EnviousStupid

Tully half throwing himself into the shoulder bump into the corner and over the ring to try and get a cheap DQ win had me stunned for a second. Then in the heat just dumping the dude over the top without shame, I had to applaud it. Also really dug Sting desperately grabbing on a bodyscissors after his leg got worked - something I could argue is illogical, but the visual of the big strong face fighting through pain for a submission hope spot just hit the right notes for me. One of my favourite Arn/Tully tags that left me appreciating what the Brain Busters do a lot more.

I didn't consider Bruiser and had seen only a handful of matches from him before submitting my ballot. Like with a couple other nominees now, I blew it not voting for him. Awesome example of the big tough brawling archetype, whether a dastardly villain or the hero kicking ass.

I said a few years ago somewhere that on the basis of his All Japan work alone, Terry could sneak into the top 30 of my GWE, and I'd still stand by that. Plenty of great matches for my taste, whether across singles or tags, working technical or brawling, sub-10 minutes or going much longer.

Second this. When he wrestled other older and larger guys like Undertaker, Lesnar, Sting, etc. you didn't get as much time put towards graps and holds like we see from him against Bryan, or Reigns a couple years later. Triple H working younger guys in marquee matches on the biggest show is a chance to remind everyone what he thinks he's still capable of at a high level. And while Bryan does seem the type to let his opponent get more say in how a match goes than they probably should, it's hard to tell your boss to follow your lead instead.

God bless her wielding those nunchucks in the Dream Slam 1 tag. RDT_20260531_112919.mp4

I had Misawa at 23 and he's never been my favourite of the Pillars, nor my favourite Ace (even just within the AJPW promotion). Though I have felt a need to point out what his strengths and qualities were in response to this pushback of him being too stoic or lax to appeal to those looking back. He's one of the best examples of an obstacle for other wrestlers to overcome. Figures like Vader and Aja Kong are worth note, but with Misawa he wasn't as tied to, nor defined by the archetype during that period. He was just the one pushed to take the mantle left by Jumbo, and he ran with it, fending off both his former stablemates and gaijin heavyweights for years. To the former, he was akin to this calm mountain standing tall for the more expressive and "flawed" wrestlers to climb atop. Someone whose contrasting persona magnified their most endearing qualities, whether intended as faces or heels. He could take beatings, get trampled on, struck down, but always had the arsenal to pull from that any move or strike he landed could change the landscape of a match. He endured the punishment better than most, knowing full well the kind of destructive power he himself wielded. And when we do see holes in his game take shape overtime, the emotions and expressions that leak out of him feel even more significant. He's not histrionic to the degree of a Jumbo, or Hashimoto in their respective falls from grace. He's more subdued in general, but that standard is in part what makes those moments just as if not more meaningful to watch play out. Knowing who he was, the role he was playing, and the crowd's undeniable love for him that was never not audible across all those matches throughout the years. The static character forced to be more dynamic when the apex is in sight. Wrestling isn't just about what we see, but also what we hear, what we know, and what we feel. Even when yearning for the Kawadas and Kobashis to get their due for so long, Misawa played his part in making us care to great effect. Perhaps better than anyone else would've.

Just watched his two singles matches in 92 with Masanobu Fuchi today. I'm more partial to how the sly junior worked those matches, but Misawa's great qualities and that audiences' love for the man can't be understated. Few ever elicit that kind of a reaction, for as long over the course of their careers as he managed to, all while being relatively expressionless.

Watching Fuchi kick away at and violently drop Misawa down on his knee is so delightfully nasty. Such a glorious way of embellishing in the heat as the veteran doing what he can, before the heir to Jumbo's throne knocks him down a peg or two. Even him using the Backdrop Driver and Thesz Press ala Jumbo had me more invested in just how badly Misawa would make the bastard pay. While Misawa does lack a certain fire here that I yearn from most babyfaces in his position, there's no denying just how loud and adoring the audience is to him. They live and die on his leg selling and subsequent offense as it becomes a focal point of the match. Fuchi is the highlight though, made even better when the handheld footage we have includes very audible Fuchi fans throughout. Wish there was as much footage of him around this decade as we have of the Pillars.

Bret ranked 42nd for me. Maybe a tad low in hindsight, although I think I'm at the stage of believing he just wasn't head and shoulders above his predecessors or contemporaries in WWE. I had Savage, Steamboat, Austin and Foley all higher. His best work is right up there with all those names, but I find him lacking in comparison when it comes to volume and versatility to some degree. The tag work with Anvil has really never impressed me like I hoped, nor the TV/house show matches outside of those already canonised (vs 1-2-3 Kid, vs Perfect in 89, etc.). If anything, his case is largely about who he worked against in his classic matches, and how he got so much mileage out of your Diesels and Bulldogs than anyone else.

