GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[Grimmas]

4 minutes ago, ohheylook said:

@Grimmasyou skipped 129

fixed, probably a defense mechanism... 

[ohheylook]

 CHANGE IT BACK

[El-P]

Matt Jackson & Darby Allin not making the top five. So much for this being an AEW theme top 100...

I've said it before, I'll say it again, the Young Bucks are the greatest tag team of all time and two of the most intelligent wrestlers ever. They are way smarter than you. They know and understand pro-wrestling way better than you. WAY BETTER. They are freaks. They turned it upside down and came out on the other side changing the business.

Darby is fucking awesome. If Mick Foley was also Mickey Whipreck. If Sabu was also Rey Mysterio Jr.

26 years ago, people (that includes me) thought Tomoaki Honma was gonna change death-match wrestling and was gonna be the best ever at it. He did for a very short while. Then came Jun Kasai.

Owen. More respected now that he was during his career. Another guy who would probably have done better in today's wrestling landscape. I loved Owen so much.

Nigel. What a funny mofo.

MAGATaker dropping. Good riddance.

Akira Maeda. It's ironic when you realize some of the most important wrestlers in Japanese history are actually Korean.

Here goes Gordy. One stuff I never thought about before watching the Dark Side episode, is Mick Foley telling "Whenever you see someone "charging" his offensive move in the corner, it's Terry Gordy". Mind blown. The guy was great at 17 years old. What if he had not destroyed his brain with drugs ? He smoked Steve Williams too.

[Boss Rock]

Surprised Nakamura is still in this considering how much of a flop his WWE run has been. 

[El-P]

Totally forgot about Nakamura. Well he has a strong NJPW case + one match in NXT before retiring in 2017...

Is Mistico in this thing ?

[Grimmas]

2 minutes ago, El-P said:

Totally forgot about Nakamura. Well he has a strong NJPW case + one match in NXT before retiring in 2017...

Is Mistico in this thing ?

remaining: 

Abdullah the Butcher

AJ Styles

Aja Kong

Akira Hokuto

Akira Taue

Andre the Giant

Antonio Inoki

Arn Anderson

Atlantis

Atsushi Onita

Barry Windham

Blue Panther

Bob Backlund

Bobby Eaton

Bret Hart

Brock Lesnar

Bruno Sammartino

Bryan Danielson

Buddy Rose

Bull Nakano

Chigusa Nagayo

Chris Benoit

Chris Hero

Chris Jericho

Christian Cage

Claudio Castagnoli

CM Punk

Curt Hennig

Daisuke Ikeda

Devil Masami

Dick Togo

Dump Matsumoto

Dustin Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes

Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Kingston

El Dandy

El Hijo del Santo

El Satanico

Genichiro Tenryu

Giant Baba

Gunther

Harley Race

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hulk Hogan

Io Shirai

Jaguar Yokota

Jay Briscoe

Jerry Lawler

Jim Breaks

John Cena

Jon Moxley

Jumbo Tsuruta

Jun Akiyama

Jushin Liger

Kana

Katsuyori Shibata

Kazuchika Okada

Keiji Mutoh

Kenny Omega

Kensuke Sasaki

KENTA

Kenta Kobashi

Kevin Steen

Kiyoshi Tamura

Kota Ibushi

Kurt Angle

LA Park

Lioness Asuka

Lou Thesz

Low Ki

Manami Toyota

Mariko Yoshida

Mark Briscoe

Mayu Iwatani

Mayumi Ozaki

Megumi Kudo

Meiko Satomura

Mercedes Mone'

Mick Foley

Minoru Suzuki

Mistico

Mitsuharu Misawa

Necro Butcher

Negro Casas

Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Jackson

Randy Savage

Rey Mysterio Jr.

