NintendoLogic

Did Shawn get hair plugs?

Added the minis trios, Trio Fantasia/Thundercats, and the Flair/Morton cage match. Some more candidates for discussion: June 12-Maeda/Fujinami from 1986 or Kawada/Kobashi from 1998? August 2-Hash/Choshu from 1996 or Hash/Yamazaki from 1998?

I edited the OP to include a master list of dates I think are pretty much settled. Here are a few more dates for discussion. February 29-Better match from Superbrawl II: Liger/Pillman or Dustin/Windham vs. Austin/Zbyszko? March 27-In addition to the first Clash, you also have the Hokuto/Kandori vs. Bull/Aja tag from 1994. April 11-Toyota/Yamada vs. Ozaki/Kansai is the best known match from Dreamslam II, but I prefer Kong/Hokuto vs. Kandori/Sawai. July 24-In addition to the previously mentioned matches, you also have Fujiwara/Yamazaki from 1989. August 29-Bret/Bulldog from 1992 or Liger/Tanaka vs. Kikuchi/Kanemaru from 2002? August 30-Midnight Rockers vs. Rose/Somers from 1986 or Kong/Kansai from 1995? August 31-In addition to the previously mentioned matches, you also have Funks vs. Hansen/Gordy from 1983 and Jumbo/Tenryu from 1987. September 22-Rey/Psicosis from 1995 or HBK/Mankind from 1996? September 23-Hansen/Andre from 1981 or MS-1/Sangre Chicana from 1983? October 21-Hansen/Jumbo from 1986, Misawa/Kobashi from 1997, or Rock/Jericho from 2001? October 28-Jumbo/Tenryu from 1988 or Kawada/Tenryu from 2000? December 5-Inoki/Fujinami vs. Murdoch/Adonis from 1984 or LA Park/Mesias from 2010?

The people have spoken, and I have listened. I've decided to use the date the match took place across the board. It somewhat complicates things for WWE, but it's a consistent standard. Moving on, let me throw out some more dates where I think a reasonable debate exists. January 4-This is basically a question of the best New Japan Dome match. Off the top of my head, I'd go with Vader/Inoki from 1996, but there are a number of worthy candidates. January 28-Jumbo/Tenryu vs. Choshu/Yatsu from 1986 or Cena/Umaga from 2007? February 15-Savage/Steamboat from 1987 or Eddy/Brock from 2004? March 27-The date of the first Clash. I really like the Luger/Windham vs. Arn/Tully tag, but others might go with MX/Fantastics or Flair/Sting. May 5-You have Kudo/Toyoda, but you also have various WoS matches, perhaps the most notable of which is Breaks/Saint from 1973. May 22-Jumbo/Kerry from 1984 or the Jumbo/Misawa six-man from 1992? July 24-Baba/Robinson from 1976 or Misawa/Kawada from 1995? August 18-Vader/Takada from 1994 or Brock/Punk from 2013? August 28-Jumbo/Brisco from 1976 or Warrior/Rude from 1989? August 31-Santo/Espanto from 1986 or Doc/Kobashi from 1993? November 20-The date of Big Egg Universe. Kong/Toyota is my favorite, but there are plenty of matches to pick from.

Gorgeous George is known mainly for his pioneering gimmick, but he really was a hell of a worker in the truest sense of the word. He could show up in WWE tomorrow and get over huge. Seriously, everybody drop what you're doing and check out these matches. vs. Larry Moquin: vs. Jesse James: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8mU6FUmnk My favorite moment is probably the imported Florida air he brought to partake of between falls. That's something Damien Sandow should do, except maybe with air imported from Cambridge or something. With apologies to Lex Luger, George really was the total package.

