Grimmas

EnviosStupid: An unconventional pick, but someone who I feel deserves a lot more credit than she gets in the ways she defines her character, plays off other wrestlers, and has the ability to elevate any multi-person match she's part of purely because of those aforementioned traits. Someone who has already exceeded expectations given their background, and who has found popularity in every promotion she's worked for. It's fair to say she's limited in terms of what she can do in-ring, but her strengths are clearly found across a multitude of match-types and opponents, to a degree that arguably none of her contemporaries have matched. Give the cutest in the world her flowers. She continues to charm in an era of wrestling that could do with more joy. Recommended Matches: w/ Riho & Shoko Nakajima vs. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 1st December 2018) vs. Aja Kong (TJPW, 3rd May 2019) vs. Hikari Noa (TJPW, 4th January 2020) w/ Mizuki vs. Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 21st September 2020) vs. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 4th January 2021) w/ Chris Brookes & Super Delfin vs. Keigo Nakamura, MAO & Mirai Maiumi (DDT, 14th February 2021) vs. Rika Tatsumi (TJPW, 17th April 2021) w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Mei Saint-Michel & Sakisama (TJPW, 17th June 2021) vs. Mizuki (TJPW, 14th August 2021) w/ Chris Brookes & Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 26th December 2021) w/ Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Kamifuku vs. Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 8th January 2022) w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto (TJPW, 3rd May 2022) vs. Alex Windsor (TJPW, 9th July 2022) vs. Hikari Noa vs. Mizuki vs. Rika Tatsumi vs. Suzume vs. Yuki Kamifuku (TJPW, 4th January 2023) w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 31st March 2023) vs. Rina Yamashita (GCW, 17th June 2023) w/ Aramis & Evil Uno vs. Latigo, Masha Slamovich & Peter Avalon (PWG, 13th August 2023) vs. Jun Kasai (GCW, 9th April 2025) vs. Kikyo Furusawa (STARDOM, 6th March 2026)

Matt D : One of the best, most workmanlike bad guys in the French Catch footage. We have around 25 matches with him spanning the 50s to the 70s, both singles and his odd couple pairing with Cheri Bibi. He's not an over the top character like Duranton or Bollet/Delaporte and he's not as stylized as guys like Peruano, but he's just incredibly solid in his role. He could stooge, lean on someone, feed, be serious or comedic, give and take. Just a great jerk. Matches: Cheri Bibi/Pierre Bernaert vs. Ami Sola/Jo Labat 9/6/59 (SC review: https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/09/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-bibi.html) Pierre Bernaert vs. Laurent Dauthuille 6/26/57 (SC review: https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/04/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-andre-rapp.html) Billy Catanzaro/Pierre Bernaert vs. Mr. Montreal/Vasilios Mantopolous 6/5/72 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2022/05/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-catanzaro.html

Jetlag: Cool worker whose elusive career I am just starting to discover. He has a unique vibe, like he is more inspired by 90s NJPW than the typical Kings Road stuff, building his matches around a handful of signatures and making basic things like a stomp look meaningful, and oozing aura. I care more about his jumping enzuigiris than I can say for another post-2000s worker. He also has an array of cool unique submissions. He was on top of JWA Tokai for a really long time and from what I can tell he's done an honorable job carrying the main events against a variety of opponents ranging from the respectable to the completely sleazy. It's regrettable he rarely dipped outside that scene though when he did it was usually good. The 60 minute match he had with Hakaru is really special. As far as I can tell he also had unique talent in his early days before he developed the Oga Nozaki persona, focussing on a more basic but highly efficient and memorable approach to pro wrestling, getting more mileage out of something like a side headlock than most wrestlers. Recommended Matches: vs Hakaru, Jishindan 3/8/2015 w Hiroshi Toyoda vs Cosmo Soldier & Hakaru, KAGEKI 7/20/2014 w Hiroshi Toyoda vs Cosmo Soldier & Chojin Yusha G Valion, JWA Tokai 6/18/2017

Jetlag: Previously I would've thought Ran Yu Yu never quite fulfilled her potential. But now? Fuck that, Ran Yu Yu fucking rules. Considering what she had to work with, she has so many hits under her belt it's honestly kind of staggering. Watching her is pretty much a guarantee to come across some hidden gems, whether in GAEA, JWP or anywhere else. While her career seemingly dipped a bit after her prime from around 1999-2005, she's still good-really good-great up to her final matches around 2012. Awesome wrestler with really stylish, graceful offense, has a knack for making basic things like an elbow feel epic, in a lot of great matches that she played no small role in. Absolutely one of my favourite women wrestlers ever and someone who deserves a deep dive. And now with GAEAism making so much of her stuff available and other previously more obscure things like JWP footage seeping out it's a good time as any. Recommended matches: vs Command Bolshoi, JWP 3/3/2006 vs Meiko Satomura, GAEA 9/15/2003 vs. Misae Genki, JWP 12/9/2001

