InYourCase

Can we debunk this theory about Fujinami not being a good worker in the 90's, also? Look, he's not like he was in 1983, but I've adored him in the WAR feud. His fire is still there and his performances, while nothing may be as good as the Choshu series, are still great. People are discrediting his 90s run and I don't get it. Dude was outstanding. He's moved into #4 for me, one spot above Rey. I want to echo what Dylan said on page 1, also -- Fujinami was an excellent bleeder. To a point that I think it deserves to be talked about more.

Angle is a Top 20 guy for me, first and foremost. Absolutely incredible wrestler when he's at his best. He does everything I want in a wrestler. Great seller, great bumper, hot finishing stretches, great offense, great charisma - there are few more wrestlers I enjoy more than Angle. That being said, he has two things really working against him for me. 1) I can't pinpoint when Angle started turning in great performances (I like a lot of his work in 2000, nothing specific is coming to mind right now), but he's on a three year run of being abysmal. I voted him Most Overrated in the WON Awards last year because there is nothing I hate more than crippled, overly-sweaty Kurt Angle wrestling. There's a part of me that wants to look at his 2014-2016 run in the same light that as I do post-cancer Kobashi because Angle is not a healthy human, but he was being pushed so hard by TNA that I have to put some of the fault on Angle. He didn't change his style. He tried to work like 2002 Kurt Angle and he's a far cry from what he once was. 2) 2006, roided up, batshit insane Angle is one of my favorite years for any wrestler ever. It's terrifying in hindsight because he probably should've died and BTS touched on that a few weeks ago, but in-ring, Angle did so many great things that year. His No Way Out 2006 match with Undertaker is actually one of my favorite WWE matches ever. I think both guys are excellent in that. He spends time working with Rey and Orton and both Rey and Angle were just on other levels in 2006. They did some insanely great things on Smackdown that year. Kurt in ECW wasn't too much fun, though, and then when he went to TNA, he stopped that hyperfocused, MMA-inspired gimmick and that sucks. I really wish we would've seen more of Kurt working like that.

Japanese underdogs are my favorite thing in wrestling, but Kikuchi's grumpy NOAH run is so much fun. Something drastic happens and he suddenly gets sick of everyone kicking the shit out of him. He's so, so good at taking a beating, but in such a different way than his All Japan stuff. The 10/13/06 match with Akiyama is probably the best example of that. Night and day difference between Kikiuchi there and Kikuchi in the Can-Ams match, but Kikuchi is outstanding in both. There's a six-man from like the second ever NOAH show - Takayama/Kanemura/Akiyama vs. Kobashi/Rikio/Kikuchi and Kikuchi shines in that, also. He gets a brutal beating from Takayama and Akiyama and he tries to give it right back. It's a thing of beauty. His All Japan run isn't strong enough alone to get him on my list, but after rifling through some NOAH stuff lately, he'll be on there.

Goofy seller at times, yes, but I've come to really enjoy Hennig as I've watched more of him both as Mr. Perfect and in the AWA, which admittedly hasn't been a lot but enough to make me feel comfortable voting for him. He seemed to play his role really well. Even if he wasn't outstanding in certain matches, he did what he was set out to do and I really like that about him. Loved him in the 1991 Summerslam match with Bret. I thought he was much more engaging than Bret. He's someone that I enjoy much more than Bret, but I can see that in terms of "greatest", Bret was greater. Hennig will still be on my ballot, though.

Milano is right on the bubble for me. I wish he would've stuck around in Dragon Gate for a few more years because he left right when things turned the corner, from a match quality perspective, in the company. He left in February 2005 right before things got hot with Do FIXER and Blood Generation. I like his New Japan stuff and I finally saw his match with Hero from IWA-MS (in US History class, in case anyone that listened to WDKW was wondering), but I don't know if that's going to get him on my list. He was REALLY good in T2P. At times a little unpolished, but he was so different than anyone in the Dragon System and so ambitious for his age. I just ran across a clipped match of him and Ryo Saito in Toryumon Mexico from 2000 (the only bit of Toryumon Mexico I've been able to find) and for a 23 year old who has just breaking into the business, it's clear he had something to him. He might be the last guy I decide on. I'll have to go back and rewatch some 2003-2004 Toryumon to seek out some Milano stuff because he's someone that I feel should be represented by someone, but there's a few guys that as of now have the edge of Milano.

