Control21

Zouev and Grom Zaza are off the board. I'm glad to see they got multiple votes.

Things are getting "extreme" in PCW!

I think you are spot on with that analysis.

One of the good things about the 2026 GWE is that it wasn't as heated as 2016. It was a very liberal and open envrionment across social media, PWO, and Discord. You occasionally had your Twitter trolls and whatnot, but those guys were in the minority.

Osamu Kido was one of my final cuts. A painful one.

I think the Joshi push was centered around more historical candidates. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, though. Seems like I'm not the only Frank Shamrock voter? That's interesting. Unless more #100 votes are yet to be revealed.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I know Newman is on a "multi-year" contract, but I don't have much faith that this will pay dividends for NJPW in the long run. They should have given the push to Oleg Boltin instead.

I like the nomination system because it requires people to be engaged throughout the entire process instead of being passive voters at the last second.

Good stuff! This was very easy to imagine, and I'm not even familiar with Georgia Championship Wrestling that much.

I have noticed that as well, unfortunately.

It's truly the "Whole F'N Show" at E-C-Dubya....oops, I meant P-C-Dubya

At this rate, PCW might as well be called Extreme Championship Wrestling! 🤣E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB!

Awesome list. Nikolai Zouev at #61. My man!

Not sure about the 1980s, but I think there's been a bit of a revisionist (I use that in an academic sense, not pejorative) movement within certain circles over the past decade that has really deprioritized AJPW (particularly the four pillars) in favor of other stuff, like BattlArts and WAR, for example. I think guys like Misawa, Kobashi, and Kawada haven't been given the "canon" treatment they used to have as a result.

If there's anyone who sums up a Shakespearean tragedy as well as he has during his career, I would love to hear about them. Watching his rise and fall in RINGS from start to finish was a breathtaking experience. Of course, in terms of in-ring quality, he definitely produced. While he wasn't a grappler on Kohsaka's level, he probably made up for it with the type of grit and rebellious attitude that made Akira Maeda what he was as an in-ring wrestler as well. I think there's a reason why Maeda was so high on him before Tamura came around. He didn't have Maeda's aura, but he certainly had a similar spirit. He could be a bit light at times, but I think this was a rarity, and when he was matched up with quality opponents, you were bound to get a good-to-great match. The matches with Volk Han tell one of the best narratives you will ever see in a shoot-style setting, which was about how a young upstart eventually finds a way to defeat his tormentor. You also have the series with Tamura, which is one of the best trilogies you will find in wrestling, flat out. He was #40 on my ballot. I'd love to see if anyone votes higher than that.

Good stuff! Good to see another Yoshihisa Yamamoto vote. If there's any wrestler who sums up a well-crafted Shakespearean tragedy in their career, it's him.

If Yota Tsuji isn't the "guy," then I don't know who is. It's certainly not Umino. And Uemura isn't someone Gedo is going to push. I don't have much faith in Aaron Wolf at the moment, and that's entirely because of Gedo as well.

