MichaelZ

I think Io is just about a lock for my list at this point and has a chance to rise. Most of the arguments are covered above ring true. Since the time of the last post she has been been really solid in singles and tags in the WWE main roster, demonstrating her high floor and ability to have chemistry with whoever they match her up with. When you add that her ability to put up high-end matches as an ace in Stardom and then her versatility (solid on the mat, can brawl, the wow high spots), she has a really solid case. I encourage people to check out those matches in Boss Rock’s post, they are excellent

Cutie is someone who has impressed me when I have seen her, so I wanted to be sure she is nominated properly for 2026. As noted above she is part of some great matches and it is not as if she is just along for the ride. Even when she is surrounded by great wrestlers with big personalities, she finds a way to shine through her selling or making a unique contribution to a memorable moment.

For what it’s worth, the announcers mentioned that she looked disinterested or disengaged in the opening segment of this week’s Smackdown, so maybe there is more going on.

Emi Sakura Emi Sakura is effective at creating a connection with the crowd and getting across the story of the match in any environment. She is capable of having lengthy matches with a big-fight feel, such as her epic vs Yoneyama. But she makes the most out of whatever time she is given and gives you a little something to sink your teeth into regardless of placement on the card. vs Kaori Yoneyama (JWP, 9/19/2010) w Kaori Yoneyama vs Arisa Nakajima and Command Bolshoi (JWP, 8/19/2012) vs Shazza McKenzie (SPW, 12/18/2018) vs Hikaru Shida (AEW, 8/24/2022)

This was a fun show! The main event was really good, I was impressed with Gacy and had the same thought about this being as good as almost every Wyatt match. I liked the women’s title match as well. This was a lot of fun.

Well said club, Savage seeks to resonate even more with me as time passes by, which is not necessarily what I would expect.

Stock Up: Nick Bockwinkel: The guy just gets it and seems to get the best out of whatever situation he is in. The matches I watched recently that impressed me included a brawl with Hansen and the JYD matches in Houston. I had him outside the top 15 but feels like a top 10 lock today. Roddy Piper: I might have rose-colored glasses here but Piper just works for me, is never boring, and keeps me focused on the story of the match. You can send me a dozen counter examples and I will probably like those. Itzuki Yamazaki: Granted in my current shallow dive there seem to be only 50 candidates on the opposing side, but goddamn did the Jumping Bomb Angels rule. She is Great at garnering sympathy, conveying desperation, just a great performer. Tateno needs a nomination too. Sami Zayn: His recent work is really bolstering his case in my view. Spot on and entertaining. Gino Hernandez: He really special heel charisma and his really smart and creative. He’s standing opposed to Scott Casey and Kabuki and the crowd is just hating him. It looks like he could show some fire based on this clip that I saw against Tully. I never regret watching. Stock Down Arn Anderson: This pendulum might swing back again, but I feel like Arn benefits from some factors that feel extraneous (promo, JCP bump) and his holes get overlooked. Steve Grey: I think he’s great, but I had him awfully high on my draft and realized it was too high when I did the preference revealer.

Between the music, weight loss, name change, and taking a back body drop to LA Knight, Walter definitely feeling like just another guy now.

I love a few of these and can’t wait to check out some others. The Brain is the man. Great work.

Yeah, it was pretty good, much better than most recent Goldberg matches.

Both are great, but I voted for Fujinami. Great variety over a long period of time. Also, I may be limited to watching high end matches so far but I didn’t find his junior work to be bland at all; the matwork drew me in and then he would show more fire than I expected as the matches I saw went on.

I can’t believe you can bet on this stuff, but when I last saw the odds Charlotte seemed like a good bet. I am not an MMA fan at all but I thought Ronda was great in her first run and probably kept my fandom in life support for a bit. No matter what they do with her I am happy she is back and the more she wrestles the better.

