El-P

I'm not sure I can think of a whole lot that are better (Last year's G1 ? Fuck, Ishii was like all-time great performances ever every time). He's just that great to me. One of the guys that made me reconsider a lot of stuff that I thought I knew in the last few years and made my tastes evolve. But hey, I know I'm probably be the high vote on many, many current (last 10-15, counting from 2026) workers.

One paradoxal thing that will play against most current workers (apart from the WWE guys because it's being watched by default by most) is that there is actually too much footage. For instance there are so many great, great Tomohiro Ishii matches in the last ten years that it makes it just daunting to ever get into this guy's case. Only watching the last 4 or 5 G1 Climax, this guy should be in everyone's Top 20 already or something. But since he doesn't belong into the old "canon" because he's a current talent and since there's "too much" stuff, all that will play against him in the end I believe. Whereas anyone can watch the handful of Lou Thesz matches available and go "Yeah, he was awesome".

Fujita was a terrible worker who's stuff looked awful. He was also sloppy as fuck and pretty dangerous. That's from memory, maybe I'd watch some of the stuff now and enjoy it, but back then, the Fujita stuff was painfull to watch, especially at that time when shoot-style was basically a dying thing (Takada not going back to pro-wrestling and kickstarting the super hot Pride, which some considers as shoot pro-wrestling of sort, really was the last nail in the coffin along with RINGS turning into more and more of a legit shoot promotion). Inoki's MMA fetish definitely hurt NJPW for a long time. It's interesting that Tanahashi basically rebuilt NJPW from an ideological standpoint that was totally opposite, as he went back to the style of the 90's and the Musketeers, Mutoh (who said "Fuck that shit" and went over AJ for this very reason, the smart guy that he was) being his most obvious influence.

Airplane spin into a double bump over the tope rope to the floor. Ahhhhh, when pro-wrestling was "believable". Damn Lou, ya bumping fool. Looked much better than the 60 minute draw, as Rikidozan really isn't someone that can go that long without the match getting repetitive and kinda dull. Thesz is so great though.

As always, totally fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing this ! Love the stories about sumo politics and aesthetics.

Come on, that is never done, this is such a fresh angle. Also, NINE STRAIGHT NIGHTS of WWE events. Not overkill at all. I don't see how even the most hardcore fans would not get burned out. Looking at the line ups, it's "interesting" that not one year after the SpeakingOut movement, both Matt Riddle and Jordan Devlin are being featured during the big Mania week events. I guess cancel culture really isn't a thing after all... From someone who doesn't follow the product apart from afar and the occasional video clip, the matches I'd be interested in on paper would be Karrion Kross vs Finn Balor (for no other reason that I enjoyed Kross in LU and IMPACT, so I guess his coronation could be fun to watch for me), Banks vs BeLair (wait, weren't they also tag partner who hated each others ?), ASUKA vs Ripley, Fiend vs Orton (because it has the potential to be so godawful it's good) and Reigns vs Edge vs Bryan. So maybe if I'm bored (and brave) enough, I may watch some of it live if I find me some Russian stream like I did for the Rumble... But I mean, the only show I'm looking forward to this week is Bloodsport 6, really.

You can feel the excitement for Mania week in this very thread...

97. The end of times. I blame the Sasaki push..

To me that was less an issue than the fact once is back was thrashed in 90 (or late 89), he wasn't the same anymore. To me he's almost at Yatsu level of going from out of this world great to "good" at best in a few months. Unlike Yatsu he had flashes in the right context (like you said, the WAR feud, mostly thanks to Tenryu), but damn, Fuji post-90 was nothing like Fuji pre-90 to me. A true and true 80's peak guy.

Thesz kicking out at 1 on a freaking bodyslam during the stretch to the finish. This kind of bullshit is what is killing the business. Likewise Rikidozan kicking out of a fucking backdrop driver early on. These guys don't know how to work. Plus Thesz takes all these ridiculous bumps, looks totally fake. Pro-wrestling was great before the war, but Thesz is making a fool out of the NWA belt with matches like this or the stuff with Carpentier. Ridiculous stuff.

I'm watching way more stuff that I mostly like a lot these days. But yeah, 9 years of TNA, uh ! It took me some time to get Choshu. I had my reasons. Then it clicked and I became a big fan. Misawa, not exactly the same, but he's obviously not a guy that would totally click from the very first time either to someone accustomed to US wrestling (Choshu neither BTW). Fujinami is a great fucking worker, that's who he is. Well, that is, until he gets hurt in about 90 and then he's a former great fucking worker who's had many flashes of greatness in an ocean of dull matches for decades. As far as being more a fan of "por-wrestling matches" than pro-wrestling, to me it goes down to the fact that pro-wrestling is 90% pro-wrestling matches. Which is why back in the days, you'd buy some tapes with some so-called great matches from guys you haven't seen before from these promotions that you don't know anything about, totally out of context. And most of the time, you'd get blown away. So yeah. Although I do contradict myself when I say I enjoy watching IMPACT despite the fact I know there are much better workers and matches in WWE, because one is fun to watch to me as a pro-wrestling TV show and the other is not. so, there...

*facepalm* Also, Tama & Tanga in two separates singles matches. NO. This is such a waste of both ZSJ and Taichii, who has grown so much in the last two years. White vs Tanahashi should be terrific though.