Thanks for the contributions, everyone. And yeah, my preference would definitely be to start with the no-brainers and work my way out rather than going in chronological order. In that spirit, here's a few I would say are gimmes: January 13-El Hijo del Santo vs. Brazo de Oro, 1991 20-Misawa vs. Kobashi, 1997 22-Han vs. Tamura, 1997 31-Liger vs. Sano, 1990 February 5-Fujinami vs. Dynamite Kid, 1980 20-Flair vs. Steamboat, 1989 22-Kawada vs. Hashimoto, 2004 27-Misawa vs. Akiyama, 2000 28-Hansen vs. Kawada, 1993 March 20-Bret vs. Owen, 1994 22-Duggan vs. DiBiase, 1985 23-Hart vs. Austin, 1997 24-Finlay vs. Regal, 1996 29-Savage vs. Steamboat, 1987 April 1-Rock vs. Austin, 2001 15-Misawa vs. Taue, 1995 20-Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi, 1991 24-Ikeda vs. Ishikawa, 2005 25-Kobashi vs. Takayama, 2004 29-Cena vs. Lesnar, 2012 May 2-Vader vs. Misawa, 1999 17-Wargames, 1992 23-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue, 1996 25-Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Furnas/Kroffat, 1992 June 1-El Dandy vs. Angel Azteca, 1990 3-Misawa vs. Kawada, 1994 5-Jumbo vs. Tenryu, 1989 6-Lawler vs. Dundee, 1983 7-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Williams/Ace, 1996 8-Jumbo vs. Misawa, 1990 9-Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 1995 13-Hart vs. Perfect, 1993 16-Slaughter vs. Sheik, 1984 17-Tenryu vs. Hashimoto, 1993 20-Rude vs. Steamboat, 1992 21-Eddy vs. Rey, 2005 July 1-Hart vs. Kid, 1994 3-El Dandy vs. Negro Casas, 1992 12-Vader vs. Sting, 1992 17-Punk vs. Cena, 2011 18-Santo vs. Casas, 1987 23-Flair vs. Funk, 1989 29-Hansen vs. Kobashi, 1993 August 10-Liger vs. Sano, 1989 11-Mutoh vs. Chono, 1991 19-Angle vs. Austin, 2001 29-Hart vs. Bulldog, 1992 30-Kong vs. Kansai, 1995 September 1-Jumbo vs. Misawa, 1990 14-Satanico vs. Gran Cochisse, 1984 19-Santo vs. Casas, 1997 20-Hart vs. Undertaker, 1997 22-HBK vs. Mankind, 1996 23-MS-1 vs. Sangre Chicana, 1983 28-HBK/Diesel vs. Ramon/Kid, 1994 October 1-Joe vs. Kobashi, 2005 9-Kawada vs. Sasaki, 2000 19-Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi, 1990 21-Rock vs. Jericho, 2001 26-Eddy vs. Rey, 1997 28-Kawada vs. Tenryu, 2000 November 16-Vader vs. Dustin, 1994 17-Hart vs. Austin, 1996 19-Dustin/Steamboat vs. Arn/Zbyszko, 1991 December 3-Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 1993 6-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue, 1996 11-Bockwinkel vs. Robinson, 1980 14-El Dandy vs. Satanico, 1990 16-Hansen/Gordy vs. Tenryu/Kawada, 1988 17-Hart vs. Bulldog, 1995 28-Vader vs. Sting, 1992 30-Lawler vs. Dundee, 1985 Any recommendations for additions/subtractions?

