2026 Nomination Thread

[SegundaCuerda]

Daizee Haze

I'm a little bit surprised to see Lacey nominated and not Daizee, as I find them similar in talent and cataloge of matches. Very smart worker, great grappling and the perfect oponent for the top women of SHIMMER. Also really liked her work in ROH in the Embassy and her matches there in a more exhibition/TV format.

Matches:
vs Lacey SHIMMER Vol. 1
w/Amazing Kong vs Lacey & Sara Del Rey, ROH Man Up 2007
vs Sara Del Rey 2 out of 3 falls 8/5/07 CHIKARA 
vs Ayumi Kurihara SHIMMER Vol. 32
 

[SegundaCuerda]

Antonio Honda

My favourite comedy wrestler ever but also a really amazing worker when had to work serious matches. It's fascinating to me that his comedy is very laughable even if I don't understand one single word in Japanese, and that humorus style makes his serious matches to feel epic and special.

Matches:
vs Dick Togo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRml6LaLut0
vs Danshoku Dino https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLo-SzR5_y0
vs Shuji Ishikawa https://youtu.be/EUUAmTCQHrE?t=3833

[SegundaCuerda]

Alexander Navieb

I've seen a lot of deathmatch, really crazy spots and gnarly moments but there's no wrestler that frightens me more than the things this guy does in the ring, of in his backyard, whatever, these russian deathmatch stuff are freaking nuts and I think deserves a nomination

vs “Die Young” Sanchez, Slavic Hospital Death Brawl
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Vy_hQe6Mc

vs The Moth, Soviet Tubes Deathmatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpgeuopWcBE

w/Alexey Khytrikh vs The Moth & Lankharn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGZ4tgD_gs

[alt]

Suicide (Frankie Kazarian) 

Albert Camus wrote, "There is but one true philosophical problem, and that is (TNA wrestler) Suicide." 

This is a selection I want to put in as representative of the late 2000's TNA X-Division. Kazarian has a long career where he is second fiddle to Christopher Daniels and not many stand out performances until he becomes the Suicide gimmick. I'm sure plenty of people who grew up around this time are fond of this character as well. The Bound For Glory 2009 Ultimate X was one of the first matches I ever viewed on YouTube. Kazarian has spoken publicly about despising everything about this run. Everything about his presentation is absolutely silly and ridiculous.  Many of his matches involve wandering aimlessly, doing the gun-pointed-to-head taunt, and then a funny reckless spot. He is 2009 personified, you watch Suicide and an Affliction shirt and Monster Energy appear on your person. His X-Division power level is so high at one point the entire division is against this masked man who has seemingly solved the style. I have watched others attempt the Suicide gimmick but Kazarian is easily the best one and is a decent candidate for a lower-half of the list childhood nostalgia pick. Also, FWIW maybe my favorite wrestler to watch in a group. 

vs. D'Angelo Dinero, Falls Count Anywhere (TNA No Surrender 09.20.2009) 

vs. Daniels, (TNA Sacrifice 05.24.2009) (43:00 into video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxftOsEzv6M

vs. The Amazing Red, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Daniels, Homicide, Ultimate X Match, (TNA Bound for Glory 10.18.2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqpEbdDjd8 

 

 

 

 

[rhutton]

Hana Kimura

Hana is often remembered (and sometimes exploited) for her tragic death, but I think it's worth celebrating what a natural and charismatic wrestler she was. Her Oedo Tai tag team with Kagetsu was one of the highlights of 2010s STARDOM. Her hard-hitting feud with Giulia pre-COVID also helped establish the style that would lead STARDOM to big success in the following decade, and I have no doubt she would have been a huge star in modern wrestling.

Matches:

vs. Giulia - STARDOM, 12/24/2019 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS4iJiDkTjs

w/Kagetsu vs. HZK & Momo Watanabe, 01/05/2018

 

vs. ASUKA - 09/02/2018

vs. Kagetsu - 09/10/2017

[Grimmas]

Get your nominees in before the weekend!

[Jetlag]

Ran Yu Yu / Tomoko Miyaguchi

Previously I would've thought Ran Yu Yu never quite fulfilled her potential. But now? Fuck that, Ran Yu Yu fucking rules. Considering what she had to work with, she has so many hits under her belt it's honestly kind of staggering. Watching her is pretty much a guarantee to come across some hidden gems, whether in GAEA, JWP or anywhere else. While her career seemingly dipped a bit after her prime from around 1999-2005, she's still good-really good-great up to her final matches around 2012. Awesome wrestler with really stylish, graceful offense, has a knack for making basic things like an elbow feel epic, in a lot of great matches that she played no small role in. Absolutely one of my favourite women wrestlers ever and someone who deserves a deep dive. And now with GAEAism making so much of her stuff available and other previously more obscure things like JWP footage seeping out it's a good time as any.

Recommended matches:

vs Command Bolshoi, JWP 3/3/2006

vs Meiko Satomura, GAEA 9/15/2003

vs. Misae Genki, JWP 12/9/2001

Oga Nozaki / Michinori Nozaki

Cool worker whose elusive career I am just starting to discover. He has a unique vibe, like he is more inspired by 90s NJPW than the typical Kings Road stuff, building his matches around a handful of signatures and making basic things like a stomp look meaningful, and oozing aura. I care more about his jumping enzuigiris than I can say for another post-2000s worker. He also has an array of cool unique submissions. He was on top of JWA Tokai for a really long time and from what I can tell he's done an honorable job carrying the main events against a variety of opponents ranging from the respectable to the completely sleazy. It's regrettable he rarely dipped outside that scene though when he did it was usually good. The 60 minute match he had with Hakaru is really special. As far as I can tell he also had unique talent in his early days before he developed the Oga Nozaki persona, focussing on a more basic but highly efficient and memorable approach to pro wrestling, getting more mileage out of something like a side headlock than most wrestlers.

