Matt D

But there are countless more styles in music than there are wrestling. What is the wrestling equivalent of dubstep? It's hard to draw a parallel. Young Bucks matches.

I'm crashing before the main but this has been a pretty fun night of lucha at Puebla. Nothing amazing or anything but a lot of fun stuff. Solid lightning match with Dalys looking good. I really kind of love de facto babyface Peste Negra with Cavernario. Zacarias is so endearing. Plus there have been so many challenges. They almost have to do something next week. Even CMLL has to. I'm hoping for Cavernario vs Terrible since they matched up really well here.

I still owe a reply here. I'll get it soon. Promise.

1 Nick Bockwinkel 2 Negro Casas 3 Buddy Rose 4 Terry Funk 5 El Satanico 6 Jerry Lawler 7 Jim Breaks 8 Ric Flair 9 Andre the Giant 10 Virus 11 Arn Anderson 12 William Regal 13 Bobby Eaton 14 Rey Miysterio, Jr. 15 Ricky Morton 16 Hijo Del Santo 17 Barry Windham 18 Ricky Steamboat 19 Dustin Rhodes 20 Bret Hart 21 Eddie Guerrero 22 Steve Grey 23 Daniel Bryan 24 Aja Kong? 25 Mocho Cota 26 Stan Hansen 27 Tito Santana 28 Billy Robinson 29 Black Terry 30 Rick Martel 31 Blue Panther 32 Randy Savage 33 El Dandy 34 Masked Superstar 35 Atlantis 36 Pat Patterson 37 Larry Zbyszko 38 Christian 39 Ted Dibiase 40 Sgt. Slaughter 41 Emilio Charles, Jr. 42 Brian Pillman 43 Sangre Chicana 44 Jon Cortez 45 Greg Valentine 46 Bill Dundee 47 La Fiera 48 Tully Blanchard 49 Curt Hennig 50 Fuerza Guerrera 51 John Cena 52 Dick Murdoch 53 Jerry Blackwell 54 Vader 55 Butch Reed 56 Terry Rudge 57 Dennis Condrey 58 Marty Jones 59 Steve Austin 60 Harley Race 61 Bob Orton, Jr. 62 Fit Finlay 63 Ernie Ladd 64 MS-1 65 Matt Borne 66 VIllano III 67 Clive Myers 68 Pirata Morgan 69 Perro Aguayo, Sr. 70 Jose Lothario 71 Solar I 72 Dick Slater 73 Tracy Smothers 74 Buddy Landell 75 Ken Patera 76 Negro Navarro 77 Masa Saito 78 Mick McManus 79 Mark Henry 80 Shawn Michaels 81 Cesaro 82 Koko B Ware 83 Ron Garvin 84 Steve Veidor 85 CM Punk 86 Hector Garza 87 Roddy Piper 88 Mike Jackson 89 Wahoo McDaniel 90 Tommy Rich 91 Big Boss Man 92 Mick Foley 93 Zoltan Boscik 94 Samoa Joe 95 Sheamus 96 Eddie Gilbert 97 Johnny Saint 98 Brazo de Oro 99 Les Kellett 100 Judy Martin If I could do it again, I'd switch Dibiase and Henry.

This discussion, and the run-up to it, really did sort of make me look at how the contemporary 90s AAAs love was almost completely workrate-driven in a different light. It had been giving me some conceptual troubles.

I admitted that I was, in fact, the bad guy there as well, Parv. So at least you're in good company.

I think there's something to the Taker thing, if for no other reason, than because of the environment at the time that it dropped, after the HHH stuff that already alienated people. It was a lightly intended joke that dropped to partially make fun of an already battered and frustrated crowd (and i say this fully admitting that I could have been more receptive and less emotionally engaged in a negative manner, even before the Buddy Rose stuff). In a vacuum, I could absolutely see it being light-hearted and I doubt anyone would see it as otherwise. In that moment, though? After what had happened? Considering that many of the HHH voters also voted for Taker? it maybe showed a lack of empathy? I don't think your intent was malicious, though.

There's that entire Undertaker thing.

Pro Wrestling Comfort Food at its finest. This has 3-4 minutes of Lawler on the mic with Crow feeding him material to use (in the way a heel would feed a babyface's offense), about another 5-8 of shtick where they really delay each lock up to the point that it's a little joy to see what Lawler does when they happen, some fun stuff with Lawler goading Crow into repeatedly going down for the three point stance, a few minutes of heat, and then the finish. The transition is directly based off of Lawler's previous goading (and if it's not, I don't care - that's how I'm reading it). I spent about half the match smiling. Crow's reactions to Lawler are very good and it's obvious that he knows full well who he's in for and how to maximize the impact of Lawler being Lawler. I'm glad this surfaced.

Actually really good Brody stuff here. He took a lot at the beginning (probably as he should have). The image of Gino, prone, going for the handshake, is hilarious and they went to it twice. Gino trying and failing to use a chair was great too. But Brody gave a ton in the second fall. In fact, REALLY, I think they should have given Brody the first fall here if the match was going to end like it did. I love Gino as a Brody opponent.

My favorite two thing about Funk vs Orton were A) the transitions between acts. I thought they had backed themselves into a corner with first the piledriver and then the severity of the leg damage but they successfully transitioned out of both and B ) how much Orton came off like a star. That was half Orton and half Funk but I'd rarely seen him like that. The symmetry in the slaps, for instance, was great.

I've been asked at least twice by people i know from places other than here if I think Styles can carry Reigns to a good match? Anyone else have this problem?

Probably for the best because it means I can get away with having said certain things that only you or Jetlag could call me on.

Marty, someday there'll be a reckoning on that Brainbusters/Demolition series.

Isn't 00s AAA basically Americanized lucha?

It's a total joy that we get live CMLL three times a week. Not all of it is good, especially some of the undercard stuff, but I love having it on in the background on the CPU as I'm watching other stuff, and tune in more when it's something I think will be good. More live wrestling is always better than less live wrestling. I'll go off cubs and other people for things I know I need to catch though. As for indy matches, I catch what I can when I can when it makes it online. Same with Elite. No idea what a post GWE world will mean.

There's that, but not just that. It's not just that they're giving us more good pairings, but they're giving us more pairings in general, more big matches, more build and payoff, something like the January card which was an actual full card and not one match and a bunch of nothing.

I wonder if there is anything different in the CMLL booking this year. It does feel different than the last few (well, other than the Esfinge tournament win.)

I think, ultimately, teaming with Felino and Niebla has been a net positive for him too, especially considering he's had to be the "worker" in those matches. He's gotten a lot of positive character and crowd interaction experience from it without having picked up their obvious 2016 downsides and bad habits.

The Lightning match between Cavernario and Cometa on Friday was a blast too and that's on its way to a bigger match.

Not as of yesterday, dammit.

My personal request on this (and no one has to listen to me) is that if people do this, that they post the top 150 instead of just the top 100, because I think in some ways, it's a cooler and more interesting list and it's even more stacked with names that will be new to people and that they can be introduced to and explore.

Your criteria is dubious and involves overvaluing shoulder pads with spikes or something.

I feel like we sort of survived the whole process together. We always argued with one another, five years ago, three years ago, now. This was never a shiny happy agreeable place. But we treat each other with respect for the most part and we enjoy it. I think we will be stronger for having survived this. Hell look at how people treated the Funk vs Orton match yesterday.

So mad at myself for watching the Volador vs Dorada match from Elite. Me and my endless chances.