GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[ohtani's jacket]

There were some fun pairings in this drop. 

I imagine Umanosuke Ueda and Pierroth Jr would have no shortage of topics to converse about. Heck, they'd make a hell of a team.

Poor Mimi. At least she ranked this time. I'm surprised that Angel Azteca didn't make the list in 2006. 

Victor Zangiev is a win for this year's edition.

Jose Lothario, Bas Rutten and Ryuma Go is the best trio thus far. 

I'm kind of shocked Mile Zrno made it this far.

Hana Kimura is a sad one.

If you like the theatrical side of wrestling, there aren't 500 wrestlers better than Roger Delaporte.

I wanted Inca Peruano to do better.

Is that Super Delfin? I love me some Delfin. 

We now live in a world where Vince McMahon is a better pro-wrestler than Tibor Szakacs. 

I wonder how Cornette would feel about making the list. I guess he'd get a kick out of Gypsy Joe placing right above him.

I dig Black Buffalo, but how did he get 10 votes?

[Control21]

I was hoping Zangiev would crack the top 500 at least. I didn't have high expectations for Tibor Szakacs, but Vince finishing above him is frustrating 

[Reel]

Vince getting votes is, to me, a sign of how far we’ve drifted from the original conception of the project. Personal proclivities aside, if you made a list of the greatest characters in wrestling, or some sort of ranking of holistic value to a wrestling promotion, I can see Vince cleaning up. For a list that is supposed to be based on in-ring footage, boy I can’t think of too many mechanically worse wrestlers. 
 

[Makai Club #1]

Out of all the non-wrestlers, very few had the match Vince had with Hogan at Wrestlemania. However, I do think people voting for non-wrestlers who have maybe 10 matches under their belt is a little too much for me. 

[Grimmas]

17 minutes ago, Reel said:

Vince getting votes is, to me, a sign of how far we’ve drifted from the original conception of the project. Personal proclivities aside, if you made a list of the greatest characters in wrestling, or some sort of ranking of holistic value to a wrestling promotion, I can see Vince cleaning up. For a list that is supposed to be based on in-ring footage, boy I can’t think of too many mechanically worse wrestlers. 
 

He did better in 2016.

[highflyflow]

5 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

He did better in 2016.

Depends on how you view it; he got 8 more votes now than he did last time

[Grimmas]

2 minutes ago, highflyflow said:

Depends on how you view it; he got 8 more votes now than he did last time

There was almost 5 times as many voters.

[Reel]

Oh, I’m not saying there weren’t people voting using a different criteria 10 years ago, just that the more people that vote, the more you get. 

[highflyflow]

22 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

There was almost 5 times as many voters.

Is making 1.87% of nearly 500 ballots not “doing better” than making 1.32% of a little over 151 ballots?

[Grimmas]

9 minutes ago, highflyflow said:

Is making 1.87% of nearly 500 ballots not “doing better” than making 1.32% of a little over 151 ballots?

He's lower than 2016 is all I really meant, I didn't look at other numbers. 581 vs 556.

[highflyflow]

4 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

He's lower than 2016 is all I really meant, I didn't look at other numbers. 581 vs 556.

That’s why I said it depends how you look at it lol

[Kadaveri]

We're talking about someone who didn't even make the Top 500 here. It doesn't really mean anything other than there's a few eccentrics in the world.

[NotJayTabb]

Hallowicked getting 8 votes makes me happy, there's going to be indy workers with less range, longevity and ability who'll rank higher, so good to see him get his flowers regardless. Thought I might end up his only voter, instead I'm probably the low voter

[cad]

I see Lizmark took a dive today. Lizmark and Santo were probably the two best Mexican workers at wrestling like an ace. Sorry if no one uses that term anymore. A guy like Atlantis could be great in title matches, but he was more like a sympathy babyface to me.

[Kadooboo]

I am the proud owner of the high votes of the aquatic michipro legends

 

[Garbage]

Not that it can be fixed now, but surely these are the same voters who resubmitted due to error? Will their #1s (etc) get  double points?

[Grimmas]

19 minutes ago, Garbage said:

Not that it can be fixed now, but surely these are the same voters who resubmitted due to error? Will their #1s (etc) get  double points?

Double checked.

Carlos is different, just a coincidence.

Mohammad, well, I spent a long time and I'm not a 100% certain, but I think they are different.

[KB8]

A few folks I'd have expected to finish higher dropping now. 

 

Spoiler

#625

Umanosuke Ueda

Always fun running around whomping people with a stick. One of the few wrestlers in history whose perceived uselessness becomes an actively awesome part of an equally awesome match. 

 

 

#624

Pierroth Jr.

