goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Hell in a year like 2009 (which wasn't that long ago) there are probably three guys I would rank top six or seven for 85, maybe even higher. Who would rank Top Ten from 2009 in a 1985 list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Screwed that up. Would have 09 Christian, Rey and maybe Navarro in 1985 top ten. Was thinking of Black Terry's great year, but that was 2010. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Going from 80s matches and nominations combined with memorable feuds combined with work in different territories (by no means a prerequisite), these are guys who have a good shot for Wrestler of the Year consideration in 1985 from the 80s project. Feel free to add names. Butch Reed - Big Mid South run and matches with Flair & Murdoch and opening up the eyes that Reed was an elite wrestler Chris Adams - Super tag work with the Dynamic Duo but also producing high volumes of quality singles matches. Dick Murdoch - Big feuds and matches in mid South with Reed & Dibiase and high quality tag work in New Japan Genichiro Tenryu - Feuding with Choshu and company Jerry Lawler - Feuds with Savage, Dundee, and the Freebirds highlight another banner Lawler year including a MOTYC Jumbo Tsuruta - Feuding with Choshu and company; Series with Mart Kerry Von Erich - Feuding with the Dynamic Duo in singles and tags. Has nice run with One Man Gang. Nick Bockwinkel - Feuding with Martel + tagging with Mr. Saito Ric Flair - Working opponents all over the world including high end matches in Japan, Mid South, Texas, Crockett, AWA Rick Martel - Feuding with Bock, defending title against various challengers Ricky Morton - Excellent tag run in Mid South and Crockett with high level MOTYCs to boot Riki Choshu - Feuding with Jumbo, Tenryu & company Tatsumi Fujinami - Top worker in tags and singles for New Japan in 1985 as with most years that decade Ted Dibiase - Super Feuds of the Decade level stuff with Duggan and Murdoch. Top matches with Reed, Bob Sweetan and Jake the Snake. Tag with Doc. Tully Blanchard - Quality matches against several opponents plus super feud and MOTYC with Magnum TA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 GMOATC with Magnum TA Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Not sure if I am supposed to be comparing my picks to the guys listed or not. I struggle to think of anyone who absolutely has to be added to that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 No, I just needed to separate the discussion from the AJ styles thread. I also think this is a useful tool in compiling WOTYCs in deciding rankings. IT also allows me to look at the wrestlers you proposed and see if I would put them in that mix. At first glance, Rey and Navarro feel right but I am not as high on Christian's TV run as you are especially when Regal is right there having those standout matches with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 GMOATC with Magnum TA Fixed. I wouldn't argue that but I was trying to be understated with the guys on the list to leave room for more inclusions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 No, I just needed to separate the discussion from the AJ styles thread. I also think this is a useful tool in compiling WOTYCs in deciding rankings. IT also allows me to look at the wrestlers you proposed and see if I would put them in that mix. At first glance, Rey and Navarro feel right but I am not as high on Christian's TV run as you are especially when Regal is right there having those standout matches with him. I think Christian's run that year is wildly underrated. He had very good to great series v. several people that year. Hell the Regal series may not have even been the best one (neck and neck with Swagger). I need to go back and rewatch that stuff but I'd rate Christian's 09 very highly. That said I will try to stick to 85 stuff in this thread going forward. May be a good idea to do threads like this for other years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 WOTY. NWA Champion Ric Flair would be hard to nudge outta this spot. Wide variety of opponents who he's working great against. Just aces. WOTY. Top Contenders in no particular order at this point. Tenryu All-Japan. Fujinami New Japan Dibiase & Murdoch* Mid-South Lawler Memphis *I may be biased because he's one of my all timers but damn Murdoch was 40/40+ years old and working a couple handfuls of great matches in New-Japan to add to Mid-South matches. Others. Not WOTY though. Tully Blanchard had a great 85. If we were grading this on July/Aug 85 thru July/Aug 86 I don't know if there's anyone I woulda rather watched as an overall package than Blanchard. Chris Adams and Kerry Von Erich are the brightest spots in World-Class. Kevin usually holds up his end in singles and I liked him in tags. Gino I never had any use for unless it was with Chris or Tully. Bobby Eaton at the time was underated. What did ya folks think of Fujiwara, Maeda, and Takada in 85? I haven't seen that stuff forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 When did Choshu and Yatsu jump to All Japan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 