Tetsujin

After this last year or so in AEW, he's definitely been adding more to his case. Great performances all the time, and playing different roles: he can be a wounded underdog against a monster (vs Joe), or the other way around being himself that very monster (vs Orange), he can match Ospreay's pace or chain wrestle with KOR. He can be pathetic in a comedy angle (the Devil stuff, where he put over his neck collar), but he can also goe toe to toe with the world champion (vs Swerve). Even outside the ring, he added some of his best character and mic work ever. I've also been loving his PWG stuff, he worked as a heel much better than I remembered there. On the other hand, some of his early ROH stuff has been a little bit dissapointing, as I don't think he found his thing until the early to mid 10s, and his work was a bit generic and too "by the book" until then. A pretty great wrestler overall, that's for sure. Incredible offense, one of the only current guys that make combos of moves look cool and feel meaningful. Underrated bumper and seller, too. He's definitely more of an input guy, but even without a lot of MOTYCs he still has plenty of very good and great matches in three different decades now. At the moment, he's in the back half of my list, and closer to top 75 than "just" top 100.

How much footage do we have of him? I'm planning to do a deep dive into his stuff to try to consider him seriously.

Still too soon for him, but he's getting there, for sure. He's capable of putting anything over in a match, he knows how to implement comedy as well as anybody ever, and he is actually a wrestler that can do a lot more than he usually does, but chooses not to for the sake of the match (and when he unleashes a more spotty persona, it's because the story of the match calls for it). Great character work protrayed in the ring.

He's such a bad wrestler that it actually annoys me how far he has come. His series with Okada is up there with the worst big matches I've ever seen. He presents himself as a great matworker while being lame as fuck in chain and mat wrestling. His strikes are also shit, and that's a more common flaw in modern wrestling, but still. He can't even apply his stupid tazzmision finisher well. He can't pace his matches well, with spots like his fucking stupid paradise lock, or him slowly walking directionessly though the ring/ringside (once you notice it you can't unsee it) trying to figure out what to do next to fill time. I'll give him something: he has a weird charisma by not having charisma at all. It's hard to explain or even understand, but if you've seen enough of him you'll know what I mean. He's the most boring of the most boring guys imaginable, absolutely zero personality or traits, he's a random NPC on a bad mobile game, but somehow, someway, that makes him kind of compelling for some people (I mean, he's still a failure of a main event project, but he has some fans). I'm sure there was a time in this plane of existance when he was decent enough. Decent midcard guy, something like that. Probably before arriving to New Japan. But he's been trash for too long now. There's literally no chance.

Naito said he's ready for a rematch "in Mox territory" so maybe he takes it back at Forbbiden Door. Naito wants to do the roll call in his home neighborhood and that tour is coming, so I'd say he'll be the champion by the end of it.

I agree that Ospreay mostly works much better as a babyface, never liked his heel run in New Japan for example. But you all guys need to check his G1 match against Taichi last year. It's absolutely incredible how good ol Wil Ospreay works that match, he totally controls the pace by restraining himself and he somehow makes his style work as a bullying method against Taichi, who feels like the biggest underdog in the world. It's probably the most unique Ospreay match ever.

That's sounds weird to me, because I believe that precisely is one of Okada's biggest weaknesses. Everything about his offense just feels AI generated.

I would add Kurt Angle to that list and probably as #1, but some people would disagree on the "their matches being thousand times better due to it" part.

Recently, I've been on a LA Park mood. He's quickly becoming my second favourite luchador of all time (after Santito) and he might have a chance at my top 25, because every match I'm seeing of him is just an unbelievable spectacle that no one else provides. He takes one of my very least favourite styles of wrestling (overbooked lucha brawls) and turn them into total blasts thanks to his larger than life aura, his intense offense and clever selling, and his surprising athleticism. On the other hand, while still a super fan and right now he's still ranking pretty god damn high, Stan Hansen has fallen out of my top 10 for the first time since last GWE more or less. I'm realizing he has more dissappointing matches than I thought, specially in the 80s and mostly against other all timers who he never connected with, sadly. He's still top 15 though, so no biggie, but he has lost some points for me in the consistency talk (at least from an output perspective), which was a pretty big part of his case before.

What's the Angle/Mysterio match from Japan? Never heard of it before, it's not on cagematch either. Was it while on a WWE tour, or working for another company after 2006?

White vs Darby was fucking great man.

I sweat to god, the only thing that's genuinely interesting me about WWE's product it's Gable's story against GUNTHER so if he's not the one who gets the singles match at WM (and obviously win the title there, duh) I'd fully give up. It's been such a soulless product for so long now. I would just keep RTing McIntyre's troll tweets I guess.

It was an historic farewell match, with memorable moments that we will remember forever (including one of the most insanse spots we've all ever seen), drama, nostalgic acts and the happiest of endings. It's an unique match, to say the least. It totally delivers what I want from one of the best matches ever.

It will also help him that he had one of the greatest matches of all time as his retirement match.

I see it more as another case of Jericho wanting to engage with whatever hot act/wrestler of the moment, honestly. They can talk about the lore all they want, but in reality Jericho's universe has been painful to watch since (at least) the MJF feud, so whatever. I think it's more important the fact that Jericho is not entertaining anymore than him wrestling in México 30 years ago.

Tbh that's how they've always been since PWG and that has never stopped them from being over. The Elite's key to success has been doing a lot of moves per match and convincing the fans they're smarter than they are with their meta bullshit. I really like that the BCC is in a lot of open fronts now. They're against CMLL, Mox and Claudio just started business with FTR, Bryan just recently ended rivalries with Okada an ZSJ, now he has Kingston again, Mox has the eye on Naito for next month... They feel like the soul of the company and give so much sense of interconectiveness to the wrestling world. It's quickly becoming one of the best stables I've ever seen just because you can put any or every member in any program and it will be much better.

You just gotta look at the Kaito rivalry, which would have been awesome... If it had a payoff. But It didn't, it was just Okada burying him and then refusing to work with him again. That was seriously Triple H stuff. He also suspiciously wasn't put on the same G1 block than the younger guys, despite the Kaito stuff and Shota also having some beef with him previously.

Noz that's just his big ego.

The CM Punk WHC match is a great example of him selling for a smaller guy without losing any of his big powerhouse aura.

Bron Breaker was the only one that moved and acted like he really was trying to wrestle in that match. In both matches, actually. Which makes even more hilarious his lame booking.

Burn this company to the ground and throw salt in its ruins so it never comes back.

Edge/MiSu rocked. Best Suzuki AEW match ever alongside the Darby one. Edge has better forearms than 95% of NJPW and AEW rosters combined.

They'll do a three way at Revolution, which is a clever way of both doing another Hangman-Swerve match without wasting another singles too soon, and give Swerve an early title shot without actually crowning him while still not making him lose (Hangman should get the pin). There's no need to wait for the next big ppv to drop the title, either, it can be done at a special Dynamite or whatever. They know how to make those moments feel ppv-worthy on TV.

My guess is that Okada is retiring at mid term and wants to do a free agent last tour anywhere doing whatever the hell he wants.

Great opening and great main event, for sure. Also, both were completely different matches and two kind of matches that I wish we had more often. This company can be really good when they want, man.