While lying in bed last night, I got an idea for an ambitious/ridiculous/insane project: compile a list of the best matches to take place on every single day of the year. Some of the days, like June 3, are no-brainers. Other days are more difficult. For example, off the top of my head, I can't think of a single great match to take place on New Year's Day. So who wants to chip in? THE MASTER LIST January 13-El Hijo del Santo vs. Brazo de Oro, 1991 15-Kawada vs. Taue, 1991 20-Misawa vs. Kobashi, 1997 21-Ohtani vs. Samurai, 1996 22-Han vs. Tamura, 1997 31-Liger vs. Sano, 1990 February 5-Fujinami vs. Dynamite Kid, 1980 9-Liger vs. Ohtani, 1997 17-Tenryu vs. Hashimoto, 1994 20-Flair vs. Steamboat, 1989 22-Kawada vs. Hashimoto, 2004 27-Misawa vs. Akiyama, 2000 28-Hansen vs. Kawada, 1993 March 5-Jumbo vs. Robinson, 1977 6-Gotch vs. Inoki, 1972 11-Jumbo vs. Robinson, 1977 17-Liger vs. Ohtani, 1996 20-Bret vs. Owen, 1994 22-Duggan vs. DiBiase, 1985 23-Hart vs. Austin, 1997 24-Finlay vs. Regal, 1996 26-New Japan elimination match, 1986 29-Savage vs. Steamboat, 1987 31-Misawa vs. Kobashi, 1996 April 1-Rock vs. Austin, 2001 14-Funk vs. Hansen, 1983 15-Misawa vs. Taue, 1995 19-New Japan gauntlet, 1984 20-Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi, 1991 24-Ikeda vs. Ishikawa, 2005 25-Kobashi vs. Takayama, 2004 29-Cena vs. Lesnar, 2012 May 2-Vader vs. Misawa, 1999 17-Wargames, 1992 21-Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 1994 23-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue, 1996 25-Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Furnas/Kroffat, 1992 June 1-El Dandy vs. Angel Azteca, 1990 3-Misawa vs. Kawada, 1994 5-Jumbo vs. Tenryu, 1989 6-Lawler vs. Dundee, 1983 7-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Williams/Ace, 1996 8-Jumbo vs. Misawa, 1990 9-Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 1995 13-Hart vs. Perfect, 1993 16-Slaughter vs. Sheik, 1984 17-Tenryu vs. Hashimoto, 1993 20-Rude vs. Steamboat, 1992 21-Eddy vs. Rey, 2005 July 1-Hart vs. Kid, 1994 3-El Dandy vs. Negro Casas, 1992 5-Flair vs. Morton, 1986 12-Vader vs. Sting, 1992 17-Punk vs. Cena, 2011 18-Santo vs. Casas, 1987 19-Tamura vs. Uematsu, 1997 23-Flair vs. Funk, 1989 25-Destroyer vs. Mil Mascaras, 1974 27-Hansen vs. Tenryu, 1988 29-Hansen vs. Kobashi, 1993 August 4-Ultimo vs. Ohtani, 1996 8-Tenryu vs. Hashimoto, 1993 10-Liger vs. Sano, 1989 11-Mutoh vs. Chono, 1991 19-Angle vs. Austin, 2001 22-Devil vs. Chigusa, 1985 27-HBK vs. Ramon, 1995 September 1-Jumbo vs. Misawa, 1990 11-Fujiwara vs. Super Tiger, 1985 12-New Japan elimination match, 1988 14-Satanico vs. Gran Cochisse, 1984 19-Santo vs. Casas, 1997 20-Hart vs. Undertaker, 1997 28-HBK/Diesel vs. Ramon/Kid, 1994 October 1-Joe vs. Kobashi, 2005 3-Minis trios, 1997 5-HBK vs. Undertaker, 1997 8-Tanahashi vs. Suzuki, 2012 9-Kawada vs. Sasaki, 2000 11-Jumbo vs. Tenryu, 1989 19-Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi, 1990 24-Jumbo vs. Kawada, 1991 26-Eddy vs. Rey, 1997 31-Misawa vs. Kobashi, 1998 November 16-Vader vs. Dustin, 1994 17-Hart vs. Austin, 1996 19-Dustin/Steamboat vs. Arn/Zbyszko, 1991 21-Hennig vs. Bockwinkel, 1986 24-Ultimo vs. Rey, 1996 26-Toyota/Yamada vs. Ozaki/Kansai, 1992 28-Magnum vs. Tully, 1985 December 3-Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 1993 6-Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue, 1996 8-Trio Fantasia vs. Thundercats, 1991 11-Bockwinkel vs. Robinson, 1980 13-Lawler vs. Kerry, 1988 14-El Dandy vs. Satanico, 1990 16-Hansen/Gordy vs. Tenryu/Kawada, 1988 17-Hart vs. Bulldog, 1995 28-Vader vs. Sting, 1992 30-Lawler vs. Dundee, 1985

The dirtsheets were reporting a while back that Bryan/Orton was supposed to be blown off at HIAC and that Orton is supposed to be in the title picture through the Rumble.

Jerry, am I reading you correctly? Are you really claiming that negative reviews from Internet writers is the only think keeping Ed Leslie from being a HOF candidate?

The crux of Bret's claim of drawing power is obviously his status as an international draw. Unfortunately, actual numbers seem hard to come by. It's mostly anecdotal evidence and factoids like him being voted athlete of the year by a German teenybopper magazine. Other than that, there's the Farmer list. Sure, it has issues, but Dave has cited it as an authority, so make of that what you will.

