Your Current Fav Five

[BillThompson]

Right now,

 

1) Sasha Banks

2) Joe Gacy

3) Frankie Pickard

4) Timothy Thatcher

5) Jun Akiyama

[Quentin Skinner]

Five favorite active guys at this very moment

 

AJ Styles

Zack Sabre Jr.

Cesaro

Dragon Lee

Roderick Strong

[Tim Evans]

1, Mighty Urusus

2. Sasha Banks

3. Big E

4. Tyler Breeze

5. Bayley

[Ready_Willing_Gable]

To actually narrow down to five this time:

 

1. Dalton Castle

2. Sasha Banka

3. New Day

4. Tomohiro Ishii

5. The Briscoes

[Zenjo]

5. Emilio Charles Jr.

-What is the opinion on this fella? Never quite figured it out. Never quite knew where to look. Either way, not a lot of imposing lucha fellas from my experiance that aren't just imposing when in brawls. He has a bit of that aura whether he's in trios or in a FIGHTING environment. Maybe I haven't seen enough. But I wanna see more.

I'd put him in there with Santo, Casas, Dandy and Fuerza in my top 5 favourite Luchadors. I don't know if other people are quite that high on him but he's certainly well regarded. He's got no end of charisma and ring presence. Great worker too in all the different styles. He can get down and dirty in a brawl. He can produce top notch title matches, even with limited time constraints. Or doing his awesome bumping and making the tecnicos look good in a fast paced trios. Great wild man image as well.

[BBscout]

Whose stuff I'm checking for atm...

 

1-Emma

2-Becky

3-Ciampa

4-Rollins

5-Sting

 

Brock No.1 but off TV now

 

And I watched all HHH 2000 PPV main events over past two days.

[Coffey]

Hey, I found the old thread instead of having to make a new one.  Pre-Fastlane Fav Five:

1. Tyler Bate

2. Pete Dunne

3. Jack Gallagher

4. Jacob Fatu

5. Drew Gulak

[peachchaos]

Matt Riddle

Joe

Drew Gulak

Donovan Dijack

Bianca Belair

 

Beyond "boy" status: The New Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Jushin Liger

 

 

[El-P]

1. Tessa Blanchard

2. Will Ospreay

3. Taichi

4. Cavernario

5. Sami Callahan

[Jmare007]

1.-Daisuke Sekimoto

2.-Daniel Bryan

3.-Yuji Okabayashi

4.-Kento Miyahara

5.-Fuminori Abe

[Ricky Jackson]

Bryan

Okada

Kairi

Dream

Lorcan 

[SmartMark15]

Bryan

Tanahashi

Devlin in OTT 

WALTER

Jake de Leon

 

[Captain Redneck]

1. Daisuke Sekimoto
2. Yuji Nagata
3. Stan Hansen
4. Minoru Suzuki
5. Buzz Sawyer

[NotJayTabb]

Gene Munny

Nia. Jax

Beano

Chris Dickinson

Cara Noir

[Chorros3]

In no particular order:

1.- Bandido

2.-  Timothy Thatcher

3.- Marcel Barthel

4.- Becky Lynch

5.- NGD

[Migs]

Dustin Rhodes

Cody

Okada

Tessa Blanchard

Villain Enterprises

[joeg]

Favorite active wrestlers at this moment...

LA Park

Bryan

Rush

Becky

Okada

[Microstatistics]

Lou Thesz

El Hijo del Santo

WALTER

Daniel Bryan

Yuki Ishikawa

[Tim Cooke]

Active:

Rey Jr.

Ronda Rousey

Daniel Bryan

Samoa Joe

Non-Active:

Destroyer

El Hijo del Santo

Giant Baba

 

[RazorbladeKiss87]

Fun thread to revisit. I'm working my list out as I type. I think it may be a bit WWE focused (or at least accessible on the WWE Network focused) for the moment as most of my discs are in storage until I make a more permanent move but we'll see. I'm going to number these but the numbers are just for organizational purposes. 

 

1. Samoa Joe- Joe's been one of my favorites since the moment I saw him way back when I was in high school. I recently found the ROH "Best in the World" dvd at a resale shop in town so I rewatched Joe/Kobashi for the first time in years. It holds up brilliantly. I will fully admit that my knowledge of Japanese wrestling is tiny so I don't know how it ranks for Kobashi matches but, in my opinion, it's one of the great ROH matches. I've also been going back to watch his NXT/WWE run and even when his spot on the card was iffy, his matches were fun. I'm really hoping we get Joe/Cena at Mania. 

2. L.A. Park- He's a skeleton who throws punches, swings chairs, sometimes does fat guy dives and dances. I don't think there's a whole lot more I need to say about him. My main aim in watching wrestling lately has just been to throw stuff on and have a good time. I'm not looking to get too in depth in analysis or psychology. My outside life has been really stressful and wrestling is my escape. Park has been a great help in forgetting my troubles.

