EnviousStupid

Can't get over how Ricky is doing that pose after everything now, compared to when it was just part of his entrance before.

I can still vividly remember back last decade how the Heavyweight title was exclusive to a handful of top guys, with someone like Goto always being on the outside. Never thought New Japan would pull the trigger on him, but I'm so very glad that they did.

I think there's a strong case for him being one of the best AEW wrestlers ever since he's signed there in 2023. I know I'm in the minority, but I found him easily the MVP of 2023's Continental Classic and would've at least been in my top 3 from last year's tournament. Has racked up plenty of fun performances both across singles and trios matches. Is always a likeable character on TV that still has such recklessness to how he moves and bumps for others, which gets more impressive when you realise he is now 40. He's in that same category as a Claudio Castagnoli or Roderick Strong now, where they might not be doing the most eye-catching spots every night (Darby Allin) or getting marquee matchups time and again (Bryan Danielson), but their consistency for what they're being given and reliably making something great out of it shouldn't go understated. And to top it off, this is only covering the last few years of his near 25-year long career. We should be talking about him more.

Let Billionaire Tony waste money on guys sitting at home earning the easiest paycheck of their careers.

I expect from these two, at best, an entertaining spotfest that keeps up the pace and doesn't overstay its welcome. Not my preference of style and structure, but I'd like to think I can still appreciate a fireworks show from guys doing flips that I couldn't dream of doing. This ended up being a lot more frustrating than fun. Part of it falls on just how often I've seen these moves done (usually better with the other guy not obviously waiting for it to happen) and not enough connective tissue to keep the match together. But some choices are just baffling to me. A weak-ass leg submission that Laredo just lets go off is sold hard by Vikingo, then is helped back up to his feet and they go into a strike exchange that feels completely out of place with the rest of the match? They both play to the crowd at times, but the fan's cheers are never as loud to counteract all the egregious horns. Laredo wins with a second Laredo fly, as it was first used for a nearfall, just before he'd also kick out of Vikingo's finisher. Not my kind of lucha.

Never seen the match before today, but I kept hearing things about it being AJ working like a Southern heel. I get the comparison, though I find the level of restraint AJ has after the early dropkick that reopens Naito's forehead cut to be the most outstanding part of this. He'll target the wound until blood flows down Naito's face, then rarely makes contact with the head again. Partly to give himself a kayfabe reason for losing, but also so that every time he does go back to it, even if just a counter, it immediately shifts the momentum of the match back his way. Outside of the Springboard Forearm, he never hits a high-flying manoeuvre and never tries to outdo Naito, at a time when the kid still only really has flashy offense. When on top, AJ always slows the pace down so that once Naito gets his comeback, it's more eye-catching and effective. After a failed attempt at the Styles Clash from the second rope, AJ grows desperate alongside the frustration of not having won yet and ends up feeding himself directly into a handful of Naito's signature offense for the surprise yet earned upset.

Great multi-man tag in a TV setting where all the competitions on each team feel distinct enough whilst working well as a collective, especially the Dangerous Alliance. I think in terms of heel stooging I prefer the style and production from 80s WWF, but when you got guys like Eaton, Zbyszko, Anderson and Rude doing the job and putting in the effort you won't hear me complaining. Spot of the match for me was Anderson clapping his hands behind the ref to act like it was a legitimate tag, then gloating about getting away with it to the live crowd. Wonderful way of doing something minor and maximising it.

I just wanted to highlight this. Even with a torn bicep and 5 minutes to work with, Rey is not only better than Edge but can still carry him to something palatable.

Miraculous stuff from the greatest WWE wrestler ever. Majority of the match is comprised of Rey hope spots and structured to give Rey a handful of chances to hit his signature 619, more than he'd get in almost every other match of his. Edge has never been one to work over a limb particularly well, but Rey compensates with some of the best leg selling I can ever recall seeing from him. Moreover, he adapts his offense really well to the damage and sneaks in a sell with each flurry of offense he gets in thereafter. Vickie interfering should've had more of an impact, but with 12 minutes to work with, I was seriously impressed with the match as a whole. If this hadn't happened in bizzarro land where Edge is cheered over Rey (do we ever find out the reason for this?), I'd think this would be much better remembered.

