GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[Matt D]

I saw him on a bunch of ballots, but this is the first time where I think that maybe Bock didn’t make the top 50. 

[Tetsujin]

The remaining 100 guys are -mostly- really cool names (Naito and Ishii made it! Mox too! And fucking Takayama and Necro and Jaguar!), but it's the potential ranking what can give me a very bitter taste. I'm not ready to see Omega a lot higher than Bockwinkel, to say two names in a realistic scenario. 

[Boss Rock]

1 hour ago, El Dragon said:

I do think the 2 sub groups that have really pushed this time (other then the obvious Joshi push) are the 00’s Indy boom guys and new Japan diehards.

I have to think this is why Owens made the cut but a lot of contemporary WWE folks didn't. His run, even as solid as it is (or was), has never been stellar. Yet he has all those years in ROH.

[ZubazKid]

Ahh, losing Buddy Rose SUCKS. He was my highest ranking loss at #43 and more importantly he was just such a masterful, great wrestler & I’m glad I got to see a lot of his Portland stuff & look forward to watching more in the future.

I’ve got 76 wrestlers moving onto the list, looking forward to the reveal.

[El-P]

21 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

14 women.

13 minutes ago, ethantyler said:

14 women this year, which is exactly the same number as 2006 but significantly higher than 2016 (4). 

I knew I missed one... Wow, exactly the same number, that's interesting. Considering how much we were a joshi friendly board back at SC, the fact 20 years later there isn't one more, despite US wrestling having made such huge progress in the same time span (mostly in the last 15 years, although Gail vs Kong happened in 2007), isn't exactly that great a result in that front I'd say. It is what it is. I really thought Yoshida and Mayu would make it.

[Boss Rock]

70 of mine have made the cut. Only lost 1 in my top 20 and 7 in my top 50.

[Tetsujin]

I still got 75% of my list alive, so there's that. Buddy Rose was my highest loss at #18, followed by Breaks at #26 and then all the way down to Mark Briscoe at #46. I guess I can't complain.

My guess for the first 10 guys to drop (I'm always wrong): Iyo, Asuka, KENTA, Necro, Eaton, Bockwinkel, Bruno, Owens, Eddie Kingston and Dusty.

[Makai Club #1]

Out of the remaining 100, I'd say the only ones that truly stand out to me as surprising are: Kevin Owens.

KO may have some good will for his recent years in WWE, working against Austin in a matc people loved (I never saw it) and he had a fab match with Zayn at WM against the Uso, who both totally collapsed as workers following that (and maybe even before it). But otherwise, I'm not really see the big change for him since 2016. Do people really LOVE the recent Cody matches? They are alright. I can't recall many great matches he's had in the period. Or any that didn't include Sami Zayn, actually.

[Reel]

Just when I was losing all hope, Jericho missed the Top 100. There is still hope for the young people after all. 

[ohtani's jacket]

The reasons why women’s wrestling took a dip in ‘16 are fairly obvious. It’s nice to see it making a resurgence this tome round. It can only bee viewed as a positive , imo. 

[Matt D]

6 minutes ago, Makai Club #1 said:

Out of the remaining 100, I'd say the only ones that truly stand out to me as surprising are: Kevin Owens.

KO may have some good will for his recent years in WWE, working against Austin in a matc people loved (I never saw it) and he had a fab match with Zayn at WM against the Uso, who both totally collapsed as workers following that (and maybe even before it). But otherwise, I'm not really see the big change for him since 2016. Do people really LOVE the recent Cody matches? They are alright. I can't recall many great matches he's had in the period. Or any that didn't include Sami Zayn, actually.

It’s mostly different people. 

[Monch Wrestling]

GUNTHER is the only wrestler in the top 100 who wasn't ranked at all in 2016.

[Childs]

It's very possible that by the desert island test, I'll prefer 101-150 to 51-100. So many favorites have fallen the last few days. But 10 more women in the top 100 is a win. That was an obvious flaw in 2016 (on my ballot as well). I've only lost two of my top 50, while my second 50 have been largely wiped out, so I do wonder if we'll see something closer to the old consensus near the top. 

[Microstatistics]

I have 59 left for the main list with 41 from my Top 50. Really glad Ikeda is still there and Inoki and Bruno made it this time. The modern NJPW crew is looking set, I hope Omega, Okada, and Naito overperform.

#111

Yuji Nagata

Huh, did better than I expected. The 2010s NJPW boost? Made my final cut at #96.

