EnviousStupid

Abdullah the Butcher ought to be in the conversation. Great tags and brawls, but in 1980 he also got to show flashes as a face in Japan opposite The Sheik in their matches. His best singles matches against Terry Funk, Dory Jr., Dick Slater, all arguably happened that year as well. vs Dick Slater (March 28th) vs Terry Funk (April 18th) vs The Sheik (May 2nd) vs Dory Funk Jr (June 29th) vs Terry Funk (November 1st) vs The Sheik (December 1st) w/ Tom Kamata vs Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta (December 9th) w/ Tom Kamata vs The Great Mephisto & The Sheik (December 11th)

I assume this is referring to AEW and/or WWE, but the multi-man tag method seems to have worked fine for CMLL.

Incredibly weird match. Also apparently the only singles match these two had together. Interesting start with Kawada dodging and avoiding Vader before overwhelming with kicks to the leg. The ol' chop down a tree tactic. I was very surprised at making Vader the one on the backfoot and Kawada being more dominant. He even tries his own version of Vader punches, despite all of Kawada's punches looking bad. There's a reason we talk about Kawada's kicking and only the kicks when it comes to strikes. Vader opts to give him a thumb to the eye for some space, and I couldn't believe how a monster like Vader decided to do that on the guy most prone to a KO sell in the middle of matches for the last decade. Some very odd choices here. Vader takes control on the outside when given enough space, and for the most part, his work on top is so plodding and slow compared to what you can find from his other matches that year against Akiyama and Kobashi. It's so weird, especially when this is only around 13 minutes. And working over the abdomen of all things? Once he gets Kawada in the corner and can dish out haymakers, the crowd really start roaring for their guy. I wish they had gone that route much earlier in the match though. Really build to the potential breakthrough instead of teasing back to the previous flurries that absolutely worked, even knocking down the big man multiple times. Not a fan of the layout. Vader giving so much in selling whilst not able to be that dominant force we expect on the other end, and that he gave that much to a losing Kawada anyway. Outside of the kicks, a lot of the latter's striking were flubs. The tree chopping thread turned out aimless, as did the damage from the recurring armbar submission. There's enough meat and potatoes to not have me not call it outright bad, but they were not cooking with them.

Sami Zayn and Cesaro/Claudio Castagnoli were #88 and #87 respectively back in 2016. I can't imagine them not making at least a slight jump after another 10 years of active work. Claudio especially.

I try to view a wrestler's work in GWE as purely additive. If they're doing great stuff, it makes up parts and elements of their case. If not, it doesn't. John Cena's recent heel run does little for me in enhancing his claim to GWE, but I don't see it as detracting from what he had built up beforehand. Same with Seth Rollins, Undertaker, Adam Copeland, or whoever else has those lull periods at whatever stage in their careers. For a sporting comparison, I'm not holding Michael Jordan's 2 years with the Washington Wizards against a career that many believe to be as close to perfect as was possible. He still has his accolades, records, stats, etc. that make his case as the 2nd greatest NBA player we've ever seen.

I think the biggest struggle I have with her in the context of GWE is how she winds up being typecast for most of her career in a similar way that Vader wound up being. They had their role and worked to that specific ideal, better than maybe any other wrestlers of the like (potentially a curse of being so good that bookers and whoever else don't want to mess around with something that already works great). And yet despite her showing flashes and examples of what she might also have been capable of, I find myself taking them as more of exceptions to the rules they regularly abided by throughout their careers. It's not quite like a Hansen; someone who fits the archetype but was able to emulate a freight train of sorts in one side of the world while taking incredible beatings on the other, or even just embracing new vulnerabilities overtime that distinguishes from their past work. She absolutely belongs in the discourse for all-time greats, especially with how capable she still is, though I hesitate to put her ahead of some contemporaries like Bull, Chigusa, Meiko, etc. Are there many matches people here know of that show Aja in a different light or doing things that she's not particularly known for at large?