3. Daniel Bryan- He would be in my all-time top 5 too as I really started to get into indie and foreign wrestling around the time Dragon was coming up. I latched onto his work and have been along for the ride ever since. "The New" Daniel Bryan, the Planet's Champion, is such a great douche heel and his work is perfect for both a babyface run and a heel run. I skim RAW but thanks to Bryan & Co., I watch all of Smackdown. 

4. Necro Butcher- Another early 2000s indie hero of mine. I found a disc in a box I was packing that had his brawl from Zero-One with Tanaka and that jumpstarted another Necro Butcher dive for me. One of those guys who really brought an aura with him to every match. I love crazy brawlers and he is perfect for my tastes. Just rewatched the first match with Joe and it still holds up in brutality. 

5. The Shield- I started gearing up for the Fastlane main event by reliving the first few months of these guys on the main roster. I was so hyped on them at that point and it's a lot of fun reliving it. I thought the Fastlane match was a good "greatest hits" type match and was a really fitting way for them to go out as a group (if that is indeed what is happening...the commentary was a little heavy handed about Dean).

[Boss Rock]

Active:

Kazuchika Okada

Kento Miyahara

Tetsuya Naito

Zeus

Tomohiro Ishii

 

All-Time:

Kenta Kobashi

Mitsuharu Misawa

Daniel Bryan

Undertaker

Stan Hansen

[Coffey]

Chris Jericho - He has been money in AEW. His non-wrestling stuff has been great. The angles, the comedy, the interacting with the audience. The nicknames, the video vignette parody of Cody. It's all been really entertaining. And his matches haven't been bad either! He has made the people in the Inner Circle seem like bigger deals & he made Scorpio Sky in that tag match. I anticipate their 1v1 match this coming Wednesday. The only thing Jericho is doing that I'm not a fan of is his new back elbow finish because it just seems so... basic.

Io Shirai - Fantastic performance at War Games. Since turning heel, she's really grabbed my attention. I was against her losing to Shayna during the cage match but I think it was better in the long run as I've enjoyed her character a lot more since turning. She also oozes sex appeal which doesn't hurt. Her big entrance with Poppy felt like a big deal too. I never really know what to expect from performers in WWE, especially the ones that aren't white men, so I think it's a positive that NXT has officially became the third brand. I think it'll mean more of a chance to shine than I would feel she had if she were on RAW/Smackdown.

Keith Lee - WWE finally seem to have a hoss can't-miss-prospect, which I feel like they have needed for awhile. Keith Lee just oozes charisma plus the stuff that he can do at his size never ceases to amaze me. His leap frog, of all things, is a thing of beauty. He also has a super deadly double chop in the corner which always makes for a fun spot. I'm not sure how that spot will translate to larger crowds as they'll be harder to quiet before hand but it could still work. His Powerbomb on the last Smackdown looked like DEATH. He was OK in the WarGames last night but that whole match was kind of just a clusterfuck to be honest. His hot entrance & big spots were entertaining. I liked when he took the Olympic Slam off the top & he hit a Bubba Bomb on a table for a big pop.

Jacob Fatu - I've been championing Fatu for awhile now & it's only a matter of time until he winds up in a bigger promotion making a lot more money. I assume he'll go to WWE because of the history with his family but he's not getting any younger so that needs to happen soon. Really agile for his size, of course, like all of the other Samoans. Has the wow factor. His character is believable. He comes off like a dude you don't want to mess with. Loved his match with L.A. Park at MLW Superfight. I am digging MLW again in large part because of Fatu as the world champion.

Darby Allin - Kind of gives me Raven in WCW vibes. Just feels like a character that stands out from the crowd. I'm not usually a fan of the smaller wrestlers but he has grabbed my attention due to his reckless style & my love for the Coffin Drop finisher. I also like how he seems to have grabbed the imagination of the kids. His match last week with Moxley was fun & that finish of the top rope DDT was sick! Darby takes some pretty crazy bumps so it feels like an inevitability that he's going to get hurt but until then, AEW has done a great job of presenting him as the never-say-die underdog. 

[El-P]

1 hour ago, Coffey said:

Chris Jericho - He has been money in AEW. His non-wrestling stuff has been great. The angles, the comedy, the interacting with the audience. The nicknames, the video vignette parody of Cody. It's all been really entertaining. And his matches haven't been bad either! He has made the people in the Inner Circle seem like bigger deals & he made Scorpio Sky in that tag match. I anticipate their 1v1 match this coming Wednesday. The only thing Jericho is doing that I'm not a fan of is his new back elbow finish because it just seems so... basic.

Darby Allin - Kind of gives me Raven in WCW vibes. Just feels like a character that stands out from the crowd. I'm not usually a fan of the smaller wrestlers but he has grabbed my attention due to his reckless style & my love for the Coffin Drop finisher. I also like how he seems to have grabbed the imagination of the kids. His match last week with Moxley was fun & that finish of the top rope DDT was sick! Darby takes some pretty crazy bumps so it feels like an inevitability that he's going to get hurt but until then, AEW has done a great job of presenting him as the never-say-die underdog. 