Recommended Matches:

vs Hakaru, Jishindan 3/8/2015

w Hiroshi Toyoda vs Cosmo Soldier & Hakaru, KAGEKI 7/20/2014

w Hiroshi Toyoda vs Cosmo Soldier & Chojin Yusha G Valion, JWA Tokai 6/18/2017

[Matt D]

Pierre Bernaert

One of the best, most workmanlike bad guys in the French Catch footage. We have around 25 matches with him spanning the 50s to the 70s, both singles and his odd couple pairing with Cheri Bibi. He's not an over the top character like Duranton or Bollet/Delaporte and he's not as stylized as guys like Peruano, but he's just incredibly solid in his role. He could stooge, lean on someone, feed, be serious or comedic, give and take. Just a great jerk.

Matches: 
Cheri Bibi/Pierre Bernaert vs. Ami Sola/Jo Labat 9/6/59 (SC review: https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/09/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-bibi.html)
Pierre Bernaert vs. Laurent Dauthuille 6/26/57 (SC review: https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2020/04/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-andre-rapp.html)
Billy Catanzaro/Pierre Bernaert vs. Mr. Montreal/Vasilios Mantopolous 6/5/72 https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2022/05/tuesday-is-french-catch-day-catanzaro.html
 

[EnviousStupid]

Maki Ito

An unconventional pick, but someone who I feel deserves a lot more credit than she gets in the ways she defines her character, plays off other wrestlers, and has the ability to elevate any multi-person match she's part of purely because of those aforementioned traits. Someone who has already exceeded expectations given their background, and who has found popularity in every promotion she's worked for. It's fair to say she's limited in terms of what she can do in-ring, but her strengths are clearly found across a multitude of match-types and opponents, to a degree that arguably none of her contemporaries have matched. Give the cutest in the world her flowers. She continues to charm in an era of wrestling that could do with more joy.

Recommended Matches: 

w/ Riho & Shoko Nakajima vs. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 1st December 2018)

vs. Aja Kong (TJPW, 3rd May 2019)

vs. Hikari Noa (TJPW, 4th January 2020)

w/ Mizuki vs. Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 21st September 2020)

vs. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 4th January 2021)

w/ Chris Brookes & Super Delfin vs. Keigo Nakamura, MAO & Mirai Maiumi (DDT, 14th February 2021)

vs. Rika Tatsumi (TJPW, 17th April 2021)

w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Mei Saint-Michel & Sakisama (TJPW, 17th June 2021)

vs. Mizuki (TJPW, 14th August 2021)

w/ Chris Brookes & Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 26th December 2021)

w/ Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Kamifuku vs. Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 8th January 2022)

w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto (TJPW, 3rd May 2022)

vs. Alex Windsor (TJPW, 9th July 2022)

vs. Hikari Noa vs. Mizuki vs. Rika Tatsumi vs. Suzume vs. Yuki Kamifuku (TJPW, 4th January 2023)

w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW, 31st March 2023)

vs. Rina Yamashita (GCW, 17th June 2023)

w/ Aramis & Evil Uno vs. Latigo, Masha Slamovich & Peter Avalon (PWG, 13th August 2023)

vs. Jun Kasai (GCW, 9th April 2025)

vs. Kikyo Furusawa (STARDOM, 6th March 2026)

[rhutton]

All right, time to throw in my last few TJPW/modern joshi noms.

Yuka Sakazaki 

Yuka is another pivotal wrestler to TJPW's early years and growth, being a multi-time Princess of Princess champion and a reliable big show headliner. Her immediately charming and comedic persona paired with a willingness to be intense and fearless in the ring helped to define the promotion. You don't see her as much since she's moved to the US *cough cough* but every time she shows up I'm still happy to see her.

Matches:

vs. Mizuki - TJPW, Nov 7, 2020

vs. Miyu Yamashita - TJPW, January 4, 2023

vs. Shoko Nakajima - TJPW, Oct 9, 2022

vs. Emi Sakura - AEW, Feb. 22, 2021

Rika Tatsumi 

Rika was more of a transitional main eventer for TJPW, but is still in her prime and carries herself like a big deal. I love her combination of the classic Fujinami dragon system moves, DDT-style comedy, and willingness to just murderize the opponent and/or herself. I just think she's neat!

Matches:

vs. Miyu Yamashita - TJPW, May 4, 2021

w/Miu Watanabe vs. Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima - TJPW, July 21, 2025

vs. Ryo Mizunami - TJPW August 10, 2024

w/Miu Watanabe vs. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai - GCW, April 6 2024

Lulu Pencil 

This is my #100, and I think it's a great cheeky #100. Lulu Pencil was a freelance writer with no real athletic ability who wrestled exclusively in a converted dentist's office, mostly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the ChocoPro web show. But she also showcased how much of the art of wrestling is nonphysical: getting a gimmick over, variating on a theme, crafting a match, etc. Lulu was so good at these elements that she became the focus of the entire promotion for a time, making herself the ultimate underdog wrestler.

Matches:

vs. Chris Brookes - Choco Pro, July 22, 2021

w/Emi Sakura vs. Chris Brookes & Yuna Mizumori - Choco Pro, November 11, 2020

vs. Antonio Honda - Choco Pro, August 1, 2021

[Grimmas]

Updated and nominees closed!

Voting form will be posted April 5th and voting is due May 5th.

Thanks for everyone's contributions!