#109

Shinjiro Otani

Ah, disappointing but expected fall for my #70. Not many people were better than him between 1994-1997, which were literally the best years in wrestling history.

#105

Chris Jericho

He finished at #25 for me. His much maligned old man run might actually be his best for the grounded psychology and impactful offense. Brilliant career.

#103

Mariko Yoshida

Huge over-performance IMO so even the cusp of the Top 100 doesn't hurt. My #84. The 2/18/1999 Yagi match is a case in itself. 

[Tetsujin]

Neither is gonna happen, but all I'm rooting for right now is Kobashi winning and Naito finishing ahead of both Okada and Omega.

[Childs]

54 minutes ago, Makai Club #1 said:

Out of the remaining 100, I'd say the only ones that truly stand out to me as surprising are: Kevin Owens.

KO may have some good will for his recent years in WWE, working against Austin in a matc people loved (I never saw it) and he had a fab match with Zayn at WM against the Uso, who both totally collapsed as workers following that (and maybe even before it). But otherwise, I'm not really see the big change for him since 2016. Do people really LOVE the recent Cody matches? They are alright. I can't recall many great matches he's had in the period. Or any that didn't include Sami Zayn, actually.

I don't get Roderick Strong cracking it. Good worker for a long time, but so much less special than dozens of men and women who have already fallen. 

[Phil Schneider]

Blue Panther only DEAN guy in the top 100, unless you count, Danielson and Dustin who appeared in non-wrestling roles at DEAN 2, Hero who produced 2 and 3, and Tanahashi who was backstage at DEAN 2

[Boss Rock]

8 minutes ago, Childs said:

I don't get Roderick Strong cracking it. Good worker for a long time, but so much less special than dozens of men and women who have already fallen. 

For me personally I see him as one of the best utilitarian workers. Great in both singles, tags, TV matches. And longevity is always a big factor in my book.

[Death From Above]

Robinson falling out of the top 100 honestly hurts me the most, but overall not that surprising given that balloters are obviously getting further removed from that era over time.

So much of the discourse in this thread reminds me of why I don't give a single fuck about message boards anymore. Some of you all really love to be mad about things on the internet huh

[Makai Club #1]

21 minutes ago, Childs said:

I don't get Roderick Strong cracking it. Good worker for a long time, but so much less special than dozens of men and women who have already fallen. 

Roddy is a strong favourite for modern fans right now. And it helps he's seen as underpushed even in a world where pure in-ring work seems king right now. It gives them a story, an arc to attach themselves to. It sells better than Roderick Strong - King of the Backbreaker. But I do agree that he's much less special than some of the better wrestlers in the industry. 

[KB8]

Yoshida's the first of my top 10 to drop. An ungodly pro wrestler. I thought she might crack the top 100 given the surge in joshi support this time around. To quote Aristotle: "get fucked, I hate you all."

[El-P]

5 minutes ago, KB8 said:

To quote Aristotle: "get fucked, I hate you all."

I think that was me. No ? Yes, I think it was me who said that. Often. 😅

Also about Yoshida not making the top 100.

Yeah, I guess getting back to the number of women of 2006 is a positive. Sorta. I have no idea for numbers of luchadors compared to 2006 either. 

And yeah, considering some of the great workers of the same era, and with a bigger profile, that didn't make the top 100, it's kinda odd Roddy Strong (who is a great worker and has been forever now, and I probably would have voted for him actually) of all people eventually did, although I'm guessing he'll drop early. Hey, he's married to Marina Shafir. Who can deny that ? 

[Matt D]

67 of my list is gone including all but 5 of my bottom 50. 

That includes Buddy Rose and Jim Breaks from my top ten.

[El Boricua]

I've got 58 left. Unlike last vote, while there are still some gaps to shore up, there are other areas where it's not really a gap and more that it just doesn't appeal to me. 

[KB8]

I'm down to 52. 38 of my top 50 are left and 21 of my top 25. Only Yoshida is gone from my top 10 so far. 

I'm pretty similar to Boricua in that there are still gaps I want to fill, but they're mostly gaps around wrestlers who've fallen already, like the WoS and French Catch guys, and on the right day maybe some modern joshi or Japanese indies. 2010s New Japan will be well represented in the top 100 and I'm okay with that not being a gap I'll try to fill because for the most part it's a gap by design. I've tried to fill it already and it didn't take. But you're not going to love EVERYONE in a top 100 so...shut up and eat your cereal and stop complaining, I guess.