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How Much Bullshit is the PWI 500(full list below)


dkookypunk43

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I will tell you that DAN MURPHY is the guy who does most of the heavy lifting at PWI when it comes to putting together this list. It really is a thankless job - except from the wrestlers whose names make the top half of the list - and I know that he does his best. Dan is an extremely knowledgeable individual and devotes a lot of his free time to the business like we all do. Even though I may not agree with all of the rankings - I would like to acknowledge and thank DAN MURPHY for his hard work in putting this list together.

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I kind of feel like we're at a point where message board guys who should know being outraged and/or ambivalent to the PWI 500 being archaic and outmoded is almost as archaic and outmoded as the PWI 500. It's a fake list, get over it. There's better things to worry about in life.

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I love the PWI 500 as it seems like one of the last gasps of kayfabe - that rather than agonising about workrate and drawing power they just throw together a top 10 that looks about right, then fill up the other places according to wrestlers they are aware of, and wrestlers who have sent in a bio/cheque/whatever else.

 

As much as I enjoy real analysis (that's why I enjoy reading so much here) I think there is still a place for fun, dumb stuff like the PWI 500. It is part of the appeal of wrestling.

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These things are always bonkers. Darren Young at #33 but Titus O'Neil at #171? Is there really any difference between Zack Ryder and Heath Slater these days? Slater at #189 and poor Ryder waaaaay down at #477. That has to be a new low for a guy who's actively employed by WWE...

 

Agreed. I thought the rule of thumb was if you were a full-time WWE guy, you'd at least make the top 200.

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PWI hasn't been relevant in a long, long time. The internet killed it (and most of the print industry) dead. That said, I have very fond memories of the "Apter Mags" from when I was a kid in the pre-internet days. I think there's still a place for a magazine like that for young kids.....but hell, young kids are web savvy and have their own tablets and stuff now, so who knows....

 

Last I knew the magazine had gone to a weird hybrid mix of both kayfabe and insider backstage news....

 

As far as the 500 goes, it was like the magazine, great to look at as a kid in the pre-internet days, but when you go back and look at those lists with "smart" eyes the lists were always wildly inconsistent.

 

The only real gripe I have with the list (aside from the laughably high spot for Barrett and laughably low rank for Okada) is them leaving off Brock Lesnar with I guess the criteria that he didn't wrestle enough to qualify. Nevermind that in the year period that the list covered he destroyed John Cena, controlled the WWE title with an iron fist, beat Cena and Rollins in one of the best matches of the year, and lost the title in another of the best matches of the year without even being pinned. Even the markiest of marks couldn't take that seriously

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I miss PWI for great articles like "How Summer Rae is Secretly Sabotaging Rusev's Career--For Lana's Benefit!" and "Takeover! Triple H's Hacked Emails Uncover NXT Plot to Overthrow McMahon!"

I honestly have no idea whether you made those up or if they're real PWI headlines. Because they COULD be real. At least that's the kind of headlines they had back in the day. My favorite part of the Brainbusters podcast trivia game is the "Real or fake?" Apter mag headlines game.

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I miss PWI for great articles like "How Summer Rae is Secretly Sabotaging Rusev's Career--For Lana's Benefit!" and "Takeover! Triple H's Hacked Emails Uncover NXT Plot to Overthrow McMahon!"

I honestly have no idea whether you made those up or if they're real PWI headlines. Because they COULD be real. At least that's the kind of headlines they had back in the day. My favorite part of the Brainbusters podcast trivia game is the "Real or fake?" Apter mag headlines game.

 

 

I came up with them with a little help from noted wrestling psychologist Dr. Sidney M. Basil.

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452 Max Smashmaster

458 Blaster McMassive

Did the guys from MST3K come up with those names?

 

 

They also team with a guy called Flex Rumblecrunch.

 

They're called the Wrecking Crew. They're like a power and paint team from the 80s. They're a ton of fun in Chikara. Blaster McMassive especially is really good. There was a Chikara show where Blaster decided to just come down and sit at ringside with the fans and any time there would be a dive or brawling near him he would grab all the fans around him like he was protecting them. It was really funny.

 

Max Smashmaster is just Tursas without the mask if you followed Chikara at all.

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  • 2 weeks later...

According to this http://powerpb13.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-pwi-500.html: Darren/Eric Young and Zach/Adam Ryder were in the wrong spots in the originally published list. Eric Young should be #33, Darren #175. Zach Ryder should be #168, Adam #477. That makes a little more sense. I figured anyone full-time on WWE's roster was pretty much guaranteed top 200.

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