I love Pierroth Jr. Insane charisma and Los Intocables have a bunch of really fun to very good stuff. Don't really see him in a title match too often but the Mogur match is quality. He was a maybe for my list and didn't miss out by much. 

 

#623

Mimi Hagiwara

I haven't seen a ton of Mimi, but everything I've watched has been pretty fun. 

 

#622

Danny Kroffat

95 in 2006 to all the way outside the top 600. Maybe a bad OMEN for our 90s All Japan crowd...

 

 

#621

Lacey

I don't think I've actually seen a Lacey match. 

 

 

#620

Kuishinbo Kamen

No idea. 

 

 

#619

UltraMantis Black

I thought I was at least familiar with the name so I googled him and he's a Chikara guy so I've probably never seen him wrestle. 

 

 

#618

Rick Steiner

Steiner throwing folk around is usually a good time. 

 

#617

Ángel Azteca

I've probably seen one non-Dandy Angel Azteca match in about 15 years. 

 

 

#616

Victor Zangiev

Legitimately never seen a Zangiev match that wasn't fun. The visual of him sneering with sheer molten contempt at Hashimoto when Hashimoto spits on him is one of the all-time great in-match facial expressions. 

 

 

#615

The Great Kabuki

Honest to god my very last cut. I wanted to put him at #100. Kabuki ruled. One of the best superkicks ever and he had an unbelievable knack for throwing that thing when it looked like he was physically incapable of doing so. He'd eat six Tenryu chops and look like he was on death's door and then he'd reel off a superkick right under the chin and the building would erupt. Some of the best uppercuts in the game for like 30 years. Awesome at rocking up to a promotion as an invader and causing a ruckus, drawing huge heat and stomping on the face of the home promotion's favourite. Also involved in one of the best tag matches of forever in the WAR debut tag. Kind of shocked he'd never received any votes at all before now.

 

 

#614

King Kong Bundy

Bundy is fun. The Vault footage definitely gives him a boosted case as well. 

 

 

#613

Gabe Kidd

I've seen two Gabe Kidd matches. His angryboy character feels sort of hokey and I'm pretty sure he's not for me stylistically but...well, good for whoever thinks he's the 32nd best wrestler in history. 

 

 

#612

Togi Makabe

Haven't thought about Togi Makabe in maybe 15 years. 

 

 

#611

Crazy Zako

Wrestled in Un Employment Pro Wrestling. Couldn't tell you a thing about them other than that. I'm not very clued up on the modern Japanese indie fellas. 

 

[Matt D]

So seeing who had dropped so far, how high do we think Adam Page gets.

[Garbage]

I felt bad taking off Tommy Rogers but its just been too long since I watched the Fantastics vs. Midnight Express series that I couldn't do it. Maybe if he had a great singles program like '86 Morton.

[KB8]

Spoiler

#610

José Lothario

The Super Sock! Lothario just slipped off my list this time around, about 10 years removed from the NWA On Demand service giving us a glimpse into how awesome he was. I've probably watched two Lothario matches since the turn of the decade and if I'd watched five maybe he'd have been my #93 or #87 or whatever. That uppercut is one of the best punches in history. 

 

 

#609

Bas Rutten

I can have no complaints about this, tbh. Might've been shoot, might've been work, might've been a bit of both, but the Funaki fight is still a scorcher. 

 

 

#608

Ryuma Go

Ryuma Go with the top 15 vote! Go is someone I'll watch and think "I should watch every piece of Ryumo Go footage we have available." Maybe someday I will actually do it. 

 

 

#607

Volador Jr.

I've actually watched a fair bit of Volador Jr. recently and he's usually okay in trios but his singles stuff doesn't really do anything for me. I don't need to see him v Templario again for a long time. 

 

 

#606

Ron Starr

Starr in Puerto Rico is pretty sensational. 

 

 

#605

Mile Zrno

Feels low, but then I never voted for him so maybe I should shut up and stop complaining. 

 

 

#604

One Man Gang

Watched enough One Man Gang in Houston over the last couple years where I'm like fuck yes the One Man Gang is definitely one of the 600 or so best wrestlers ever. The Duggan chain match is probably worth a triple digit jump further up, tbf. 

 

 

603

"Gentleman" Chris Adams

Quite a drop. Adams was pretty great. 

 

 

#602

Daizee Haze

She hung around with Delirious smoking pot or something, right? 

 

 

#601

Josh Alexander

I'm catching up with 2026 AEW, and by catching up I have it on in the background while I do work, so I've seen a GOODLY amount of Josh Alexander recently. Or like, four matches. I don't have much of anything to say about him but he has incredibly white teeth in an incredibly bald head. 