I'm alone on this hill but I thought this was the best Hansen match I've seen that was largely focused around graps and mat wrestling. Starts with Jumbo taking the initiative and giving his own version of the Lariat, then when it's clear Hansen won't play ball like that, he goes for headlocks and takeovers to wear down the larger of the two. Great work over Jumbo's arm as well; we even seen Hansen try an armdrag to remain in control. Considering this is All Japan in 1986, I could not believe my eyes over Jumbo putting on a heel hook, Hansen pulling at the arm, and both rolling to the ropes like it were Chono/Hase 93 G1.

I think there's enough great stuff across all his runs to find each of them adding to his case rather than detracting from it. Maybe not the NOAH criticism that pops up here from time to time but consider that a) it was only 2 matches while still signed to TNA, and b) it's against Misawa in a main event singles match in 2007. I think there were bigger issues than Joe being laughed at (even though it clearly doesn't happen much at all).

A friend of mine made this comparison a few years ago, but AJ does feel like the LeBron James of his generation. Absurdly gifted at a raw level and capable of so much yet stuck inside a promotion that seldom had their shit together enough to make consistently good use of him. Not to say that he wasn't a great wrestler around the time; his ROH/other indie work around the time he wasn't exclusively kept to TNA shows should prove that fact to most. But it's not until 2014 where he takes his talents to greener pastures and becomes undeniable as one of the best in the world.

Perhaps it's because I saw this matchup on the Nitro episode 2 weeks prior, but once Flair came down to even the odds it felt so tedious and drawn out with the heels isolating Sting. Great shine followed by a dull heat segment that sucked the life out of this for me. The finish is still hilarious, dumb and wonderful.

I like her. Effective enough as a babyface and works well in a TV format, but she's somewhat hindered with a gimmick that has no real charisma behind it. She fits the narrative of "good wrestler, but little personality" that Daniel Bryan was (falsely) saddled with. Though I have been impressed by her PLE matches against Nia and Becky in the last year or so.

Their series of matches in 1993 are likely going to be my go-to for feuds between a clean-cut good guy and an arrogant f**kwad. This is their longest match together according to Cagematch (some house show matches don't have their times added) and it gives them plenty of time to play around with, which is largely given to expanding the material found in their TV work together. Probably their most "complete" match up until Fall Brawl. It's a house show but you can see clearly how expressive someone like Regal is when flexing his physical comedy chops, although Steamboat meets him on that level too in certain moments that got a pop from me. The feeling out on the mat, dirty tricks during the heat, and fiery comeback are all here and as great as you'd expect. Lots of pinning attempts and near-falls that could've believably been the finish, which I find a testament to how well they built up the drama to the end.

Fascinating grapplefest for the time. Regal gets very stiff with his shots, and Ricky sells the blows to his body as well as you'd expect. Great fire from him too. Plays off their previous match very well, which went to a time limit draw. In contrast, the character work is more subdued as they ramp up the urgency and intensity, neither wanting this to end in another draw. Honestly, one of my favourite TV matches ever.

I've come to like both guys, but my God does this have some of the lamest punches and striking I can recall watching from either of them. Randy's performance comes off like a guy who has yet to realise that they're the champion rather than the challenger, which works into the DQ finish and where Cena stands in comparison. The ideas are good. I just find the execution leaves a lot to be desired for most of the match. Hilarious that they went this route and let Triple H main event by last beating crowd favourites in Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy.

Reminds me a bit of Shawn Michaels in that their offense feels very loose and fluid to the point of not looking impactful, but the execution is smooth to a degree that I don't find it a hindrance to their matches. Jumped from NXT to AEW and has made himself into one of their top stars. I still think it's too early, though the DEFY run and other indie work intrigues me.

Feels lightyears ahead of its time, like they were on the verge of a breakthrough in regard to what brawling and Southern wrasslin could be. The following matches they have are all good and worth seeking out footage for, but exist in the shadow of what this accomplished. Lawler's version of what Onita was doing with Aoyagi, except stylistically closer to the UWF/shootstyle.

Watching this reminded me of the dumb discourse around Bret and Shawn, with some differentiating them into polar opposite camps of ring psychology and entertainment. Not only is it dumb suggesting neither of them had both aspects to their work, but someone like Jerry Lawler, even in his WWF run, had these in spades. He just wasn't as flashy about it with the motions.