UWF Road (2/27/1990) Minoru Suzuki vs Tatsuo Nakano It seemed like Nakano and Suzuki both wanted to prove something, and they spared nothing in achieving that goal. This was a very good shoot-style brawl. They both played to each other's strengths by engaging in a striking battle mixed with some good moments of struggle on the mat. Both wrestlers were pretty evenly matched, and it seemed neither really had a strategy that favored one aspect over another. They just wanted to win. They were both willing to engage in a ton of punishment, and this resulted in a double KO where Nakano popped up with a defiant lariat that sent both tumbling to the mat in exhaustion. One of UWF's hidden gems for sure. **** Yoji Anjo vs Shigeo Miyato Another good outing for these two. Miyato and Anjo were usually a good pairing in UWFi, and this match did not disappoint either. This match was really about two evenly matched foes trying to find the smallest openings that would present themselves to get the upper hand. At the end of the day, it seemed Anjo's striking abilities and willpower were the cards that shifted the bout in his favor. He needed to get all five points from Miyato, though, and he wouldn't go down easily. ***3/4 Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki A decent match, although I feel this could have been better. I don't think Maeda ever really left his comfort zone in this match, and seemed fine not going past second gear. That's not a bad thing, but Maeda can be so much better when another wrestler is pushing him. Yamazaki also seems, at least in the context of the narrative, a bit unsure of himself against Maeda. He doesn't gain the sense that he can beat Maeda, and lacks a bit of confidence. He does manage to bloody Maeda's nose, but Maeda never seems to be in real danger, and he preys on Yamazaki's weaknesses to finish the match with a submission in under 10 minutes. ***1/4 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada Another masterclass in wrestling from Fujiwara. Nobuhiko Takada was solid in this match, but Fujiwara outshone him in several aspects, including in-ring psychology and overall presence. That's not to say Takada was a passenger in this match; he did his job just fine. Fujiwara was the protagonist, though. The opening few minutes are all about Fujiwara playing the long, defensive game. He's fine with taking the long-term view, and he lets Takada settle into a more patient gear while buying time. In the process, he is frustrating Takada quite a bit with his usual tricks. He's like a pestering fly that always finds a way to bite you. Takada gets a bit more annoyed as time goes on, which allows Fujiwara to ramp up the pressure by antagonizing Takada even more. Takada starts throwing more strikes instead of sticking to the mat. Fujiwara responds by making Takada work harder. He even starts taunting him after a great sequence where Takada gets lured in, only to meet Fujiwara's skull head-on in a trademark Fujiwara headbutt. The match changes its tone after this, and Fujiwara starts to get into Takada's mind. Sakuraba aside, Fujiwara might have been the first true "IQ wrestler" with his ability to tap into the conscience of another wrestler. Takada thinks he has Fujiwara, but Fujiwara feels out Takada's submission attempt and reverses it into his own, leading to a Takada tapout and a huge win for Fujiwara in front of an adoring crowd. ****1/4+ UWF Fighting Area (4/15/1990) Bart Vale vs Shigeo Miyato This was a decent outing from both. Vale looked better than he did in his earlier matches and was more active in dictating the tempo and giving Miyato a few things to think about throughout the match. This was all about Miyato surviving Vale's superior range and striking, but Vale has improved as a grappler as well, and Miyato has a tough time figuring out the puzzle. Vale does a cool shoot-style crucifix powerbomb that leads to a camel clutch for the submission victory. *** Masakatsu Funaki vs Minoru Suzuki This match has a certain mythology around it, and for good reason. In Japan, it is seen as a sort of prototype for Pancrase. It was even included in the first commercial Pancrase VHS tape to illustrate the philosophy of the promotion. Karl Gotch reportedly called it one of the best matches he ever saw, and said wrestling should use it as a model. For an 8-minute match, it certainly carries a lot of weight in terms of evolutionary importance. The match certainly lives up to all of this, and Funaki and Suzuki clearly had an agreement to do purely grappling. It worked out quite well for them, as they really got in a good flow state, and the speed at which they moved was reminiscent of the 90s shoot-style classics. The level of finesse, especially in terms of counterwork, is quite impressive considering they were still relatively early in their shoot-style careers. It was a glimpse at the future, and it serves as a prophetic message for the direction Kakutogi would take in just a few years. **** Akira Maeda vs Tatsuo Nakano This was a fun underdog vs company ace match, and the crowd really got behind Nakano as he gave Maeda some trouble with his striking ability and relentless pressure. Maeda settled into the match, and when he did, all Nakano could do was continue swinging. One of the more underrated things about Maeda is that he is great in matches like this, where he can give enough to make you believe the underdog is winning, and also makes his own comeback believable in the context of the match. This is similar to some of the Yamamoto/Maeda matches in RINGS. Good stuff. ***3/4 Nobuhiko Takada vs Yoji Anjo Another good example of an underdog/company star match on this card. While this match probably went a few minutes longer than it needed to, both Takada and Anjo keep things interesting enough, and Anjo really shines here as the antagonist and a striker capable of going toe-to-toe with Takada. It's not that Takada is the favorite here; the crowd is more behind Anjo, but Anjo is the plucky dog that keeps bothering you and coming around for another go. On the mat, Takada takes control of the match when needed, and Anjo doesn't seem to have much of a solution against Takada's more methodical grappling. This is where Takada steadily wears out Anjo and draws rope breaks from him to build a healthy lead on points. Anjo launches a bit of a comeback with some nice knee strikes, but Takada is just too tough to keep down. Eventually, Takada gets Anjo back to the mat and finds a way to put away the underdog for good. **** Kazuo Yamazaki vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara I might have to rewatch this sometime, but I think I enjoyed their 7/24/89 encounter much better than this, and the Fujiwara/Takada match from earlier in February 1990 was better as well. Overall, though, this isn't a bad match by means. This was all about Yamazaki not letting Fujiwara get under his skin, and perhaps finding ways to beat him at his own game, especially on the mat. Yamazaki seems to do a good job of countering Fujiwara on the mat and feeling out where he wants to hunt for submissions, and fending him off. This opens up opportunities for Yamazaki to utilize his striking game more often, and this puts a toll on Fujiwara. Yamazaki even uses his head to give Fujiwara a taste of his own medicine. The match ends a bit anticlimatically with Yamazaki landing a high kick, which puts Fujiwara down for the count. It still retains some effectiveness, but I felt like it didn't land the way it should have. ****1/4

