Tim Cooke

What Destroyer matches are you guys watching? The 1969 Baba match (compare this to the 67 Bruno match with Baba-no doubt which one is the classic), 10/73 and 7/74 Mascaras matches, and the 12/63 Rikidoen matches are the best Japan matches I've watched from those respective years. Footage hurts him a little, but the recent new uploads of the 1977-1978 Mascras matches show his fall off didn't happen as soon as some thought.

He has the 4/1/90 FMW tag in KH and he was a key part of the 6/30/90 New Japan 10 man, both of which are great but there's just not that much else on TV and/or the other matches aren't blow away great.

He has a few great singles matches which are as good as anyone from the modern era (2010-present) but that's probably not enough for the list in 2016. Maybe five years down the line.....

His RINGS shoots with Frank Shamrock (9/97), Big Nog (8/00), the DEEP fight against Lil Nog (9/02) are all against three excellent opponents with Kosaka coming out as being able to hold his own against potentially three MMA HOF guys.

Doesn't make the list as he was middle of the pack in UWFI though if he worked more with Tamura or went to RINGS, it may be a different story

Like Sakuraba, a better shooter than worker but he may find a spot in the 90's on my list

If Arn had a singles match as good as Tully/Garvin (5/3/86 WWW) he would be an easy pick for my top 20. But without that outstanding singles match, I can't justify a top 20 finish.

Salvaje will have some really strong trios and tag performances as you get to 1996-1998 but he was slotted lower than Emilio Charles Jr. (who is really only available in trios matches for his standout performances) for most of his career so not many standout singles matches.

Thanks for doing this. Curated playlists are clearly the future of music and video.

Snowman vs. Jerry Lawler 6/2/90 USWA Rey vs. Noble 5/1/04 Velocity Basham vs. Jindrak 3/26/05 Velocity Arn/Tully vs. Luger/Windham 3/27/88 Dandy vs. Rey 11/29/97 WCWSN Eddy vs. Rey 12/27/97 WCWSN Juventud vs. Dandy 1/10/98 WCWSN Rey vs. Kidman 3/15/99 Nitro Wataru Sakata vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 7/20/98 RINGS I think the 12/15/97 Juventud/Rey vs. Parka/Psicosis from 12/15/97 Nitro is under 10 but not completely sure.

Why is there a separate thread for WON ballots when there is a good thread going right here?

Yatsu vs. Tenyru from the 7 singles match series on 3/13/86 is a clusterfuck mixed with moments of brilliance. But his lack of good to great singles matches definitely hurts him but man was he a great tag guy throughout the entire Choshu's Army vs. All Japan tag series.

The podcast Paul was listening to held influence against Tamura, which doesn't make sense to me since he was arguably the best there ever was in the worked shoot match (from a working standpoint - drawing is a different story). The idea that influence is keeping some from voting for him is strange. No doubt that it was Sakuraba that lead directly to the MMA boom in Japan (Takada helped, but PRIDE doesn't take the leap forward until Saku vs Gracies is in full swing), but RINGS was essentially the minor league feeder system. The first two Pride HW champions won their respective RINGS Mega Battle Tournaments the year before they went on to become champions in Pride.