There's no way I'm not starting to watch some old French stuff without beginning with this match, because when I became a fan Carpentier was often talking about Duranton (especially when Rick Rude was around), so this is kind of the match-up I was always hearing about watching WWF TV. Two things struck me about good old Eddie, I knew he was a gymnast and I knew of his token flying spots, but damn did he work stiff too ! He really beat the shit out of Duranton there. The other one is that, well, apparently he did not like to sell very much. He's super impressive on offense, but he gave Duranton nearly nothing and looked stiff selling (for the very short while he did). Duranton was pretty funny, especially vocal spots as told by Roger Couderc, who's just a great pro-wrestling announcer (who knew jackshit about it, he was a rugby specialist like you'd figure hearing his accent, but was so smooth and so funny with his one-liners and ridiculously partial announcing that he became the iconic catch announcer of the era). Best one, when the ref tells him "Duranton, break the hold", Bobby acts totally appalled and almost shocked and replies "MISTER Duranton, break the hold !". So yeah, fun stuff, but Carpentier really ate him alive, Bruiser Brody style. I mean, not selling was also a way to become a big star, as obviously he was.

Misawa and the crew leaving AJPW with almost nothing to work with, Inoki gaining power again in NJPW and pushing his atrocious MMA fetish, which killed Hashimoto and got him to leave, putting the titles on godawful guys like Fujita & Yasuda, fucking Nagata up by having him do MMA fights, all leading up to a revived Mutoh also leaving for good and taking over AJPW eventually. The early 00's were a complete mess and apart from NOAH becoming the new reference for all things Japanese pro-wrestling, including junior division (with Marufuji and KENTA changing the entire game from within, their influence is still evident to this day), things looked really bleak (not to mention the FMW road to hell, joshi puroresu having dissolved in a myriad of smaller promotions).

For sure, Bart Gunn wasn't going anywhere in WWF, at this time or another, whereas Mike Barton got a nice few years in both AJPW and NJPW in a time where Japan's wrestling was going into a crisis.

Doesn't surprise me in the least because of the whole "call to nature" fallacy that is always dangerously looming every time I hear "Go vegan" arguments. (I don't think there's anything wrong about being vegan either BTW, more power to them)

Loved the match, another MOTYC in Ospreay & Ibushi's wallet, loved the result, that's a holy shit moment if there ever was one. Marked out for that finish.The post-match was indeed crazy stuff. Takagi again ? Then Okada. That's about a hundred step up from last's year bullshit. The junior tag team match was very good too, but watching this, the one thing that struck me was that Kanemaru was easily the best worker of the four. Talk about a guy who's been consistently very good for more than 20 years now, with a peak early in NOAH. Totally overlooked because of his lack of charisma, but that guy has been good forever (yeah, that damn GWE poll mentality creeps everywhere already). Also, Mox vs Nagata ? Cool. Nagata is one of my favorite veteran workers.

He probably had John Morrisson/Mundo/Impact best single match ever in 2018 and was terrific during that IMPACT stint. Well of course he did got up and no-sold the finish because he's an unprofessional asshole, although Johnny's facial reaction was so hilarious it was almost worth it ! But his work at that time, as good as anything you'll see anywhere. Again, this is neither here nor there, but Aries was not far behind Styles, Danielson or Joe during his peak. Great, great pro-wrestler. He's apparently going "insane", since for so long his Twitter stuff was about veganism and animal rights. But I mean, he always had the rep of being an asshole, and anti-vax and such don't need concussions to say really stupid shit.

Tamina complaining about anything is kinda ironic considering the "talent" she has displayed over the years. The fact she's still employed is an anomaly in itself. Feels like some odd guilt trip/morbid fidelity from Vince toward her father, who has killed a woman and got a big-ass tribute when he finally died, never having been punished for his crime. I mean, I know I'm stretching things, but why would she be employed if not because "she's family" ? She's not as bad as Nia though (but who is ? Not many), so there's that.

No. Austin Aries was a great, great wrestler. Like, legit awesome worker. Not just technically, but at pretty much every aspect of it. Great bumper, could sell super well as a babyface fighting from underneath, great heel, terrific looking offense, great explosiveness, a terrific sens of timing and pacing, could make anyone look better than they were, plus he was a really good promo too. The fact is an idiot asshole and was unprofessional at times doesn't change that fact, I'm not even sure there have been a dozen guys better than him in the last 20 years in the US. He's been going on a total downward spiral for a while, it's pretty embarrassing yes, and I doubt anyone will touch him anymore. Waste of a terrific talent.

Oh, you think ? ... Funny story about "You wouldn't tell that to Brock Lesnar" is how Marc Mero tells the story of him finding out who Rena was dating. He goes like "I"m gonna kick that guy's ass ! Then I find out it's Brock and I'm like, Hey, you guys got my blessing !"

Sure, but I honestly don't see them going back on that point. Plus, back then Stephy had not invented feminism and female sports yet. Ace really feels like a comfortable hire so that naive workers go "But Vince loved me" when they get fired.

Meltz actually made the same critic, in that with all those factions you end up with too many people on the show and you really dilute the focus on getting a few key people over. I hear way worse (and misplaced) criticism on this board every week.

You wouldn't call Kip Sabian a geek IRL. Because Penelope would kick your ass.

The other way around. Non-politician, not giving a fuck answer reflects better on him (and anyone else, really, but maybe it's because I'm " Fuck off" guy IRL). He doesn't owe anything to anyone. And why would he want to work for the benefit of WWE if the relationship ended up poorly (which is obviously the case) ? I know passing judgment on people we don't actually know is the thing on Internet, but really if Arn isn't interested, why the hell would he answer anything other than "Not interested" ? What's so great about appearing in a revisionist WWE documentary anyway ? Not everyone is thinking politics (Jericho obviously does and it has worked wonders for his career).