Badlittlekitten

Royal Rumble 92 was his last hurrah as a great wrestler.

HEADLOCKS ONLY. Sorry, but I thought this was fucking hilarious.

Batista, Orton and Sheamus for starters would all be more interesting opponents than Kane. Also, Batista and Orton both actually have pretty good reason to want a rematch after WM. Guys like Cesaro, Barrett, Henry, and others could all be challengers on a PPV with a little build up, but of course WWE has done such a shitty job building up anybody that they have left themselves with very few options who actually have enough momentum to challenge. When Kane in 2014 is the strongest challenger for the world title despite having tons of talent on the roster, then obviously you suck at booking. And I just listed the guys who have been booked strong enough to potentially be challengers. There are loads of others...Ziggler, Sandow, Ryback and others who have been booked like shit but have the talent to be taken more seriously if they hadn't buried them. Part of the problem is that I think they're pulling the trigger on this Shield/Evolution match too soon. It kind of makes no sense for Batista and Orton to just stop caring about the title after WM. Especially Orton who has the ready-made "I was never pinned" motivation for demanding a title shot. I don't necessarily disagree with anything you just said but looking at the current WWE landscape few of them choices are realistic picks at the moment. For whatever reason, Ziggler, Ryback and Sandow have been in WWE''s bad books for a while and are unlikely to ever get big pushes again. Plus Zigglers already shown he doesn't belong in the main event scene and Sandow's gimmick has a ceiling. Henry's only just turned face and can barely get into the ring without hurting himself. Cesaro's just got himself a new manager, new music, a new nick name and a lovely new jacket and needs time to establish his new identity before being thrust into the title picture. Are people really clamouring to see another Orton vs Bryan match that much more than monster Kane?

I can't speak for Lucha but personally I don't think anything in Japan comes close to WWE and it's been that way for several years. Somebody made the comparison between current WWE vs 90s All Japan. Whilst All Japan was the most consistently great promotion in a dire decade for US wrestling (with the exception of 92, where WCW smoked it), I often found myself tiring of watching the same three expressionless blokes and Kobashi fighting each other all the time. And the style started taking a turn for the worst as early as 95. It's current WWE for me. I'll also take 80s All Japan, which had more variety and engaging workers.

He's not an ideal pick and I didn't say he was a strong challenger, but outside of Batista I don't see any obvious choices. And I can't fault them for using this opportunity to stick him in a reformed Evolution to put the Shield over and to set the wheels in motion for the supposed Reigns/HHH feud and Summerslam match. Bray would have been the best pick but even if won at mania there's no way a Cena feud is just ending like that.

Cesaro needs a little time to heat up again. It's too early to start pinning him.

Who are these possible opponents? Cesaro? Barret? These guys aren't ready and they'd be even more of a step down for Bryan at this point. Kane isn't for the likes of us but like Henry and Show people buy him when he's given a serious push. That was a very good segment (when watched on mute) but I'll miss corporate Kane.

I don't really blame the crowd. They got a stupid, overlong shield promo, a babyface vs babyface tag match with one of the teams being complete jobbers at this point, two divas matches, midgets, Cesaro who nobody knows whether to boo or cheer against a absolute piece of dogshit, Rusev who'll never get over, Wyatt trying to get 'Whole world in his hands' over when it's too difficult for the crowd to really sing . . They were well into the good stuff (Sheamus/Barratt, Evolution, Cena promo). Good god I love Ryback.

How long has Kane got left? If they add a 'Kane must retire' stip, or even 'Monster' Kane has to retire, they could make this into a big deal. I kind of wanted the HHH feud to continue though. I was really starting to enjoy the stuff between him HHH and Steph, and it's got extra legs now he's won the title.