It is kind of strange that Balor is not announced for the match. Maybe he is a back up plan in case a surprise doesn’t come to fruition but it is weird to have someone like Bobby Roode locked in and nothing for Balor. Things could change I guess.

https://m.youtube.com/user/sgtbish1 Very cool 50s and 60s playlists and recently uploaded a bunch of 90s AJPW and other stuff.

I could see Judy Martin getting onto my list; every time I have seen her she has bumped big, been especially nasty, or done something memorable to get herself, her opponent or the story of the match over. Good call out, and I am looking forward to seeing more.

This week’s watch party was dedicated to the Barbarian and it ruled. Highlights included a hidden gem vs Bret, a fun match vs Inoki, and Faces of Fear vs Rock n Roll Express on Nitro. Plus you had the mania 7 opener for comfort food. Barbarian has always been a cult favorite but he is a smarter worker than you remember. Focused on offense and some memorable selling. Much more than a great look.

Just wanted to recommend that everyone give this a listen. Interesting discussion on topics and some insight on process of ranking GWE

I have no idea where he will land but Hashimoto is clicking with me right now. He has an aura that helps his matches feel huge, al least the last couple I have seen. The Choshu 96 and Fujinami matches are a blast and the stretch runs are top notch, mostly because Hashinoto was so badass in the early going. It sets the table for you to be invested. Great stuff and looking to tackle more of that list above soon.

I can’t say I am prioritizing Dusty for and feel like I have seen enough to say I don’t think I will rank him. When I am watching a run of TV Dusty jumps off the screen, runs memorable angles, and is basically the greatest promo of all time. I had never seen this arm wrestling storyline he did with Nikita in 1984 until this year and Dusty was amazing. But those strengths are not really at play in this project. Charisma should count for something and some of his matches have their moments, but I have seen too many stinkers. That Windham match referred to above is one of the worst I have ever seen. If we had a fuller picture I might feel different but we have what we have.

I am mostly watching wrestling with greatest match ever/greatest wrestler ever projects in mind right now and that has me focusing on matches. I’ll try to watch a handful of matches that feature a wrestler I am interested in at a time, but often I just like jumping around. I do like watching runs of old tv shows as well, but I am watching with a less critical eye. I rarely throw on a Starrcade or whatever and watch it front to back at this point.

Rising: Tatsumi Fujinami A well-rounded high end candidate. I guess I expected his matches to be dry but I am always engaged and excited to see what's next. His matches in the late 70s feature great matwork, escalating tension and moments that get a pop out of me. Seemed like he could figure out how to tell a compelling story no matter the opponent. Carried himself like a stud in the 1980s and stood out in multiman matches packed with talent. I know his 1990s work has been the subject of debate, but from what I have seen it is not at the level of his previous work but didn't feel objectionable. Other risers: Steve Grey, Mayumi Ozaki, Buddy Rogers, Greg Valentine Falling: Harley Race I went into this thinking that Race would be someone I would get behind, but watching a few of his matches made me take a break from this whole endeavor. Somehow feels both too flashy and too boring. I was into his matches with Wahoo and Funk, but I am into basically every Wahoo and Funk match. The only thing I ever really liked was his pointing and laughing while Orton and Slater collected the bounty. I will revisit, but not making Race a priority right now. Other fallers: Ted DiBiase, CM Punk, Johnny Saint, AJ Styles

Really great performance by Rogers, this had no business being as good as it was but he kept things interesting from start to finish. A true feather in his cap.

There’s not much to this match but it was still entertaining to watch Andre dominate for 20 minutes. The sheik got nothing in. Fun nonetheless.

I wanted to like this more than I did. Big fan of Ozaki, just saw one match with Tokiko and was impressed, and dig wild gimmick matches. Some of the brawling was good but the opening kind of meandered and I didn’t find the finishing stretch compelling.

This match was the highlight of the Sarge watch party. I hadn’t heard much hype for this but it was a really great match and worthy lead in to the classic bootcamp match. Sarge’s selling once he is busted open is next level stuff. Sheik was pretty great in this as well and had me wondering if he has been overlooked. Great postmatch as well. Anyway, just wanted to bring a spotlight to this match if you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth your time.