Favorite promotion

[goodhelmet]

I know we have probably done one of these in the past but I am going to resurrect the topic for some of the guys who have just joined recently. So, what is your favorite promotion and what time period? I have two so I'll respond later with my own thoughts.

[sek69]

I've always been an NWA mark, so my all-time favorite promotions were places like World Class and JCP. I just preferred their "realer" style over the more cartoony WWF product of the time.

 

My current favorite would probably be TNA, ironically also because I prefer their product over the more cartoony WWE stuff. Not everything they try to do ends up working, but they aren't afraid to let their guys go balls-out without handcuffing them with style limitations.

[silverwidow]

-All Japan (1993)

 

Self explanatory to anyone who's sampled the TV from this period. Just a wonderful blend of elite talent (both native and foreign), excellent booking (notably Kawada switching sides), and, of course, some of the best matches to ever happen all inside of one year. An easy choice for #1.

[The Thread Killer]

I would say that All Japan from 1990-1999 or so produced the longest streak of high quality matches that any organization could ever hope to. Hell, I was looking over my collection the other day, and noticed that I have no less than 260 matches from AJPW during the 90's in my collection.

 

I honestly don't know how anybody who has seen any of the 90's AJPW stuff could argue that any other fed put out this quality of work over this long a period of time. If you are the kind of person who puts stock in Meltzer's star rating system, then check out THIS and you will see all the proof you need.

[Strummer]

WWF from 1986-1989. The wrestling wasn't hot, but at no time in any promotion did I feel a closer personal connection to the wrestlers and the storylines. They made you care so much about the workers and the results of the matches that it hooked you in permanently

[Guest Dovi]

WCW - late ?91 to early ?93: Lots of great stuff during this time. Dangerous Alliance, Liger, Jack/Abby, Vader, and Gordy/Williams. The best that I?ve seen from a US promotion.

 

AJW - Mid-80?s: The most underrated roster of all time. While everyone talks about Jaguar, the Crush Gals, and, to a lesser extent, the JBA, other good/great workers get ignored. Devil Masami and Mimi Hagiwara were almost as good as Jaguar, and just as influential. Others like Ohmori, Hori, Ogura, Komatsu, Nagahori, Galactica, Kai, and Martin are ignored.

 

Arsion - ?98/?99: It?s really too bad that the style that these women worked never stuck because it really had the potential to create a lot of great stuff. Yoshida was the only worker to blossom during this time, and while she did produce a couple of great matches, you could tell that the rest of roster just needed more time to develop. If they would have gotten that then Arsion truly would have been something special.

 

All Japan - late 70?s: This, along with the Backlund stuff from the same time period, really taught me the value of wrestler that are able to work holds instead of really on flashy spots to build interest. Matches like Baba vs. Billy and Jumbo vs. Brisco, Race, and Funk showed me a whole new way to enjoy wrestling.

[Coffey]

1997 WCW with the nWo and Sting running wild. I never missed Nitro or Thunder for several years.

 

2005 ROH with great matches, entertaining shows and a couple of storylines I even got engrossed in.

[Guest savagerulz]

To answer the question, CMLL.

[Guest Local Jobber R]

FWM with Hayabusa vs Mr. Gannosake and Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome as the feuds that got my attention.

 

CMLL (2002-2005) had several things get my attention from the cybernetico matches, Dr. Wagner/Blue Panther/Fueza Guerrera as Trios campions, the whole Santanico/Averno/Mephisto vs Ultimo Guerrero/Rey Bucannero/Tarzan Boy fighting over the name rights, Shocker fighting for the Semicompleto and tag belts, Super Porky comedy, Mistico as the underdog.....WTF happened to Hijo del Rayo de Jalisco/Rayman?

 

WWF (Attitude) Austin vs Hart, Undertaker vs Mankind and the Rock before he resorted to using sex jokes and started singing.

 

WWF (2000-2001) Tables, Ladders, Chairs oh my! Too bad both Hardy Boys are Emo crybabies now and Edge is injuried on a constant basis due to these matches.

 

WCW (Monday Night Wars) with the mexicans running wild, the Raven character was working, Malenko & Benoit were Horsemen and Scott Hall as the only entertaining nWo character IMO.

[Guest savagerulz]

I also liked Toryumon but, I stopped ordering their tapes just a little bit before they changed their name to Dragon's Gate due to a lack of money.

[Mad Dog]

New Japan 1990-1995

 

All Japan had higher matches but I think NJPW killed them as far as a top to bottom card. I find the promotion started to lose some steam as Mutoh got lazy after losing the title on 1/4/96. My personal peak is the 95 G-1 Climax.

 

NWA 1989

 

Terry Funk's heel run might be my favorite. It just shows you how good Flair was that he could turn a forgotten past his prime legend into the biggest heel in the company in a matter of 5 seconds. On top of that you got Sting/Muta and Flair/Steamboat.

 

WWF 1988-1992

 

The wrestling wasn't so hot but nostalgia does a lot.

 

WCW 1996-1998

 

Cruiserweight action, the nWo and Chris Jericho's heel run. This was the era that turned me into a hardcore wrestling fan and I doubt that any will ever entertain me in the same way again.

 

WCW 2001

 

The cruiserweight division returns and the Mag 7 storyline. WCW was already dead but they really had some good storylines going on and there was some great talent like Shane Helms, O'Haire and Jett starting to climb the card.

 

WWF 2000

 

The only year that McMahon really got it as far as running a wrestling company. Just so much talent on the rise. It saddens me to think none of the up and comers ever got a shot.