rhutton: Hana is often remembered (and sometimes exploited) for her tragic death, but I think it's worth celebrating what a natural and charismatic wrestler she was. Her Oedo Tai tag team with Kagetsu was one of the highlights of 2010s STARDOM. Her hard-hitting feud with Giulia pre-COVID also helped establish the style that would lead STARDOM to big success in the following decade, and I have no doubt she would have been a huge star in modern wrestling. Matches: vs. Giulia - STARDOM, 12/24/2019 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS4iJiDkTjs w/Kagetsu vs. HZK & Momo Watanabe, 01/05/2018 vs. ASUKA - 09/02/2018 vs. Kagetsu - 09/10/2017

alt: Albert Camus wrote, "There is but one true philosophical problem, and that is (TNA wrestler) Suicide." This is a selection I want to put in as representative of the late 2000's TNA X-Division. Kazarian has a long career where he is second fiddle to Christopher Daniels and not many stand out performances until he becomes the Suicide gimmick. I'm sure plenty of people who grew up around this time are fond of this character as well. The Bound For Glory 2009 Ultimate X was one of the first matches I ever viewed on YouTube. Kazarian has spoken publicly about despising everything about this run. Everything about his presentation is absolutely silly and ridiculous. Many of his matches involve wandering aimlessly, doing the gun-pointed-to-head taunt, and then a funny reckless spot. He is 2009 personified, you watch Suicide and an Affliction shirt and Monster Energy appear on your person. His X-Division power level is so high at one point the entire division is against this masked man who has seemingly solved the style. I have watched others attempt the Suicide gimmick but Kazarian is easily the best one and is a decent candidate for a lower-half of the list childhood nostalgia pick. Also, FWIW maybe my favorite wrestler to watch in a group. vs. D'Angelo Dinero, Falls Count Anywhere (TNA No Surrender 09.20.2009) vs. Daniels, (TNA Sacrifice 05.24.2009) (43:00 into video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxftOsEzv6M vs. The Amazing Red, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Daniels, Homicide, Ultimate X Match, (TNA Bound for Glory 10.18.2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqpEbdDjd8

SegundaCuerda: I've seen a lot of deathmatch, really crazy spots and gnarly moments but there's no wrestler that frightens me more than the things this guy does in the ring, of in his backyard, whatever, these russian deathmatch stuff are freaking nuts and I think deserves a nomination vs “Die Young” Sanchez, Slavic Hospital Death Brawl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Vy_hQe6Mc vs The Moth, Soviet Tubes Deathmatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpgeuopWcBE w/Alexey Khytrikh vs The Moth & Lankharn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGZ4tgD_gs

SegundaCuerda: My favourite comedy wrestler ever but also a really amazing worker when had to work serious matches. It's fascinating to me that his comedy is very laughable even if I don't understand one single word in Japanese, and that humorus style makes his serious matches to feel epic and special. Matches: vs Dick Togo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRml6LaLut0 vs Danshoku Dino https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLo-SzR5_y0 vs Shuji Ishikawa https://youtu.be/EUUAmTCQHrE?t=3833

I feel silly not nominating Daizee myself. One of the best mat wrestlers and an amazing babyface on the indies, who also turned out to be a great heel too. She has a chance of getting on my ballot.

SegundaCuerda: I'm a little bit surprised to see Lacey nominated and not Daizee, as I find them similar in talent and cataloge of matches. Very smart worker, great grappling and the perfect oponent for the top women of SHIMMER. Also really liked her work in ROH in the Embassy and her matches there in a more exhibition/TV format. Matches: vs Lacey SHIMMER Vol. 1 w/Amazing Kong vs Lacey & Sara Del Rey, ROH Man Up 2007 vs Sara Del Rey 2 out of 3 falls 8/5/07 CHIKARA vs Ayumi Kurihara SHIMMER Vol. 32

rhutton: Shoko is another pillar of TJPW who was one of the company’s focal points in the 2010s and helped to build it into a major joshi promotion. As a wrestler, Nakajima represents the combination of humour and serious wrestling ability that defines Tokyo Joshi. She’s equally at home in the annual Wacky Races-type match against Hyper Misao and a fluid technical battle with Miu Watanabe. Shoko has also had success wrestling overseas in promotions like DPW, MLW and CMLL. Matches: vs. Yuu – TJPW Jan. 4, 2017 vs. Miu Watanabe – TJPW May 5, 2024 w/Hyper Misao vs. Miu Watananbe & Rika Tatsumi – TJPW July 21, 2025 vs. Alex Windsor – EVE Apr. 23, 2022

rhutton: Miyu was the standard-bearer for Tokyo Joshi Pro throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, helping it grow from a DDT side project into one of the biggest modern joshi companies. She’s a great worker, best known for her stiff kicks but also with a great sense of timing and presence. She did a lot to build up talent like Miu Watanabe, Mizuki, and Maki Itoh, both in the ring and out of it. Yamashita has also toured around the indies in both the US and Europe and had appearances in AEW, ROH, TNA and MLW. Matches: vs. Maki Itoh – TJPW, Oct. 9 2020 vs. Yuka Sakazaki – TJPW, Jan. 4 2023 vs. Miu Watanabe – TJPW, Aug. 13 2022 vs. Mizuki Takase – DPW, June 5 2022 vs. Athena – ROH, Apr. 5 2023