Hey, glad I'm not the only one who is thinking about Raven when Darby Allin is around. I totally got that Raven vibe from the Mox match, in that Allin just takes a beating like no one else, much like Raven used to do. That and the creepiness aspect of the character.

I would absolutely have those two plus :

Sami Callihan : MVP of wherever he goes. His stuff in IMPACT building the feud with Brian Cage has been awesome, the match totally delivered, his work with Tessa has been terrific too. 

Taya Valkyrie : she has blossomed as a character since Mr. Impact left, she's been mean, funny, carried herself as a total star and she's probably at her best in-ring too at this point. 

John Moxley : Half Austin half Brody. Was awesome in the G1. Is awesome in every AEW match he's been. Feels special.

[The Thread Killer]

4 hours ago, Coffey said:

Darby Allin - Kind of gives me Raven in WCW vibes. Just feels like a character that stands out from the crowd. I'm not usually a fan of the smaller wrestlers but he has grabbed my attention due to his reckless style & my love for the Coffin Drop finisher. I also like how he seems to have grabbed the imagination of the kids. His match last week with Moxley was fun & that finish of the top rope DDT was sick! Darby takes some pretty crazy bumps so it feels like an inevitability that he's going to get hurt but until then, AEW has done a great job of presenting him as the never-say-die underdog. 

 

3 hours ago, El-P said:

Hey, glad I'm not the only one who is thinking about Raven when Darby Allin is around. I totally got that Raven vibe from the Mox match, in that Allin just takes a beating like no one else, much like Raven used to do. That and the creepiness aspect of the character.

I have generally agreed with Jim Cornette more often than not when it comes to his assessment of the talent in AEW.  Specifically about being too small, too obsessed with spots and near falls and not enough psychology, and not looking like traditional Pro Wrestlers.  However, I think Darby Allin is a superstar in waiting.  I can't even really put my finger on it, but this guy has the proverbial "it factor" promoters go on about.  His look, his style and everything else about him combine to make him an exceptionally compelling character that you really want to watch. In his case, I don't care how small or reckless he is...that just adds to his appeal. I first saw him when he fought Cody and after that I made it a point to check out whatever he did in AEW. So far, I'm convinced this kid is money.  I really hope AEW listens to the fans (which unlike some other Pro Wrestling companies we could name, AEW actually does) and sees the star they have in their hands, and focus on him.  They need to push this guy to the moon.  It may not have been a technical masterpiece, but I freaking loved his match with Moxley last week. He has become one of the main reasons I watch AEW and I look forward to seeing more.  You guys are right, he really does give off a modern day Raven vibe, and to quote DDP: "That's a good thing!"

[gordi]

Darby Allin - Wasn't even on my radar a scant couple of months ago. Now he is absolute appointment viewing. There are a bunch of cliches that always come up when a smaller guy is fighting a bigger guy: "He's gotta use speed and quickness to overcome size and strength. You just can't keep him down. He's got a lot of heart..." and so on. You can clearly see those cliches turn into reality when Allin is wrestling. Plus, he's getting over without going over. Not the easiest thing to do.

 

? Mark - Almost certainly a temporary infatuation. ? Mark just captures all of the ridiculous things that bring back the happiest memories of 1980s studio wrestling.The baggy tights, the silly gesticulations, the absurd finisher... I'm more than happy to go online and skip through all of the other crap to watch this guy do his thing - which is something I don't even do for Bryan Danielson any more!

 

Lance Archer - I think that Joe Doering still might be the best "big gaijin in a hoss fight" guy in Japan, but Archer is, in my opinion, by far the best "Goliath" in wrestling today. He's utterly terrifying when he's  tossing smaller guys around recklessly, and then he makes the big comeback both believable and spectacular. I would LOVE to see Lance Archer fight Darby Allin!

 

Luchasaurus - There's a rare and very particular kind of charisma that lets some wrestlers work as sympathetic and likable babyfaces even when they are clearly much bigger and stronger than the bad guys. Andre and Baba had it in spades. You could see it in action when Hogan worked against Piper or Orndorff in the early days of Hulkamania.  Sting, Ultimate Warrior, Kenta Kobashi, The Rock... Braun and Rusev had it, but it was wasted on lousy booking. This guy has it, and he's working for people who seem to grasp how to turn wrestlers into stars.  It may not happen, but the possibility definitely has me paying attention.

 

Atsushi Maruyama - Currently working sub-ten-minute matches on AJPW undercards. He's really good. Works tight, bumps hard, balances spectacle and psychology well, makes the other guy look great... Something familiar about him. So, I go on Cagematch. Turns out, he's my old friend Tigers Mask! I knew... but I had forgotten... what a delightful surprise!