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BillThompson

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Everything posted by BillThompson

  1. As a manager he was top notch, and as a wrestler he was certainly a great bump machine and could bleed with the best of them. The reason I would say no though is because he was always a gimmick, at least in all the footage I've seen. There's nothing wrong with that, and he filled that role splendidly, but when it comes to the greatest wrestlers of all time I can't see that type of wrestler making my list.
  2. Subjectivity breeds argument, it's objectivity that shuts argument down. Objectivity essentially means there is no argument, that their is quantifiable proof that Point A is correct and Point B is incorrect. Subjectivity means that Point A can be argued for, but can so Point B and there's never a clear winner in the argument because it's not an argument that can be won. The only reason I talk about wrestling as much as I do is because of how subjective it is, and that's why this project has already generated plenty of valuable discussion.
  3. I've got to say man, you're being a real downer about this entire project so far.
  4. Who cares who nominated him, or if he'll make anyone's list? This project is about exploration and reassessment. If you've already made up your mind then what's the point in participating in the discussion aspect?
  5. For me, nothing. He's a better promo, by far, but that's not something I put all that much consideration behind. In the ring Hardy is far superior, I find.
  6. It's been a handful of months, figured I'd pop in and pimp my blog again. Finally reached 1999 in my ECW/WCW/WWF(E) PPV rewatch project, which means I think I'll actually have more stuff to write about. As it stands I recently wrote about Mike Awesome versus Masato Tanaka and the first ladder match between the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. I also tossed in a review of Cesaro/Regal, as well as a great Hashimoto tag. And today I dropped a couple of reviews of a pair of great matches from the 80s Lucha set. Check out the blog, if you feel inclined, Blue Thunder Driver.
  7. Your name was mentioned too, Bill....... And I say thank you for that, but I have trouble listening to my own voice on a voice mail, let alone a long podcast.
  8. It's my personal belief that objectivity has no merit in an artistic medium, because the art is inherently subjective and deserves to be viewed as such. I have no problem with others who view it differently, but when all is said and done I will vote the only way I think has merit for me, based on the subjective approach one must take to the artistic medium of professional wrestling.
  9. Not yet. I could see a case for bottom 100 if he keeps up his work over the next 1.5 years. If he keeps up the same level of work for the next five years then he'll probably end up being a top 10-20 guy next time we do this list.
  10. Shawn also had to worry about being the top draw and cutting halfway decent promos and such. All roles have demands. And Shawn failed in both areas, so I'd wager he didn't worry about either one all that much.
  11. BillThompson

    KENTA

    Nope, he's good, but he's pretty limited as a wrestler and never produced a great enough output to e considered for a top 100.
  12. Didn't see him in the list of official nominees so I figured I'd be the one to go ahead and nominate the elephant in the room, Chris Benoit 1) Chris Benoit vs Al Snow (ECW Double Tables 02/04/95) http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/14370-chris-benoit-vs-al-snow-ecw-double-tables-020495/ 2) Wild Pegasus vs Great Sasuke (NJPW Super J Cup 04/16/94) http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/15634-wild-pegasus-vs-great-sasuke-njpw-super-j-cup-041694/ 3) Chris Benoit vs Raven (WCW Souled Out 01/24/98) http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/26754-chris-benoit-vs-raven-wcw-souled-out-012498/
  13. BillThompson