I loved Sting/Luger vs Steiners. I also loved the fascinating Steiners vs Tatsumi Fujinami & Tayayuki Iizuka match. Sticking with the Steiners, Rick vs Mike Rotunda at Starrcade 88 is a match I enjoyed against all odds. Simpleton Rick is a character I kind of enjoyed for some reason, and him beating the worlds most boring wrestler for the TV title was a lovely moment.

Worked for about two months, maybe. No, it worked a treat for six months. His reactions grew by the week. His first big match with Punk at HITC did a surprisingly good number and even when he started losing all his big matches he remained massively over for a while. I don't see anything wrong with squash matches in of themselves. In an era where every match has to be a lengthy, super competitive hard fought contest squash matches are a nice relief. The problem with guys like Rusev (and Tensai and Koslov et) is that they have weird drippy faces and aren't believable in their role.

It worked for Ryback a couple of years back. The problem for Rusev is that he's a charisma vacuum and has little presence, although the bells and whistles added to his presentation are great so he could end up getting over. I'm not so sure though.

Apologies for bringing this one back from the dead. I just wanted to say how grateful I am for this thread. I probably wouldn't be aware of a lot of my favourite wrestlers if I didn't read this a few years back. That's what makes this board great; whilst I'm still a big fan of HBshizzle, I certainly don't find the notion of him not making a top 100 ludicrous like I did when I first saw this thread. He was once a top ten guy for me. That's the value in seeking a path beyond received wisdom and judging with your own pair of eyes. I've been thinking about who I would rank in my GOAT list for a while but haven't seen enough footage (no Luchadores!) to feel comfortable making a proper top 100 yet. Would Shawn make my current top 50? I'm not sure . . Workers I'd definitely put above him (in fairly rough order) Ric Flair Stan Hansen Jumbo Tsuruta Tatsumi Fujinami Terry Funk Buddy Rose Jaguar Yokota Akira Hokuto Jerry Lawler Toshiaki Kawada Daniel Bryan Rey Mysterio Barry Windham Chigusa Nagayo Jim Breaks Nick Bockwinkle Mitsuharu Misawa Dustin Rhodes Kenta Kobashi Arn Anderson Vader Ricky Morton Bull Nakano John Cena Ricky Steamboat Akira Taue Rick Martel Randy Savage William Regal Bobby Eaton Bill Dundee Eddy Guerrero Riki Chosu Devil Masami Child Killer Bob Backlund Bret Hart Tully Blanchard Guys I would almost certainly rank above him after viewing more footage . . Yuki Ishikawa Finlay Billy Robinson Shinya Hashimoto Jushin Liger Genichiro Tenryu Hiroshi Hase Dick Togo Fujiwara Over half a dozen Luchadores So, yeah, it’s not looking good for Shawn for top 50 which surprises me somewhat. There are also the guys/girls who I’d use to fill a possible 100 that I’d likely put below Shawn, but I'm not 100% sure. . Jerry Blackwell Taka Michinoku Great Sasuke Yatsu Masa Fuchi Marty Jones Mick McManus Alan Sarjeant Sid Cooper Johnny Saint Greg Valentine Dick Murdoch Tommy Rich Tracy Smothers Curt Hennig Mick Foley Steve Austin Ted Dibiase Steve Williams Aja Kong Dynamite Kansai Manami Toyata Dump Matsamoto Hulk Hogan CM Punk Mark Henry Carlos Colon There’s lots of people missing of course and yadda yadda. Not sure if any of this makes sense. I just wanted an excuse to make a list in all honesty. Oh! Before I forget go I have to ask - Dylan and Loss are two guys whose opinions I respect the hell out of and I’m interested to know what their arguments for Terry Gordy, Sgt Slaughter, Owen Hart, Megumi Kudo, Dutch Mantel, Kroffat/Furnas and Lioness Asuka over Shawn are. Ed Wiskoski, Sakie Hasegawa, Takako Inoue, Toshiyo Yamanda and Yumiko Hotta are folks I don't think I can be convinced with (and I'm the biggest Hotta fan on Earth).

