HeadCheese

Passed 800+ matches watched for GWE/GME research this year. It's been so cool to discover and watch things for the first time. My list doesn't feel close to final yet but, there are some great wrestlers that I didn't know of/know much kc last year who will make my list with new all time favorite matches. Not sure if I have shared this here but, here's my spreadsheet of matches watched with links to most of them and my list progression. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zjmhE5bpN9Iiog8_4Z1BC1jEfWDYGyeywmOSg8vGISY/edit?usp=drivesdk

Someone I might consider putting in the 90s of my list. He has a good of range (able to do be genuinely scary, make others look great, be funny, be very memeable, and more). He has some great matches and had really fun matches against more limited wrestlers (Braun Strowman, Kane (specifically the December 1999 match and Mania X-7 match with Raven), and Shane McMahon). I think his booking mixed with the big matches on tv every week/ppvs every month of US national wrestling hurt his specialnes and aura some but, it would probably hurt any giants/monster gimmicks specialnes and aura. His longevity as modern tv wrestler compared to other giants is remarkable. I also think he has an all time theme song history (every version of The Big Show theme rules and the AEW theme is fun).

Making my list could see him making the top half of my list. Has been consistently good from I proabably got info watching more of him in 2014 (hoping to watch more of his work). My pick for wrestler of the year in 2025. I think Zack Sabre Jr is interesting wrestler because my favorite work of his is when he is wrestling in less really fun mid card matches (Kyle O'Riley at BOLA, him and TMDK vs. Roderick Strong, Luke Gallows, and Bobby Fish in NOAH, the All In 2024 Casino Gauntlet) and out of his comfort zone (his GCW matches with Nick Gage and Mance Warner). His is in one of my all time favorite matches with him vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door 2023. I think sometimes he can try to be a bit over ambitious, try to force an epic. I think sometimes his work/aura doesn't come across in bigger arenas. He's a really great small room wrestler. Something I think that is really cool about ZSJ is how adventurous he is there feels like he has a sense of joy exploring pro wrestling all over (his Jake De Leon singles and tag matches in the Philippines) in the world and settings (doing no ring shows like Baka Gaijin + Friends). I think Zack Sabre Jr is great at being a great foil for wrestlers to break out against (Will Ospreay at EVOLVE and A-Kid/Axiom at White Wolf Wrestling).

Will try to watch, thank you for sharing

May you tell me about the other four, Sabre and Ospreay are proabably making my list but, I can see your frustration (I don't really know European wrestling that well). I am open to hearing cases for the Mason and Allmark. Also if you would like you can nominate Jordan Breaks and Nino Bryant.

Someone I have overlooked is Fit Finlay, I watched about a handful of Finaly matches yesterday. I remember liking him as a kid with SmackDown. Interested in checking out his World of Sport and going more into his WCW work. He feels like Greg Valentine where he feels rugged but, also can cowardly character stuff. The PWG match with Kevin Steen and CWA match with Eddie Gilbert are both really good.

Listened to the Alan4L and Case podcast talking about Nakajima and he is someone I havent considered for this I think but, he has some grrat stuff. He is someone I might look closer into. I am looking into KENTA, Go Shiozaki, and some of his contemporaries career so he might make it and it might make inspire me. He is a wrestler who I consider very good and have multiple great matches in NOAH (2014-2022). Is one of my all time favorite matches BURNING vs. Kensuke Office from SEM/Kensuke Office SEMex. In Korakuen Hall ~Take The Dream Vol. 6~. Two of my friends. Rachel and Alicia from Kick Out 2.99 really connected to him from a character/story arc standpoint.

With non-modern footage I think some French Catch wrestlers might benefit. Indie luchadors will benefit especially so many of the matches being fancammed abd uploaded or going on Mas Lucha in full. Joshi is going to benefit from the amount GAEA archives being uploaded with the ability to watch things in context. https://youtube.com/@gaeaism4574?si=6Ky7zqyeyRMrpvVZ I think Místico could be someone that does well given how well his second CMLL ace is going. I agree with WALTER and Will Ospreay going up too. Moxley's has a better case too. Swerve Strickland is an interesting case of someone maybe to have the back of my my mind. He has the Dante Fox Hell of War match, very good AEW run, and top runs in DEFY since than. Mike Bailey who will make my list might be someone who has his case for me aswell. I think theres also wrestlers who will make my list who didn't debut till after 2016 (Daniel Garcia and Mei Suruga). I can maybe see some making a case for Tam Nakano and Mad Dog Connelly too.

Little Guido/Nunzio is great, not sure if he'll make the lower 15 on my list but, he's so good at finding doing little things to make his opponent look more powerful. 2/12/99 Chris Chetti vs. Little Guido 2/10/01 Little Guido vs. Low Ki 9/12/08 Claudio Castagnoli vs. Little Guido Really liked the James Stone vs. Yoshihiro Takayama match, his UWFI stuff has been so interesting with him coming off as heelish there some

I think the AEW run has been good and has some great stuff as character. I think she can sometimes can be a bit too dependent on her opponents adding something new to her formula that working to her opponents sometimes on a watching week to we level. Her Athena match is one of my favorite matches of the year anywhere. I think it's really cool to her travel too. In terms of all time womans wrestlers, I think Mickie Knuckles might be the greatest United States woman's wrestler ever currently. On my list I have her 80-100 (with proabably Dump Matsumoto, Mei Suruga, and Chihiro Hashimoto). I think she has a slight disadvantage compared to other joshi because so much of her career as been in tight television/ppv wrestling. I think her best comp might actually might be Sting (who will also proabably rank around that range). I think both rule, are great at the character/emotional connection stuff but, on a closer look from a week to week perspective can be inconsistent.

I think all three have a very similar case (strong main eventer for over 10 years and great tag team wrestlers), all three top guys, andh had feeling the company back them up to being a top star representing that companies house style (for good and bad). They also feel like they can inconsistent and sometimes feel like they have repetition (which can be good and bad) in their matches. All three are making my 100. Bonus points if you have a ranking of them.

Hoping to watch more Killer Kowalski, I think he might have a kind of struggles from a lack of footage but, Really interesting match with from 1991

My current top 10 Bryan Danielson Chigusa Nagayo Dr. Wagner Jr HARASHIMA Jumbo Tsuruta Kenta Kobashi LA Park Mayumi Ozaki Minoru Suzuki Ricky Steamboat Wrestlers I could see making my top 10 Aja Kong Akira Taue Ricky Morton Yuji Nagata

Might try to watch more Hotta, I like her vs. Aja Kong

Jimmy Valient is a fun wrestler from what I have seen but, is not someone I am proabably not considering. For context I have only seen very limited amounts of his work and that is with him as the Boogie Woogie Man stuff. With wrestlers like Jimmy Valient and Big Daddy, there's light and simple fun wrestling factor (what I call county fair style wrestling). I think if I were to watch him real time everyweek or had to pay to watch his matches I would have less patience for his act but, I think it's fun and comforting. Here's a match with vs. George South in 2002 that I think is super fun. Him and Ricky Morton have a match with George South and Stan Lane (not sure if Fantastics, Stan Lane or some other Stan Lane) in the rain. I think says good about all four that despite their older age and this could easily feel sad, they kept the crowd and me engaged during this match. Also I stand by Jimmy Valient and Someone vs. Young Bucks would be a super fun match.