GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[Childs]

Yeah, I had no idea Mistico had come up in the world to that degree. Didn't really consider voting for him, but that's mostly because he wasn't very good during his first run on top. His last few years are deserving of respect. 

Modern joshi is my biggest blind spot, so I'm not going to deny Iyo her flowers. 

Asuka's placement feels a little high, but her best stuff I love, so I'm not mad at it.

On the Ishikawa vs. Ikeda question, I've always put Ishikawa higher, because to me, he encompasses all of what's great about BattlArts, from the violence to the cool submissions to the Inoki-influenced showmanship. He is the living embodiment of a style/promotion I dig. Ikeda's just a bad motherfucker, which is also great but at a slightly lower degree of difficulty. 

Choshu's another one of my favorites for all the reasons you guys have laid out. Also a great tag worker. I'm not sure how to get younger voters excited about a wrestling revolutionary from 40 years ago. It is what it is. 

Ibushi's highs are incredibly high, and I'd take the best version of him over the best of Naito, who transformed his aura, and Ishii, who was more consistent. I didn't vote for any of them, but again, not mad at their placements.

I loved KENTA as a pissy little asskicker, but my god, he hasn't done shit at a GWE level for almost 15 years. That's tough to reckon with. 

Mercedes deserves her props as the best American woman. 

Regal, I will always love, not really as a British worker but more as the guy who made that technically sound British nastiness work in the U.S. mainstream. And I do think his best stuff against Benoit, Finlay and Hash (not to mention his end-times matches against Hero, Claudio and Mox) was legitimately great. Voted him a bit higher, but it's a fair placement.

I was one of those who gave Ospreay a lower ballot vote. I agree with a lot of the criticism. I do zone out on some of his big matches. I find it hard to put his career in any kind of context at this point. But the dude is a force of nature with his athleticism and insane passion to be the best. Though I don't always like where it leads, I respect it. 

[HowtobeaMark]

1 minute ago, Childs said:

I loved KENTA as a pissy little asskicker, but my god, he hasn't done shit at a GWE level for almost 15 years. That's tough to reckon with.

Theres has been a few bright spots in his current NOAH run. Enjoyed matches with Kenoh and Shane Haste

[Tetsujin]

Místico case is really impressive. From top of México to ridiculed to huge extremes in WWE to whatever gimmick crisis he had right after, to back to top of México stronger than ever. More than half the ballots for him is crazy, specially considering it's probably just due to this last CMLL run.

Iyo's peak in STARDOM is one of the absolute best pro wrestlers I've ever seen. A terrific full package. Never reached those highs again in WWE, but she's so great she constantly pushes to bring something at least good out of any situation, to the point that they just have to give her important roles.

Never been a Dusty guy. I love him as a pro wrestling figure, but his ringwork never made me think other than "hah, very fun" at best. Absolutely marvelous crowd control, that's for sure.

Hopefully Hogan and Omega drop soon.

[Boss Rock]

18 minutes ago, Control21 said:

Mistico vs MJF - 9/19/2025

Bandido vs Mistico - 6/27/2025

Mistico vs Barbaro Cavernario - 1/9/2026

Mistico vs Templario - 10/13/2023

 

Thanks!

[Microstatistics]

#77

Brock Lesnar

I gotta hit back against the thread here. Put him at #12 and honestly think he is a borderline wrestling genius. 2012-2015 is his monster peak but watching 2002-2004 illustrated how very few wrestlers in history have had a better intuitive grasp of selling and psychology. Quality dipped in 2016-2019 I suppose, though I'm not so sure since there is quite a good amount of output there too, including that Finn Balor gem. His 2020s have been dire but, quite frankly, who cares at this point? A case where the instant ultra-push and uber-protective booking were absolutely justified.

#76

Yoshihiro Takayama

Did not expect him to place this high. To me, he has always been a "more appealing on paper" case but I do like him and understand the affinity.

#75

Will Ospreay

My #46. Polarizing to put it mildly and not perfect but I do think he is one of the modern greats. Fundamentally much stronger than you'd expect with effective technical work and stiff strikes. Sure, he has certain routines and can be guilty of falling in modern wrestling traps during big matches, but those flaws don't override the strengths and the output. Dismissing him as a popcorn match guy is exceedingly reductive. I'd recommend the Zack Sabre Jr. match from 3/21/2022 to any stylistic skeptics.

