Dear 2026 Wrestling Obsessives

[Loss]

What advice do you have for whatever crop of people may decide to do the next GWE poll in 2026? Lessons learned, things that have worked, things that haven't and so on. Write a note to the next generation.

[Jetlag]

Watch more wrestling. I suggest by starting NOW. And if you have stuff, upload it. If you don't, buy some tapes. Gee they're 3 bucks a pop these days. Be adventurous

[El-P]

I'll be 50 then if I get there. That would be quite a thing to participate in another GWE poll, basically once every ten years of my adult life.

 

Advices ? Don't burn yourself out.

[JerryvonKramer]

Never again

[soup23]

I would like more discussion in the threads leading up to the reveal if you think you are going to be on an island on a particular pick. As fun and shocking as the Scott Steiner and Scorpio #1 picks were, I went through their respective threads and didn't see even a hint of the projection some individuals were going to throw upon them. I wouldn't say I was immune of this either as it looks like I will be one of the high votes for someone like Tamura and I wish I would have done longer form posts in presenting my argument.

[ohtani's jacket]

Your list won't be better than the 2016 list.

[Loss]

If you're reading this in 2026, it's probably too late to uphold the once-a-decade tradition, but I think doing siloed lists to build up to GWE is a better overall path. Separate by era, promotion, style -- whatever, but concentrate on a subset of wrestlers, then another subset, then another subset. Then GWE acts as the culmination of a decade of mini-projects, the comparisons across whatever lines have been drawn begin, and guys aren't as likely to fall through the cracks because they've been vetted so much beforehand. While you'd still have nominations and pimping, the comparisons will probably be more dominant at that point. Figure out the "lanes", then figure out how much time until GWE, and divide the remaining time evenly among the various lanes.

 

Oh, and don't get caught in debates about objectivity and subjectivity. They go in circles, all in the name of presenting the radical idea that opinions aren't facts. Everyone knows that, no reason to discuss it.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

Have fun, have fun and have fun. Because the 2016 GWE project sure has been a lot of fun.

 

Don't get bogged down in the "process" or get caught up in silly debates about objectivity. Keep the focus on the wrestlers and wrestling. You can actually influence others and move the needle when you keep the discussion focused on wrestlers and wrestling. You can also help others discover new workers or matches they've never seen.

 

Nobody is going to change their mind when it comes to silly stuff like "greatest vs. best" or whatever else, so keep it focused on wrestling.

[ohtani's jacket]

Vote lucha,vote Joshi, vote shoot style. Vote British workers, vote Europeans. But don't overrafe Flair vs. Garvin.

[Matt D]

I've had a lot of fun with this. Some of the most fun has been watching things online with people, and I imagine that technology is going to only improve as time goes on. Hopefully eight years from now, there's 30 of us in a chatroom watching a match together now and again, something like that.

[WingedEagle]

Watch a ton of stuff you've never seen before or haven't watched in years. Then keep doing that and don't worry about a ballot.

[van_Fair]

I've had a lot of fun with this. Some of the most fun has been watching things online with people, and I imagine that technology is going to only improve as time goes on. Hopefully eight years from now, there's 30 of us in a chatroom watching a match together now and again, something like that.

 

If VR actually ends up being a hit then it could mean that by that point technology has advanced enough that it could simulate being in the crowd watching the match.

[JRGoldman]

Watch Lucha.

 

Don't use BIGLAV.

[TravJ1979]

even if there isn't another poll, I plan on building my GWE and GME lists in sections as Loss suggested. For Instance, I'm going to try and watch everything I can from that Stetcher match to about 1983 and then make a list. Since 1984 is when footage seems to explode, i don't know how I'm going to divide up those, but most likely no more than 5 year increments. Maybe if a 2026 poll ever does get off the ground I'll already be finished (and I'm certain it will vary greatly from what I turned in this year).

[victory]

Delete. Wrong thread 😕

[Dylan Waco]

My advice:

 

- Be conscious of the fact that as a viewer and critic you create narratives about certain wrestlers, promotions, matches, et. but also your thinking about various wrestlers may be effected by a master narrative that serves to inflate or obscure the impact of their careers.

 

- Talk/write about the guys you like or don't like.

 

- Don't allow anonymous voters. I don't care if they are part of this or any other board, I just think it's better if the voters are public.

 

- Keep nominations, but maybe ditch the three match rule in lieu of something else.

[El-P]

Nominations are useless. You had a hundred threads with most of them getting no discussion at all and tons of joke nominations. Meanwhile, I forgot to nominate Takako Inoue therefore my vote was invalidated and no one talked about her while I'm pretty sure she would have gotten some votes. If Cuty Suzuki made it, it's obvious Takako would have. Anyway...

And yeah, anonymous voters should not be allowed.

[Grimmas]

Anonymous was a mistake on my part.

[goodhelmet]

Nominations are useless. You had a hundred threads with most of them getting no discussion at all and tons of joke nominations. Meanwhile, I forgot to nominate Takako Inoue therefore my vote was invalidated and no one talked about her while I'm pretty sure she would have gotten some votes. If Cuty Suzuki made it, it's obvious Takako would have. Anyway...

 

And yeah, anonymous voters should not be allowed.

 

Why did you forget about her?

[El-P]

I didn't forget to vote for her. But she wasn't nominated. When there's a sea of nominations, pages of forgotten almost-empty threads, it's easy to not realize someone hasn't been nominated.

[Matt D]

I didn't forget to vote for her. But she wasn't nominated. When there's a sea of nominations, pages of forgotten almost-empty threads, it's easy to not realize someone hasn't been nominated.

It's too bad there wasn't a master list of nominees. That would have really helped things, especially if it had links.

[TravJ1979]

 

I didn't forget to vote for her. But she wasn't nominated. When there's a sea of nominations, pages of forgotten almost-empty threads, it's easy to not realize someone hasn't been nominated.

It's too bad there wasn't a master list of nominees. That would have really helped things, especially if it had links.

 

Honestly, I think only having two wrestlers make the list that weren't nominated after all of the people who listed wrestlers who weren't nominated, I think it turned out better than expected.

[El-P]

 

I didn't forget to vote for her. But she wasn't nominated. When there's a sea of nominations, pages of forgotten almost-empty threads, it's easy to not realize someone hasn't been nominated.

It's too bad there wasn't a master list of nominees. That would have really helped things, especially if it had links.

 

 

It sure didn't apparently.

[concrete1992]

What would be the alternative to nominating and having the opportunity to discuss individual candidates?

[TravJ1979]

Maybe have a committee to nominate voters instead of wrestlers. This would prevent people voting for Gotch and Hackenschmidt, would guarantee no anonymous voters, eliminate troll/joke ballots and limit people who'd vote Naked Mideon #1 in a strategic vote. and I'm sure a few other positives that I'm forgetting.