Reactions to the List: 100-51

[Death From Above]

At this point it seems clear it will never turn up and that the footage is all lost to the abyss, but the mythical Destroyer vs. Billy Robinson matches that happened somewhere in the Pacific outside of Japan will forever be the wrestling Holy Grail to me. I know we have a limited footage issue with the Destroyer but I'm happy he snuck into the top 100 anyway.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

Nakamura followed by Bob Backlund......yup, this list is awesome.

[El-P]

Mister Bob Backlund. My number 35. Some of the best matches in the company's history. One of the most singular worker ever, no one works quite like Backlund, which is a rarity. Great matches in the 70's, great matches in the 80's, great matches in the 90's. Say what you want, he's got the resume.

[Eegah]

Man, I know its going to be great wrestler after great wrestler but today has been brutal as far as rooting for placement. Kerry, The Destroyer, LA Park, Sangre Chicana, and Bob Backlund down. Glad they all made it, varying placements on my list. With some of the revisiting I done I have a good idea this time next year Bob would be higher on my own list. I knew the reveals would be fun but not this fun!

[Grimmas]

Sorry Kelly!

[Ricky Jackson]

[Matt D]

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

[Ricky Jackson]

People clearly hate wrestling around here

[Ricky Jackson]

Let me guess, Piper is next

[JerryvonKramer]

One thing I've learned is that El-P drastically overrates Backlund.

[Parties]

I suppose I get some of the reasons why people voted high on him, but Dusty at #92? Do people like his work in-ring a lot more than I do? Great wrestling personality and one of the true power brokers in the business for decades, but all the dancing and whirly-gig punches in the world don't get the Bull of the Woods on my list.

[El-P]

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

 

Hopefully him and Piper drop soon. With Dusty gone, we can go to the really good ones. Because really, inside the ring, neither of those three were much (Piper being the worst by far).

[InYourCase]

No one as of now from the Top 100 has hit my list. I projected Nakamura to be on my list, but after going through some of his early stuff, there was no way I could include him and I voted for Okada and Tanahashi was in my Top 20. Nak will benefit greatly if this is done 10 years from now. No one will look at his Power Struggle 2014 match with Shibata or his series with Goto from 2015. They'll see his peaks - the Ibushi matches, the Okada matches, the match with Zayn, the 2014 series with Tanahashi and the G1 Finals in 2015. His lows are so low, though. His lack of consistency really hurts him and maybe I'm crazy, but I look at him sort of like I look at Dusty. I may be off on that, I certainly haven't seen as much Dusty as most, but that's the sort of vibe I get. Nak's peak is higher, but Dusty at his best had to have a number of things line up. Nak's best matches are in big venues with hot crowds. He plays up to that and more power to him, but I don't see that as one of the 100 best. Tanahashi is better than him and has been for the past decade. Okada, in four years, has eclipsed Nakamura. Someone who might finish in my Top 150, but even that is a maybe.

 

Like Ikeda, don't love him. Otsuka was the only BatBat guy that finished on my list. If Ikeda would've had a stronger run in NOAH, like an inverse of Hashi, who killed it in NOAH and then had a killer run in FUTEN, then he could've gotten on there, but his NOAH stuff kills that case.

 

Destroyer doesn't do anything for me. Never will and I'm okay with that.

[WingedEagle]

The Dream! Glad he made the cut this time around. Thought I might be the high man on him but wasn't quite there. Probably went irrationally high on him but what can you do, he was the man. One of the few workers who made everything he was involved with entertaining in spite of his in-ring limitations.

[goodhelmet]

 

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

 

Hopefully him and Piper drop soon. With Dusty gone, we can go to the really good ones. Because really, inside the ring, neither of those three were much (Piper being the worst by far).

 

 

This isn't even remotely true.

[DR Ackermann]

One thing I've learned is that El-P drastically overrates Backlund.

One thing I've learned is that Ricky Jackson didn't base his list on in ring work.

[GOTNW]

 

No one as of now from the Top 100 has hit my list. I projected Nakamura to be on my list, but after going through some of his early stuff, there was no way I could include him and I voted for Okada and Tanahashi was in my Top 20. Nak will benefit greatly if this is done 10 years from now. No one will look at his Power Struggle 2014 match with Shibata or his series with Goto from 2015. They'll see his peaks - the Ibushi matches, the Okada matches, the match with Zayn, the 2014 series with Tanahashi and the G1 Finals in 2015. His lows are so low, though. His lack of consistency really hurts him and maybe I'm crazy, but I look at him sort of like I look at Dusty. I may be off on that, I certainly haven't seen as much Dusty as most, but that's the sort of vibe I get. Nak's peak is higher, but Dusty at his best had to have a number of things line up. Nak's best matches are in big venues with hot crowds. He plays up to that and more power to him, but I don't see that as one of the 100 best. Tanahashi is better than him and has been for the past decade. Okada, in four years, has eclipsed Nakamura. Someone who might finish in my Top 150, but even that is a maybe.

