. So, it's easy to not watch

I haven't regularly watched WWE since 1999, so I really don't feel the crushing disappointment towards the WWE product. Yea it sucks, but I don't care a whole lot, because I watch maybe 1-2 hours of WWE programming in a month now. DVDs make up for the other 99% of my wrestling viewing.

I don't think for a second that there aren't good people there, it's just that if there's a good number of idiots at a forum, regardless of how the other posters are, that forum gets a bad rap. DVDVR for instance has some great people there, but the forum's gained a reputation for being home to snarky, sarcastic fucktards, just because those people are usually around in every other thread, and are basically allowed to act that way without fear of being banned. It does kind of suck to judge a place on the minority, but in my personal experience, that kind of minority is usually enough to ruin the place, unless they're dealt with in a timely manner.

To be fair, The Pit is basically a site for trolling idiots who've been banned/run out of decent message boards, so they congregate in a place that is accepting of who they are.

My hopes are up, until they give ECW their own night and own venues. The ECW product could still be ok the way they're going now (although not likely). But, the project won't succeed on the level they want unless they change the way it's going to be presented.

Just saw Kobashi vs. Hansen (4/16/93) for the first time. Really well paced match with excellent selling by both. Good arm work by Kobashi, good desperation comebacks by Hansen, eventually leading to Kobashi taking a big ass whipping. Finish was back and forth for a bit, before Kobashi looked like he might just eek it out. Then, while attempting a shoulder tackle from the second rope, Hansen tore his head off with a lariat. Great finish, great match, especially considering it was a house show. Not quite as good as their July match, but it definitely showed these two would work well together. ****1/4

That's true (about punches and blood feuds). I guess the whole punches in wrestling thing is just a matter of tradition. In US wrestling, punches were used quite frequently, and were pretty much sold like a dime a dozen. In Japan, punches are used sparingly, and are given respect when used (they're sold a lot more). I definitely wouldn't mind seeing the punch used less frequently in US wrestling (as I guess has been happening), in order to make them seem somewhat more important. Then they could be sold better, used to better effect in heated feuds, used as a method of cheating for heels and whatever else.

I don't mind. From a psychology/logic standpoint, punches have a lot going against them, compared to forearms/elbows. First of all, punches are illegal. Secondly, it'd be quite easy to injure your hand punching with bare-knuckles. Thirdly, forearms/elbows inflict more damage than punches. Seems like using forearms makes more sense in kayfabe land. Plus, another reason to get rid of punches in US wrestling is that they remind me of all those horribly overrated, mind-numbing 2001 Austin matches where 90% of the match was made up of horribly thrown punches. And that annoys me greatly

Dynamite Kid doesn't get a free pass. Anyone worth their salt will concede he was a complete prick. It just has absolutely no bearing on his status as one of the best workers of all time, and it's not really relevant to discussion on his ring-work. And related to that, regardless of how much of a prick he was, people like him because he was such a good worker. Bob Holly doesn't have any such qualities, and that's why no one likes him. If he was a good worker, generally people would like him too, despite also being a prick.

Fairly certain Kobashi can speak English.

Otani was involved in a bunch of good tag stuff in '94, before he was really ready for the singles push. Nothing great really, but a lot of really good stuff that showed his potential. Anyway. Koji Kanemoto vs. Shinjiro Otani (7/13/95) Kind of a low-key, yet excellent match from that year's BOSJ. Ultimo Dragon vs. Shinjiro Otani (J-Cup 95) I thought this was still excellent, despite the silliness. A pre-cursor to ther J-Crown match the following year. Jushin Liger vs. Shinjiro Otani (2/9/97) Incredible followup to their '96 classic. I like this enough to call it Otani's third best. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Shinjiro Otani (5/20/97) Only "very good", but it was quite a carry job I thought. Otani was in the opposite role here, as instead Tajiri was the young underdog, while Otani was the dominant side. Shinjiro Otani vs. Ultimo Dragon (1/4/98) Not as good at their J-Cup match or their J-Crown classic, but still a really good match in a rapidly declining junior division. In 98/99, Otani was usually the guy propping up those tag matches with him and Takaiwa. The matches were usually only good, but it was usually all Otani. After 98, the body of work really falls off, but you could tell Otani still knew how to work, and do it well. The junior division was just falling apart at that point, and even someone like Liger wasn't producing any great matches. I don't think it was the wrestlers as much as it was the booking and attention given to the division at that point. Also, certain less-skilled wrestlers were at a point where they were allowed to determine the direction of the matches (Kanemoto for instance). So then you had a bunch of time wasting leading to heatless near falls, which is the direction that the matches seemed to go in. Just a theory. Certainly, Otani was never physically as good as he was from 95-98, but his mind was still there.

I give Otani more credit for his 3 years of greatness I guess. I'd probably say he was the 2nd best I've ever seen from about 96 to 98. He'd probably be top 10 for me. Kawada is #1 for me over Jumbo, because again, I think Kawada's peak was better than anyone else I've seen. He had about 5 years in that perch. But it's just a matter of going for Kawada's superior peak vs. Jumbo's longevity. My top 5 would probably be the same as yours, just Jumbo moving down to 3, and Kawada/Liger's position moving up accordingly. Also, going back to the US list, I'd also have Hansen way higher, like top 3 probably. He might be the best I've ever seen at making a brawl look good. And his ability to put over a story is well documented. But it's really his ability to carry the physical workload of a match that puts him over some other guys, who while being good at storytelling, really can't touch him in the "physical" department.

I don't think it's the matches as much as some people's criteria or standards. A dime a dozen match to some might be "great" to others. Someone could say they don't care how terrible the offense is, or how much useless stalling there is, and then the negatives that some would see in a Backlund-Hogan or Hogan-Schultz match disappear. I don't mind so much as long as the person is consistent with that belief (and often, they are not). I really think that was the issue with those matches. Some people decided to penalize the match for the flaws, some didn't.

^ Agree. I don't mind some hard-boiled wrestling discussion, where the participants attack each other's position and good points are being made. But this stuff at DVDVR is just masturbatory, trolling bullshit. It's amazing that some of those clowns are allowed to stay, given have inflammatory and repugnant their statments are. RE: DVDVR and the hoss shit: It's the new fad. Back in 99/2000, the fad was sleazy Japanese indy stuff and BattlARTS. The latter would be heralded as great stuff, when it seemed (to me anyway) that it was merely decent, and nothing to really get worked up about. Now the fad is with story-driven matches that are devoid of any quality technical wrestling. Thus, you get people pimping Mark Henry (who is a pretty terrible technical wrestler) just because he was involved in some dime-a-dozen story-based matches. Which I have no problem with, even if I think it's somewhat silly, but a lot of these people are also incredibly pretentious, condasending and downright douchebags, which kind of sheds a bad light on their opinions. And to clarify, when I say technical wrestling, I don't exclusively mean crisp matwork or whatever. I'm just using that term to define the "physicality" of the match, whether it be a brawl, mat-based match, lucha, whatever.