How many times do we need to watch MJF have another overly-long dud of a promo battle? I like Jarrett but he's not making it any better the way a Samoa Joe or Adam Cole did.

Saw the Tajiri match drop and kept hearing reactions of how great Triple H was, rather than how great Tajiri could be getting a ton of offense in a 20+ minute match in front of his home country. Tajiri's got plenty of great, compact TV matches, but rarely was he able to stretch his legs with so much time like on that house show.

The topic came up in a discord server and when I looked into it, there wasn't one here comparing the two. I'm inclined to lean towards Bret, but that's more a case of me not having dug as deeply into Steamboat's career.

I think Bryan's importance on the independent scene is overstated, largely from being a constant over the 2000s and often featured in ROH during its hottest period. Guys like Low Ki, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, AJ Styles came and went, but Bryan stuck around and was a reliable worker with whatever he was given. It's not like you could throw a Roderick Strong or Doug Williams in all the spots that Bryan was given and the matches/feuds/promos would be just as good, but it's worth noting that Bryan was usually not the first choice for promoters in terms of who they'd build around. While it seems insane to think about now, if it weren't for Bockwinkel, Bryan doesn't reach the King of the Indies finals, let alone wins it.

Probably won't vote for him but he was a guy that, in that 2-3 year period that's already been mentioned here, was consistently pretty good in whatever he was given by WWE. Usually shorter matches and not produced to outshine the rest of the card, but reliable in ways that only a handful of other guys were at the time. Also anchored on selling hits in a punch-drunk kind of way that I love and complimented his stiffer opponents at the time (MVP, Finlay, JBL). He was a good, everyman face figure for the midcard, who got to be the top star of their C-brand, before floundering and his eventual release. I think he definitely has a case taking into account the longevity and tag work (which I do credit him for just as much as Jeff), but I'm more likely to preference someone like Christian or Bradshaw, who have the outstanding singles work to go along with the consistency in their singles runs, on top of their tag work.

Am very happy that I can view Moxley as in his Hollywood Hogan phase. Dude's had a lax way of carrying himself in moments of matches, would at times feel inclined to say he's just phoning it in, so this works for me extremely well alongside the NWO-lite takeover.

I have to concur with the Great Bretans. There's a case for Cena excelling more on the biggest stage/s or in front of partisan crowds, but the consistency of Bret in different roles on different stages is more persuasive for me.

Bryan's gotta be one of the few guys who can realistically be called the best in the world and actively refuses to carry himself like such. Working a competitive 20-minute match with an old rival whose been retired for almost 13 years only further illustrates my issue with it. Surprised at how much of the tag match serviced Kyle Fletcher and elevated his standing. Maybe they have something in mind for him when AEW come to Brisbane? I'd think Mark Davis would be fit to return by that point. Darby just can't help take sick bumps.

I have no idea what justification there is for Will Ospreay and MJF to work an hour-long singles match together. There's good parts and moments within it but that sucked away so much of my interest and time, and another Learning Tree segment on TV? Diabolical stuff here. I did like Sting Jr falling from the rafters in his mentor's fashion.

Max is definitely the type to watch The Wolf of Wall Street and make the fraud character his new personality. I can at least appreciate the sincerity there.

Cool lil returns for Prince Nana and TK. More a show about moments than matches, which shouldn't come as a surprise given it's the Dynamite before DON. Despite how disjointed so much of the weekly shows are booked, they've managed to pull me in with the PPV card.

A great litmus test for how people view various aspects of wrestling.

