Shrike02

There is a great homage by Hickman in modern FF towards the great relationship between Johnny Storm and Spidey when he makes a special appearance as the guest of honour at Franklin Richards' birthday party. I think it's FF #574. I read it last year. Really good story. Spider-Man: Blue is a great mini-series by Jeph Loeb which I re-read recently.

I agree. A highlight for me in the Ditko run is ASM 25, which features the first appearance of Mary Jane Watson in a particularly clever way. I had a smile on my face the whole time (along with a great deal of sympathy for poor Betty Brant). Lee and Ditko use the fundamental tropes of situational comedy so well here. Misunderstandings, coincidences that aren't forced, narrative pacing and structure that keep the reader's attention and never letting it go ... brilliant stuff.

Similar to Kelly I have been reading lots but have not felt the urge to post in this thread with reviews too much. I will say overall I liked Thor a bit more than than his last batch of reviews, although I broadly agree with much of it. I just found the run very fun overall even with its obvious flaws. Currently I am re-reading ASM from the beginning for the first time in ages and I'm not exaggerating, I think ASM is easily Marvel's best title of the 1960s and it's not close. Similarly I am about to re-read Doom Patrol and the 1970s Conan stuff. Then I am going to tackle Tomb of Dracula.

I guess I should say why, like another poster above, why I think this match is a top 5 match for the decade in WWF. First, this match is a great progression of a very heated feud, leading up to the famous WrestleMania climax. It has all the classic tropes of a babyface chasing the title who is equally desperate to get his revenge on the heel for the heinous injury angle that made this a blood feud on top of a title chase. Secondly, in this encounter, Steamboat alters his tactics and shows more fire and determination to get his revenge by ratcheting up the violence and trying to give Savage his comeuppance. It makes for a compelling spectacle. Thirdly, this match is structured so well with escalating violence, awesome selling by Savage, and the amazing spot where Steamboat is vulnerable draped on the barricade outside the ring and Savage tries for a devastating axe handle jump from the top turnbuckle, aimed yet again for Ricky's throat. Steamboat desperately evades! This transitions to a tremendous finishing stretch where some big moves are exchanged, Savage is busted open, the near falls are convincing and you get the heel win at the end as Savage snatches the win at the end by nefarious means. This is everything I want from pro wrestling, in 18 minutes of action that never loses momentum or overstays its welcome.

This is long overdue but I'll put my hand up as another hipster who loves this even more than the famous WM III match.

How could you omit the best MLG match ... at least Marty didn't forget!

Those career highlights listed above in the twilight of his career are really fun. I particularly enjoyed the Hussein Arab TV match. A hidden gem if there ever was one. RIP.

I wait with dreadful anticipation.

... which is the only reason I forgive you for omitting Valentine-Strongbow from '79 from your list.

Glad to see others here voicing their appreciation what has always been one of my very favourite series. Easily in my top three all-time with Sandman & ASM and depending on the day I will say it's the best - and certainly the most consistently excellent - series I have ever read.

A clash of the titans for me; but I find myself nodding along with the previous post. I also happen to think Valentine has a handful of epic matches on his resume that Regal simply doesn't, which helps the former's peak argument vs. Regal's longer and more consistent output on tape. One can only imagine what we'd find if more Carolina footage from the late 70s would do for Valentine's overall case ...

I was a bit dubious at how this subforum would add value to the project but I've come around to the idea that these comparisons can be a valuable exercise. And I'm saying this as a person who thinks Jumbo is a strong #1 candidate and views Hash as really good but am unsure where to place. I need to reexamine my assumptions about the latter and perhaps this thread will help me do that.

Can you provide a link to that podcast - assuming it's been archived on the PWO feed on Soundcloud or something?

How many female wrestlers do you have on your working list ahead of Funk, out of curiosity?

Christian was good at psychology. Discuss. If you want to discuss wrestling announcers, create a thread elsewhere.

I don't listen to many comics podcasts at all but I gave this a try. Pretty fun listen; I try to stop myself from noticing a few errors of fact. I will continue to enjoy their banter I'm sure.

You stole my thunder, Kelly. Thanks, try the veal, it's delicious. But yes, I have much the same thoughts as you do on this run of issues. I'm about to read the Asgard-Trolls War issues and then I'll have caught up.

As mentioned above there's a really good AWA match vs. Martel which is well worth checking out. Saito had a really long career and I think his talent merits a place in the top 100 but lack of footage may be an issue, as well as his lack of big runs as a main event worker. He's always consistently good in the ring, though.

At least you recognize it's sacrilege. I know some people don't find Jumbo interesting, which I can (barely comprehend), but I don't follow the chain of logic from "I don't find Jumbo interesting" to "he won't make my top 100 list."

You shouldn't be, it's way too low (he says half-jokingly).

Some may quibble about the peak but I doubt many would argue about the longevity. He has a real shot to be top 30 on my list, and might crack the top 15. And yes, he has to be one of the best rookie wrestlers ever.

I'm reading Thor from the very beginning and it's been a slog even when Lee and Kirby take over. It should improve once Simonson takes over. From the get-go The Defenders is silly fun, though I may be biased because it features three of my all-time favourite Marvel characters in Namor, Silver Surfer and Doctor Strange. I'm also going back to my introduction to comics as a child with Amazing Spider-Man - from the very beginning - and it's reminded me that it really is my all-time favourite comic series.

Always been a huge fan of Kroffat but haven't explored his Puerto Rico footage. I'll make that a priority. Kroffat's drop kick and snap suplex I'd take against almost anyone. Fantastic tag worker. I could see him making my list in the 75-100 range if I find more evidence of his longevity as a worker whose timing and athletic tools have always impressed me.

My prediction is largely based on what I think will be two huge factors in the voting in 2026: recency bias and a conscious agenda by some voters to include workers they feel have been underrepresented in the past - namely women and luchadores. Add more time to judge workers from the post-2000 time period, and I think a lot of well-known incumbents will slide down or completely off the top 100. I myself do plan to really watch more Mid-South and Crockett because I didn't grow up watching those territories and have only cherry-picked some of the most highly-regarded matches to see over the past few years. I've never really done a systematic examination of either territory.

Thanks for this. I will go read the whole thread. I guess we'll see down the road whether my prediction holds true.