    Volk Han

    I won't deny that he's a guy I hope to see more of before the deadline because as of right now I haven't seen anywhere near enough to put him on my list.
  14. I've been watching him in the 1998-2000 time period lately. I wouldn't say he's a great worker in that period, but he has flashes where one can see the pieces coming together. It's basically an issue of timing with him, as he's often just a step out of place so that he still takes the bump or hits the big move but it doesn't have as much impact as it should. His tag work with D-Lo Brown is pretty good, and storylines aside he's pretty decent as a singles during his Sexual Chocolate run of this period. The selling though is still rock solid, even this early in his career.
  15. That's an interesting comparison because when all is said and done I would put him at the same level as Eaton, maybe a little bit higher due to more sustained longevity.
  16. I'd wager I'll be the only one putting him on a list, and I'm okay with that. The thing with Matt is that when it comes to in-ring he's a darn complete wrestler. He's built a career out of being consistently great in the ring. I could point to his excellent selling in his Rumble match with Swagger, his always great worked punches, his ability to take big bumps, to get over simple spots in matches where others were going for crazier and crazier stuff, etc. I've always been a big fan of Matt, and as he's gotten older he's only improved as a worker. At this point in time I'd say he may be the absolute best in the world when it comes to constructing a match that makes sense and still works to the strengths of the workers involved. He's also one of those midcard talents who has complimented being consistently great in short matches while still supplying a steady stream of longer MOTYC level material in the tag team arena. Edit: Sam beat me to the punch, so it appears I will not be the only one to have him in my top 100.
  17. I'd say the fact that he was doing really good stuff even with the leash on.
  18. Matt Hardy (First two reviews are mine, third is from Wrestling KO, but it's from Dylan so I figured that was good enough to count.) 1) World Wrestling Federation: No Mercy '99 (10-17-1999) Edge & Christian vs. New Brood (Jeff & Matt Hardy) This is the finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament and a ladder match. A spotfest if ever there was one, but an example of how to execute a great spotfest. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few spots where the set-up is too contrived, or I should say too obviously choreographed. There are also a few spots that are off, not blown, but just off. Still, those are the only real complaints I have with what is otherwise a wonderfully put together bit of spot wrestling. I used to be one of those guys who would rail against spotfests. I’m still not the biggest fan of spotfests, but I’ve long moved away from the idea that a wrestling match must strictly be of a certain manner. This tag match is nothing but spots, although I would contend they are spots with meaning and import. This is a match where two young teams are willing to kill themselves for a sack of money (and the implication that they get to have sex with Terri). But more than that they are willing to destroy their bodies to break into the spotlight. This is their chance to show that they belong, and boy do Edge, Christian, and the New Brood show that they belong in the WWF. The spots used by all four are inventive, if not ground breaking. That may sound like I’m contradicting myself, but when Jeff & Matt Hardy are hitting double teams they are being inventive while not trying to turn wrestling on its head. There’s an element of working within the natural confines of a wrestling match that I appreciate about this match. This isn’t a match where one team decides that executing a 450 Splash Spike Piledriver is super cool despite looking freaking ridiculous. Rather, this is a match where Christian and Jeff realize that a simple Hip Toss from near the top of the ladder will make for a brutal looking spot. Simple, effective, and inventive within the natural boundaries of a pro wrestling match; that’s what these two teams are able to bring forth on this night. There were a couple of spots where I stopped and said, “Well, that doesn’t make much sense,” but for the most part I was too involved in the breakneck pace of the spots and the storytelling to care much about a few overly contrived spots. And that’s right, I did say storytelling because I do believe there is a story being told in this match. I touched on it earlier, but this tag match is the culmination of two young teams becoming stars. That is the story of the match; how willing four men are to punish themselves to entertain the crowd. What can I say, I was entertained by this match fifteen years ago and I was just as entertained watching it tonight. 2) Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts: Chaos in Cameron (04-26-2014) Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark) vs. Hardy Boyz (Jeff & Matt) The best thing that came out of Matt Hardy leaving World Wrestling Entertainment is that he’s been able to team with his brother again in their home promotion of OMEGA. All reports have indicated that their shows have been really hot and full of good stuff. When I heard that they had announced a main event for Chaos in Cameron of the Briscoe Brothers versus the Hardy Boyz I knew I needed to track down that match at the first opportunity. That opportunity has arisen, and the results were well worth the effort. It’s important, I think at least, to note the chemistry that both teams have. This is tag team wrestling, and it shows in the match layout and in the story the match is telling. Matt & Jeff Hardy have been a team for years and the same is true for Jay & Mark Briscoe. All four men have had great singles careers as well, but there is something special about the abilities they possess as tag team units. There’s an extended section in the match where Matt is all on his own, but that segment exists to show how important teamwork is and how much better the Hardy Boyz are when working together. The standout in this match was easily Jay Briscoe, and that’s in no way diminishing the fantastic work being done by all other involved parties. But Jay, my gosh, Jay is an absolute killer in this match. He brings forth a harsh brand of violence that is a joy to watch. There’s one particular moment where he just about kills Matt dead with a Lariat, and all I could do was stare in wide eyed admiration at the screen. When he starts working with his brother, well jeez, they seem to make it their mission to not just beat the Hardys, but to bury them. There is a lot of extracurricular happenings in this match, but surprisingly they work. The injury to Jeff could have been cheesy, but it ends up doing wonders for the match because of how great Matt is during his extended face in peril segment. Jeff’s injury also works because of when he makes an appearance as Willow. He runs in, complete with umbrella, but his run-in doesn’t lead to a win. All it leads to is another beatdown segment on Matt. Willow can’t win the match, Matt alone can’t win the match, only the Hardys or Briscoes as a unit will win the match. The finishing run is, I’d wager, up there with the best tag team wrestling has had to offer in recent years. The story comes to a head as both teams employ plenty of double team moves and shenanigans, and at a breakneck pace to boot. The finishing run is interesting in that it moves very fast, but it lasts long enough so that the match feels like it has the time to languidly exhale. The spot where Jay holds down Matt, who is struggling mightily, for a brutal Mark Diving Elbow Drop is stellar. The nearfalls are great, and the actual finish completes the story and is mighty nifty as it requires resourcefulness from Matt and Jeff while they manage to work as a team despite being on opposite sides of the ring. I’m a big Hardy Boyz fan, Matt more than Jeff, I’ve never denied that fact. My fandom isn’t creating falsities in the case of this match, I can assure my readers of that much. The Briscoe Brothers versus the Hardy Boyz is a really great match. It’s tag team wrestling that hearkens back to the tag team wrestling of the 1980s in the best way possible. All four men give great performances, don’t sleep on this match people. 3) The Briscoes vs. Mike Bennett & Matt Hardy - ROH 6/22 Yeah this was great for what it was. When I read the reviews of this I figured it would be great and actually was able to track it down earlier today (sorry Bucky, but hey at least you got motivated to watch it!). I like all of these guys, and figured it was going to be an insane car crash, and that's exactly what it was. Mark Briscoe was amazing in this. Jay is the guy who gets the singles pushes, and I get why, but Mark as this freak show, ball of energy, who takes lunatic bumps, and spot runs better than anyone in wrestling, is an absolutely perfect fit. I actually liked the whole restart angle to this, and for a spotfests they did a great job making all the big spots feel distinct. Bennett taking the Doomsday Devince on the floor was psychotic, the crash and burn table spot was well teased and well delivered, Mark's Cactus Elbow was great et. I also though Mark Bennett hitting Mark with a Side Effect on the floor was a pretty crazy spot, but in a match this nuts it is well down the depth chart of crazy shit. Finishing bump from Hardy was completely insane for a guy his age. Even the Nick Seary shit added to this. Really fucking fun match.
  19. I tend to agree with you, for the most part. I can see the argument Matt is making, but Haku wouldn't make my list. There are a few guys who would be considered lifetime midcard guys who will make my list, but I feel their status is buoyed by being involved in some truly remarkable moments/MOTY caliber matches.
  20. I think what Matt is getting at is that Shawn had carte blanche to go out and have the best match he could possibly have every night. His opponents had to make him look good, the announcers made him look good, etc. For Haku he had to work harder to get his stuff in, to make sure his opponent always looked good in going over him, to get the announcers to notice what he was doing and why he mattered, etc.
  21. I could see Samoa Joe making it as well.
  22. I'd love for something like this to go down, guys like Loss, Dylan, Will, Matt, etc. dropping knowledge on wrestlers for this project would be a welcome edition to the podcast wing of PWO.
  23. I don't think Ishii's ever been the best wrestler in the world, especially not in a 2014 where Timothy Thatcher is wrestling.
  24. BillThompson

    The Rules

    Yep, that's what I was thinking as well.
  25. He, along with Matt Hardy who I'll be nominating at some point, are possibly the two guys on my list who I can see most others going, "Uh, no" over. In the case of Owen it's really his late career stuff that allows him to make my top 100. Watching him get interesting matches out of the very green Edge or the very pedestrian Shamrock were the final notch on the belt of him being a very diverse worker who could do comedy, serious, shoot, high flying, technical, etc. and do it with anyone while making his opponent look like a million bucks as well.
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