Moxley above Fujiwara? Aight fam, gonna go find something to bash my own head into as tribute to the latter.

The structure of most of Sting's matches in AEW were reliant on Darby being as quick and willing to take hard bumps as he is to compensate for the legend's limitations at the time, this match included. That's largely what I mean and with respect to the Bucks' ability to stooge, setup spots and be genuinely hateable, this needed Darby to be the exciting worker he is before taking the biggest dive of his life.

More Darby than Bucks if we're being honest, but we can also give a 65yo credit for hitting his spots and bringing his own fire to the match like he did several other AEW tags

Have also seen this, can vouch that it's really great, and that it's still available to watch on YouTube

Choshu... my glorious king. Can't work long singles matches well for my liking, but once he starts cooking there's hardly anyone who can match the heat he brings. Awesome catalogue across NJPW and AJPW that absolutely hold up.

Inspired by bits and pieces of the GWE 2026 Reaction Thread, I wanted to see what the public opinion is for users who have actually bothered to watch both Chris Adams and Lulu Pencil: two nominees that are worlds apart from each other. Not really sure what made someone decide to compare the two to begin with, but I want to explore this further than just an example to bitch about the process of things, and maybe come to appreciate great qualities from each of them. With both having ranked outside the top 500, they could both do with some more eyes on their respective work.

Never would've guessed Nakamura rose and Claudio went further down. I assume people still really admire the former's last few years of his New Japan run.

Not great, at all. They overshoot for a big puro epic but Go isn't able to carry his share of the load and Danielson effectively swamps the opponent from standing out with any of their own merit. This might scratch an itch for some, though for me it veers too close to a showcase for the guy who is far and away better than a local talent too naive to notice the difference. Ironically a case where being selfless in constructing a match resulted in something that left quite a vain impression. However, I doubt there was any nefarious intention behind it. They likely thought a really great match for their first show in Japan would be better off looking like this.

At the time of writing this we're yet to see who made the top 200 from GWE 2026, but after watching more of Masashi Aoyagi's work I feel compelled to say: I fucking blew it not voting him. So much more than a novelty karate guy and always had a knack for getting audiences invested in the action, whether he's kicking ass or the one taking a beating. Shines brightly whether it's on grainy footage or in a major promotion. A martial artist who throughout his career never grew too cooperative to the wrestlers he had to face - something I wish were more emphasized with athletes that transition to wrestling today. Watching the underlying friction and potential chaos made from such matchups can be akin to a sugar rush. With Aoyagi more than most, he could cut away the bullshit and hit right at the sweet spot.

What's even more surprising to me is how Triple H and Seth Rollins, heavily featured through WWE programming, appear on less ballots relative to other wrestlers ranked near them. I guess with the way points are allocated it shouldn't be shocking, but I'd have never expected that Sid Vicious would appear on more ballots (9.54%) than both Seth (9.13%) and Hunter (8.92%)

I'm sure I'll disagree with the list plenty in the next couple months, but for now, I'm happy.

Criminally underrecognized. Very straightforward cage match to tell the story of Orton earning Flair's respect through blood and brutality, kept relatively short as a PPV main event from 2004. Flair's offensive is full of dirty tricks and work everyone has likely seen from the man's overwhelming experience in cage matches; a point made early on by commentary. It's exactly the kind of cheap shots mixed with hard chops and rapid punches to the open wound that he should rely on in the twilight of his wrestling career. Orton endures and gets arguably just as brutal going after the cut, while still coming across as the face of the match. He's not a natural in working face or being over like Cena and Batista are and further become, but the idea of Orton just "not working as a good guy" around the time can't help feeling disconnected from what I watch of him around the time. They were cheering off the big kickout and finish here, as well as the show of respect after the match. Great match from the Raw brand in a year jampacked with them

See this guy? Yeah it's me, and fuck that guy. Darby's on the list! No one better at regularly committing to the receiving end of attempted murder. Idk how long that can last in this business, but his candle has been burning brightly for long enough now.

I'd also like to hear the argument, as even with aspects of wrestling I'd think Brisco is better at, I don't think it's something so cut and dry between the two.

Easily. To be fair though, matwork wasn't a prominent part of the Pillars' wrestling style through the 90s, and Akiyama hadn't suffered as much wear and tear compared to the core four. The amateur wrestling background shines more from him post-Exodus and, like you said, he still shows an aptness for grappling late in his career.

He's flirting with my top 25. Just has so much great work across the board, still probably being among the best in AEW/ROH/CMLL/wherever the hell he decides to work. Biggest thing I'd criticise him for is how rigid and awkward he can sometimes come across as in moments of his matches, but the broad strokes are consistently strong and he honestly has an abundance of stellar moments that always leave me impressed. The man is 45 years old and still performing at a high level, still showing remarkable athletic ability.