cubbymark Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Charlotte Flair A second generation star who happens to be Ric Flair’s daughter. Just because you are the offspring of a wrestling legend, doesn’t always mean all the natural talent transfers over. Just look at David Flair. She is considered to be one of the WWE Horsewomen and is generally pushed very well. To me she’s probably the most underrated of the four. She might get some backlash from folks, but she can get in the ring and do very athletic and creative things. Charlotte is also a tremendous big match wrestler. When she is a heel, she definitely exudes her daddy’s swagger and arrogance. She can be extremely vicious when necessary. Matches: Vs Ronda Rousey Survivor Series 2018 Vs Rhea Ripley Wrestlemania 36, Night 2 Vs Asuka Wrestlemania 34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Roger Delaporte One of the great pro wrestling villains of the 20th century. A vulnerable, cringing, and craven lead heel who often sold with close-up expressiveness as if his liver was caught in a bear trap. He was slick enough to hang in the demanding French Catch style, had an absolute mean streak when on top, and could hit as hard as anyone, using his Mr. Belvedere body type to bully and control the ring. He was able to go from sending the crowd and announcer into fits of laughter to doing tangible damage to his opponent with the snap of his finger, and was credible in his wins despite being vulnerable for a huge chunk of the match prior. We have him in all sorts of settings over 20+ matches: tags with an equal in Bollet and with minions like Guy Robin, as de facto babyface vs monsters, in long singles matches against a variety of opponents, from the mid-50s into the 70s. Delaporte/Bollet vs Hayes/Hunter 2/1/60 vs Jean Frisuk 5/3/62 vs Warnia de Zarzecki 4/9/65 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Kintaro Oki I'm reserving judgement on what caliber of a worker he was in a comparative and historical sense, but I can say he is an absolute lock for my list. If you like workers in the Choshu tradition (like Kensuke Sasaki, Ishii or the BJW strong guys), Tenryu and the W.A.R. style, Fit Finlay, or even older workers Johnny Valentine and Wahoo McDaniel, I think you absolutely owe it to yourself to check out his work and give him a shot. His tight style and brawling attract immediate attention, but he is a skilled matworker too. Plus, how can you dislike a wrestler who worked a gimmick based on how hard his head was? vs Nick Kosak-JWA 6.12.1967 vs Tom Andrews-JWA 5.4.1969. vs Inoki-NJPW 10.10.1974. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Etsuka Mita 1/2 of one of the best acts in wrestling history. Has a bunch of great matches on her resume.' Was a good traditional Joshi worker before LCO went into full on brawling maniacs mode starting in 97 and became the legends that they are. Was taller than most other Joshi wrestlers and developed some good stuff emphasizing her height. Not the charisma machine that Shimoda was, but the workhorse. Terry Gordy to Shimoda's Michael Hayes. I haven't exlpored her singles work as much as I have Shimoda's, but it is something I'll do over the next 5 years because just being part of LCO makes you a contender for the list. Etsuka Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Kaoru Ito & Tomoko Watanabe (Rage in a Cage) 09/21/97 AJW Etsuka Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Ayako Hamada & AKINO 12/11/99 ARISON Kaoru Ito & Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi vs Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita & Kumiko Maekawa (Cage Match - AJW - 11/23/00) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Fuck it. Andy Kaufman If I were just making a list of most talented people to ever try pro-wrestling, Kaufman is at or near the top. We've been doing the Greatest Match Ever project for the last couple of years and my last top 100 had 4 Andy Kaufman matches on it. He had a complete understanding of psychology before he ever worked a match. People have talked about considering interviews, angles and things other than just the bell to bell in ring action, then Kaufman merits not just a nomination but serious consideration. Some of the greatest promo's ever. The Letterman Angle has to be on the short list of greatest angles ever. Literally every second he was on screen during a wrestling show was complete magic. Only had a few matches but they are genius examples of what makes pro wrestling great. The match against Jimmy Hart is basically the Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura version of two chickenshit non-athlete cowards with big mouths who don't want to fight but accidentally talked themselves into a situation where they have to fight. It is better than every Brock Lesnar match ever. Took like 3 bumps ever and they're some of the greatest and most memorable bumps ever. Kaufman was a literal genius wrestler. The only thing holding him from absolutely garnering a spot on my list is the brevity of his run. But it is so great I might just put him at 100. Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (CWA 4/5/82) Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (Boxing Match CWA 11/14/83) Andy Kaufman vs Jimmy Hart (CWA 7/11/83) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Nanae Takahashi One of the most underrated workers in the last twenty years. Has a deep resume of great matches that either people have not discovered or have been dismissed by people who have personal bias against her. Has a big bomb throwing style that people who don't watch joshi would love but made it believable. Always produced quality matches in her ace runs in SUN, JWP, STARDOM and SEAdLINNNG. Great as a single, great as tag worker, even great at intergender matches. Matches: 7/16/2000 - Nanae Takahashi & Momoe Nakanishi vs LCO [AJW] 3/20/2012 - Nanae Takahashi vs Meiko Satomura [STARDOM] 11/2/2019 - Nanae Takahashi vs Arisa Nakajima (Hair vs Hair) [SEAdLINNNG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 The Ronda nomination made think that nominating this two was worth it. Takuya Nomura Talk about a guy that "got it" as soon as he debuted, four months after his debut he's having fun matches in Big Japan and All Japan. Nomura is as close to a prodigy as you can get. The guy knows how to sell, show fire, strike and make a match more interesting with his work. Sure, he has the "advantage" of being a disrespectful punk, so him showing up against bigger and more established opponents was a novelty he had from the get go. But not everyone can pull that off as well as he does it. We are five years into his career and he has MOTYCs in singles and tags in at least 3 of them, and whole bunch of fun multi man tags, tag team and singles performances. His team with Fuminori Abe (Astronauts) is one of the best in the word. By the time we vote, we'll have a decade's worth of work and he'll most likely get a big singles run in one or two promotions so better start getting familiar with him now so we can evaluate him as worthy of making our ballots. Matches: Takuya Nomura vs Hideki Suzuki - BJW 6/20/2018 https://rutube.ru/video/222f24151d44575cc4999a23458a2f41/ Takuya Nomura vs Yuji Okabayashi - BJW 7/21/2019 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7h0nna Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Kohei Sato - BJW 8/10/2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlejQgSe6Qo Fuminori Abe Just like Takuya Nomura, I think it's best to get a nomination early because by the time we vote he's gonna have a decade worth of footage and as another young prodigy, he can end up making a case to get into some ballots. Abe is really small, but he has no issue working big. He can also be very flashy, very stiff and take a whole lot of punishment. He can pull off some incredible reversals and has done some really great stuff trying to keep the FUTEN/Battlearts aura around puroresu as well as more traditional work that is also top notch. Matches: Fuminori Abe vs Takuya Nomura - BJW 1/17/2018 https://rutube.ru/video/630a7005c6882e692f3454ef3b9d5f00/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514 Fuminori Abe vs Kohei Sato - Zero1 2/2/2019 https://rutube.ru/video/222df24ca517c074181f041ed553c4ff/ Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura vs Twin Towers - BJW 12/20/2020 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7yhhr7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 2 hours ago, elliott said: Fuck it. Andy Kaufman If I were just making a list of most talented people to ever try pro-wrestling, Kaufman is at or near the top. We've been doing the Greatest Match Ever project for the last couple of years and my last top 100 had 4 Andy Kaufman matches on it. He had a complete understanding of psychology before he ever worked a match. People have talked about considering interviews, angles and things other than just the bell to bell in ring action, then Kaufman merits not just a nomination but serious consideration. Some of the greatest promo's ever. The Letterman Angle has to be on the short list of greatest angles ever. Literally every second he was on screen during a wrestling show was complete magic. Only had a few matches but they are genius examples of what makes pro wrestling great. The match against Jimmy Hart is basically the Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura version of two chickenshit non-athlete cowards with big mouths who don't want to fight but accidentally talked themselves into a situation where they have to fight. It is better than every Brock Lesnar match ever. Took like 3 bumps ever and they're some of the greatest and most memorable bumps ever. Kaufman was a literal genius wrestler. The only thing holding him from absolutely garnering a spot on my list is the brevity of his run. But it is so great I might just put him at 100. Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (CWA 4/5/82) Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (Boxing Match CWA 11/14/83) Andy Kaufman vs Jimmy Hart (CWA 7/11/83) Love the ballsy Kaufman nomination. Shit, you sold me. Huge fan of the Kaufman Memphis stuff. In fact, the only wrestling t shirt I own is an image of Lawler about to piledrive Andy. I think when I get interested in wrestling again I'll deep dive this stuff because I know I haven't seen all of it, like the match vs Hart. If I do a list I'll definitely find a spot for Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbymark Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Kaufman really is the most prominent argument in favor of peak vs longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Ayako Hamada One of my personal favorites of all time. She's in the branch of the dynamic/high flying/high speed joshi wrestler tree that includes Jaguar Yokota, Manami Toyota, Momoe Nakanishi, Natsuki Taiyo, and Io Shirai. Sort of a victim to being in the wrong era in the 2000s but always gave good performances throughout her career whether she was in ARSION, AJW, TNA, SHIMMER, AAA and WAVE. Her match layouts became repetitive later in her career but it worked nonetheless. Very good tag worker, underrated brawler and one of the most flexible wrestlers in terms of adapting to where she was working. Matches: 12/11/1999 Ayako Hamada and AKINO vs LCO [ARSION] 10/27/2012 Ayako Hamada vs Kana [SHIMMER] 4/21/2017 Ayako Hamada vs Taya Valkyrie (Street Fight) [AAA] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Momoe Nakanashi One of the most dynamic wrestlers I've ever seen. So much that Natsuki Taiyo did what Benoit did with Dynamite Kid and completely wrestled just like Momoe. If Momoe was in her prime in this modern era where gifs of her doing the Momo Latch goes viral once every six months, she would be a star either in Bushiroad's Stardom or in one of the two majors in the US. Dynamic high speed wrestler, good tag worker and sympathetic babyface that could fire up when she needed to in important matches. Matches: 11/23/2000 Momoe Nakanishi, Nanae Takahashi & Kaoru Ito vs LCO and Kumiko Maekawa [AJW] 2/28/2001 Momoe Nakanishi, Kaoru Ito, Tomoko Watanabe & Nanae Takahashi vs Manami Toyota, LCO & Kumiko Maekawa. (Elimination Match) [AJW] 5/2/2002 Momoe Nakanishi & Kaoru Ito vs Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta [NJPW] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted April 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2021 I will get to these within the next few days, sorry it takes time, so bear with me. Keep nominations coming. Someone on twitter was discussing Alexa Bliss, so I'll throw her out there. One of the better wrestlers of this generation at getting their character in ring. A great athlete with surprisingly impressive offense. The ability to work tags, babyface, and heel are all there. Recs: Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey (SummerSlam 2018) Elimination Chamber 2018 Fatal Five Way (No Mercy 2017) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted April 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 UPDATED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted April 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 Lo Sombra/Andrade Was a huge break out star in CMLL, then NJPW, then NXT, then went to the WWE and it hurt him and now I can't wait to see what they do next. Has had some of the greatest matches in WWE history, as well as classics all over. A very clever worker who does things you don't expect, but completely makes sense. On the larger side, but can fly like anyone. Let's not forget his charisma! I guess it depends on the next five years, but a huge candidate! Recs: vs Atlantis (CMLL 2015-09-18) vs Johnny Gargano (NXT 2018-01-27) vs Aleister Black (NXT 2018-04-17) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted April 15, 2021 Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 The Bloody Forgotten worker from the lost era of Joshi. I remembered being a big fan back in 00-02 when I was keeping up with the Joshi scene and watched a few matches recently and was happy to find that my memory of an awesome worker looks to be true. She's a crazy good athlete and a wicked bumper with a real charisma. Was great in garbagy brawls but could work the mat and throw out bombs with the best of them. Someone pretty high on my list of people to dive into for this project. On the short list for coolest name in wrestling history, but makes it impossible to search for her matches hahahaha! The BLoody vs SUmie Sakai (Jd' - 4/29/01) The Bloody & Fang Suzuki vs Sumi Sakai & Hiroyo Muto (Jd' - 7/6/01) The Bloody vs Yoshiko Tamura (NEO - 9/20/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlag Posted April 15, 2021 Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 Le Petit Prince If there is one French worker that absolutely everyone should check out, it's the Little Prince. An absolutely mindblowing athletic worker, who did stuff in his matches nobody in the world now could pull off half as cleanly. Makes the most agile luchadores look flat footed. What's more important is that he was also a tremendous babyface who always sells and works hard to have competitive matches. Looks great from the 1960s up to the 80s. Apparently he also had some TV matches in Britain that I'd love to see pop up in the next 5 years. La Petit Prince vs. Michel Saulnier 9/30/67 La Petit Prince vs. Michel Saulnier 10/4/69 Le Petit Prince/Francis Louis vs. Daniel Noced/Jacky Richard 2/22/71 Le Petit Prince vs. Albert Sanniez 10/15/77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Posted April 15, 2021 Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 Fred Yehi Baffling this guy hasn’t gotten more opportunities the last 3 years but someone who’s individual performances in a match have never disappointed me. One of the most unique people to come out of that peak EVOLVE era. Very low key amount of longevity, he’s having matches I would call very good going