Ric Flair

Ricky Morton

Ricky Steamboat

Riki Choshu

Roddy Piper

Roderick Strong

Sabu

Sami Zayn

Samoa Joe

Shawn Michaels

Shingo Takagi

Shinjiro Ohtani

Shinobu Kandori

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinya Hashimoto

Stan Hansen

Steve Austin

Steve Williams

Sting

Tatsumi Fujinami

Terry Funk

Tetsuya Naito

The Destroyer

The Rock

Tiger Mask

Tomohiro Ishii

Toshiaki Kawada

Tully Blanchard

Vader

Volk Han

Will Ospreay

William Regal

Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Yoshihiro Takayama

Yuji Nagata

Yuki Ishikawa

Zack Sabre Jr.

 

[Childs]

Yeah, this latest drop was the first to make me say this poll can fuck right off (Murdoch, Brisco, Martel, Robinson, Finlay, Valentine). But that's the nature of these things. Times change. I'm baffled by something like Goldberg getting three No. 1 votes, but then I read the explanations, and I at least see the POV. 

[El-P]

9 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

remaining: 

Thanks.

Oh wow, I was wondering about Abby too. Well, I pretty much love everyone on that list, apart from a few names...

Backlund still being alive feels crazy, but I loved Backlund, so, cool.

[Monch Wrestling]

So Io, Kana/Asuka and Mercedes are the only women working for an american company left.

Who will be ranked higher? I'm picking Mercedes.

Sareee dropped today so there's nobody aged 30 or under still alive.

Gunther (38), Io Shirai/Iyo Sky (36), Kazuchika Okada (38), Mayu Iwatani (33), Mercedes Moné (34), Nick Jackson (36), Will Ospreay (33) and Zack Sabre Jr. (38) are the only wrestlers left who are still in their thirties.

I see Okada being ranked the highest amongst them.

[Tetsujin]

Matt below Nick is everything right. Not a particular fan of either but I can enjoy some of their stuff if they're more restricted or the story behind it matters, but Matt is far and away the most overdramatic one and the one that pulls me out of matches the most. Nick's bloodbath earlier in the year against FTR was everything except unnatural.

Taker out of the top 100 is the first result that really shocks me. I considered him a lock, specially with the amount of voters this time. Guess the WWE canon wasn't as predominant as we all thought it would be, because Triple H and Rollins and Orton etc dropped already, too.

Nigel was so underrated in online discussions some years ago, he had a super fun peak in ROH, a very solid run in TNA and since he's returned he has done some of the best work of his career, the Moriarty Ironman match in particular being one of the most intelligent matches recently. I'm glad he retained a somewhat high spot.

I completely forgot about Ibushi and OG Tiger Mask. Damn, they're still on.

[Robert S]

4 hours ago, NotJayTabb said:

The other thing with AEW is that "good matches" has long been part of their identity, with wrestlers getting decent TV time each week to spread their wings. If you've been watching Adam Page have matches you've enjoyed for 7 years, then have to go to Youtube to pick out the best Buddy Rose matches from an era where a lot of his TV matches would be angles or short bouts to put him over, then Adam Page starts with a big headstart. It's maybe not ideal (and Page isn't someone I voted for) but it's understandable.

Not sure if Buddy Rose is the best name to make that point as there are a lot of long 2/3 fall TV matches of his around (mostly because Rose himself taped and preserved that stuff, of course).

[Robert S]

20 hours ago, El-P said:

Maybe it's Rikishi himself voting...

Wait, Turbo Floyd was nominated ? What ? 

Hey Masato Tanaka. There's the famous anecdote where in 1996 or so Terry Funk tells Meltzer and JDW while they are in Japan that Masato Tanaka is a better worker than Misawa (Terry was working FMW back then). Of course, it was seen as goofy and laughable. Fast forward 2026. Who is still kicking at 50 + having really good fucking matches and looking good and healthy and who is dead because he enabled a style that required that you got dropped on your neck ? Who's laughing now, uh ?

Consider the number of unprotected chairshots he took and how many other of his generation who did the same ended up, it's more Tanaka being a physical freak than him wrestling smarter. I mean Jun Akiyama is still around and doing good last I checked and Kobashi didn't retire due to neck issues.

