Clayton Jones

It's crazy to go back and watch the CWC match they had and see just how good it is. I agree that Gargano felt undeniable at one point even though I personally was not a fan.

I forgot all about his CC, I've only seen the Ishikawa match, I definitely need to dig deeper there.

Thanks Grimmas! As for filling in gaps, coming from someone who just made a similar post asking about blind spots a month or two back before making the plunge, for me it's been surprisingly easy so far. I made a rough draft of my ballot and then started an under consideration/need to educate myself on list that I'm going to cap at 80 names (I'm at 50 or so currently). Based on the rate I've been watching footage that's what I think will be realistic in 5 years. Then I've been bouncing around from names on one list to the other. So I'll go from a Jaguar Yokota or a La Fiera, both of which I'd only seen a match or two from previously, to a Fujiwara who I have penciled in pretty high or a lower level name on my rough ballot like a Curt Hennig. And I'll run through 3-7 of their matches, something like that. I kind of let the flow of the matches decide for me if I'm ready to move on yet. So at this point I'm essentially casting nets while fine tuning the candidates I think I know pretty well. I intend to revisit everyone multiple times over. This lets me start to fill in the blind spots while not feeling like that's all the project is. As for how I decide what to focus on out of my blind spots, I've found it helpful to focus on names rather than entire areas of education. Through Yokota I'm learning Devil Masami. Through the Destroyer I watched a Rikidozan match for the first time. Etc and so on. Focusing on one individual leads to filling in much more. It's really been a blast so far and a totally novel way to decide what to watch next. I know that's a vague system but it's what's working for me early on. When I get into the thick of the ballot I imagine I'll have to start watching more concentrated chunks of each career that makes the cut, but thankfully I have years of throwing darts until then.

Could someone more familiar with Rush make a case for me one way or another? He looks to be of that caliber when I watch him but I haven't quite seen enough to know if he warrants serious consideration.

Wow, look at the crickets Shingo got last time. Will he be the biggest jump in 2026? Going back through his later Dragon Gate stuff is the only thing that might keep him out of the top half of my ballot. Or maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by some? After scratching my head at NJPW bringing him in as a junior I really couldn't be happier with how they've used him since. His last few years have been his best and there's no reason to think he can't have a few more on that level.

Does Chavo Sr need a nomination? It seems like the link for him in the nominees alphabetically goes directly to Chavito.

He's definitely under consideration for me and one of the names I have down I'm most excited to spend more time on.

Just listen to the CW Anderson episode of Dreamer's podcast if you want to hear some of the fucked up shit Yoshihito Sasaki endured in Zero 1. It's not exclusive to joshi. I think as Grimmas talked about on the launch podcast these are very complicated very human problems and not everyone is going to be able to judge 100% consistently or logically. I think for me I'm just trying to focus on keeping the project as fun as possible while being as thorough as that allows. What that means for me is different than what that means for you and that's fine.

I'll go one further and say it was the best example I've seen of traditional WWE big show tag wrestling in the last decade. Character driven with clear roles and real build and stakes, instead of the escalating nearfall trading for the sake of it that is more common of the tag title scene. Cesaro brings an intensity with him that makes his big singles opportunities almost feel like special attractions. Even though his track record in terms of presentation would leave almost anyone else exposed and neutered. That's in large part because when he gets the opportunity he's one of the most consistent there is. In the little bit I've seen from this year it seems like that track record is finally paying off. And I really can't recommend that UK Takeover Dragunov match highly enough, it's everything Cesaro can and should be. I know a knock against him is he wasn't a complete package until the tail end of his indie run but if anything I give him credit for how significantly he improved every single year. And there's plenty of greatness in there while he grows, the Brodie Lee feud, his awesome rivalry with Morishima, his afformentined match with Danielson, his heel turn where he stomps Danielson's head in with a chair and tosses students around like they're toddlers, his all-time base performances against Quack (including that fantastic tag w/Danielson VS Quack and Jigsaw) and later VS Ricochet in PWG, and that all-time classic title match VS Generico in PWG as well. I'll take it back to that match where he gets his teeth bashed in though. This is the sort of little thing that doesn't mean much to some but means everything to me. In that split second where he is going through excruciating pain and realizing he has a life altering injury, he doesn't panic, or even miss a beat. He turns to the camera that will get the best shot, opens his mouth wide, and sells for the world. That's a great performer. That's a great pro wrestler.

For my money VS Regal, VS Zayn Arrival, VS Bryan (both in ROH and the RAW gauntlet), VS Dragunov, and the 4 way with Miz, Owens and Zayn are all classics regardless of his tag work. In my first round of watching so far his matches with Bryan from this year and the Orton Smackdown match from I think 2014 are among the best stuff I've watched. Top half is a safe bet for me.

To expand I meant late bloomer in the sense that it took until around 2009 for him to put it all together, but with the late start that's totally logical.

I think he was absolutely a late bloomer. The pair of Kenoh GHC matches are some of my favorite puro matches since 2016. He's an interesting candidate, he basically put NOAH back on the map for me, but his tendency to excess can burn me out on him. Likely to make my ballot but a big question mark as to where.