Matt D : Another one of the "baseline" French Catch babyfaces to me, but Mercier's stuff tended to be a little more technical, a little grittier, a little harder hitting. He had some wonderful takedowns (a fake out spin before a leg-pick or a rolling one), a bridging headcissors takeover, and lots and lots of hard shots. He could work from underneath against a bad guy or foreign menace and have a straight up technical war against another babyface. He was excellent portraying a sense of very believable (and undeniable really) exhaustion. A real anchor of the French Catch footage. reviews: Guy Mercier vs Allen Le Foudre 1/24/70 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/06/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-delaporte.html Guy Mercier vs. Mr. Montreal 8/27/83 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2023/01/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-bordes.html Peter Kayser vs Guy Mercier 8/22/70 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2022/01/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-rene-ben.html

Matt D : One of the greatest Spanish lightweight wrestlers. We have less footage than I'd like as him as himself, but enough to really stand out. You can just tell how good he is. What puts him over the top for me is that we have him in a number of matches as Kamikaze as well. In those matches he changes his look and style completely, subsuming himself in his character and channeling those skills to different ends. Probably hard to place but worth a try. reviews Modesto Aledo vs. Teddy Boy 10/13/60 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/07/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-leduc.html Modesto Aledo vs. Bob Remy 7/29/67 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2021/09/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-gastel.html Rene Ben Chemoul/Walter Bordes vs. Kamikaze 1 and 2 12/26/68 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2021/11/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-boucard.html

Matt D : One of the top babyfaces in 50s-60s French Catch. We have almost twenty matches of his, tags, singles, face vs face, face vs heel. Excellent chain wrestling. Great at working from underneath. And one of the best of the style at hitting hard as things are boiling over and heading towards a draw or a finish. In some ways he's the baseline, but being the base line for French Catch in these decades is no small thing. reviews: Jacky Corn/Guy Mercier vs. Ted Lamarre/Jo Marsalo ?/?/70 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2021/12/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-batman-inca.html Jacky Corn vs. Cheri Bibi 12/14/62 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2021/03/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-corn-bibi.html George Gueret/Teddy Boy vs. Michel Chaisne/Jacky Corn 7/30/56 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2021/06/tuesday-is-french-catch-gueret-teddy.html

Matt D : Incredible comedy worker and foil to Rusher Kimura. Able to change up his act from match to match while still playing the hits. Has a long career in other roles as well but I find him to be one of the best comedy workers of all time when it comes to timing, crowd interaction, avoiding and then getting comeuppance. Has a trademark "spit spot" which had Japanese fans acting like they were at a Gallagher show. reviews: Giant Baba/Rusher Kimura/Akira Taue vs. Harkua Eigen/Motoshi Okuma/Masa Fuchi AJPW 10/27/90 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/12/found-footage-friday-tajiri-hhh-baba.html Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuo Momota/Rusher Kimura vs. Haruka Eigen/Isamu Teranishi/Motoshi Okuma AJPW 10/20/89 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/04/found-footage-friday-eigen-six-man-park.html Masanobu Fuchi/Mighty Inoue vs. Haruka Eigen/Motoshi Okuma AJPW 8/30/88 http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/01/found-footage-friday-fuchi-inoue-eigen.html

Jetlag: Somewhat legendary obscure figure from the Japanese 'amateur-pro wrestling' scene. As far as I can tell a super talented shoot stylist who was consistently a big highlight in that scene with his unrelenting submissions and brutal strikes with a few outstanding matches under his belt. His wider career is a bit of a mystery as he have almost nothing from him in other places like JWA Kansai or even Osaka Pro, though I'd love for more of that stuff to be uncovered somehow. Recommended Matches: vs Tadanobu Fujisawa, K-WEST 2/18/2010 w Fumitake Nakano vs Buffalo Sakata & Yoshiyuki Watanabe, JWA Tokai 8/29/1993 vs Takaku Fuke, JWA Tokai 1/18/2009