#74

"Giant" Shohei Baba

My #65. Decent showing, very glad he remained.

#73

William Regal

Sizable drop from 2016, but maybe that was an inflated placement to begin with? Put him at #52, he was great from pretty much the late 80s to the early 10s, career gaps notwithstanding. 

#72

"The CEO" Mercedes Mone'

Good showing. I thought she was the best horsewoman even before the AEW run, which only widened the career gap.

#71

KENTA

I've always thought Marufuji was a good bit better but I did consider him. Impressive 2000s peak. Hyper-influential to say the least.

[Tetsujin]

Also, sorry for the double post but, Dusty climbing so many spots in a list where almost every other territory guy dropped significantly is... Weird. I guess he had votes based also on importance and charisma? He barely got on the top 100 in 2016, even passing away the year before.

[El-P]

2 minutes ago, Tetsujin said:

I guess he had votes based also on importance and charisma? 

I blame Cody.

[El Boricua]

1 minute ago, Tetsujin said:

Also, sorry for the double post but, Dusty climbing so many spots in a list where almost every other territory guy dropped significantly is... Weird. I guess he had votes based also on importance and charisma? He barely got on the top 100 in 2016, even passing away the year before.

It's the Cody effect.

[club]

Surprised KENTA finished so highly given his career arc.

[Microstatistics]

#70

"Kakumei Senshi" Riki Choshu

One of my late cuts. His presence elevated pretty much every feud he was in.

#69

Kota Ibushi

I do like him but he is comfortably in next tier for modern NJPW greats for me.

#68

Yuki Ishikawa

Stunned he didn't get a #1 bid. I am a huge exception in that I think Ikeda is multitudes better but can't deny his technical greatness.

#67

Tomohiro Ishii

I dig his selling but he never really clicked for me on a holistic level.

#66

Asuka

A late entry for me at #99. Honestly might prefer her 2010s WWE run to the Joshi indies, which was also very good. 

#65

"Genius of The Sky" IYO SKY

My highest modern joshi at #59. The 2016-2017 peak was exceptional, where she was probably a Top 3 wrestler in the world. But there was consistent quality before that in early Stardom and later/now in NXT/WWE. One of the most reliable workers of the modern era.

#64

Místico

Didn't expect such a great showing. Greatest theme song ever?

#63

"American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

One I need to check more of.

[HeadCheese]

33 minutes ago, Boss Rock said:

If there are Mistico recommendations I'd love to check them out.

Seconding Mistico vs. MJF

I also recommend 

5/6/05 Dr. Wagner Jr., LA Par-K & Mistico vs. La Furia del Norte (Hector Garza, Perro Aguayo Jr. & Tarzan Boy), CMLL Super Viernes

 

5/13/05    Mistico vs. Perro Aguayo Jr.,    CMLL Super Viernes

12/1/06    El Hijo del Diablo vs. Mistico (Apustas),    Baja Star's Wrestling

6/8/07 Mr. Aguila vs. Mistico, CMLL Super Viernes

6/6/10    Averno, Negro Casas & Volador Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Mr. Aguila,    CMLL Sin Salida (the video linked is just the first part of the match but, there is more)  

6/27/11 Evan Bourne vs. Sin Cara, WWE Raw

2/18/15  El Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagon Jr. & Perro Aguayo Jr. vs. Fenix, Myzteziz & Psycho Clown

) vs. Perro Aguayo Jr.    AAA Sin Limite

9/8/23    Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada, and Mistico vs. Guerrero Maya Jr., Templario, and Titan, CMLL Super Viernes (NFL crossover match)

2/2/24    Brillante Jr. and Mistico vs. Mascara Dorada and Neon        CMLL Super Viernes 

6/7/25    Galeon Fantasma (Difunto & Zandokan Jr.) and Hechicero vs. El Sky Team (Mascara Dorada & Mistico) and Templari,o        AULL / CMLL

 

 

[tcg91]

59 minutes ago, Boss Rock said:

If there are Mistico recommendations I'd love to check them out.

vs Averno in 2005 and vs Negro Casas in 2009!