back to 2012. Wish he got to do more but one of my favorites of the last few years who I think highly of enough to sneak on at #100 Fred Yehi vs Slim J: NWA Anarchy Hardcore Hell 3/28/15 Fred Yehi vs DJZ: EVOLVE 92 6/2/17 Fred Yehi vs Brian Cage: FIP Ascension 2/11/17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 15, 2021 Report Share Posted April 15, 2021 Matt Jackson Controversial but arguably one half of the best tag team of the 2010's and honestly becoming one of the best tag teams of all-time. Thrives as a heel but is an underrated face in peril and seller. His injured back arc in 2018 led to great matches against Roppongi 3k, Guerrillas of Destiny (who usually suck), and Golden Lovers. Nick Jackson The hot tag of the team. Terrific offensive wrestler and high-flier. Also thrives as a heel but his exciting offense is easy to root for. Part of some of the greatest spotfests ever. Young Bucks vs. Future Shock vs. Super Smash Bros (PWG Threenendous III 7/21/2012) Young Bucks vs. Golden Lovers (NJPW Strong Style Evolved 3/25/2018) Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page (AEW Revolution 2/29/2020) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 16, 2021 Report Share Posted April 16, 2021 Kento Miyahara Can be a bit formulaic and inconsistent when it comes to limb selling, but there are few if any who are more consistent in big match settings than Kento Miyahara. Fantastic offensive wrestler who can make any match, regardless of opponent, exciting because of just how good he is. Can play a great babyface against monsters like Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama or a cocky, hotshot heel who drives Wada mad. Has carried AJPW on his back for the last 5 years at least and has been one of the best in the world while doing so. Kento Miyahara vs. Suwama (AJPW 10/9/2017) Kento Miyahara vs. Zeus (AJPW 10/21/2018) Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee (AJPW 4/29/2019) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 16, 2021 Report Share Posted April 16, 2021 Rey Fenix The most spectacular high-flier of his generation. What he's able to do in the ring feels akin to what Rey was doing in the mid-90's. An excellent babyface but has also played a decent heel when called upon, primarily with Death Triangle. Just an all around awesome singles, tag, and spotfest worker. Fenix vs. Mil Muertes (Lucha Underground Grave Consequences 3/29/2015) Rey Fenix vs. WALTER (wXw 3/9/2019) Rey Fenix vs. Kenny Omega (AEW Dynamite 1/6/2021) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlag Posted April 16, 2021 Report Share Posted April 16, 2021 Carlos Amano Obscenely underrated worker who is like an almagation of all my favourite wrestling tropes. Hard headded, lithe agile grappler with innovative offense and a knack for cool moments. She has some impressive singles matches in many different promotions and I'm down to do a deeper dive into her work. vs. Mariko Yoshida, GAEA 4/30/2004 vs. Azumi Hyuga, JWP 9/23/1999 vs. Aja Kong, OZ 1/13/2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlag Posted April 17, 2021 Report Share Posted April 17, 2021 KAORU vs. Aja Kong, GAEA 2/13/2000 w Maiko Matsumoto vs. Chigusa Nagayo & Akira Hokuto, GAEA 2/16/1997 vs. Mariko Yoshida, AJW 8/28/1994 The more KAORU I watch, the more she rises in my estimation as one of the top wrestlers of her era. Obviously one of the workers in the GAEA promotion. Really athletic wrestler, who has a knack for neat moments and well laid out wrestling matches. Looks great both standing up to established stars as well as working with the younger crew. Her match against Aja is a joshi Match of the Decade contender and makes me want to dig more into her 2000s work. I have to revisit her GAEA stuff too and dive deeper into her AJW work. Apparently, she's still wrestling, so that's also something to consider!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted April 17, 2021 Report Share Posted April 17, 2021 Ha! I just checked to see if KAORU was nominated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted April 17, 2021 Report Share Posted April 17, 2021 Mile Zrno The greatest Croatian wrestler ever! A real standout on the European scene of his time, Zrno was a proficient technician who perfectly blended athleticism with matwork prowess, using both to create flashy, yet logical and sensible transitions from regular holds. Along with that, he also had snug striking offence and could easily ramp up the intensity of a match. vs Ashura Hara-IWE 6.5.1979. vs Charly Verhulst-CWA 12.7.1980. vs Franz Schumann-CCC 8.2.1998. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted April 17, 2021 Report Share Posted April 17, 2021 Monster Ripper Deserves a nomination and a re-evaluation. She's an awesome heel and knows how to use her size well. The Jaguar match is a revelation. Good athlete when she was younger and could really bump for someone her size. I'd really like to watch everything out there in her prime. She had World Class opposition and looks more than capable of holding her own. The Jaguar match isn't a carry job but two wrestlers working beautifully together. vs Jackie Sato 3/15/80 vs Jaguar Yokota 1982 vs Devil Masami 11/83 Chain Match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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