Wrestler of the Year?

[Dylan Waco]

Aww shit. That's too bad. Really fun match though admittedly I seemed to like it more than most.

 

Anyhow the thing I like about King this year in particular is that we've got him in a variety of different settings and roles against vastly different types of opponents.

[Phil Schneider]

Goddamnit that first tag was taken down.

Here it is

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqKYIXkgLk&feature=plcp

[Chess Knight]

Goddamnit that first tag was taken down.

Here it is

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqKYIXkgLk&feature=plcp

 

Hell yeah. Thanks a bunch.

[Ricky Jackson]

Bryan being involved in an angle with Kane, and it doesn't suck, clinches the wrestler of the year award for him in my eyes.

[Dylan Waco]

I kind of hate the Kane angle already. I loved the first few skits, but I'm already bored as piss by it all and the "partners that hate/argue" meme is something I've never really enjoyed. I can see the appeal, but it's close to a channel changer for me at this point

[Dylan Waco]

This just came up in a conversation with Musgrave, and I don't really know enough about Lucha business to know how I feel about this, but Casas has had an excellent year in the ring, some title matches of note, the big hair v. hair v. Panther earlier in the year...I mean it's probably a stretch, but everyone feels like a stretch for WOTY this year.

[Tim Evans]

Casas getting two good but overrated matches out of a scrub like Angel de Oro should put him up there. With Terry and Navarro working mostly in IWRG and not a lot of Maestro matches, it's kinda hard to pick from Lucha.

[Dylan Waco]

To be clear I think Casas is clearly the best in ring worker this year in Lucha and no worse than top three in the world over all. Frankly I don't think anyone is terrible close, though a large part of that has to do with opportunities/footage available. I was more looking at him as an overall candidate for WOTY

[NintendoLogic]

"On a hiding to nothing" is a British phrase referring to a situation where trying is pointless because winning is impossible. Translated to American, rovert was saying that advocating for Okada here is a lost cause.

 

But yeah, you have to really be out of the loop to not recognize Okada as a standout candidate. Dave has been calling New Japan the best big match promotion in the world for a while now, and Okada's been a big part of that. I've only seen the Naito match and the second Tanahashi match, but both were really good and would be high-end MOTYCs in just about any year. If nothing else, he's a much stronger candidate, in both absolute and relative terms, than Tanahashi was last year.

[Dylan Waco]

"On a hiding to nothing" is a British phrase referring to a situation where trying is pointless because winning is impossible. Translated to American, rovert was saying that advocating for Okada here is a lost cause.

 

But yeah, you have to really be out of the loop to not recognize Okada as a standout candidate. Dave has been calling New Japan the best big match promotion in the world for a while now, and Okada's been a big part of that. I've only seen the Naito match and the second Tanahashi match, but both were really good and would be high-end MOTYCs in just about any year. If nothing else, he's a much stronger candidate, in both absolute and relative terms, than Tanahashi was last year.

 

I don't ever read Meltzer's opinions on matches or wrestlers unless they are posted here as that is a "loop" that usually runs pretty counter to mine.

[Bradley]

Dave also watches next to nothing from both Japan and Mexico unless someone pimps it really highly and gives him a physical copy, no?

 

Okada pretty undeniably had a good year business-wise for someone in their first year at a top position, but his matches don't wow me. I don't see him as a candidate for Most Outstanding but I get the sense that the buzz for him is great enough that he might win both that and the overall WOTY .

[kjh]

I think Dave would say Tanahashi was the better candidate for WOTY than Okada. Clearly, he's the top draw in New Japan and Dave gushes about how he carries himself as a star and his all round working ability.

[FLIK]

Okada/Naito II from this years G1 - Another one to use if one wants to make a case for Okada as WOTY. Great match, just tad bit less then their first. Okada's selling is top notch and i'm digging his whole persona & the act w Gedo more & more over time. I don't particularly buy him as really being this arrogant "make it reign" superstar but I totally buy Gedo as a weasly Don King figure attatching himself to the hot new superstar and corrupting him for his own profit. Like hey kid, you let me worry about the contracts & money, here's some big shinny bling & bitches to keep ya happy. Also i'm totally stealling the Rain Maker next time I go to wrestling practice. Don't want to sell Naito short here either as he more then carried his load too, is great in his role as the hot up & coming flashy baby face ace of the future & is great as Naito's arch rival.

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xubqsm_08...-08-03-12_sport

[NintendoLogic]

And wasn't Naito working the G1 with a blown-out knee?

[FLIK]

Not 100% on the timeline but this was shortly before he messed it up apparently.