GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[MasterJonBurr]

This project never fails to hold my interest and keep me questioning my own perspective on this sport of kings. Thanks be to everyone, especially Mantaur, the yellow dog of PWO and one true torchbearer to this project’s unhinged Tilde-bangin’ lunatic fringe roots. 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

1 hour ago, MasterJonBurr said:

This project never fails to hold my interest and keep me questioning my own perspective on this sport of kings. Thanks be to everyone, especially Mantaur, the yellow dog of PWO and one true torchbearer to this project’s unhinged Tilde-bangin’ lunatic fringe roots. 

It’s all love brother. Catch you in 2036.

[WingedEagle]

12 hours ago, El-P said:

Holy shit Terry won ! Incredible ! That's pretty much the perfect winner. I'm sure Danielson himself would agree too.

The top 25 for each decade is fun. Unsurprisingly, I'm more in tune with the people who started watching in the 2020's despite having started in 1990 myself, considering the last 15 years (more or less) are the best pro-wrestling I've ever seen. Funny (and cool) to see Omega being rated top 20 by the oldest demo ! (and of course not by the 80's/90's people, who really are the peak of the pro-wrestling internet forums demo)

Anywoo. The Funkster won. Like he should, really. Funk you all !

Super, super instructive. Despite falling into this demo, I apparently didn't get the memo that the NBA peaked pre-Bill Russell. George Mikan FTW!

[TRMD]

Funker really is professional wrestling. He’d be my 2, but he’s the real number 1.

[Boss Rock]

The "crazy grandpa of pro wrestling" was Terry to a T.

[MoS]

I was completely wrong about Danielson winning this comfortably, and Danielson was my number 1 vote. But how can you ever be dissatisfied with the Funker being voted as the GWE?! Man epitomised pro wrestling. 

Good game, everyone! Hope to see the new joinees actually stick around! 

[NotJayTabb]

Massive thanks to @Grimmas for running this thing and flying the flag for GWE since 2021. Also big thanks for running the watch parties that were such a boon for me in the early days of the project. Sadly had to bow out after a year due to time zone differences (especially during the football season), but it was a big leap off point for someone who hadn't considered joshi in 2016, as well as introducing me to guys like Austin Idol. Much appreciated.

[Jetlag]

Thoughts on guys that received votes but weren't nominated Pt 3:

 

Spoiler

Dash Chisako

Hey, she's cool. Pretty good and violent worker by modern standards. Suffers from being around in a era that is generally pretty shit for joshi and being Sendai Girls which doesn't really get one many opportunities.

David Otunga

The guy who was in NXT for like a minute? Yeah, I think when people like this are ending up on your Top 100 you probably need to watch a little bit more wrestling.

Demolition Smash

From what I know Demolition were a solid old school tag team although nowadays they would get endlessly clowned with their Legion of Doom At Home vibe and whatnot. Their entrance tune was pretty kickass. I remember Darsow more from the time he had that weird gimmick on WCW syndicated TV and worked an 'old school technician stretching people' style. Made me think he would've made a great matchup for Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Oh, I think the King of the Road match was pretty awesome, too.

Dino Bravo

Old school WWF guy. Know nothing about him, never heard anyone really speak highly of him, but those guys did have their fans  I guess.

Disco Inferno

However had the audacity to try and give this waste of space a vote should've had their ballot removed from the process.
Dominik Dijakovic

I know absolutely nothing about him.
Dominik Mysterio

He deserves some credit for finding his own act and making it work. The little bits I've seen of him in the ring haven't really been good, though.

Doug Gilbert

I don't know much about Doug. From what I know, Eddie was the worker of the two. He was part of that funny thing in W*ING where they stopped acting during a match because they weren't getting paid. Oh and that infamous promo on Lawler. I imagine Twitter users would really love that one.

Dr. Wagner

How many matches of him are there on tape? 2?

Eagle Sawai

She was pretty good. Far better than people would give her credit for. She'd hit like a truck and knew her role. I can definitely get behind an Eagle Sawai vote far more than most of these others.

Earl Caddock 

Silent film era guy who is in one of the earliest pro wrestling matches on film. It was a pretty cool match, too.

Ed Lewis

The little bits of Ed Lewis I've seen have been pretty cool. Side headlock finisher rules.

Eddie Monster

I... who? What?

Edouard Carpentier

Definitely feels like the biggest miss of all for guys to not be nominated. Had some of the best pre-70s matches in the US, also that French stuff and the greatest squash match ever against the Black Demon.

Effy

I have seen a bit of Effy and aside from the fact he has found an act that works for him and a way to get over with certain crowds, that's about as much positive as I can say for him. 

 

[Tetsujin]

Eddie Monster is a, no pun intended, monster heel in SGW Uganda, and he's actually pretty fucking cool (a must see match I would recommend is the I Quit against beloved babyface Kapeeka). A top 100 vote this early in his career is obviously insane, but he does have a lot of talent. Ugandan wrestling is very intense and stiff, and he manages to have a real destructor aura while at the same time stooging and bumping like any heel in the territories.

[ohtani's jacket]

So, what matches would people like to see between the top 100 wrestlers? 

[Boss Rock]

1 hour ago, ohtani's jacket said:

So, what matches would people like to see between the top 100 wrestlers? 

As far as I know there was never a Savage-Funk or Casas-Satanico singles match. But to get a little crazier, I'd love to see Kawada-Ikeda and Hansen-Foley.

[Stephen-]

3 hours ago, Jetlag said:

Dino Bravo

Old school WWF guy. Know nothing about him, never heard anyone really speak highly of him, but those guys did have their fans  I guess.

So from my recollection, Dino Bravo was not great in WWF. However - in AWA, he is a really good opponent for Nick Bockwinkel and Super Destroyer MK II.

[DR Ackermann]

Jerry Lawler vs Satanico in Memphis 

[DR Ackermann]

Terry Funk in Mexico

[Tetsujin]

Kobashi vs Negro Casas

[Ma Stump Puller]

10 hours ago, ohtani's jacket said:

So, what matches would people like to see between the top 100 wrestlers? 

Yoshinari Ogawa/Bryan Danielson

Kobashi/Tenryu

Vader/Nick Bockwinkel

Fujiwara/Necro Butcher

Yuki Ishikawa/Giant Baba

all of those would slap