[Makai Club #1]

 

80. Jay Briscoe
I’m not a big ROH guy, so I probably haven’t seen as much as I should have, particularly his 00s matches. But any Briscoe (or Briscoes) matches I‘ve seen, I really like. Probably not the personal connect needed to make a top 100, but he’s someone on the list of a full devoted project 

79. Jaguar Yokota
Jaguar is someone I forget how much I like until I see her. Such a trailblazer and an outstanding wrestler for her era. Imagine her 10 years later with the 90s era of Joshi? Damn

78. Bobby Eaton
A favourite of mine. Unassuming until the bell rings and then watch the magic happen. Had him #89

77. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar might have spent the last 10 years phoning his way through matches. But for every match he spends suplexing people like they are jobbers, is a match where he goes for it and shines. Him and Balor was a wonderful match and showed a glimpse of what Brock can do. And then I watch his early run and fall in love. If I ranked WWE matches, he’d be in the majority of the top 20. Had him #18

76. Yoshihiro Takayama
Any big fan of Takayama, I ask you to watch the UWFI run. You’ll gain a further appreciation for Takayama. Had him #59

75. Will Ospreay
While I’ve cared for very little of his work since he made the jump to AEW, I think he’s still a pretty good wrestler. I voted for him. Would’ve been higher, but he sells like he’s in an anime and I will never soften on that dislike of that style. Had him at #80
 

[Boss Rock]

I dont necessarily want to make the assumption that folks didn't vote Dusty high because they didn't in good faith believe he was a good in-ring worker. But it would not shock me if he got a lot of support from folks who love his character and promos. Everyone seems to love Dusty even if they've seen very little of his work.

[Boss Rock]

27 minutes ago, HeadCheese said:

Seconding Mistico vs. MJF

I also recommend 

5/6/05 Dr. Wagner Jr., LA Par-K & Mistico vs. La Furia del Norte (Hector Garza, Perro Aguayo Jr. & Tarzan Boy), CMLL Super Viernes

 

5/13/05    Mistico vs. Perro Aguayo Jr.,    CMLL Super Viernes

12/1/06    El Hijo del Diablo vs. Mistico (Apustas),    Baja Star's Wrestling

6/8/07 Mr. Aguila vs. Mistico, CMLL Super Viernes

6/6/10    Averno, Negro Casas & Volador Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Mr. Aguila,    CMLL Sin Salida (the video linked is just the first part of the match but, there is more)  

6/27/11 Evan Bourne vs. Sin Cara, WWE Raw

2/18/15  El Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagon Jr. & Perro Aguayo Jr. vs. Fenix, Myzteziz & Psycho Clown

) vs. Perro Aguayo Jr.    AAA Sin Limite

9/8/23    Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada, and Mistico vs. Guerrero Maya Jr., Templario, and Titan, CMLL Super Viernes (NFL crossover match)

2/2/24    Brillante Jr. and Mistico vs. Mascara Dorada and Neon        CMLL Super Viernes 

 

6/7/25    Galeon Fantasma (Difunto & Zandokan Jr.) and Hechicero vs. El Sky Team (Mascara Dorada & Mistico) and Templari,o        AULL / CMLL

 

 

Thanks! 

[WingedEagle]

2 hours ago, El-P said:

The later.

People waxing poetic about Bruno, Dusty, Inoki and the likes is cool and all. Watching it happen in real time is better.

 

It is! And there's nothing wrong with that. I don't get why something that occurred further back makes it better or easier to appreciate. Its all very Gran Torino.

[WingedEagle]

Some great Mistico reps higher up on this page. I am far from an authority and have mainly cherry picked through the years, but would encourage people not to skip over the early stuff. The below mask vs. hair match from 2004 is terrific.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bgjkzuAYQ&list=PLVGyCNXu7S9gNeDdCDL-tQlYJHLTOJ_YM&index=3

[SirSam]

1 hour ago, Boss Rock said:

I dont necessarily want to make the assumption that folks didn't vote Dusty high because they didn't in good faith believe he was a good in-ring worker. But it would not shock me if he got a lot of support from folks who love his character and promos. Everyone seems to love Dusty even if they've seen very little of his work.

I agree with this. I don't think it is in bad faith at all.

For all the hand ringing about 2010 NJPW/AEW Uber athletic work rate style getting 'too high' or 'dominating the list' I think in recent years there has equally been a significant portion of wrestling fans that have re-evaluated the importance of the intangible charisma that some performers possess. Call it an aura bump if you want but Dusty is no doubt one of the beneficiaries of it as someone who was derided in Observer lists and the like but was unquestionably a huge star whose work captured the hearts of so many.