Speak for yourself, I loved the Shibata match and enjoyed the Goto matches (with Goto being my least favourite wrestler of all time). If anything I find it people severely overrate his big matches as all time classics-not that they're not great, but clearly a level or two below that. He's been an amazing big match performer for 6-7 years now, that's more than enough and I got my money's worth any time he was in a non-squash singles match (your average New Japan Cup/G1 match). Sure, Nakamura doesn't bring much to house show tags, but neither does Tanahashi. Anyway I'll end this before it turns into a gigantic rant of why Okada sucks.

[JazeUSA]

5 of the first 9 were on my ballot, thats a good start

[InYourCase]

 

 

No one as of now from the Top 100 has hit my list. I projected Nakamura to be on my list, but after going through some of his early stuff, there was no way I could include him and I voted for Okada and Tanahashi was in my Top 20. Nak will benefit greatly if this is done 10 years from now. No one will look at his Power Struggle 2014 match with Shibata or his series with Goto from 2015. They'll see his peaks - the Ibushi matches, the Okada matches, the match with Zayn, the 2014 series with Tanahashi and the G1 Finals in 2015. His lows are so low, though. His lack of consistency really hurts him and maybe I'm crazy, but I look at him sort of like I look at Dusty. I may be off on that, I certainly haven't seen as much Dusty as most, but that's the sort of vibe I get. Nak's peak is higher, but Dusty at his best had to have a number of things line up. Nak's best matches are in big venues with hot crowds. He plays up to that and more power to him, but I don't see that as one of the 100 best. Tanahashi is better than him and has been for the past decade. Okada, in four years, has eclipsed Nakamura. Someone who might finish in my Top 150, but even that is a maybe.

Speak for yourself, I loved the Shibata match and enjoyed the Goto matches (with Goto being my least favourite wrestler of all time). If anything I find it people severely overrate his big matches as all time classics-not that they're not great, but clearly a level or two below that. He's been an amazing big match performer for 6-7 years now, that's more than enough and I got my money's worth any time he was in a non-squash singles match (your average New Japan Cup/G1 match). Sure, Nakamura doesn't bring much to house show tags, but neither does Tanahashi. Anyway I'll end this before it turns into a gigantic rant of why Okada sucks.

 

We will forever disagree on Okada and I'm okay with that.

 

Nak, for whatever reason, just doesn't scream that he needs to be on my list. A lot of that is that Tanahashi has been so much better for longer. Sans the first Dome match with Takayama, little Nakamura doesn't do anything for me. Tanahashi had the 2007 stuff with Goto and Nagata and since then, he's been a more consistent and better overall performer than Nakamura.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

 

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

 

Hopefully him and Piper drop soon. With Dusty gone, we can go to the really good ones. Because really, inside the ring, neither of those three were much (Piper being the worst by far).

 

 

Watch Piper in Portland in 1980 and you'll immediately change your mind.

[Danish Dynamite]

 

 

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

 

Hopefully him and Piper drop soon. With Dusty gone, we can go to the really good ones. Because really, inside the ring, neither of those three were much (Piper being the worst by far).

 

 

Watch Piper in Portland in 1980 and you'll immediately change your mind.

 

 

Totally agree! And KrisZ made my day with his great case for Piper on his and Dylan's GWE Part 1 podcast.

 

Backlund and Dusty down. I love Dusty, but didn't rank him here. Really thought I ranked Backlund, but when I checked I must've cut him at the very end. Neither was on my list, both were really fun.

[ohtani's jacket]

You're struttin' into town like you're slingin' a gun

Just a small town dude with a big city attitude

Honey are ya lookin' for some trouble tonight

Well all right

[JKWebb]

 

 

 

 

I wonder when Hogan will drop.

Hopefully him and Piper drop soon. With Dusty gone, we can go to the really good ones. Because really, inside the ring, neither of those three were much (Piper being the worst by far).

Watch Piper in Portland in 1980 and you'll immediately change your mind.

Yeah, I've loved the Portland stuff I've seen... Also, I guess i included emotional connectivity and promo ability more than others when creating my list (which was just my personal preference) .... Hoping Piper goes a little higher based on that...

[The Russian Daydream]

I suppose I get some of the reasons why people voted high on him, but Dusty at #92? Do people like his work in-ring a lot more than I do? Great wrestling personality and one of the true power brokers in the business for decades, but all the dancing and whirly-gig punches in the world don't get the Bull of the Woods on my list.

I remember reading years ago someone (I think it might have been Fin Martin in Powerslam) writing that Dusty could make you think you were watching a good match when actually you weren't. At the time I accepted it but over time, I've thought about it and came to the realise it's not a way of looking at wrestling that I subscribe to. Surely if you watch a match and think it's a good match then it is one.

 

Technically, Dusty may not have been a great 'wrestler' but he was a tremendous 'worker' as I would define the terms. He definitely deserves a position on the list.

 

Kerry Von Erich and The Destroyer both dropped from my list today too. I'm glad they both scraped into the top 100.

[MikeF]

Really thought I'd be the high vote on Backlund. Had him at #6. Still watch every title defense of his that I can get my hands on.

 

I voted for Kerry somewhere in the bottom third of my list. As I mentioned before, I thought David was better.

 

Dusty just missed my top 10. He had his faults, sure, but nobody ever had the crowd eating out of their hand quite like Dusty.