Reactions to the List: 25-11

[MoS]

I think either Rey or Lawler will drop. Most probably Lawler, but it would still be a huge jump, as he was 42 in 2006, IIRC.

[GOTNW]

Big pop for Jumbo missing the top 10.

[van_Fair]

That Jumbo picture looks like it belongs on a shitty dating website profile.

[WingedEagle]

That Jumbo picture looks like it belongs on a shitty dating website profile.

 

I'd swipe right. Show the man some love!

[Grimmas]

LAWLER MADE THE TOP TEN! Everybody rejoice!

[MoS]

Jumbo didn't make the top 10. No one is safe haha.

 

Really happy for Rey-Rey.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Bret, Bock and Jumbo all falling. Heart punch.

[El-P]

LAWLER MADE THE TOP TEN! Everybody rejoice!

 

Why ?

 

Jumbo not making the top 10 kinda sucks. I didn't expect that although I should have.

 

I didn't comment on Bret dropping. Well, he was my #14. Above Flair. I'd like my world champ to look smart.

[Grimmas]

 

LAWLER MADE THE TOP TEN! Everybody rejoice!

 

Why ?

 

Jumbo not making the top 10 kinda sucks. I didn't expect that although I should have.

 

I didn't comment on Bret dropping. Well, he was my #14. Above Flair. I'd like my world champ to look smart.

 

Lawler in top 10 and Jumbo dropping to 11 fixes two big mistakes of the 2006 poll.

[bestintheworld3589]

People on my list featured today

Ricky Steamboat (25)

Vader (18)

Bret Hart (15)

Eddie Guerrero (7)

 

I have 9 out of the top 10 left on my ballot and 6 of those 9 are my top 6.

 

The biggest disappointment from the the last couple of days was the placement of William Regal at 21, I was hoping he would make the top 15 at least. Looking back at my ballot I should have had him at least 5 spots higher.

[El-P]

Lawler might as well win the whole thing now. I doubt Hansen can.

 

(Knowing who had the most of the top 10 in their actual top 10 would be interesting…)

[Coffey]

I think I have 7/10 of the Top 10.

 

Lawler, Mysterio & Bryan being the three not in my Top 10.

[JKWebb]

I'm thrilled Lawler hit the top 10

[KB8]

I know some folks have been down on him a bit in recent years (I had him at #27, so I guess I'd fall into that category even though I'd still say he was absolutely excellent at his best), but Jumbo dropping out of the top 10 surprised me. Who saw him picking up less #1 votes than Bret?

[Gus_McCrae]

As the high vote on Eddie, I can say with complete conviction I can understand the case for almost everyone left being ahead of him. I cannot understand the case for Rey as better. I'm OK being in the super minority but, I don't get it at all. he never worked heel!

[Timbo Slice]

Lawler will be 10th. I figure with number o ballots being a big deal, Kobashi will reach Top 5. Flair will be #1. Bryan is the wild card here.

[MoS]

As the high vote on Eddie, I can say with complete conviction I can understand the case for almost everyone left being ahead of him. I cannot understand the case for Rey as better. I'm OK being in the super minority but, I don't get it at all. he never worked heel!

 

Rey was a transcendental babyface, to the point where Vince McMahon had to give him the world title twice. That counts more, although I love Eddie.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

Jumobo out of the top 10?!?! Damn you, Dylan! Damn you!

 

Just kidding. It's disappointing to see Jumbo out of the top 10, but I am glad he finished above Tenryu. The criticisms lobbed at Jumbo about being disinterested and overly stoic are my criticisms of Tenryu.

[El-P]

I only have 5 extremely boring classic picks in my top 5. But I don't have the ultimate boring choice though.

 

Honestly, all things considered, I do think this Top 10 is pretty damn representative of today, even though I don't agree with some of it. Lawler not making it would have been a disapointment of sorts even for me after years of heavy heavy praise. The one I'm actually surprised that he still made it was Misawa. I thought Tenryu would have replaced him honestly.

 

Bryan makes N°10. Kobashi makes the top 5 because lots of people love his NOAH stuff. Flair wins (and really, all of this talk for Flair stealing the victory at the end ?).