[ohtani's jacket]

Huge second fall comeback from Mistico. I've noticed that his resurgence has led to renewed interest in his older stuff. 

The last time I watched an Asuka match was around 2010, and I've never seen an Iyo Sky match. I should probably do something about that. Ishii I'm cool with. 

I used to have a low opinion of Dusty's ring work, but I became a fan watching old Florida clips. I don't think people comment enough on how hard he worked to get into shape in the late 70s as he was gearing up the NWA title. Dude was lean. Lithe, if you will. I do think his promo work is a factor, but how could it not? I could listen to Dusty commentate over his own footage for hours. In fact, I have.

I don't get the Cody talking point considering that both Dusty and Dustin finished above him. I think it's more of pushback to the idea that Dusty sucked in the ring; The same thing happened to a lesser degree with Bruno and Superstar Graham. 

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Muto falls. What's that old saying about death, taxes, and people loving Kenji Muto?

I remember back in the tape trading days belonging to match review groups where you'd get a free tape based on what the group voted for. It was maddening how many people wanted Muto tapes. 

I've gotta admit that I've softened on Muto over time. There was a time when I would have expressed my displeasure at this result, but I enjoyed watching Shining Wizard Muto against Kawada and Tenryu, 

Perhaps it was seeing his face plastered all over vending machines and outside pachinko parlors. For a long time, he was one of the most visible wrestlers whenever I was out and about. 

[Boss Rock]

I had Mutoh at 76. A later entry on my list but I couldn't really deny him. Another guy who was really good for a long time and when he wrestled as Muta, he actually wrestled differently. In fact, he would be downright diabolical. Too many folks take this for granted with a gimmick change (stares at Demon Finn Balor).

I recall his retirement match* against Naito was very good.

[Boss Rock]

1 hour ago, WingedEagle said:

Some great Mistico reps higher up on this page. I am far from an authority and have mainly cherry picked through the years, but would encourage people not to skip over the early stuff. The below mask vs. hair match from 2004 is terrific.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bgjkzuAYQ&list=PLVGyCNXu7S9gNeDdCDL-tQlYJHLTOJ_YM&index=3

Their opponents are named after anthrax AND ebola? Lucha is wild.

[donsem43]

Maybe this is me being nitpicky, but should Asuka and Iyo be considered modern Joshi? Asuka has spent about half her career in WWE/NXT. Iyo has spent about two fifths of her career there and a longer time than what she spent in Stardom.

Anyway, since a couple of people haven't checked them out I'll link to the YouTube playlist that I've made. Both of these have pretty much everything that has been uploaded by official WWE channels plus whatever matches I could find from their time in Japan.

Asuka:

 

Iyo Sky/Io Shirai:

 

[Boss Rock]

Hogan improves this time around. I knew he would make the top 100 again, but did not expect him to finish higher. He's someone I did not even consider and personally don't see a case for. That being said, I sorta kinda get why some might. He had an undeniable ability to connect with a crowd and how to give them exactly what they wanted. But does that mean the matches were always great? I don't think so. He had fun matches with Hansen and Tenryu (but honestly, hard not to against those guys). The Warrior, Rock, and Savage Mania matches are decent spectacles. The Andre match is nowhere near as bad as Meltzer would have you believe (he's actually acknowledged he was way too harsh). But I can't think of anything mechanically that he did well or a single truly great match to his name.

[Boss Rock]

3 minutes ago, Boss Rock said:

Hogan improves this time around. I knew he would make the top 100 again, but did not expect him to finish higher. He's someone I did not even consider and personally don't see a case for. That being said, I sorta kinda get why some might. He had an undeniable ability to connect with a crowd and how to give them exactly what they wanted. But does that mean the matches were always great? I don't think so. He had fun matches with Hansen and Tenryu (but honestly, hard not to against those guys). The Warrior, Rock, and Savage Mania matches are decent spectacles. The Andre match is nowhere near as bad as Meltzer would have you believe (he's actually acknowledged he was way too harsh). But I can't think of anything mechanically that he did well or a single truly great match to his name.

It's also becoming increasingly clear problematic behavior has had no meaningful bearing on the results.