Somewhat related but I somehow missed the New Footage Friday that featured the Santo/Eddie VS Casas/Panther '87 Juarez match. Holy hell what a find that was and what an addition to the already all-time resume of all 4. You guys covered it perfectly too. I know I'm late to the party on that one but it's crazy to see so much great stuff continue to surface, definitely a really cool time to be doing GWE.

And I think the 5/28/2015 Sekimoto tag VS Twin Towers (Sato/Ishikawa) is one of the greatest matches of all-time! Okabayashi being my favorite part. I actually prefer that feud to the Violent Giants matches. I'm surprised I didn't put him on my rough draft, I guess it was the injuries derailing his momentum so often, but he's definitely going to get reevaluated.

Majorly back the Bate Progress match and the PWG tag. WALTER isn't on my rough draft but he's not far off and he has time on his side.

I can't add much that hasn't already been covered here, everyone pretty much nailed the highs and lows of this one. Good at times, the battle of the pinball bumpers was bound to be a bit disjointed but overall this was more coherent than I expected. Hennig was great early with his dismissive condescending act. I loved that one lightspeed neckbreaker Michaels pulls off. I think my main criticism is for a pretty heated and at times wild match Hennig falls into his typical routines a few too many times. And obviously that finish stunk. Still a fun watch.

An under the radar great match from two guys who don't necessarily have the reputation for them. Piper eats Hennig up early to the point it almost hurts the match but man do they transition into one hell of a heel control segment. Hennig's right hand is something I never really noticed until tonight but it was a beauty. His punts to the ribs I do remember and they looked as nasty as ever here. There were some over the top moments as you'd expect with these two and it fits the era. As does the finish which I might not be as high on if it didn't come after an awesome Perfect Plex and tie back in the exposed turnbuckle. I wish I had seen this one as a kid, I'd have been losing my mind.

Not sure how much of this was edited for Prime Time, it's a time limit draw but they don't say what the time limit was. Well we get a little less than 10 minutes of it but that's plenty of time for both of these two and even in this format this is very good. Big momentum shifts, excellent selling from both, great punches from Hennig. Lord Alfred will tell you he's no nansy pansy. I really dig Gorilla with the coffee (presumably with a shot) in the bumpers. When they do turn this one up they run through a lightning fast sequence or two. Not must-see but gives a good idea where both were at at the time.

I loved the first AJ match in WWE but I remember the feud falling off hard after that. When I start up on him that's probably where I'll begin. I also have a soft spot for the Brock feud and remember really liking the 2/3 falls Zayn match. Joe is a lock for my list and likely top half but his placement has a lot of wiggle room.

I think he started moving in that direction about 2 years ago, but most people didn't seem to mind. It's a shame because he has all the talent in the world, but it'll take something remarkable to make me give him another chance.

Awesome! I wish I could remember some of the more notable Black Buffalo stuff off the top of my head. I'll dig through some old notes and see if I can find anything. Also clearly that should have been "flair," not "flare." GWE apparently has my brain all mixed up and we're only on week 1.

For a while I was still stubbornly getting Osaka Pro DVDs in the early 2000s despite most shows being mediocre at best. Black Buffalo was always a highlight of every undercard tag or thankful main event he ended up in. He brought a flare and crispness to his work that was way beyond most of the guys around him. I'm pretty ignorant of his career otherwise but if I can fit him in I'd be very curious to learn more.

Makai Club #1 I agree with your point but the Suwama CC match is 2008 and man is that an all-time performance. That match was a total revelation when I finally got around to it. Tanahashi was very frustrating for a long time though, without the Nagata feud I don't know if he'd ever have become the fully formed Ace of the Universe that can flip so expertly from Big Match Tana to highly vulnerable. But then I'm still getting shocked by even older stuff, like the amazing breakout performance from him and Nakamura VS Suzuki & Kenskay in 2004. He's a fascinating candidate for certain that's not in my top 10 currently but likely has one of the best chances of cracking it.

Honma is amazing at feeling like he's building momentum despite almost never winning and this match might be the prime example. I'll agree with Sleaze that the layout of this is great, 5 minutes all out, 5 minutes to breathe and sell, and a red hot finishing stretch that legitimately felt like it could end any moment. Honma's selling and desperation are so intense here and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't emotionally invested by the end. Man was the crowd as well. I appreciated how Ishii recovered from the near botch. Even stuff like the chop exchanges that I can usually do without were done with a little something extra that impressed me. And when they went back to a strike exchange late it broke down into a desperate flurry instead of a your turn my turn affair. I love watching these two wrestle.

Well I was ignorant of Honma's 2014 injury replacement G1 miracle run but I'm beyond happy to discover it years later. It all starts here against the most daunting of opponents but Honma takes it head on to the delight of the fans as you might expect. They take the simple approach that worked so well in their 2004 match and apply it to a match designed to set the tone for the entire G1 for both men. Tanahashi is clearly the superior but isn't afraid to grind it out either. They build to some great hope spots for Honma and a wonderful little finishing stretch. On its own this isn't essential viewing but in the context of this G1 I'd say it is.