3/17/00 Atlantis vs. Villano III (CMLL) 4/9/00 Santo vs. Blue Panther (Monterrey) 05/28/00 Santo vs. Blue Panther (Monterrey) 10/8/00 Dandy/Shocker/Panther/Zumbido vs. Tarzan Boy/Casas/Antifaz del Norte/La Parka (Monterrrey) 11/08/01 El Dandy vs. Negro Navarro (IWRG) 12/23/01 Santo vs. LA Park (Monterrey) 03/14/02 El Dandy/Ultimo Vampiro/El Fantasma v Negro Navarro/El Pantera/Bomber Infernal (IWRG) 04/04/02 - El Dandy/Ultimo Vampiro v Negro Navarro/El Pantera (IWRG) 04/13/02 – Shocker vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. (CMLL) · Body part selling – worked more New Japan style than CMLL but still interesting July 2003 – Rocky Romero/Bobby Quance/TJ Perkins vs. Virus/Volador Jr./Ricky Marvin · Not the Anniversary show trios. Really good spot fest 04/18/04 – Ultimo Guerrero vs. LA PARK (CMLL Guadalajara) 05/30/04 – Super Porky vs. Asenino Negro (CMLL Guadalajara) 08/13/04 – Santo vs. Perro Jr. (CMLL) · Trios matches before and after this match with these guys are well worth seeking out 12/11/04 – Rocky Romero vs. Virus (CMLL) · Interesting match. Should be watched with the 7/24/04 Romero vs. Chad Collyer match from ROH for an interesting look at what Romero could do in 2004 12/16/04 – Perro Jr. vs. Universo 2000 (CMLL) 2/25/05 – Mistico vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL) 10/14/05 – Pierroth & Dinamitas. vs. Perro Jr & Co (CMLL)

Tamura’s legit skills were good but he suffered from the same thing that eventually did Sakuraba in – no weight classes in Japan. He was fighting guys like Gilbert Yvel and Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, who were 25-40 lbs heavier than he was. We never got to see the true level of Tamura, which is a shame. We got to see it with Sakuraba and the impressive thing was even against a guy like Mirko CroCop (legit HW vs. LW), he held his own and then some. It also didn’t help that even with a somewhat reduced schedule, Tamura having to do works and mix in some shoots in 1999 until they went all shoot by late ’99. You don’t see any MMA guys doing pro wrestling regularly while training for a legit fight. Tamura going to a draw with Frank Shamrock in April ’99 speaks to the argument of “what if he had just done shoots in a proper weight class - how good would he have been?” By the time he entered Pride, he was shot. Tamura/Sakuraba in a full on work or shoot in their primes, is a dream match that will forever be left on the table, along with Rickson Gracie vs. Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock vs. Sakuraba.

Stompers 2015 Lucha recommendations http://www.crossarmbreaker.com/2015-lucha-ongoing-lucha-match-recommendation-list/

5/11/85 vs Rock n Roll Express is their best match, with mid 80's AJW heat.

CMLL guys were booked more than AAA guys in the early 2000's.. When Gary Juster was running his shows in 2004, he used a bunch of CMLL wrestlers at his shows in North Carolina and Atlanta. Gabe Sapolsky's reluctance towards Lucha probably kept more CMLL guys from getting some bookings in ROH. Ultimo Guerrrero, Rey Bucanero, Shocker, etc. would have been great fits in 2003 ROH style. Quackenbush used indy guys like Skyde and when they brought Navarro in for the 2009 Delaware Lucha show, Navarro was apparently uncooperative and pissed Quackenbush off.

Seems like way too many people votes. Ben Miller has had one since 2001 - that should tell you all you need to know.

Are there broken links for some matches? Clicking on Fantastics vs. Dundee/Mantel brings you to a six man with Fantastics/Duggan vs. MX/someone else? A couple of Gino Hernandez links just don't bring you anywhere.

Got ya. Just watched. Really good match. Houston had some great crowds

So is this a new match or is it from the DVDVR set?

Anthony Henry vs. Jimmy Rave had a super slick small package (going to gif it tonight), a great bail out by Rave that lead to a lower rope tope (for lack of a better description - think Austin Aries). Also liked how they constructed the opening, though execution wasn't always in sync. Nice match, around *** for me.

Heat was good but wasn't at the level of those matches listed above. Loved the match, that was really my only minor criticism and that came from going into the match with the hype of all time great heat

MX vs. Fantastics new match is the best the Eaton/Condrey team had with Fantastics. The other 4-5 Mid South matches and 4-5 World Class matches don't put it all together like this one does. Big run through of all the usual spots that both of these teams bring to their matches, and good heat down the stretch. Only disappointment was expecting nuclear level heat but this couldn't upend the 5/11/85 RnR vs. DWB or 3/27/88 Clash I tags.