Jetlag: The former ace of the JWA Tokai scene from 25 years ago recently came back in his old age. Very athletic guy who can still go hard. Clearly he's a worshipper of Mitsuharu Misawa with those hard elbows he likes to throw and sometimes downright imitating finishes from famous Misawa matches but I think the way he puts everything together is pretty unique and makes him standout on his own. Clearly a super gifted wrestler who can go like no tomorrow and strikes me as one of the better wrestlers in Japan during his prime. Recommended Matches: w Yuta Oya vs Ali Najima & Masanori Watanabe, Sportiva 20/22/2025 vs Super Taira, Sportiva 3/6/2024 vs Konaka, Sportiva 6/5/2024

Jetlag: Great, great wrestler as he's basically the Bobby Eaton of the Japanese indy scene all while working an insane gimmick. It's honestly crazy how good he is as I've seen him do multiple styles and roles, from sympathetic Rey Mysterio-like underdog face with unique spots, to working as a sleazy rudo, to hitting the mat in a lengthy grappling clinic, to garbage brawling, to working a psycho bumpfest in a sportsbar. And he does all that while being himself, and all that for well over 20 years now, and the man doesn't seem to slow down. Throw him in the ring with someone half-trained on a tiny show in a basement somewhere and he'll still give you a memorable match. If that's not the sign of an amazing wrestler I don't know what is, but he does have his share of genuinely great matches too. I love his signature spots but the fact he has great substance really makes him great. Recommended matches: vs Masa Takanashi, Choco Pro 1/22/2022 vs Samas, Hot Shushu 5/6/2024 vs Kiku, Ice Ribbon 5/6/2023

Jetlag: Incredibly unique wrestler who is both a mat genius but also a worshipper of old school match psychology and an immediate standout with his ghoulish appearance and eccentric style. It says enough that he came from the amateur-scene but became one of the most outstanding and most booked wrestlers on the japanese indy scene. Totally capable wrestler who always makes things interesting just by being who he is, and he's in a number of great matches both going at it with technical wrestling masters but also carrying lesser wrestlers. He does his comedy side personas and there's also the fact we don't have many of greatest matches due to Ustream blowing up (I am still praying for a copy of his ironman match with Yasushi Sato to show up somehow). Still Konaka is one of those guys who make me immensely happy to be a wrestling fan. Recommended matches: vs Sae, Sportiva 5/11/2022 vs Taro Yamada, Sportiva 7/5/2015 vs Yasushi Sato, Sportiva 7/21/2018

Jetlag: Big fan of Taira who is a really cool stylish indy wrestler that blends shootstyle with lucharesu. Footage of him is hard to come by but pretty much whenever he shows up he's a highlight with his unique approach and not afraid to go insanely hard even in obscure settings like KAGEKI or JWA Tokai. Since he became a regular Sportiva appearance he's looked consistently great while also showing up for free on the internet. I'm also really fond of his match series with Yasushi Sato. He's been around all the way since 1992, and he's definitely someone to look out for because from what I can tell he's always great. Recommended matches: vs Yasushi Sato, JWA Tokai 6/18/2017 vs Kenta Kosugi, Sportiva 10/30/2024 w Cosmo Soldier vs Koji Niizumi & Kitai Kubo, KAGEKI 2/27/2011

Jetlag: Incredibly talented guy whose career was unfortunately cut very short by his tragic passing. That said, Fukuda was quite great pretty much from the get go, and he stood out in a big way with his gangly physique and unique style. I would say he kinda wrestled like Tamon Honda before Tamon Honda wrestled like Tamon Honda, just a unique grappler with a knack for cool submissions and nifty suplexes, and not afraid to scrap hard. Apparently his background was sumo and he was even in the RINGS dojo for a bit. Lots of little gem performance from him working WYF, MUGA or NJPW, with the WYF vs Buko Dojo feud being an obvious standout as well as pushing Liger to the limit or having a mat classic with Osamu Nishimura. Really wish I could find footage of his sole appearance in Germany which sounds fantastic too. Recommendations: vs Osamu Nishimura, NJPW/MUGA 5/15/1998 w KAMIKAZE vs Yoshikazu Taru & Takashi Okamura, WYF 4/29/1997 vs Kazuhiko Shoda, NJPW7MUGA 12/8/1998

NotJayTabb: The weird passing of time makes me still think of him as a newcomer, but he's been having great matches for a decade now, he's definitely someone who merits consideration. A great tag team wrestler with a number of partners (American Alpha, Alpha Academy, the parings with Shelton and Bobby Roode), someone who can play goofy heel, intense heel, underdog babyface and work a good match in all those circumstances. The Shorty G run was crap, but Gable was still putting in some good work, he's got quite the catalogue of good matches at this point Matches: American Alpha vs The Revival (NXT Takeover Dallas 2016) vs Jack Gallagher (205 Live July 2019) vs Gunther (WWE Raw 4/9/2023)

Get your nominees in before the weekend!

Io able to put on such classics in the WWE and do a yearly travel to Japan to have a classic really helps her. She's an easy show in for my list.