85 if I'm not mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Chris Adams and Kerry Von Erich are the brightest spots in World-Class. Kevin usually holds up his end in singles and I liked him in tags. Gino I never had any use for unless it was with Chris or Tully. Kerry was also wrestling Flair in MId South and had some great matches there. Plus, I think Kerry is the only von Erich even worth considering for this list and think he was great at wrestling a wide range of wrestlers in a variety of styles. Adams absolutely belongs as he was just hitting on all cylinders in 1985. Add that he was in a Tag Team and Feud of the Year contention and he may crack my Top 5 but it would be hard. Bobby Eaton at the time was underated. They were in Texas early on in the year in a down period for the team and didn't really pick up footage wise in Crockett until 1986 whereas the RNR had the footage in Mid South and Crockett to warrant putting Ricky on the list. What did ya folks think of Fujiwara, Maeda, and Takada in 85? I haven't seen that stuff forever. The UWF vs. NJ stuff doesn't really pick up until 1986 but fuck... I forgot to look through the Other Japan stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 May be a good idea to do threads like this for other years. Working on 1986 right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 All-Japan and New Japan in 85 aren't stellar years for singles matches. There's some pretty great tag matches. Shit in All-Japan Flair and Martel may be the best singles match, Either that or Tenryu and Choshu. Tenryu and Choshu had a match in early 85 I have on an old tape somewhere but it was UWF I think? Come to think of it all the high end singles stuff in Japan in 85 was UWF stuff. Fujiwara has got to be a top tier WOTYC in 85. Super Tiger, Maeda, Takada, and Yamazaki are all in the mix. Time to dig up some tapes. I agree with ya on Chris and Kerry goodhelmet as far as WOTYC. I remember that time well as I was 26yrs old and watchin a lot of that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 In New-Japan the only thing I'm seeing on my tape list for 85 as far as singles matches is Murdoch and Inoki which I don't recall being anywhere near an all time great match. I must thank you goodhelmet for starting this thread because it triggered something and now I'm going on a Japan viewing spree which I haven't done in a long time. I can put away the southern rasslin for a bit. Shit I saw it all in real time anyway. I'm lovin this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR Ackermann Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 That Choshu/Tenryu match would have been in Choshu's JPW. If Tenryu is being considered then I think you would have to consider Choshu who was definitely Tenryu's superior in the ring at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Choshu is up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 I might have to include Magnum TA. He has the Super feud with Tully (and I gave Tully props) but him and Flair had an awesome series of matches around the country and on TV. He probably wouldn't crack the Top Ten but he deserves recognition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Duggan not making the list is interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Duggan could easily be included but I don't think he has the second wave of stuff to put him in like the other Mid South guys do. Dibiase also has the Murdoch feud and tag stuff. Reed was taking on all challengers that year and really elevated himself as a super worker. Murdoch had the Dibiase and Reed feuds. Besides the Dibiase feud, what are Duggan's strengths that year that would put him in contention in your eyes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer feud....Kamala matches including the tags with Watts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Sawyer feud takes Duggan to another level for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 My WWF pick would be Greg the Hammer Valentine starting the year just tearing it up with Tito, where he surpasses Tito is by having the badass Dream Team run in the last half of 1985, which includes a great, great tag title match with the US Express. Honestly, don't remember what Tito did in the last half of 85 so if that was bitchin too then I think he could be included. I think any WWF wrestler winning WOTY post-1983 would be a dark horse, but if there was any wrestler in any year it would be Greg Valentine in 1985. His only problem is that 1985 is fucking stacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlekitten Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 How about Savage? Is there much beyond the Lawler feud and the fabulous Jerry Oski match? Also, Jaguar Yokota (classic feud with La Galactica, vs Lioness, various tags) Chigusa (underrated epic with Lioness, 8/22 Devil match, legendary Dump hair vs hair match) and Dump Matsumoto (Chigusa feud, Devil match) are no brainers for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 I don't think he was the wrestler of the year, but Pete Roberts was really great in 1985. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.