spookysaku

Haven't seen that particular match, but I feel like Akiyama has been rescuing and elevating throwaway tag and multi-man matches for something ridiculous like 15 years. He has his enormous pool of great matches, and then even more great performances and rescue operations on top of that. The VOLUME is absurd. I feel that Akiyama might have the largest amount of under-the-radar matches and performances of any top-level Japanese candidate. He hasn't been in the spotlight since NOAH had any real buzz circa 2005-06. The MOTY talk and Meltzer ratings dried out a very long time ago, as did a lot of Akiyama's audience for a list like this. Akiyama has yet to experience any serious decline, and has spent a decade STILL being very good to excellent with the lights turned off, carrying a lot of less talented wrestlers in a business downturn. Maybe Otani is a similar case, but I don't quite have the complete picture with him. I also think Akiyama's matches from the early 2000s, the closest thing to his peak I suppose, have aged really well, whilst a lot of NOAH from this period is on the very opposite end of the spectrum. I feel a retrospective look at his 'best years' (aka time spent in a hot promotion) reveals yet another layer of under-the-radar goodness in addition to an entire decade of good work gone unseen AND the gigantic list of well-known matches and performances. I'm sensing that a serious comparison of Misawa vs. Akiyama as a peak vs. longevity thing (Misawa's sublime peak, 80s afterthought, trailing off into excess vs. top-level for a quarter of a century without a world-beating run) would be considered heresy, but probably shouldn't be...

I've been doing something like this on an excel sheet (GWE sorted by average vote, with 3 ballots or more) because I have a serious problem with procrastination but ALSO with the hope that it would point out some of the more esoteric picks that I've never watched or given a fair go. You certainly notice a joshi, lucha, shoot-style and DG trend. Currently Azumi Hyuga is #1, followed by Susumu Yokosuka and Chigusa Nagayo. It's a fun list, and I think this is how I will use the GWE as a reference. The others whose high averages stand out are those I would suggest are not even on the radar amongst a lot of regular contributors here: Triple H, Okada, KENTA, Sekimoto etc. Luger and Kikuchi appeared on more ballots, and are more talked about here, but I'm betting their low average is made up of a higher proportion of regular contributors taking the thing more seriously, posting in nomination threads, and generally trying to fit in a ton of names, drawing from a wider pool of contenders. The fact Okada is on 32 ballots but generated next to no discussion or debate about his qualities suggests he is nudging shoulders with a different set of guys than Kikuchi on most ballots. Also, I'm certain the averages for Big Show and Gran Hamada on the original list are mistakes.

Hoping this is all leading to a thread dedicated entirely to Kabuki's uppercut.

I have the same problem. Its worth your while to get JDownloader or a similar program, as it works for pretty much everything but youtube (at the moment). For youtube videos that I think aren't going to last I use keepvid or clipconverter. I have similar issues with rutube, and its the same remedy.

Surely a staredown of the year contender, and a good match that ends at the perfect time. What thew me off was the extended outside beatdown, which had its moments, only for it to feel meaningless about a minute after they got back in the ring. Didn't really feel it hit MOTY level as some people elsewhere are suggesting.

Fair warning this is a shit post, but reading this it occurred to me that I could easily see myself agreeing with the wrestling equivalent of a comment like this, but as a comment about music or film or what have you, seems unfair and dismissive. It feels like a lot of people here and elsewhere (including myself) experience wrestling in a way that is a lot more tied to consensus relative to other art forms. I care way more about music than I do about wrestling, and an equivalent 'Greatest Musicians Ever' based heavily on technical proficiency not only sounds horrific but also doesn't come close to touching on why music is great, or how we relate to it. Why I'm on board with that type of thing in wrestling terms doesn't make any sense to me, and I wonder if the fundamental difference is the form itself or the culture of criticism around it.

Liked this match, but felt they failed to live up to their previous encounter in every way. Multiple awkward botches and one of the most confusing finishing stretches ever. To be clear I watched this a week ago and only got an account here today, but the finish is what stuck with me the most, and it was a complete mess. I'm still confused. What were they even trying to do? You'd never get away with that now.