GWE Stock Rising/Falling

[JerryvonKramer]

Oh I missed that somehow. Can see that more.

[Parties]

Nishimura will make my list. One of the best workers of the 2000s.

 

I don't know where Gordy will rank on my list - as of now I'd say middle of the pack - but I'm surprised by the critique on him being that he "doesn't have the resume" when you look at his role in so many of the highest ranked matches from the Mid-South, World Class and All Japan sets. I've heard the arguments here that Miracle Violence were a boring team. I don't agree, but if his tags with Doc aren't your bag, I get it. But given that he worked high on the card in so many places throughout the 80s and 90s, and was a prodigy from his teenage years on, it seems odd that a weak resume would be what's holding Gordy back. Unless you think he wasn't good or a prominent enough factor in those acclaimed 80s matches, or simply think those matches were overrated.

[pantherwagner]

What Destroyer matches are you guys watching?

 

The 1969 Baba match (compare this to the 67 Bruno match with Baba-no doubt which one is the classic), 10/73 and 7/74 Mascaras matches, and the 12/63 Rikidoen matches are the best Japan matches I've watched from those respective years. Footage hurts him a little, but the recent new uploads of the 1977-1978 Mascras matches show his fall off didn't happen as soon as some thought.

 

Which recent uploads? Back when I was a Mascaras completist (2006-ish) there were a 1977 match and a 1978 match already in circulation, bringing the total Mascaras vs Destroyer match count to 4. I can't remember which was which, but one was in somewhat low VQ and was pretty good (may have been the one in 1978). That is the one that I found last. Another one had been floating around for some time already and was not bad, but it was a major letdown compared to the earlier classics.

[Wade Garrett]

A lot of Japan (90's AJ guys) are gonna slide on my list. They're all damn great. Against each other.

[DR Ackermann]

Vader is a guy that is rising for me. I kinda disliked Vader as a wrestler as I thought he gave his opponents too much and was overrated. I've sinced changed my mind, even though I still feel he gives his opponents too much, he does a great job using that to build drama when he turns the match back around his way.

[Coffey]

Stock Up: Big Boss Man.

 

Seeing more of his stuff, especially non-WWF stuff, I'm always surprised by how quick he was for his size. Great punches. Can work as both face & heel quite well. Good bumper. Even worked the Big Man psychology well, especially when teaming with Akeem. The match he has with Big Van Vader in 1994 is ridiculous.

 

Also, it doesn't really pertain to his work so much but he was funny as fuck too. Some of my biggest wrestling memories involve The Big Boss Man: Big Show riding on his dad's casket, Al Snow being fed his dog pepper, "You're a big nasty bastard & your mama said so!" The Steve Austin story about how Boss Man missed his run-in queue because he was telling a story to the boys in the back. How many times did he get beat down & "tagged" by the nWo? Poor bastard was probably buried in his coffin with "nWo 4-life" in black spray paint on his back. Also when The Mountie had to go to jail after losing to Boss Man... have you watched those skits recently? "Don't you just love the way leather feels against your body?" - don't think WWE could get away with that today.

 

Boss Man's WWF theme song owned too.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

Rising:

 

Eric Embry -- Was introduced to Embry as a face in late 80s Texas and thought he was garbage. Heel Embry in the 90s is a complete 180. Really great.

 

Brock Lesnar -- I cannot stand watching WWE these days, but still tune in if I think I can catch Brock's segment or match.

 

Stan Hansen -- His stock was already high, but it keeps going up. Serious contender to knock off Flair from my top spot.

 

Falling:

 

Shawn Michaels -- Despite the backlash Michaels gets from certain folks due to him being anointed by WWE as the greatest worker of all time, I've always maintained that he was legitimately a top guy. After spending some time re-watching key matches from his WWF/WWE run......meh....he's taken a pretty serious hit.

 

Kerry Von Erich -- I thought Kerry would be someone who would move up my list as I watched footage and continually made adjustments to my rankings. Nope, he's gone the other direction.

 

Tenryu -- Too many matches where he seems disinterested. He hasn't taken a massive nosedive down my list but he's fallen a bit.

[El-P]

Also, it doesn't really pertain to his work so much but he was funny as fuck too.

 

I always got a kick out of Terri Runnels saying that Ray Traylor was basically her best girlfriend on the road in the 00's.

 

The Corny story of Bubba not selling a car door slammed on his hands because some maks were around, then screaming with his high pitch voice backstage is classic too.

 

Actually, I haven't thought about Traylor in a while, and I really can't stand his last WWF stint, but from the 80's to about 94/95, he really was a very good worker that I always loved. Could snip in...