1989 Wrestler of the Year Contenders

[goodhelmet]

NWA

Ric Flair

Ricky Steamboat

Terry Funk

- The highlights of 1989 NWA. I don't think it would be a stretch if you called any of these guys WOTY for the promotion. Funk had the great Flair feud but also the Steamer match and other TV matches. Flair had the feuds with Funk & Steamboat. Steamboat also had the Luger feud. Man, this was a three man power trip for the NWA

 

 

All Japan

Jumbo Tsuruta

Genichiro Tenryu

- I know 1989 was an awesome year for All Japan tag wrestling but it really is all about the two aces with a GMOAT contender to cap it off.

 

 

Memphis

- Lawler has his heel turn at the end of the year and good matches in Texas but a lack of footage in arena setting really hurts since we don't see the big time stuff play out like in year's past. I love the Fujinami NJ match also but not enough to put Lawler on the list from a footage standpoint. He is still pretty great though.

 

 

New Japan

Riki Choshu - Choshu dominated New Japan this year in terms of quality matches. He won't be a favorite but I think he is the clear #1 wrestler of the year when you look at the high-end stuff with a nice range of opponents including a young Hashimoto, Inoki, Vader, the Russian series, tagging against SSM & Takano.

Jushin Liger - I don't think Liger had a better year than 1989 in the ring and he had the super feud with Sano. Maybe the yearbook guys can disagree but he was hitting non-stop home runs Sammy Sosa juiced and cheating style.

 

 

Texas

Eric Embry - Embry carried Texas in 1989. He really had no peers in the company for the entire year. Kerry looked good still. Lawler and Dundee would come in for a cup of coffee but Embry could be in my Top 5 for the year and wouldn't look out of place at all.

 

 

EDIT:
Mexico

El Dandy

El Satanico

Pirata Morgan

- These guys were killing it in 1989 and I am sure Phil or Kris could come up with another 2 or 3 luchadores and I would agree with them.

[soup23]

Loaded year here. Liger may have been better in 96-97 but its debatable and I don't know if he would make my top three.

[Dylan Waco]

I don't think Luger is really a contender here, but I almost feel like he deserves mention for having a career year. I don't think he had as good a year in the ring as Flair, but in a way I think it was more impressive. He turned heel and really came into his own as a character. He had good-to-great matches v. Barry and Kendall Windham, Tommy Rich, Brian Pillman, Michael Hayes, Ricky Steamboat, Brad Armstrong and Dick Murdoch. he didn't have the one home run match on ppv needed to break into the top tier, but I still think it's worth mentioning.

 

I also think Colon had a really impressive 89. WWC was on the decline business wise and in terms of talent they could get. As a result Colon was put into feuds/angles with Leo Burke, Abudda Dein, and the abysmal Steve Strong. He had good, and even borderline great matches, with all of them, and to some degree the matches felt like they pulled him out of his comfort zone. He also has a really good match with Jason The Terrible from that year, and a GREAT Loser Leaves Town match with Ayala. Again it's not going to get him above Tenryu, Hansen, Flair, but he's another guy who's year was more impressive than some of those guys in some ways (taking into account opponents limitations, nature of the promotion, et).

 

It's been a while since I watched anything, but it kind of feels like Dandy could be a number one pick I could get behind.

[ohtani's jacket]

I can't remember how many matches he had in '89, but Fujiwara took things to a new level when he jumped to the UWF. And Maeda was the coolest motherfucker in Japan in '89.

[JerryvonKramer]

Can't look beyond Flair or Jumbo here. But it's Flair who was in FIVE all-time Classic matches, and I haven't seen any of the steamer matches outside the trilogy.

 

For Jumbo and Tenryu I have this:

 

*****

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (6/5/89)

Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (12/6/89)

 

****3/4

Jumbo Tsuruta & Kenta Kobashi vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (7/15/89)

Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (11/29/89)

 

Tenryu actually in one more top end match than Jumbo.

 

What are the other candidates like El Dandy or Colon putting against that?

 

Since I don't think we're getting a PR set, I think I need to dig into that stuff soon. Stan Hansen currently trending #3 for me in my overall list and any greatness in PR will see him challenge top two.

[Dylan Waco]

Colon isn't anywhere close to the top level in 89, I just think it's a really impressive year for him given who he was working.

[Badlittlekitten]

Has to be Flair and his legends run. Chi town rumble is his best match in my eyes. His promo at the Feb Clash and the subsequent beat down and humiliation at the hands of Steamboat is just so quintessentially Ric Flair. It may just be my favourite wrestling segment of all. The Funk feud may be the strongest story he's had with a rival and its certainly his shining moment as a babyface.

 

But I can't forget Lex. He didn't have a stand out classic match or an angle as brilliant as Flair/Funk but he was the most consistently enjoyable act in the promotion that year. He totally came together as a character and worker and his heel turn and the run as the conceited entitled prick was pitch perfect. The roids hadn't yet aged him 15 years and he looked great. The face that should've been plastered to the marquee for the next decade. His promos improved a ton too.

 

A good big man always beats a good little man.

 

Matches? Well his name pops up more than anyone else in my 89 match list.

[Danish Dynamite]

Yeah, it's Flair, isn't it? ... But I do like Jumbo... It's Flair!