Well said. Funaki ended up #19 on my ballot. I did consider Pancrase in my analysis of his career (along with Suzuki, Rutten, and Frank Shamrock). It's just too big a gap to ignore. Fundamentally, my philosophy remains that Pancrase was, at its very core, practically pro wrestling, despite being mostly a shoot. This will be a topic I'll explore more in-depth eventually on here.

News & Notes (4/27-5/1/1991) UWF's event in Hiroshima last week sold out with an attendance of 8,500 in the newly expanded prefectural gymnasium. The main event, featuring Akira Maeda and Maurice Smith, was said to be quite good from those in attendance, but the show stealer seemed to be the match between Minoru Suzuki and Masakatsu Funaki. Some are calling it a match of the year contender, and there's been a lot of talk in the Japanese press already about how both should receive title shots soon. It's not clear that it will happen this year, but both wrestlers are quickly becoming the primary challengers to the throne. Chris Benoit also made his return to the promotion with a good win over Shigeo Miyato. I would be surprised if Kazuo Yamazaki and Kiyoshi Tamura don't receive a tag title shot against the Koslowski brothers after their win as well, and that should happen at the anniversary event later this summer. (Wrestling Observer, 4/30/1991) Oleg Taktarov looked impressive in his debut, and it seems like UWF officials have moved past the incident in Amsterdam, where he nearly caused a riot. It seems natural to me that UWF would follow up with a Taktarov-Dutch feud, at least if they can avoid the guys killing each other in the middle of the ring. (Wrestling Observer, 4/30/1991) Akira Maeda and Dick Vrij are set for a title bout clash at the next UWF event in Nagoya on May 29th. Contracts will be signed next week at a press conference. Akira Maeda personally requested the match after his win over Maurice Smith. Dick Vrij has impressed UWF representatives by beating a few ranked kickboxers in Europe. Future opponents will likely include Volk Han, who is also in line for a title shot based on UWF's rankings. (Tokyo Sports, 4/28/1991 Lou Thesz will be holding important meetings in the United States later this month as he continues his recruitment efforts inside American amateur wrestling circles. Contacts in the UWF remain confident that the efforts will produce several new signings. Thesz wants the recruits to go through the UWF dojo system instead of debuting right away, and they will be given good salaries if they choose to sign. (Weekly Pro Wrestling, 4/29/1991) It is all but certain that UWF will be holding a "New Generation" tournament this summer, with the 8-man tournament starting in June. Names are being discussed, but it is likely that Minoru Suzuki, Kiyoshi Tamura, Masakatsu Funaki, and Wayne Shamrock will be the first entrants. (Gong Magazine, 4/29/1991)