Shibata hit the GTW and then immediately slapped on a sleeper, as if to choke whatever hope there was of Goto no-selling his own move done onto him. It is one of the most disrespectful things I can recall watching from pro wrestling, as well as another reason why Shibata is the fucking man. Match was fantastic too, but holy hell did I feel something in that moment.

Stylistically not my cup of tea, but it's a really good example of the comparisons Belair was getting around the time to a John Cena. The clear top babyface of her division, wrestling in front of a crowd cheering for her heel opponent, not really having much hope of winning them over. All you can really do at that point is put up and shut up. Some great feats of strength coupled with the athleticism that no one else there really has quite like her. Maintains selling the damage done to her arm but never to the degree where it looks like smarkbait, giving Iyo that extra bit of focus whenever regaining momentum in a very back-and-forth sort of match. Interference was really badly executed though. They've probably got a better match somewhere down the line, however there's still enough here worth giving it a watch.

Obviously, a great big epic singles match guy, but he also belongs in the conversation for best tag wrestlers ever. Feels like a lock for top 10.

Rough around the edges, but this is about as much as one could give to Poffo in a match against someone far higher up on the totem pole. Risky bumps over the top rope and to the floor. Moonsaults and hurricanranas getting near-falls. Some noteworthy kickouts for 85 WWF. Funker comes off his crazy self both while stooging and when gaining the upper hand. It might not be to the taste of some, but no one else moves quite like him, and at least in theory, it makes his opponent seem like there's always that slight chance of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Still think the Hell in a Cell setting hindered these two from getting as violent as the feud warranted. Not to say that the match doesn't have its violent spots (Meteora into a ladder in particular stood out), but they are few and far between what is essentially a boilerplate gimmick structured for big spots over genuine heat and excitement. Don't you love a damaged arm worked on to be left alone in favour of more le epic weapon spots? Sasha at least kept the action creative enough. I do like Becky, but for me her run as a Stone Cold-lite badass left many of her match performances without the endearing qualities to her character that made me want to root for her initially.

Stone cold classic. Joe and Angle for the first time held that feeling of a super fight and maintained it throughout the 13 or so minutes it went for. It's never pretty or fluid, yet both men still understood the assignment and worked their ass off in a relatively short timeframe. Joe tries rushing Kurt as was his strategy in videos leading up to the match, and while it works out for him early on (busting him open in similar fashion to when Angle headbutted Joe a month prior), Angle is an entirely different beast who can keep with the pace or even outmatch Joe when push comes to shove. It also helps explain how Angle can often shrug off certain selling to hit his next spot - the environment justified a sort or urgency from both men. Really loved how the match went from eliciting "This is Awesome" chants to the crowd yelling "Make Joe Tap". Like others have already mentioned, the reversal from Coquita Clutch to Ankle Lock was awesome, but I love how it's Joe rolling through, then trying and failing to immediately charge at Angle that sealed his first ever loss at TNA. The strategy failed, the unstoppable force caused his own demise, and Angle was able to capitalise on a late-game mistake.

Great first few minutes, killer last couple minutes, and a lot of mixed feelings in between. Plenty of hard-hitting action, yet also choices made that either looked odd (Takayama's dive, Misawa's submission) or looked like shit (whatever that counter to the first apron Tiger Suplex was). Misawa's elbows still rock but holy crap can I not stand all the dead air around those thunderous flurries of offense. A little over 18 minutes and it still felt long-winded at times, which I think is reflected from how quiet the crowd is for half the match. Morishima is at the stage where he can hit mean lariats and clubbing blows but little else aside from the Backdrop Driver. I don't think he fits well in Misawa's formula - one that's prone to show little fire outside of the moments that definitely matter.

These two together just can't not whip ass. They throw their kicks, chops, punches and whatever else like epic broad strokes in a match fuelled on pride and pent-up aggression. Minimalist and cathartic in spite of the finish. Neither guy was intending to win by pinfall or submission.