I also don't see him getting much chance here come 2026, so I think the least we can do is provide as many matches of his worth checking out that are available. Here's a dozen or so to start: Jake Lander vs. Mad Dog Connelly (ZERO1 USA, 30/4/2022) Camaro Jackson vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SLA Dingo Invitational, 17/6/2022) Camaro Jackson vs. Mad Dog Connelly (ZERO1 USA Homecoming 2022, 19/7/2022) Mad Dog Connelly vs. Thomas Shire (SLA Circus Maximus X-7, 29/7/2022) Mad Dog Connelly vs Remington Rhor (Flophouse/PPW Booze-A-Palooza, 20/11/2022) Jeremy Wyatt vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SLA Gateway To Anarchy 2023, 27/1/2023) 1 Called Manders vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SLA As Seen On Anarchy, 14/4/2023) 1 Called Manders, Christian Rose & Mad Dog Connelly vs. Derek Neal, KC Karrington & Moonshine Mantell (SLA Giant's Woke, Eyes Open, 9/6/2023) 1 Called Manders vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SLA Circus Maximus X-8, 28/7/2023) Jordan vs. Mad Dog Connelly (Timebomb Pro There Goes The Neighborhood, 10/8/2023) Mad Dog Connelly vs. Matthew Justice (PPW 6th Anniversary Show, 3/11/2023) Camaro Jackson vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SLA Battle Of Spaulding II, 29/3/2024)

I think your best bet is somewhere between 2007-2010. I'd call this period of time his peak and when most promotions either weren't doing so hot or had past their hottest periods (ROH, NOAH). Even then though, I wouldn't call Taker a lock for any of those years.

I've also loved a lot from the little I've seen of Aoki. Unfortunately (for us) he seems to prioritize his MMA and grappling career over pro wrestling, even after two decades in the sport. Even still, I'd recommend quite a few people check him out whenever he pops up in DDT, GLEAT or any other wrestling show.

I find it interesting that @InYourCase brought up Ospreay's 2019. At the time, I also thought of him as among the best wrestlers in the world, but with the caveat that it overexposed him in my eyes to what he tended to do. Something like that can make the extraordinary dives feel much more ordinary than they should, and I put a lot of the blame for that on the guy who constantly does them. He worked three singles tournaments that year, along with major matches on New Japan's big shows, and I didn't get enough of an impression that he changed up his style, moves, and approach to different opponents to not get bored of him. I understand that to some, that last sentence might sound absurd. He is definitely capable of a lot of great things, but it may be a case of whether he was inclined to demonstrate those capabilities in the frequent opportunities given to him, or to keep honing in on what was working for him at the time for that audience. Some of these responses to his criticisms are very odd to me though: The perceived bias on flying moves didn't stop Rey Mysterio or Jushin Liger from being ranked 5th and 6th in the last GWE. I don't see some of the more modern-day candidates expected to jump up the list in 2026 like Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, or Darby Allin getting much pushback because of their use of dives or springboards. Would Kobashi's moonsault count as a flying move? How about a top splash like how Eddie Guerrero, Mitsuharu Misawa or Hiroshi Tanahashi used in their respective primes? I think everyone expects Bryan Danielson to rank #1 the next GWE and he's still doing flying moves long after the concerns about his concussion history and general health started. It's great that Ospreay can throw great-looking strikes, but maybe like with the flying moves, the issues seem to lie more in the way they utilize such moves in their matches. I agree that his elbows and forearms look great more often than not, and yet I'm not interested at all watching the striking exchanges he has play out. "Misawa's elbow is God" not just because it looked stiff, but because it fucking levelled the guys opposite him. I recall Jumbo lying on the outside for minutes after just one, or Kawada collapsing after taking some to convey how much damage they hold. Then again, Misawa and Ospreay are very different types of wrestlers. Shibata's another example: often he'll take a handful of elbows from his opponent before knocking them down with just one. The last few times I watched Ospreay, he likes to show how good his strike looks and sounds, soon followed by trading elbows 50/50 with his opponent no matter their size or stature. This is not how I'd like to see him go about such talents and part of what makes him so frustrating. I haven't seen all of Ospreay's AEW matches, though I don't think any of them were about building sympathy bar the last 5 minutes of his recent one with Danielson. Nor why him being the "most over guy in an American promotion" discredits selling complaints like he wasn't well-received from the moment he came on having signed to AEW. I do agree about a limb not having to be useless if worked over, but I'd also like that limbwork to have had some kind of meaning in the grand scheme. In my eyes, Ospreay just isn't particularly interested in selling past in the moment. Like @corwo mentioned, the man took a disgusting Turnbuckle Brainbuster that left welts on his back, but no mark on the rest of the match, which happened to be a goddamn back-and-forth.