elliott

Responding to El Boricua's post: https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/28666-carlos-colon/?do=findComment&comment=5947217 Because this was the appropriate thread for what I wanted to say. I'm glad El Boricua brings this up. Invader's 1986 is an all time great year. Folks should really give it a look. Any fans of Sangre Chicana, Perro Agauyo, Roddy Piper owe it to themselves to check out Invader I if they haven't. He has all time great performances against Ron Starr 9/19/86 and Al Perez 10/26/86 just to name 2 absolute must see matches. WIthout exaggeration, Invader I vs Al Perez is at the top of the shockingly great matches list. Imagine Al Perez in possibly the greatest brawl ever. You can't. Its impossible until you see it. But it happened and its just out there waiting for you to watch it and bask in the greatness.

Wrong Thread

Absolutely! Its a good mix because it shows some versatility compared to just more epic fights. He's working comedy spots against Andre, slick exchanges against Ringo, spectacle driven legends match with Mascaras underneath the Solitario vs Dr Wagner mask match. The Elimination match does boil down to him vs Perro as I recall, but its an awesome match as I recall and worth revisiting if its been a while.

I know she went the garbagy brawling route in the 2nd half of her career, but I'm wondering if anyone is super familiar with that era and can point to anything worth watching? The first half of her career guarantees her a spot on my list. Even if this was a top 50 list instead of a top 100, Ozaki is a lock. She's one of the great workers of her generation during her peak. Able to work compelling matches with legends above her station like Chigusa or Hokuto, youngsters on the rise like Takako or Nagashima. She the driving force in some of the legendary all time great tag matches. She could excel working the 100mph uber workrate style Joshi is often known for, but few were better at projecting character and emotion in her matches. During the interpromotional peak era of Joshi with some of the all time great performers, Ozaki manages to stand out in a sea of legends. She might not be Akira Hokuto, but there's an argument that Ozaki is the 2nd most interesting wrestler of the interpromotional era. Also apparently she was Sasha Banks' favorite wrestler. So bonus points are probably due.

Its a bit like asking what Misawa's best matches are excluding ones against Kobashi, Kawada & Taue or Bret's best matches excluding Owen, Austin & British Bulldog. That said: vs Ringo Mendoza 10/28/83 vs Villano III 12/7./84 vs Perro vs Villano III vs Faraon Elimination Match 10/84 The two matches from 1984 both finished in the top 25 of the Lucha 80s set and while the Mendoza match "only" finished 57th, the Lucha set was ridiculously loaded with high end matches. Its an excellent title match that is more beautiful lucha than gritty grimy lucha like the 83 Satanico match. I would also recommend the following matches: Sangre Chicana & Herodes & Alfonso Dantes vs Andre the Giant & Cien Caras (1981) Lizmark, Mil Mascaras & Valente Fernandez vs. Sangre Chicana, Angel Blanco & Angel Blanco Jr. (12/1/85) Sangre Chicana & Cien Caras & Mascara Ano 2000 vs. Konnan el Barbaro & Perro Aguayo & El Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (CMLL 3/1/92) I haven't watched those 3 in a while but I remember really liking them specifically for Chicana's performance.

Couldn't have a list without El Dandy.

And it's from 86? Man that is a dream match and a half

Omfg a Savage handheld?

Fuck it. Andy Kaufman If I were just making a list of most talented people to ever try pro-wrestling, Kaufman is at or near the top. We've been doing the Greatest Match Ever project for the last couple of years and my last top 100 had 4 Andy Kaufman matches on it. He had a complete understanding of psychology before he ever worked a match. People have talked about considering interviews, angles and things other than just the bell to bell in ring action, then Kaufman merits not just a nomination but serious consideration. Some of the greatest promo's ever. The Letterman Angle has to be on the short list of greatest angles ever. Literally every second he was on screen during a wrestling show was complete magic. Only had a few matches but they are genius examples of what makes pro wrestling great. The match against Jimmy Hart is basically the Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura version of two chickenshit non-athlete cowards with big mouths who don't want to fight but accidentally talked themselves into a situation where they have to fight. It is better than every Brock Lesnar match ever. Took like 3 bumps ever and they're some of the greatest and most memorable bumps ever. Kaufman was a literal genius wrestler. The only thing holding him from absolutely garnering a spot on my list is the brevity of his run. But it is so great I might just put him at 100. Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (CWA 4/5/82) Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (Boxing Match CWA 11/14/83) Andy Kaufman vs Jimmy Hart (CWA 7/11/83)