I wish we had more footage of Billy Robinson in his prime, especially anything from the 1960s UK scene or his matches with Karl Gotch. What we have, though, is tremendous, and outside of a very few exceptions, almost everything we have of Robinson is like eating a five-star meal. It can be quite rich, and it might take some digestion, but god damn, is it good. My favorites are the Giant Baba match from 7/24/77, the Inoki match from 1975, the Tsuruta matches, the matches with Bockwinkel from 1980, and the UWFi exhibition from 1992. It's just one classic after another with Robinson, and he's really towards the end of his career in most of them. The great thing about Robinson is that everything he does looks dangerous and legitimate. It's not modern grappling as we would think in MMA today, or even 90s shoot-style, but he looks like he could put someone in the hospital with his bare hands. The reason why Robinson gets held up with the likes of Gotch and Thesz is precisely that he wrestled like it was a legitimate combat sport, and made people believe it was. At the end of the day, that's the sort of quality I am looking for in most of my candidates to some degree or another. It's not an exact science, but with someone like Robinson, I can revisit the footage almost anytime and be treated to something that just hits me right in the spot. Slam dunk #6 vote.

I watched the Fujiwara vs Takada match from 2/27/1990 last night, and that match really cemented the idea that Fujiwara was the first "IQ Wrestler" in my brain. It was brilliant because you could see how Takada slowly slithers his way into Takada's head and takes control. Kazushi Sakuraba talked about how he enjoys tapping into his opponent's consciousness. Fujiwara did just that multiple times, and often made wrestlers fight not only him, but themselves as well. I think people like Phil Schneider and KB8 have written about him much better than I ever could, but Fujiwara was truly a special kind of wrestler who had gifts that are very hard to come by. Easy #7 vote for me.

Bumping my thoughts on Kohsaka here. I recently rewatched the Tamura match from 4/22/97, and it's just a masterpiece in how it balances the work/shoot spectrum. People still can't figure out what it really was, even today. As great as Volk Han and Tamura were, Kohsaka is right there with them. He probably lacked Volk Han's otherworldly powers and Tamura's range, but he made up for it with just pure mechanical brilliance that won't ever be replicated.

Blue Panther was one of the first wrestlers I fell in love with as a kid. I wish I still had the Blue Panther mask I got when I was younger. It was primarily the name and his cool mask, but I think what really struck me at the time was just how smooth he was as a wrestler. He is probably the foundation for my love of technical wrestling. If my memory is right, my first exposure to professional wrestling was through CMLL/AAA tapes that I got from swap meets. He stood out because he had a presence and command that was unique. Revisiting his matches today, I appreciate his matwork and versatility even more. I don't think he ever lost his quality as a maestro, and it seems to age like fine wine. The fact that he has been able to have matches with the likes of Danielson and Hechicero has been a tremendous gift to the wrestling world, and the recent match with Ultimo Guerrero was just tremendous. His 90s bouts with Atlantis are still some of the best examples of Lucha matwork out here. He was a no-brainer for the #3 spot on my ballot.

This match just had a ton of energy and rawness to it that I really appreciated. The "Different Style Tag" was a really cool concept, with all four guys fighting in the ring at once. This added to the raw feeling of a straight-up fight. The chaos of everything just felt so real, and the crowd seemingly agreed because they were totally eating this up. It's a bit short, but the stiff nature of it makes up for it. Saito gets busted open, which causes the match to get called off early, but things restart again with the two teams opting to keep fighting. Because screw it, why not? ****1/4