The people following the product again expecting every show to be near post-Mania show quality are going to end up disappointed. It's never consistent, this is par of the course. With the exception of that terrible Cena promo it wasn't that bad a show. Was disappointed there was no follow up with AJ Lee. Is she gone?

Yeah, there was execution problems all over that match, especially from Rollins. The crowd were pretty crap too. Otherwise I enjoyed it a lot. I'm a Dean Ambrose guy and this was his breast performance yet. He's an unlikely yet brilliant face and one of the best in the company at selling. I'm loving All Japan Terry Funk 2014. Him raising his arms for victory before splattering into the mat was icing on the cake. The promo was bizarre, the post Raw one was too. And they were vibrant and cool and funny and believable. I love them chaps.These Renee Young post show interviews have been an excellent addition so far. Bryan's promo following Raw had the old ducts dripping.

Heyman has been fast forward material for me since the awful Punk feud but I've watched this promo about four times now. So, yeah, he's doing something right. A performance the crowd appreciated enough to turn him babyface by the end of the night. Amazing promo and perfect considering circumstances. EEEEEEEEEAT SLEEEEEEEEP BREAK THE STREEEEEEAK

RIP The Jiz.

Same for me. I'm a sociopath, so all my favourites wrestlers were heels. But then I heard them power chords and saw the tassels and the paint and the superhero physique. I'd be scooped up in the wild energy. He looked amazing didn't he? Like me, all the kids I knew preferred him to Hogan. Hulk was old and lame. Warrior had an otherworldly mullet and painted ring jackets and he would RUN and head bang like a heavy metal hard man. He was cool. Seeing him in the same ring as Hogan was mind blowing enough, but seeing him pin him clean gave him some mythical status as a kid. The sight of him at Mania Six with both belts held high is one of my fondest wrestling memories. I was truly happy so see him make peace with the company and be presented in positive light on the weekend. Really shit timing. Absolutely gutted for his daughters. RIP Warrior.

Funny how this is the most talked about segment of the show. Paige playing the bumbling rookie was surprising and made the segment feel kind of off but it was a good moment in the end. Still not convinced we'll see any positive changes with the divs division to be honest.

Aren't you the one that was crying when Daniel Bryan lost at HITC, saying WWE deserved to go out of business and that their decision making was determined by their fear of TNA? Still buzzing after that show. Amazing experience which run you through the emotional grinder. There won't be another moment like that in a long time. My stomach fell out when that resounding three count hit. It certainly saved what would have been a fairly depressing match. I was unsure about Brock being The One at first but in hindsight it was the right way for the Taker to go out. He's just a man. The opener and the main event were fantastic, the battle royal turned out fun and a nice moment for Cesaro, The Shield disposed of the shite as easily as the Shield should have. Swank entrance and ring gear all around. And a new star was made. Easily the best Mania I've ever watched in real time. Maybe the best Mania I've ever watched at all. Roll on Raw.

Are you drunk already? Some wacky ideas there.

I've seen too little to give a proper judgement but I thought Sato looked great in the Jaguar Yokota matches. She wrestled with a viciousness which I wasn't expecting. Nancy Kumi vs Yumi Ikeshita (AJW 11/80) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmBA4_kEhe8 This is the best match I've seen from the pre-Jaguar Being Great era. It's also one of my favourites. I like everything from the fuzzy lighting and the big windows in the background to Ikeshita's random boxing gimmick and jester tights. Still looks cool as fuck. This is a title tournament match and a time limit draw and is wrestled like both. A good thing because it gives the wrestlers an opportunity to show their skills which AJW booking didn't always allow. Both do a great job of presenting themselves as complete equals throughout. There's some nice matwork before Ikeshita targets Kumi's throat. Is that a corkscrew in Ikeshita's hand? It makes me laugh how the heels put so much effort into hiding a weapon one minute before openly abusing their opponent the next. The inevitable outside brawling is well built to and purposeful for once. Kumi brings Yumi back into the ring from the apron using a butterfly suplex which is a cool spot I don't think I've seen before. Towards the end both girls realise they're at a stalemate and resort to desperate dives from the top. They crash and burn. Both do an excellent job of selling fatigue down the stretch and every move feels like an heroic effort. Was a decent show overall with the appearances of rookie Dump Matsomuto and Lioness Asuska. Lioness was actually quite attractive with long hair. Slight tangent, I honestly think Dump could have been a great babyface worker in an alternative universe. I remember seeing her against one of the larger American women, selling like Steamboat.