Etsuka Mita 1/2 of one of the best acts in wrestling history. Has a bunch of great matches on her resume.' Was a good traditional Joshi worker before LCO went into full on brawling maniacs mode starting in 97 and became the legends that they are. Was taller than most other Joshi wrestlers and developed some good stuff emphasizing her height. Not the charisma machine that Shimoda was, but the workhorse. Terry Gordy to Shimoda's Michael Hayes. I haven't exlpored her singles work as much as I have Shimoda's, but it is something I'll do over the next 5 years because just being part of LCO makes you a contender for the list. Etsuka Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Kaoru Ito & Tomoko Watanabe (Rage in a Cage) 09/21/97 AJW Etsuka Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Ayako Hamada & AKINO 12/11/99 ARISON Kaoru Ito & Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi vs Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita & Kumiko Maekawa (Cage Match - AJW - 11/23/00)

There's no way I could make a list without Roddy Piper. Incredible babyface. The Valentine matches are all timers, there's some awesome Portland stuff, and he's fantastic in WWF. I went through a ton of his early 90s WWF run and I was shocked by how entertaining the matches were. Was 83rd in 2016 and I'll be delighted if he makes the overall top 100 again. Someone voted him #3 in 2016. I hope they vote again!

No rush here but requesting a primer. Shes someone I want to take a look at but would be jumping in completely blind. Best matches, peak years etc.

RIcky Morton did it in 1986.

@Quentin that is a fantastic write up and the exact sort of thing I was looking for. Thank you!

Honestly having lived through it at the time, I'd have put Low-Ki ahead of Bryan in 2001. Bryan may have been less likely to do dumb stuff, but he also wasn't the presence yet that Low Ki was. Remembering back to 2001 as a teenager my thought with Bryan was along the lines of "Holy shit, this nerd is awesome." WIth Low Ki it was like "Oh my god this could change everything." Bryan had a higher floor and Ki had a higher ceiling, but they were always best together. That's sort my 20 year old memories on 2000-02 indies. I've revisisted some Low-Ki stuff from that era and it holds up better than I expect so I'm looking forward to revisiting that era of Bryan as well. The 01-02 Bryan stuff I've revisited in recent years is just the famous Low Ki matches and those hold up incredibly well in my view. How do the Spanky matches hold up? Low Ki vs Homicide for example are awesome matches in the early 00s. I guess Spanky would be Bryan's equivalent rival?

Kadaveri recently typo'd his name as "Nicboc Winkel" and if that was actually his name I feel like I'd have him at #1

Oops I didn't hit send when I tried to reply to Kadaveri earlier. Thanks to Jmare for breaking down years where he's not a real candidate! That helps! You sir, are a scholar & a gentlemen. Absolutely no rush whatsoever. We have plenty of time. This is more of what I would expect than him being the runaway #1 every year. And a career like this is certainly admirable, praiseworthy and would definitely put you in the discussion for the GOAT. I guess the next step would be to look at 20 year stretches from other wrestlers and compare it to Bryan. How does Bryan from 2001-present compare to Jumbo from 1972 to 1992. That sort of thing. Surely she was better from 1999-2001 at worst, no? That's another thing I'm interested in. When did Bryan really become the favorite for best in the world. Not a candidate. The favorite. I know everyone loves his 2001 and he's an amazing wrestler in his 3rd year. Incredible. I was watching that stuff in as close to real time as possible and loved it back then. But people are gonna say he's definitively better than Tenryu, Satomura, Satanico, Yuki Ishikawa, Steve Austin, Hijo del Santo, Negro Casas in 2001? In January 2005 would people have predicted Bryan was going to be the best wrestler in the world for 2005, or would they have predicted Samoa Joe? The best comparison I can make is from basketball. Is Bryan a Tim Duncan (perennial All Star & MVP Candidate, always in the mix for best player alive but always has real competition for the throne) or is Bryan a Michael Jordan (Just straight up better than everyone else with no real contenders)? Which years was he in that Jordan mode of just hilariously better than everyone else? What are his Tim Duncan years where he's maybe still the best guy on the planet but its not definitive and there are real arguments for someone else? Sometimes as someone approaching his case from the outside it reads like he's head and shoulders above everyone from his generation for the entire 20 years but then I'll see people talk about Samoa Joe's 04-05 or Cena's 07 or Akiyama's cumulative run, or the modern NJPW or Sasha? Again just want to be clear, I'm not trying to be contrarian, I'm just trying to take Bryan seriously as a #1 candidate and approaching his candidacy as someone who didn't watch the bulk of his career in real time.