 

 

#600

Takao Omori

There's some pretty nifty 00s Omori out there. The Hashimoto match is fun because Omori, despite having wrestled your Kawadas and Kobashis of the world, was not into being kicked in the lungs as hard as Hashimoto was kicking him in the lungs. Well maybe "fun" isn't the word for it. Not for him anyway. 

 

#599

Madison Eagles

I can't say I have the deepest knowledge of your SHIMMERs of the world. 

 

#598

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

I'd say this about Jimmy Hart - every match he was involved in felt better because of him. Before like 1993 anyway. After that your mileage may vary. But every Memphis studio match that had Jimmy Hart out there gibbering shit and winding up Lance Russell? Better. 

 

#597

Malakai Black

Not for me.

 

 

#596

Hana Kimura

Can't say I'm familiar. 

 

 

#595

Josh Barnett

I need to watch more Bloodsport. 

 

 

#594

Roger Delaporte

I need to watch more French Catch. 

 

 

#593

Jimmy Valiant

Every Valiant match is a pretty clear example that the Boogie Woogie Man understood his audience about as well as anybody ever has. 

 

 

#592

Colt Cabana

Whimsical Colt Cabana doing WoS isn't my cup of tea. That time he and Homicide tried to waterboard each other with bleach was...well I don't know if it was better but it was certainly different. 

 

 

#591

Mei Suruga

I've got nothing. I don't know a thing about these modern joshi candidates.

 

#590

Jacky Corn

I thought 'd seen two Jacky Corn matches but they were actually Jean Corne.

 

 

#589

Animal Hamaguchi

Usually a good time. 

 

 

#588

Noriyo Tateno

I'm not sure if I'm more surprised she dropped here or that she never picked up a single vote in 2016 or 2006. Especially 2006. 

 

#587

Inca Peruano

One of the wrestlers at the top end of my "I want to watch every match this person ever had" list. If I'd seen even two more I'd probably have voted for him. 

 

 

#586

Super Dolphin

If this is Super Delfin then sure, Delfin is fun and he's been a part of some of the best multi-man matches ever. Otherwise I have no idea who Super Dolphin is. Could be a 27-year-old STARDOM midcarder for all I know. 

 

 

#585

Ryuji Ito

I'm not a deathmatch guy but when I was trying to follow most promotions back about 20 years ago he'd pop up now and then in something that would catch my interest. I couldn't tell you a thing about any of it now. 

 

#584

Doug Williams

Watched some of his 2000s ROH stuff over the past few years and found it enjoyable enough. I like him more than Colt Cabana. 

 

#583

Tibor Szakács

Should probably watch the fella. 

 

 

#582

Hallowicked

Cannot say with confidence if I've seen a Hallowicked match. 

 

 

#581

Vince McMahon

Was never afraid to get absolutely wellied in the face with a steel chair. Clearly a psychopath of the highest order. 

 

[highflyflow]

1 hour ago, Matt D said:

So seeing who had dropped so far, how high do we think Adam Page gets.

Too high

[donsem43]

We are very much into "Very niche wrestler who you could see doing well on a few people's list" territory.

Has Yokozuna been named yet? Curious if an actual yokozuna, Akebono, did better than him. Although I think the fake one was the better in-ring worker.

TJPW and ChocoPro women finishing higher than Yumi Fukawa gets a big ol' 😕 from me...

Trevor Lee and Shuji Kondo should be on the list of wrestlers who would have definitely done better if there would have been a list in 2021.

Hopefully with Shimmer starting to upload their stuff to YouTube more people will check out the work of the likes of Madison Eagles and Nicole Matthews

Rusher Kimura was amazing as an outsider in both AJPW and NJPW.

All of the 70's/80's AJW wrestlers who either didn't do anything in the 90's, or nothing of note, are all dropping together. Would imagine we'll see Yukari Omori sooner rather than later.

How did only 2% of people voted for Buddy Landell??? Was he a late cut for a lot of people?

There is an argument that Akira Tozawa is the most talented wrestler ever to be completely wasted by WWE.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

8 hours ago, cad said:

I see Lizmark took a dive today. Lizmark and Santo were probably the two best Mexican workers at wrestling like an ace. Sorry if no one uses that term anymore. A guy like Atlantis could be great in title matches, but he was more like a sympathy babyface to me.

I think Lizmark's case boils down to his AAA work against Parka and Jerry Estrada. That's when we see Lizmark at the peak of his powers. There aren't a lot of great Lizmark matches or performances outside of that. Not saying he wasn't capable. We just don't have it on tape. 

Not that it makes much of a difference. Unless there are a lot of votes for the high end lucha candidates, it doesn't seem like this demographic cares much for lucha, or older wrestling in general.

[ohtani's jacket]

Kinda bummed to see Ashura Hara drop. Another guy I should have voted for.

Who, or what, is a Lulu Pencil?