Edge is someone that I shouldn't like because he works that hybrid-WWE style and I typically don't enjoy that, but Edge is the best at it. I have a huge spot in my heart for his series with Kurt Angle in 2002. I love those matches and that's probably his peak - his non-gimmick match peak for sure. Add in some great gimmick matches against Cena, Foley, and his performances in a plethora of ladder matches and he's someone that is making my ballot. Bottom 20 guy, but someone that was very good-great for so long and I don't recall seeing any bad Edge performances. At worst, he's going to give you ***1/4 on a PPV. Not sure what it is about him because as I said, he works a style that typically doesn't draw me in, but I get really invested in Edge's better matches. Very exciting worker with a lot of great finishing stretches. I like the guy more than I should.

I've been a huge fan of Guido while going through ECW on TNN on the Network. Add in some fun Nunzio stuff, especially his TV match with Eddie, and he's a lock for the bottom 20 on my ballot. I think Dylan said it in the Dean Malenko thread, but Guido is someone that would've fit it perfectly in the WCW cruiserweight scene and I'm on the side that sees him as a better version of Malenko.

TJP is now jumping off the page to me. I really should've revisited his early PWG work and his NJPW run. He'd be a 90-100 guy, but I hate the idea of him not being nominated because he's been so great in a number of different companies. Super glad he's tearing it up with Gabe right now.

Post of the Year Contender

I've watched a lot of Bret lately. Too much, in fact. I think my thoughts on Bret echo Dylan's on Jumbo. He's been in some amazing matches and at times is very good, but I loathe watching Bret's stuff. He doesn't captivate me in the slightest. He's someone I'll rank because I appreciate what he does and I can see hints of greatness, but he'll be a low-80's guy for me. I can't rank him any higher. A big mark against him is the fact that I don't like his TV matches, and that's a big factor for me when ranking US workers. I see someone like Kid who may not have the peaks Bret has, but has a plethora of fun TV matches, and that I can appreciate more than Bret needing 20-25 minutes to do great things.

Wish I could find a spot for Shamrock, even if it was a total vanity pick, but I don't think it's going to happen. Besides Rey and maybe Benoit, he's my person favorite WWE/WWF worker ever. Something about him in that environment is just great to me. Love the Vader match and his stuff with The Rock, while it's very "WWE-ish", is very good. He looks amazing in this Bret match. Some wicked worked punches are thrown. Love it.

Mid-30's guy for me. Part of that is due to the fact that I really enjoy him in UWFi, but his early 2000's run is unreal to me. He has been the star of early NOAH in my eyes. The Misawa matches, the Ogawa stuff, a few awesome squashes vs. Hashi and Kikuchi. Huge fan of what he did in New Japan around the same time period, also. Super high peak with the Kobashi match and his stuff with KENTA. Short peak and longevity isn't on his side, but factoring in UWFi to his insane early 2000's run and he suddenly has a super strong case.

I subscribe to the Network, NJPWWorld, the Highspots gimmick, and the ROH Ringside Membership occasionally, depending on when they have sales. I love the Highspots deal, I just wish they had a better video player. I deal with a lot of buffering on their site, but there's so much content there that I have kept my subscription.

