HeadCheese

He's making my list, I wasn't really confident in having a take on his career, he is someone who I have known is good but, never really went into alot of career matches. I have 30 matches of his and I'm not sure where to place him yet. I think I'm at the really like stage with him but, he also feels like a wrestler I could place from 4-80 and it would make sense. Hoping to watch more. I feel like Stan Hansen is great at the chaotic, spontaneous destructive lucha brawl style and is able to convey that in large arenas (which is difficult especially with big production). He's also great at being the overdog wounded and in the WWWF the backing off heel even to wrestlers smaller than him. His selling and bumping is great! I think he does loose aura/match momentum when going into more grappling based longer and tag team matches sometimes. It might be just me not choosing tag matches that don't click with me yet. Even in matches I don't like of his, he feels like he does something or takes something in a way that pops out at me. I think something else remarkable about Stan Hansen is how natural he feels too.

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.

Someone I'm considering for my list with other limited footage candidates (Rene Ben Chemoul and Aquiles o Matador). Herman Rohde (Buddy Rogers) vs. Ash Mahoney in a good+, clipped match from the 1940s.

Dr. Wagner Jr feels like a number 1 for me right now. Here's something I wrote when one of my buddies why. I think he's really cool and consistently enjoyable to great perfomances everytime I watched him. He's in 4 top 100 matches ever for me vs. LA Park in TxT (my number 5 best match ever and pick for best lucha match ever) vs. Blue Demon Jr (#9 in my GME) https://vk.com/wall-4499945_14911 w/ Blue Panther, & Principe Joe vs. El Hijo Del Santo, Felino & Super Astro (didn't watch it before making a GME list but, would rank preety well) vs. LA Par-K - AAA (ranked 86 in my GME) Based on what I've seen even in matches that I think are not good, I find something in perfomance that I enjoy (him vs. The Jason in BJW, Jushin Thunder Liger at Fighting Spirit, his tag match in STARDOM). He also the type of wrestler I would want to see against anybody just see how it would go (the Yoshihiko rule). I think he has great longevity, has a very good match in May 1992 El Hijo del Santo, Gran Hamada & Solar vs. Babe Face, Dr. Wagner Jr. & Negro Casas And very good (maybe borderline great match) July 2025 Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Villano V Jr. in IWRG I also think he's really cool and has great aura (his matches feel big and important even via facam). Bad Medicine is such a great theme song and his entrance is so cool. I don't understand Spanish much but, the angles I have seen be apart of angles are cool and amazing distinct promo voice. He does great character work as rudo or tenichio. I also lean towards lucha brawling with with of showmanship is one of my preferred types of wrestling. He feels like a very me wrestler. Jumbo Tsuruta, Bryan Danielson, and Mayumi Ozaki feel like #1 contenders for me but, he feels the most me core. Another cool match I recommend is Dr. Wagner Jr. & Mistico vs. Averno & Ultimo Guerrero. He's so cool.

Hoping to maybe consider maybe watching more of him, watched him vs. Toshiaki Kawadahad maybe the best match of 2003. He played that he was out of his depth some but, also a great overdog in some parts.

I like think of Fuminori Abe has a Munenori Sawa (I wrestler who I really, really like) mentee/buddy. He might someone I might consider putting in the 90s of list. He might have best rope rebound version I have ever seen. Fuminori Abe is so charming and avant-garde. One of the matches i go to his matches vs. Blanco (a swing). Also really liked Astronauts vs. Strong BJ.

Him and Colt Cabana were my gateway to ROH wrestlers in 2011. There's a certain charm to him. I really liked his 2021-2022 return. And a great watching live wrestler He feels like a wrestler who proabably make my list if it wasn't for the bad stuff he did outside the ring.

A wrestler I just considered, one of the best wrestlers of the 2010s last year. Had him at 11 on my top 100 in ring wrestlers of 2010s (before doing more research). When I watched him he was so good at finding the strengths in opponents with mixing his own quirks and dependable for a very good mstch. I haven't kept up much with his work since he left NJPW (I watched some NXT stuff). Not sure where I'll rank him or if I'll rank him. Hoping to watch more of him (especially his pre-NJPW work and his 2020s work). Also recommend him vs. Hiromu Takahashi at Sakura Genesis. Two unique matches I watched tonight Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA vs. Takashi Iizuka & Toru Yano in 2010 KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr (KUSHIDA as a rudo)

I see Punk being in the 25-50, on the first draft of my list. He was number 4. I think with the sloppiest/roughness around the edges is part of his charm. CM Punk is in kayfabe not the best wrestler but, is often stubborn, spiteful, and passionate enough to be successful anyway. With CM Punk there's an unique emotional connectivity. When he matterial he connects to his material he can come off as one of the most earnest United States Television wrestlers I have seen. The CM Punk Collision was amazing and showed really great range (especially the Satoshi Kojima Forbidden Door match). I think his WWE work helps his face because even in the off-feeling modern WWE, CM Punk feels different. Also shout out to CM Punk vs. Delirious, 7/2/05. One of my favorite matches ever.

He feels like make my top 10 maybe even top 5, hoping to watch more. There's a energy I connect to with him, great times. The WCW stuff is really fun from what I've enjoyed. A La Parka and Goldberg from 1998 match stands out. Great NOAH tag! He's part one my favorite matches of 2022, Kento Miyahara, Ryo Inoue, Takuya Nomura, and Yuma Anzai vs. Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, Yuji Nagata, and Yuto Nakashima Really liked his 2023 Triple Crown run from a few years specifically the Yuma Anzai and Yuma Aoyagi matches. He was a good base for getting excited about them. Aoyagi match is free with sign up no purchase nessasary. https://www.ajpw.tv/videos/d1ba23ce-293e-4182-b3ec-d29516847ce2 Very fun match in Ganbare Pro vs. Keisuke Ishii. His Hiroshi Tanahashi singles(NJPW) and Shinya Aoki (DDT) singles are great. Hoping to go deeper into NJPW work. He might my favorite NJPW ace ever, the Yuji Nagata vs. MMA fighters matches series has been really cool from what I've seen. He seems to give good effort even though he's been deemphasized. Yuji Nagata rules.

Someone I might consider, I have a soft spot him and George South. Really liked him vs. Stan Lane and vs. Ivan Koloff (1/8/83). Most of knowledge of him from his work as in the 2020s as kind of meme-ish wrestler. I really like his match against George South at the SCI and great in all time random match contender Angels vs. Delirious vs. KUSHIDA vs. Mike Bailey vs. Mike Jackson vs. Yuya Uemura from Impact Wrestling in 2023. Haven't finished but, he has a sweet shoot interview free on highspots.