GOTNW

Not the case. The Bob Sapp ballot is fucking amazing.

We have reached a new high with James Storm posing for a cover of a christian rock album.

I considered him but had no idea where to put him. I've seen a decent amount of his stuff, but much of that is vague in my memory. After revisiting the Flair stuff to see whether it would hold up all I was really left with in terms of great stuff was the amazing Rude Ironman match. Now that I think of it he has a match vs. Tully Blanchard I really loved and the Jericho match which was pretty fascinating but I gave other stuff priority and seriously considered too many wrestlers to begin with. I look forward to watching more of his stuff but I couldn't pull the trigger this time around. Just felt more strongly about other wrestlers really.

My thoughts on the matter are closer to yours on shoot style as I'm not as nearly ambivalent on Flair as you are on lucha. I thought I was going to rank Flair coming into this. When I watched my first "great Flair stuff" years ago I thought it was great and he was a great wrestler. But that was also a time when I could love a Dragon Gate style match and was crazy about modern US indies stuff and that's also changed in the mean time. I give every style and wrestler a chance but there's no reason for me to be facetious about something I don't enjoy. I respect his accomplishments, importance in the wrestling industry and athelticism among other things. I'm sure he's had quite a few matches I'd consider at least good. But "the idea of Ric Flair" doesn't result in compelling work to me inside the ring most of the time. I'm not sure if it's really a case of me not "getting it". I don't intend to sound pretentious though it may come off like that, but as time has passed and I've watched more stuff and my taste has changed these days I rarely look at a match and go "how could someone like that", regardless of whether or not I likeit. I've watched the stuff, I've listened to the arguments. I just don't find the highly pimped stuff impressive. I'm fine with watching Flair stuff but on my own terms (ie:shorter matches-even a difference between a twenty minute and a fourty minute match can be a huge one, preferably brawls) and outside of the context of any GOAT projects.

it's consistent with him giving Brock years where he didn't wrestle a single match.

That you mention "bad excuses" is interesting because I've really grown jaded of people judging mexican and japanese wrestling via ridiculous criteria. Yet I'm completely fine with like, goc completely ignoring most japanese wrestling on his list. It's not his thing. He gave it a shot. He'll have about as many lucha guys on his list as I will which is cool. I didn't rank Flair because I don't care for his most famous matches and the style he worked them in. He has some fun brawls but, when I find it I enjoy him vs Jericho from 2002 much more than I do his supposed 40 minute classics, I think it's just time to accept he doesn't do it for me. And people will write off Misawa because they don't like King's Road and people will write off Jumbo because he bores them before he became grumpy just like they'll write off all lucha or shoot style or joshi. Terry Funk is the closest thing we have to a consensus great wrestler which is why I predicted him to finish #1.

Clearly there is an underground BIGLAV community out there. Which also reminds me that, if he'd used diversity, which could be close enough to matching what Parv wanted represented if he'd phrased it properly we could've had BIGLAD. Alas. Enjoyed the show. Big pop for "I like his opinions because they are like mine".

I do find it interesting how he modelled himself after Choshu. His 90s outfit, the mullet, using his scorpion deathlock finish, even fixing his hair like Choshu does. Something I never really though about until I heard a commentator bring it up.

Saito is probably hurt by the fact the folks who watched NOAH while it was good either watched too much other wrestling to include him, didn't participate or stopped watching wrestling by now. He also looked really good in the 90s stuff of his I've watched.

I really wanna see that anon's ballot. I have it saved it's a guy I talked into doing one at the last minute. It's my favourite one but I'll make you wait a bit to build suspense.

I wonder how high he had Mr.Gannesuke and Jyushin Thunder Lyger.

Idk man on man and woman on woman and woman on man domestic violence exist too. But I'd be fine with leaving it at pro-wres only instead of verging into a discussion on prominence of types of domestic violence.

I would take issue with Ryan's branch of wrestling, but generally that matches are woman vs. man just doesn't bother me unless it's intentionally creepy like that one Beyond clip that was the worst thing I ever saw. But like I have no problem watching Kana exchange full force strikes with men where it's treated like just a normal match. I mean obviously I can understand why it would bother some but I feel more insulted when I watch a bad match than one that just doesn't follow the norm.