Agreed 100%. Far too emotionless and monotone for me. Give me Lance Russell's sexy "wooh!"s and "ooooo"s over him any day. Hell, I'd take David Crockett over Solie.

Stephanie on commentary every week please!

I came across the 10/10/96 M-Pro show on youtube the other day and gave it a watch. Great fun! Such a inspired blend of styles. Love that you're getting southern style heat and stooging with lucha rules, lucha dives, joshi heeling etc. And that's just the tags! Yuki Ishikawa & Alexander Otsuka vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Satoshi Yoneyama This left a big impression. Whenever I tried shootstyle before I grew bored and put something more immediate on instead. This blow me away. It had the mat stuff but it was still very pro wrestling. I kind of hated it and felt uncomfortable watching it (why the fuck are you idiots ACTUALLY beating the shit out of each other?). But I was mesmerised. Ishikawa I especially hate. What an unpleasant, sourly, brutal, brutal prick. Love him. I know fuck all about this stuff. Is BattlArts the promotion I need to crack onto? Johnny Saint vs. Naohiro Hoshikawa They were going WOS with this and I don't think it quite clicked. The chemistry wasn't really there for the fancy stuff. Saint was often sloppy and Hoshikawa didn't bring much else to the table. I still enjoyed this though, partly for the novelty of seeing this style play out in front of a hot Sumo hall crowd and partly because I can't dislike a Johnny Saint. His stuff is too cutesy at times but he has that goofy Bob Backlund charisma about him and crowds lap him up, like I do. Don Caras, Kuniaki Kobayashi & Dynamite Kid vs. Mil Mascaras, Tiger Mask & Great Sasuke Shit, didn't intend to do a match by match review thing, how did I get here? All I remember about this match was having a chuckle at Sasuke's bevy of belts and broads. It was during his ridiculous and fantastic ring introduction that I thought I'm glad I'm watching this stuff instead stroking my chin to All Japan epics. 1996 Dynamite Kid wasn't so fun. Regardless of what you think of him he was a sad sight at this point, brittle as a bog of toenails. Is that the original Tiger Mask? I'm stunned by how athletic he still is. Masato Yakushiji, Gran Naniwa, Tiger Mask 4, Gran Hamada, & Super Delfin vs. TAKA Michinoku, Shoichi Funaki, Shiryu, MEN'S Teioh, & Dick Togo What a ride! I won't lie - I've watched a few MPro tags since this and my fried memory can't recall one match from the other - but they're all great. Nary a dull moment. Awesome heel team work from Taka and the lads, funny banana peel spots, crazy, crisp high spots, crab walking! Nice ebb and flow to the pace. I can see where Chikara got their schtick from. MPRO has much better match layout, better humour and better, better, ten times better work. Super Delfin's my new favourite wrestler. Hayabusa vs. Jinsei Shinzaki Shinzaki looks fucking badass and I wanted to like him, especially when it dawned on me that HAKUSHI. But he was completely uninteresting while selling and working underneath in this match. Hayabusa wasn't much better in control. He was just kinda doing stuff with no real purpose and he's body language seems to be of the "Eh. Can't be arsed" variety. Bit of a wet fart to end on. Enjoyable show overall. The Wellington Wilkins Jr vs. Lenny Lane match wasn't that notable apart from the hilariously failed turncoat attack from the manager. Will keep watching.