I totally agree with this sentiment. We're going to have the exact same struggle with him it sounds like. If we can get like 10 more matches I'd feel better about voting for him.

I voted for Terry FUnk #1 in 2016 and at the launch of the 2026 project, the only thing thats changed is I have him even more firmly positioned at #1. I was honestly surprised that he finished 2nd in 2016 and I'll be glad if he stays in the top 3 (I expect Bryan to leapfrog Terry and be Flair's challenge for #1). There's the old line about how Terry was awesome but didn't have enough top tier matches to be the GOAT and that argument is so far gone for me its comical. I think Terry's list of great matches challenges just about anyone ever and the variety is sure to set him apart. But beyond just great matches there's nothing in wrestling that Terry couldn't or didn't do in and around the ring.

The Wild Bull Curry match is incredible. Stupefyingly great performance from Valentine. I really want to vote for him on limited footage. Hoping more stuff is uncovered over the next 5 years.

You deserve it! Hahaha!

My hope isnt just for the top tier making the top 100. It's the next tier pulling votes too. I'd love it if someone else is going nuts for Takako Inoue or Chikayo Nagashima. I dont expect them to make the final top 100 but itd be awesome to see them challenging for the top 200 or 250. Yoshida needs to be in the top 100 for sure. But anyway, Toyota was an awesome pro wrestler. Those Aja Kong matches everyone loves arent carry jobs they are 2 brilliant wrestlers with incredible chemistry having world class matches. I'll have more to say about her as the project wears on but imagining 90s Joshi without Manami Toyota is a less fun universe.

Honestly I expect to vote for her in the top 50. But I'm still in the poking and prodding asking people questions stages of the project before making the full cases for folks.

With the talk in the Toyota thread about her blowing off selling, I'm wondering how folks feel about the criticism that Aja bumped around too much for smaller opponents given her monster persona.

Much of the generalized talk surrounding Bryan has been "great for 20 years, best in the world for 20 years" or some form of that. I would like to respectfully request at some point over the next 5 years someone go year by year and tell us what Bryan was up to each year and what are the key matches to watch. Additionally, run through the other candidates for best in the world each year and what they did and compare it to Bryan. I know that seems like a big ask, but theres 5 years in the project and as the odds on favorite for this thing, I really dont think its asking too much. Plus he missed those couple of years to injury. He wasnt the best in the world in 2001. So we're already down to 17 years to look at. I'd like to get a sense of how much he was actually the best in the world and who his top competition was each year. I keep hearing Bryan's the best for 20 years but I thought people were really high on mid 00s Kobashi, what about Joe's run, what about Eddys run? I'm sure some folks now might point to a Meiko Satomura year here and there? Dont people think the modern NJPW guys are like the greatest ever? AJ was talked up over Bryan for their careers in 2016. I know the "best for 20 years" is a cumulative point. But I'd like someone to walk us through each individual year to see if he was the best 15 times or 5 times. It could be an interesting exploration. I understand if this comes off as trolling, but I'm genuinely not familiar enough with the modern scene to do a comprehensive year by year breakdown. If I have to do one for the 80s and 90s in return I will