There is something incredibly poetic about Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Joey Ryan being back to back. The "calling out other voters" is like 90% of the fun. Ok maybe 60% but only because Grimmas has really stepped his game up with the pictures. I have to say I'm quite disappointed no one's called out Takaiwa voters because he is reckless and unsafe and paralyzed another wrestler.

Well at least Joey Ryan didn't get a #1 vote.

Watching the Aztec Warfare match made me remember how great his comebacks are. He is almost Misawa-esque in his ability to sell the beatdown, be able to make a believable comeback without undermining the damage done to him prior at any given time and build plenty of struggle and drama around the success of said comeback.

I (and someone who paid attention to my twitter at the right time of my talking people into doing this would also) have a good guess but I want to see the reaction to "THAT GUY got a number one vote" when the time comes. But I also think it's possible we may get something even weirder. Like I think it's totally possible The Rock, Austin, Hogan etc. got #1 votes but no one would really be shocked by that. Even cult favourites like Onita or Hayabusa or Yuki Ishikawa you could see getting #1 votes. Judging by the tone Grimass used it's like, Marufuji or Super Porky.

I think a strong case for Takaiwa could be put forward since he is still going strong, though it is more piecing together fun performances in tag matches and the occasional great match than an obviously great run, especially for folks who follow japanese wrestling more casually. Big pop for Dean's picks. I am sure he won't disappoint. I also wonder how many Battlarts wrestlers we're gonna go through before we get to Trish Stratus.

I don't know who these anonymous DK fanboys would be but me and El-P are huge Takada backers so he'll get two top 15 votes at least. I quoted the wrong post lol.

If I were making a favourites list Bryan wouldn't make a top 100. I also do think criticisms of his hot tag run are valid and don't regret voting Cesaro over him in the March Madness final. His last run was actually a big plus for me because it did rehabilitate my view of him after the tag run but I also though he was clearly the best wrestler in the world when he left. They may have their fans but I couldn't care less for guys like Sheamus and Rollins and he got great matches out of them and worked a very compelling series of matches against KANE, including a casket match that went like 20 minutes. Part of the ranking process for me was valuing how much I value stuff comparatively and working super indies for so long probably hurts him there but he absolutely got the most out of that environment. I do think his absolute peak stuff doesn't compare well with the people I ranked above him and I feel like he really wasn't able to reach transcendence in his performance and may have been too small minded in opting to work longer and take more big bumps and do more shoot headbutts thinking it would do the trick. It is ridiculous nitpicking, but only comes natural when I have to compare absolute top tier wrestlers, and that is what Bryan was.

I mean "do you want to remain anonymous" was one of the questions and the default answer was yes I believe. I'd think people wanting their votes to be transparent (if they didn't check the "no" there) wouldn't be a major issue for Grimmas

Great post. Hopefully Grimmas will include some Violator references in the roll out for the hell of it as well.

Since I guess this is the general discussion thread for the time being I'll just say I talked three people into voting at the last second. So maybe shoot stuff will do slighty better than it would have done without that.

I mean I could've just said "he has a wife it's his college sweetheart" but then I don't get to internet yell about things I think are worth internet yelling about. Nakamura's mannerisms are extremely important for him. "super masculine asskicker" flat out doesn't work in 2016 WWE where everyone gets 50/50 booking. The only guy that can work in that mold is Brock Lesnar because Vince is buthurt he left in 2004 and would do anything to have him, including overpay him which he has done. Their most over face who actually tours and performs on a regular basis is, uhm, Ambrose? Who can credit that to his indy cred, good looks and wacky mannerisms. And their hottest programming (NXT) has become their hottest programming by increasing effeminacy with the rise of the women's division and relying on babyfaces like Zayn and Devitt for long term reigns and also having big shows dominated with babyface victories, giving the crowd what they want etc. while also counterbalancing that with cool heels and badass characters like Sasha Banks, Asuka, Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe etc.