TAKA is ranking for me. It took awhile to convince me, but he'll be on my list. Incredible peak, he has longevity on his side, but he's a guy that I really appreciate when it comes to him doing the simpler things. He's a guy that I wish could've worked Saturday Night tapings because seven minute TAKA matches in front of a hot crowd sounds like a hoot. vs. Black Tiger Eddie: J Cup 1994 vs. Shinjiro Otani: 7/28/02 vs. Masato Tanaka: 8/4/02 w/ Mochizuki, Yokosuka vs. CIMA, Shingo Takagi, & Magnitude Kishiwada: 9/7/05 There's a good chance most people will hate that last match I recommended, but I love it and I think TAKA is outstanding in the match.

Hashi has earned his way onto my list. Different than Kikuchi circa All Japan, but equally as great as an underdog. Kikuchi was a lightweight, Hashi was a hard-headed, stronk sort of guy. The 7/18/05 tag from the Dome w/ Akiyama vs. Suzuki & Marufuji is arguably his best performance. He shines in the Dome and it's lovely. He has really fun chemistry against Marufuji. The Dome tag and the 2003 tag w/ Kanemura vs. KENTAFuji are two matches where those two steal the show. Hashi's work in FUTEN convinced me that he deserves to be on my list. I don't love FUTEN, but Hashi was very entertaining in the stuff I watched and it showed that he could be versatile. Probably a 90-100 guy, but someone that I feel the need to rank for his awesome run in NOAH and his short, but fun FUTEN run.

Man, Joe's performance in the 100th Show main event is unreal. I need to go back and watch that soon.

I'd be shocked if I wasn't the high vote on Joe. Top 40 guy for me. His peak stuff from 2003-2006 is insane. 2005 Joe is one of the best years for any wrestler ever. Great as a dominant heel and a prideful ace. Booking and lack of motivation killed him post-2006, but he would still show moments of greatness here and there. The 2008 Lockdown match with Angle, the 2008 Sting match, the 2012 Aries match, and the 2015 Elgin matches are probably the best example of post-prime Joe. His case, to me, is on peak. Very few guys with a higher peak.

I'm higher on modern indie guys more than most, but Joe is someone that will rank very highly for me and if you're ranking AJ, you need to give Joe a look before ballots are due. I'll put more in his thread.

I'll check with TNA expert Garret Kidney a little later on today to see if he has anything to add, but to me, this is his best TNA match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv064jrwSXE If anything his TNA run adds to his case because he was consistently good. Never great, sometimes bad, but often solid from his debut through 2013.

Parv reviewed that match and disliked it. I think it's a Match of the Century contender, also. It's one of the better matches I've ever seen. If for whatever reason anyone hasn't seen the Turning Point match, here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL3FHvJPpls

I'm voting for Sting. He'll be in my bottom 20, but he'll be on there. Going through a bunch of his Saturday Night matches on YouTube recently convinced me that he's a little too strong to leave off my list. I dig his selling and he's one of the better American babyfaces I've ever seen. Add on that to his peak stuff and he gets on my ballot.

I've been really impressed with CIMA's earliest stuff on tape in MPro and really early Toryumon. He was the clear standout in 1999-2000. Great bumper in that era. Seeing that stuff compared to current day, older CIMA that puts in an occasional super-performance like his match with Shingo last December, but for the most part sticks to tags and trios and always does something that manages to stick out. He still connects with the crowd to an amazing degree. Besides maybe Yoshino, he's still the top face in Dragon Gate and he has been since its inception. Top 30 guy for me.

100% am down to listen to an Exile on Zero-One. The Hashimoto/Corino/early era stuff fascinates me, it's just hard to find footage and information on the company from that time period.

There were tag teams that I would've nominated if I was submitting a tag ballot. MochiFujii, Kne-Suka, RyoSuka, and Twin Towers (Sato & Ishikawa) come to mind.

Rey is my #5, so I won't have Eddie ahead of him. That being said, Eddie is someone sneaking into the bottom half of my 20's right now and he'll finish in that 27-35 range. I loved going through a bunch of his random TV matches a few weeks ago and I just knocked out a bunch of his big PPV matches from his WWE run and he's totally blown me away.