Microstatistics

Backlund's excellent selling really got this across as the war of attrition it was. I think him being on the defensive for large portions of the match added a unique wrinkle that makes this match stand out. With respect to Slaughter, not many wrestlers could deliver a performance where they were simultaneously a cartoonish heel stooger AND a vicious mauler who could plausibly end Backlund's near 3-year world title reign with a ref stoppage. An early babyface shine and some focused armwork led to a Sarge counter-assault on the face and back and a grinding section where Backlund tried to recover from underneath. Not to mention, the king of the mountain segment, the champion bleeding profusely, and the final ferocious comeback, all of which makes for the best WWE match until the Wrestlemania X opener.

Invasion Attack 13 is the best, but this is easily the second best in the series. These two did a particularly great job wrestling to their characters and career junctures: Tanahashi's performance was dripping with urgency as he played the aging champion desperately trying to cling on while Okada conducted himself like the guy who knew he was destined for the top spot. The resulting complacency was the latter's undoing as he failed to keep a level head and consolidate the stranglehold he had early in the match. Haphazardly missing the railing crossbody and getting caught with the big high fly flow was the key turning point as Okada never really recovered from there even when Tanahashi slipped up during the terminal stages. The overall work wasn't mind-blowing but remained, as mentioned, fundamentally solid, logically deliberate, and even rather minimalist, fitting Tanahashi's wrestling ethos I suppose. I really liked the melodrama of the post-match as well with a triumphant Tanahashi having bought himself another day and an inconsolable Okada, aware that he had (temporarily) blown what was supposed to be his coronation.

The first two-thirds were impressively reserved and strategic with Taker working the arm and deliberately establishing control while Angle relentlessly attacked the leg. The struggle was on point as it built organically to an action-packed and counter-heavy final third. All those reversals to the ankle lock were largely logical and earned and really got Angle across as an absolute beast on par with the mythical phenom. Some blatant no-selling and Angle Slam spamming near the end threatened to derail this but a truly excellent finish salvaged proceedings. As things stand, this looks like the best WWE match of 2006.

The opening jockeying for position and babyface shine sections were solid, and Cody's missed dive onto the ramp was nasty and effectively altered the complexion of the match, setting up two injury points that were persisted with right to the end. I saw some criticism of Jericho's lack of mobility, but he delivered a really great old-school heel performance: All his cut-offs attacking the ribs were chef's kiss-worthy and his control segments were impeccably paced. Cody was the super-over, fired-up babyface. The quality of action dipped noticeably during Cody's elongated comeback, making this a borderline MOTYC, but they managed to sustain the drama that peaked at the finish.

You'd expect a match featuring Ricky Steamboat vs. Jack Brisco to rule but their interactions were actually rather minimal. In fact, both wrestlers weren't really that involved as Youngblood and Jerry took center stage and yet the match is one of the best of its kind from this era. The all-time great crowd was all in on the babyfaces as they bullied around Jerry during the opening shine before Jay injured his ribs/back in transition. The Briscos mauled Youngblood from pillar to post in a wicked FIP segment before Steamboat punished Jerry's knee in revenge as the match escalated into chaos approaching the finish. I thought the final stretch was too truncated as they easily could have extended the action a few more minutes but, overall, there was virtually no wasted moment, the finish was a neat heel switcheroo, and the post-match kept the crowd happy.

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Brock Lesnar Will Ospreay vs. Nick Bockwinkel El Satanico vs. AJ Styles Kenta Kobashi vs. Bret Hart Shawn Michaels vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

I don't even disagree with that point, in all honesty. In fact, that was the reasoning for why Santo was outside my Top 10 and Casas in it back in 2016. Santo is probably not the guy if one emphasizes the mininutiae of the work (though that's probably also a reductive take) and someone like Casas was more about little flourishes and deviations from the norm. But, when it comes to matches as a holistic package (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and all that), that's where Santo far outshines Casas (who is also great) for me. I know cad hates hyperbolic praise around Satanico and understandably so, but I wonder if he was the only luchador to couple both criteria at the highest level.

Honestly, Santo was even more guilty of this. Watching the guy work high-end brawls, technical bouts, and bombfests over 25+ years left almost everyone else in the dust. Also, for what it's worth, I did come to the aforementioned conclusion with a heavy heart. I wanted to always like lucha more than I objectively do (and I like it a lot since I ranked Santo #3, Satanico #6, Hechicero #29, Casas #40, Pirata Morgan #61, El Dandy #75, Rush #81, Mocho Cota #89), but can no longer deny the gulf in output. Still, the heritage is undeniable and it's disappointing when people dismiss Lucha out of hand.

I agree with the "journey, not destination" sentiment for this project. I'm satisfied with my list I submitted (especially the top end), but the process of getting there was the real reward. It helped me refine my tastes, re-define priorities, and, importantly, optimize my GME collection which is what I really value.

Honestly, the sheer length of her tenure didn't really strike me until recently, but it's up there with the ultimate longevity candidates now. Hell, she had a quality match as recently as last week. Still think Hokuto is better because of the peak, but I get why Aja was the highest ranked woman.

She didn't do too badly (#424) but is someone Joshi fans should seek out if they haven't seen much of her. The late 90s to late 00s ace run is really quite substantial.

Joshi of all eras did great this time but one wrestler that fell by the wayside was Giulia. I hope the booking hell doesn't make people forget about her prime and general ability.

Hope Miu Watanabe is one who is examined more closely by the next round.

Lucha took a real hiding this time but it's not too surprising because the stylistic disconnect from the Japanese/American styles is just too much for the majority of people. Hell, I'm not one to talk since, aside the tippy top guys and a few around the upper-middle regions of the list (Hechicero, Casas, Pirata), my list featured far fewer luchadores than it did in the past. I mean Santo & Satanico are unreal and there is high-end lucha I really cherish, but I think I am now aligned with the general consensus that Mexico is a distant #3, relative to Japan and USA, when it comes to professional wrestling.

The pre-1980s voting block is by far the most intriguing one. Hogan, Andre, Inoki and especially Bruno and Dusty being high makes sense but Shawn, Muto, Omega, Bull being featured is cool as hell.