Eegah

Minis definitely got short changed in the process.

Matt sporting one of the best wrestling interviews ever. Respect.

Flair will be number one but I had Funk on top with Ric at number two.

Bryan had a very good run indeed, Im sure his retirement helped cement his case as a bookend of a terrific career. Now its Misawa, Hansen, Funk, and Flair. Interested to see how it shakes out.

My fandom of getting into Japanese wrestling is inherently tied to Misawa. Ive gone back and forth over the years on what I thought of him as a fan. The great matches are undeniable. Revisionist history be damned but there is no doubt the sheer output of great matches and performances Misawa has put out. When I first got onto the internet one of my first searches was for wrestling. I ended up getting varying comps of Best Matches of Insert Year here and I watched. And watched. And watched. I gravitated towards Kawada, I enjoyed then and still enjoy now rooting for the underdog over the perennial. This started the love of mine towards Kawada that still holds true to this day. I tried to have an inherent fairness in my ballot but still favortism lead me to putting Kawada as my top Japanese worker ever. Im fine with that because I still would rather watch Kawada work than any native Japanese worker. Misawa was the definiton of an ace, Id get frustrated with him always winning which shows the greatness of pro wrestling that I could still feel those feeling despite how aware and even jaded Id become at points. In the end, I have no problem with Misawa as the top end Japanese ace. The head drops and self conscious epic arguments have some validity but in the end I do view him as the ultimate pro wrestling ace. What he brought to the table as a worker fit completely for his era. I doubt we will get another like him in the modern age. Yes, the excessiveness definitely played a huge amount to his death. The man obviously loved pro wrestling and risked it all. My respect for him has grown ten fold over the years. Guilt of my fandom definitely led me to not want to watch his matches for a long period of time. Ive watched him again recently and the magneticm and work still stands out. Unfortunately he knew what he was doing and still did it, even when he was tired and obviously looking for a successor he still did it. Thats why i have no problem being the top Japanese wrestler on this list. Was it worth it? No, of course not. Life isnt worth a pro wrestling match or career but he did it and always embodied being the measuring stick.

Definitely cant complain about Kawada in top 10, I had him as my top Japanese wrestler in at number 5.

We are now in rarified air.

Tonights show was alright, nothing to of note. Ill be glad when we get out of the Axxess tapings, crowd is horrible. Thought the highlight of the show was The Revival.

Brennan was really good, must be something more to this.

Its Vader time! Tying for most ballots appeared on is impressive, like his career in varying promotions shows that Vader can be enjoyed by any and everyone.

I love his work in Memphis with Lawler that I've seen too. "Exceptional" as you said. Him and Lawler together was something to behold. Between the promos and the storytelling through the buildup and matches. Great, great stuff.

Id be shocked if Eddie didnt have a number one vote but who knows. Im going Vader.

I can definitely say Bockwinkel raised higher than any other wrestler for me in the past 5 years with all the footage coming out of the AWA set. Before Id only seen a smattering, after it and delving into more of his work Bock came out as an elite all timer for me. He ended up at number 6 on my list but I definitely think hed have a case for 1 if we had some more footage to work through. An exceptional pro wrestler.

Steamboat down. Who will it be?

The more I watched the more I enjoyed Taue for sure. In the 90s first seeing it I was drawn instantly to Kawada and Kobashi, theyd flip flop as my two favorites of the four. I always respected Misawa and could see the greatness but found myself always rooting for Kawada's side. For Kobashi he endeared me with how well he got his ass kicked. Over the years the rankings of who I thought was best and also how they stacked in my personal favorite rankings changed. If I added Akiyama itd be even more fluid but I do feel more comfortable because of the narrative and how attached at the hip they all were for a long stretch to compare them as a foursome. Current day Taue is my second favorite and I had him ranked fourth of the four. I had him ranked 25 on my list. So of the elite of the elite, he is in the rare air for me. Give him a chance and watch some more, Im sure you will find ways to appreciate and value him more.

Thrilled Arn made it as high as he did. I was waiting for him to drop. My favorite guy ever and he did the same here as he did during each and every match of his career. Made the best of it.

Average vote of 19 for Casas. That is a strong representation for all who voted for him. I had him in the top 15, as I watch more of his stuff Im sure he will be in the tip top. Incredible worker, its a shame he didnt get into the top 20 but a strong showing nonetheless.

130 ballots and around 40 average vote for Mr. Windham. Great performer, he was definitely a 'five tool' guy who could do it all. The float over superplex is still one of the coolest moves ever.

I had Taue at 25 so yay there. Akiyama is a guy I love but havent seen a lot of his ladder 2000s work. Even based on all the 90s stuff and early 2000s I had him 34. I think he has one of the biggest chances to rocket up my list outside of guys in styles that Im still discovering.

I enjoyed the Ballard Brothers schtick in early PWG. I havent seen anything of them in years though. Cool that they are trainers.

Its a joy to me that Eaton finished so highly. I had him in my top 20. I dont think there is anything in the ring that Eaton couldnt do good to great. He could work face or heel, obviously the tag stuff is tremendous as he could team with anyone and youd have a good team. Singles wise I enjoy the hell out of him, he worked so much on the b and c shows that I saw him a ton and its still stuff I revisit. Great fire and timing, knows how to work a crowd and whether its 2 minutes or 20 he will give you your moneys worth. Hes also got an all time head of salad on top, perfection in a bleach blonde mullet.

The three styles I left off my list were solely on not seeing enough in World of Sport, Shoot Style, and Joshi. Im going to deep dive on the first two, Joshi will probably be a distant third although I will try and watch more. Im looking forward to loving new wrestlers overall. This list isnt an end, just a beginning. One that I am excited about.

Ive really enjoyed this rundowns. You are both very passionate about your rankings which I can always appreciate. Side note, Matt sounds exactly like Chuck Klosterman which is great on many levels.

Powered through all three shows because any Will featured content usually goes to the top of my list. Loved hearing the different opinions, Elliott and Brian did great on their episode, the Hales brothers offered some other cool insight, and the Playaz were great to hear altogether. DEAN's list is kingly.

Still listening but the Savage talk did get me thinking about something I thought at the time. Is Randy Savage the most beloved wrestler amongst the populace? Non wrestling fans seemed to love the character, casual fans who were gone remembered him fondly. Even today amongst the "smart" crowd he is not a guy that gets talked ill of very often and seems to check all the points amongst casuals to the hardcores.