GWE Gordy List

[elliott]

So I've been toying with the idea of putting together a Gordy List type list of questions for Greatest Wrestler Ever Candidates. Like the original Gordy List, my intent isn't to has a list of questions that you answer yes/no to and there's a magic # you've got to hit to be a candidate. I see this as a tool to collect thoughts, discuss traits and recommend matches in an easy format. I am certain I am missing questions and please feel free to suggest them or take this list use it and add to it as you see fit. 

1.    What kind of candidate is this wrestler (Peak vs Longevity,Peak+ Longevity, Big Match Wrestler, Week to Week Performer etc) and what range would you consider ranking them?

2.       What is your elevator pitch for this wrestler to be a Top 100 Wrestler? (Sum up their case in a short paragraph).

3.        Were they ever the best wrestler in the world? Were they ever the best wrestler in their country? Were they ever the best wrestler in their promotion? Who were some of their competitors for the best wrestler in the world, country, and promotion?

4.       How many years were they a top worker (top worker being a candidate for top 10 wrestler in the world)? Who were some of the other top workers of this era?

5.       Were they a great worker before their prime? Were they a great worker after their prime? How great were they (were they a best in the world, country, promotion candidate while before their prime/after their prime)

6.       Did they have the opportunities to produce a large body of excellent matches?
IF YES
6a Do they have a large body of excellent matches?
6b Do they have a large body of excellent matches against a variety of opponents?
6c Do they have a large body of excellent matches in a variety of settings? (for example singles, tags, gimmicks, no gimmicks, brawls, technical, short matches, long matches etc)
6d How much of those excellent matches were a direct result of their performance?
IF NO

7.        Do they have a large body of excellent performances in a variety of roles (heel/face, undercard/midcard/main event, champion/challenger, underdog/favorite, younger/older etc)

8.        Do they work in a way that is consistent with the way they're booked & presented?

9.        What are their standout traits? (For example, selling, psychology, offense, character work etc)

10.   Did they make the people and workers around them better?

11.   Is there any reason to believe that this wrestler was better or worse than they appeared?

12.   If you had to pick 5-10 matches (Or more) to sell someone on this wrestler what would they be? (Not necessarily the best matches but ones that are best representative of the wrestlers’ GWE case).

13.   Feel free to recommend more matches here if you like!

14.   Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

[Grimmas]

Elliott and I debated this for awhile and I think it's an amazing starting point of discussions. I would love for people to post some of these in threads making their arguments,

[Rah]

I love the fluidity of this board in terms of GWE discussions but this would be a fantastic "pinned post" (can we do that?) for each candidate. A quick "here's their case" that posters/lurkers a decade+ from now can make use of. Fantastic stuff!

[elliott]

If anyone has any other questions they think would be good, please feel free to recommend them and/or add them yourself if you feel like walking through a wrestler. Thrilled to see Jetlag take the ball and run with it already! I wanna get some of these up myself in the coming weeks. 

[Jmare007]

I'd add: "What's the candidate's biggest weakness? Was he/she able to overcome it (or work around it) and how?"

[Loss]

Something I posted back in 2015. Just intended as food for thought, definitely not the final say.

Was he ever the best wrestler in the world? Was he ever one of the top five or top ten? How deep was the talent pool when he peaked as a worker?

 

Was he ever the best wrestler in his country? How long did that last? How deep was the talent pool in his country when he peaked as a worker?

 

Was he ever the best wrestler in the promotion? How long did that last? How deep was the talent pool in his promotion when he peaked as a worker?

 

When was his peak as a wrestler? How long did it last and what did he accomplish within this time frame?

 

Was he good before he reached his peak?

 

Was he good after his peak ended?

 

How does he compare to his peers in his era?

 

How does he compare to others who have taken on a similar role in different eras?

 

Was he an effective babyface and an effective heel?

 

Was he frequently tested as a worker? Could he make seemingly no-win situations work?

 

Could he carry lesser wrestlers?

 

Could he have good and effective short matches? Could he have good and effective long matches?

 

What are his best physical skills? Did he use those skills well?

 

How would you describe his psychology? Was it effective? Does it hold up to scrutiny?

 

How was his selling?

 

How was he at structuring matches? Did they typically have a strong beginning, middle and end?

 

Did he take chances as a worker? Did he recover well when something unexpected happened?

 

Was he influential? Did anyone copy his style, and if so, was that copying a good or bad thing for wrestling?

 

How was he in tag matches and/or gimmick matches?

 

Did he have a high number of good matches?

 

Was he typically the driving force in his best matches?

 

Are there any unique factors that you think play into his career that may not apply to everyone else?

[Mr JMML]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:26 PM, Jmare007 said:

I'd add: "What's the candidate's biggest weakness? Was he/she able to overcome it (or work around it) and how?"

That's what I consider the most with golden era candidates and the lack of footage.

[CurtainJerker]

Bill James, the creator of the Keltner List, was a supporter of giving credit to losing seasons due to World War II and not having Negro League stats documented. One would think we ought to extrapolate from missing footage.