[TravJ1979]

I have 5 of the Top 10 in my personal Top 10. (Funk, Flair, Kawada, Kobashi, Misawa)

 

others in my Top 10 were Jumbo, Bockwinkel, Tenryu, Casas and Santo

 

Everyone else left was in my Top 15

[Cap]

I love Eddie but he is definitely a case of people seeing the level he was working at his last few years and just assume he was at that level the rest of his career while only watching the Halloween Havoc 97 match.

That is probably true, but I personally see that as a really incredible peak. When I was going to vote Eddie was never going to drop out of my top 10 and might have snuck into the top five. Everyone knows the case for his peak run (though I probably like it even more than most). I think his strength is in the emotion he could bring into a match, even if the match wasn't all that good. His ability to get real heat and commit to his character no matter how much he was getting shit on by the company (I am looking at you WCW). I even count the little indy run as sort of a feather in his cap. Him being there was such a jarring reminder of how much better an elite wrestler like Eddie was than even the really good indy guys at the time. He had a match with Doug Williams (who I know people have mixed feelings about) where he was just like 5 steps ahead of Williams the whole time but he worked soooo sooo hard to keep the match together and in the end it wasn't great but it served its purpose. I just think that even when he wasn't great he stood out as an overall performer who was working hard to make the most of his situation. Whenever I revisit his WCW cruiser run I am almost never disappointment, especially in what he is doing. To me, he is just what wrestling (at least in an American context) should be - playing the character at all times, paying attention to the details of the match, being entertaining, working the character into the ringwork, showing versatility, making the absolute most out of every single situation. He worked heel, face, and the tweener hybrid. He made some of the most over the top soap opera storylines ever work in the 2000s. He could stooge. He could get vicious. He had good matches not just in different countries but against wrestlers bringing a wide variety of styles and he always seemed committed to making wrestling fun while producing good matches. I think everyone ahead of him has a great case for the top 10, but Eddie is a guy I completely buy as a top wrestler.

[DR Ackermann]

Jumobo out of the top 10?!?! Damn you, Dylan! Damn you!

 

Just kidding. It's disappointing to see Jumbo out of the top 10, but I am glad he finished above Tenryu. The criticisms lobbed at Jumbo about being disinterested and overly stoic are my criticisms of Tenryu.

That's just not the case though. Tenryu got more and more creative with his spots and counter spots. He would go out of his way to make mid carders and de facto jobbers look as good as possible. For the record, Tenryu was my number 2 and i was the low vote on Jumbo at 82.

[Cap]

Given the flow of the talk I have seen over the last few months, I am a little surprised Jumbo made 11. Personally, I just got into him over the last year (more than just a match or two here and there) and really found myself surprised at how much I enjoy him, but he seems like a victim of timing. The proverbial pendulum might just be swinging the wrong way on him right now.

 

I think Parv on the podcasts talked about this, people just aren't into the epic NWA championship/45 minute-hour long matches right now. It doesn't appear to have as much capital in the moment and that probably lost him a few spots on a lot of the ballots he was even on.

[AndyLFC]

Tenryu is the first of my top 5 to go -

 

Kawada, Hansen, Misawa, Liger, Tenryu, Flair, Bockwinkel, Funk, Kobashi and Akiyama.

 

Bock was easily the biggest discovery for me during this whole process.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

 

Jumobo out of the top 10?!?! Damn you, Dylan! Damn you!

 

Just kidding. It's disappointing to see Jumbo out of the top 10, but I am glad he finished above Tenryu. The criticisms lobbed at Jumbo about being disinterested and overly stoic are my criticisms of Tenryu.

That's just not the case though. Tenryu got more and more creative with his spots and counter spots. He would go out of his way to make mid carders and de facto jobbers look as good as possible. For the record, Tenryu was my number 2 and i was the low vote on Jumbo at 82.

 

 

Admittedly, later career Tenryu is a bit of a blind spot for me. It's just been weird hearing the criticisms lobbed at Jumbo during this process and thinking, "That's EXACTLY how I feel about Tenryu."

 

I had Jumbo 4th and Tenryu 37th.