Boss Rock

Top 40 and I still have 37 wrestlers on the board.

I think I'm on to something.

I had Toyota at 50 and I have no reservations about that. While joshi as a whole did poorly in the 2016 vote, Toyota finishing at only 85 felt like a bit of an overcorrection for her being heralded for years as the greatest women’s wrestler ever when she had genuine flaws. She could go overboard with her pacing and didn’t always sell as much as she could have (doing neck bridge pin breaks is a little much when Aja Kong of all people is beating you up). But I think a lot of the criticism came down to her being a Meltzer darling when in reality, she was hardly the only one working that type of style. She was not perfect and I’m not even sure she’s a top 5 joshi wrestler, but she was still damn great. Terrific offense, terrific tag wrestler, terrific big match singles worker. What she did, she was very good at.

Inoki beats not just Fujiwara, but now Fujinami. I had Fujinami at 30. Likely the greatest technical wrestler ever. Not just an excellent submission and mat-based wrestler, but I really enjoy his more "action-oriented" work in the 90's. Just wrestled a match 3 days ago.

Really impressive jump for Piper considering how most of the 80's territories folks fared. That being said, Piper is still a super recognizable name and memorable character.

Cena is the one wrestler I find to be in a constant state of being both overrated and underrated.

Clearly the 2018 Inokiists have returned.

I voted Fujiwara at 77. Terrific technical worker and grizzled ass-kicker. There was a NJPW trios match he worked in 2022 and he was still tons of fun to watch. Just such a commanding presence. Maybe if I had watched a bit more I would've had him even higher. Meiko was one of the final additions to my ballot at 96. Great longevity worker but not without some impressive peaks, the 2015 match with Io easily being the best Stardom match I've ever seen (also the match that made me say "oh my God!" more than any other). And while she was shunted off to NXT during her WWE run, it was still quite fun. The Roxanne Perez match in particular is a standout.

Swerve-Bandido also ruled.

I also remember liking his Bloodsport matches but it's been a few years.

Mox missed the cut for me mainly due to his WWE singles run, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe I was too harsh. The Shield tags rule and he's been excellent 2019-onward with only a few hiccups during the Death Riders run.

I think Cena has had a lot more goodwill over the years.

Onita was my 71 and honestly, it's awesome to see him make the top 50. The king of the deathmatch as he understood the importance of tension and release. Very rough around the edges but just so physically charismatic. A great brawler overall and the Texas Deathmatch with Tarzan Goto against Masanobu Kurisu and Dragon Master is one of the best ever. Him smoking on the stage while being pelted with trash is still the greatest entrance in wrestling history. Did not vote for Sting. I like his early 90's WCW well enough and he had a hell of a final chapter and retirement, which is what I imagine garnered him so much support this time around. I just didn't think there was enough to warrant a spot on my ballot. Not mad about his placing though.

Correction: 31 out of 50, and 42 total. Also 23 out of 25.

Overall I still have 43.

I remember first following the 2016 rollout and how much disappointment there was that only 1 woman made the top 50. It's nice that there's 6 this time around, with Hokuto and Kong being potential top 20 contenders.

32 of my top 50 are still alive, 19 of my top 20, and all of my top 10. Co-sign that this is a pretty cool top 50. Certainly don't agree with everything, but I like that it's a diverse mix of styles as well as modern and classic. Park and Onita are especially cool to see this high.

I had El Satanico at 23. Lucha is not my favorite style, but I love Satanico. The way he brawls and beats people up, it feels like he genuinely hates them. It's so visceral. The 1990 Dandy hair match is not only my favorite lucha match, but one of my favorite matches ever. A shame he fell a bit this time, but just outside the top 50 (especially considering how lucha as a whole has faired) ain't bad at all.

I had Shibata at 44. The counter-arguments against Shibata seem to be inconsistency and having too short of a peak. I can understand this to an extent as his 2017 injury very nearly ended his career when it seemed like he might someday reach the summit in NJPW. But his peak from 2013 to 2017 is still one of the best I’ve witnessed. The fateful Okada match in particular remains one of the 10 best matches I’ve ever seen and is one of the single greatest performances of any wrestler I’ve come across. Not to mention before that, he thrived as the young punk /wannabe tough guy looking to make a name for himself. And I honestly think his 2010’s output was very consistent, but I am also not bothered by the strike exchange/no sell fighting spirit style that his critics tend to hate. His AEW run hasn’t seen him in a super prominent role, but I think he’s done well with what he’s been given.

I don't recall if age was a field on the ballot, but decade one started watching wrestling was. @Grimmas can confirm but I believe the majority was fans who started watching in the 2000's (myself included).

Angle and Tamura being separated by just one spot probably rankles a few folks. Personally did not vote for either. Kurt could be very good but he could also be incredibly over-indulgent. For every good match with Nagata or Austin, there was a ridiculous finisher fest with Jeff Hardy. Good offense and intensity but rather poor instincts. As for Tamura, the RINGS style just isn't my cup of tea. That being said, the match with Yamamoto is incredible.

Funk and Danielson have been pegged as the top 2 for a bit.

I had Devil at 63. Excellent offensive wrestler and yes, one of the best face-pullers in wrestling. I also dug her Undertaker-inspired zombie act. As for Dump, I did not vote for her as I feel too many of her matches rely on interference and ref spots (my biggest pet peeves in wrestling). BUT I don't think I've ever seen anyone create such a genuine sense of chaos and an "anything can happen" energy in a match. She straight up stabbed people in the arm with scissors! Maybe I made a mistake.

Ha, didn't even consider that.

I had Sami at 88. I don't think it's a hot take to say he's one of the best babyfaces of the 21st century. There's actually a decent amount of Generico stuff I haven't seen, but whether it was DDT, PWG, teaming with or fighting against Owens, he was great. And while his WWE run might be somewhat of a mixed bag due to booking, he's still capable of delivering awesome, gutsy performances.