I rewatched Bock/Wahoo, and I still don't like it. In particular, I'm baffled by all the people talking about how intense it was. I thought it was incredibly sluggish. At least, it was when Wahoo was on offense, which was like 90% of the match. He looked like the world's shittiest Tenryu. I've seen Bock in Memphis, so I know he's perfectly capable of having a quality brawl. This wasn't one of them. In fact, as far as world title matches featuring an Indian who throws chops go, I didn't even think it was better than Cena/Khali.

I have my doubts about the accuracy of that statistic. I went to prowrestlinghistory.com, and from what I could tell, New Japan's only million-plus gates were from Dome shows. Choshu only headlined a handful of those. Certainly less than Hashimoto, and probably less than Inoki and Mutoh as well. And All Japan did million-dollar gates when it sold out the Budokan, so he's probably also behind Misawa. Even if the statistic is true, it seems like it would be largely dependent on outside factors like the yen-to-dollar exchange rate. I'm not disputing that Choshu was a much bigger deal in his own country or that he had a huge impact. But saying that he was a "waaaaay better draw" is greatly overstating things. For the record, I think Bret's in-ring body of work absolutely creams Choshu's. But that should come as no surprise.

I did not. I'll probably rewatch it tonight to make sure.

I was mildly surprised at the number 1 pick. I was kind of expecting a more revisionist take. I was also quite surprised to discover that I don't like pro wrestling.

I strongly doubt that. Well it's not unusual for you and I to completely disagree, but if you had Pat Paterson helping lay out main events, that were heavily promoted and going on last, I see little reason to believe a guy with his talent wouldn't have padded his resume with enough "epic" matches to get him to the level where he would at least be on the fringes of that discussion. I'm sure he would have had good matches. But I don't see him significantly bettering Steve Austin's output during that period. Adding an Austin-level run to his existing resume doesn't strike me as GOAT-caliber.

I think Kerry was more than just luggage, but I can't recall anything particularly great he did in that match. Him blowing off the hand work was annoying, as was his cartoonish bumping and selling.

Considering TNA's current state, I almost feel like we owe Vince Russo an apology.

I strongly doubt that.

Since this thread has risen from the dead, I'll weigh in on the Bret/Choshu debate. Choshu may have drawn more than Bret, but I don't buy that he was a way bigger draw. For one thing, even if you set aside the Farmer list, I'm pretty sure that Bret headlined more big shows than Choshu. He also had a much higher international profile. I suspect that at his peak, Bret was a bigger worldwide star than Choshu ever was.

The fact that it was JBL who was doing it just made it weird.

This sums up my feelings exactly. Also, I think Will's point about people's upbringing influencing their tastes is right on. Guys like Loss who grew up on JCP learned to accept the things that annoy people like me about the style. By the same token, a lot of the complaints people have about the current WWE product are things I don't give a second thought to. Also, for the record, when I talked about Flair becoming less relevant, I didn't mean any time in the near future. I was thinking more 30 or 40 years down the line.

First of all, I would submit that Plum Mariko would probably still be alive today if she had decided to become a stripper rather than a wrestler. Setting that aside, there may not be a joshi style, but I think there definitely is an AJW house style that had developed by 1992 or so. The go-go-go doesn't bother me as much as things like holds being applied and then released for no reason, transitions being too abrupt and easy, and a general disregard of long-term selling. I find those things to be pretty universal in AJW, which is why I find that a lot of matches that are pimped as being not typical joshi are in the end very much typical joshi. I've noticed those elements in other promotions as well, but I haven't seen enough non-AJW joshi to make a definitive statement. However, as noted in the podcast, 1991 was kind of a transition year, which means that there are plenty of exceptions. I would suggest Takako Inoue vs. Mariko Yoshida from August 18, which I don't think was on the yearbook, as another example of an atypical joshi match.

Kent State would be perfect for this.

It was a flash pin from behind after a major distraction. Then he proceeded to destroy said manager. Calm down. I have no plans to quit watching wrestling, but "guy gets flash pin then gets destroyed" really needs to go away. It makes both guys look like chumps. Anyway, I hope you guys aren't wedded to your Cena injury fantasy booking scenarios. Per Dave, Cena is expected to wrestle on all the upcoming PPVs and there are no plans to do an injury angle at HIAC.

So I decided to watch Tanahashi/Suzuki from KOPW and Okada/Tanahashi from Invasion Attack in succession. I can see how someone can think the first match is great. I can also see how someone can think the second match is terrible. But for the life of me, I have no idea how someone can think both.