[El-P]

1 minute ago, Robert S said:

Consider the number of unprotected chairshots he took and how many other of his generation who did the same ended up, it's more Tanaka being a physical freak than him wrestling smarter. I mean Jun Akiyama is still around and doing good last I checked and Kobashi didn't retire due to neck issues.

Yeah. But it was all about the punchline... 

[Robert S]

Regarding the list, Hase dropping that early is the first one that really hurt. The only thing speaking against Hase is his relatively short time of full activity. On the other hand, I am sure even at 65 he could still deliver a 3.5-4 star match if push came to shove, considering how great he looked in his last appearance three years ago.

[Boss Rock]

Some of these drops have been unfortunate but nothing has actually made me "mad" yet. That will change if Togo falls outside of 100.

[Boss Rock]

45 minutes ago, Grimmas said:

remaining: 
 

Abdullah the Butcher

AJ Styles

Aja Kong

Akira Hokuto

Akira Taue

Andre the Giant

Antonio Inoki

Arn Anderson

Atlantis

Atsushi Onita

Barry Windham

Blue Panther

Bob Backlund

Bobby Eaton

Bret Hart

Brock Lesnar

Bruno Sammartino

Bryan Danielson

Buddy Rose

Bull Nakano

Chigusa Nagayo

Chris Benoit

Chris Hero

Chris Jericho

Christian Cage

Claudio Castagnoli

CM Punk

Curt Hennig

Daisuke Ikeda

Devil Masami

Dick Togo

Dump Matsumoto

Dustin Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes

Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Kingston

El Dandy

El Hijo del Santo

El Satanico

Genichiro Tenryu

Giant Baba

Gunther

Harley Race

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hulk Hogan

Io Shirai

Jaguar Yokota

Jay Briscoe

Jerry Lawler

Jim Breaks

John Cena

Jon Moxley

Jumbo Tsuruta

Jun Akiyama

Jushin Liger

Kana

Katsuyori Shibata

Kazuchika Okada

Keiji Mutoh

Kenny Omega

Kensuke Sasaki

KENTA

Kenta Kobashi

Kevin Steen

Kiyoshi Tamura

Kota Ibushi

Kurt Angle

LA Park

Lioness Asuka

Lou Thesz

Low Ki

Manami Toyota

Mariko Yoshida

Mark Briscoe

Mayu Iwatani

Mayumi Ozaki

Megumi Kudo

Meiko Satomura

Mercedes Mone'

Mick Foley

Minoru Suzuki

Mistico

Mitsuharu Misawa

Necro Butcher

Negro Casas

Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Jackson

Randy Savage

Rey Mysterio Jr.

Ric Flair

Ricky Morton

Ricky Steamboat

Riki Choshu

Roddy Piper

Roderick Strong

Sabu

Sami Zayn

Samoa Joe

Shawn Michaels

Shingo Takagi

Shinjiro Ohtani

Shinobu Kandori

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinya Hashimoto

Stan Hansen

Steve Austin

Steve Williams

Sting

Tatsumi Fujinami

Terry Funk

Tetsuya Naito

The Destroyer

The Rock

Tiger Mask

Tomohiro Ishii

Toshiaki Kawada

Tully Blanchard

Vader

Volk Han

Will Ospreay

William Regal

Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Yoshihiro Takayama

Yuji Nagata

Yuki Ishikawa

Zack Sabre Jr.

 

Grimmas in the clutch as always.

[Stephen-]

16 hours ago, Mantaur Rodeo Clown said:

Whereas in 2006 one could have long, detailed conversations over the course of day or even weeks on wrestlers, with thoughtful replies and research, this has been replaced by a frenetic "I must dunk on my interlocutor" culture limited to three sentences or less.

I mean, this is obviously not true when Goldberg and Alexander Nabiev are getting #1 votes. People are voting for legitimately mediocre to horrible wrestlers. Pages with influence will, naturally, influence. People also will only watch what they're willing to watch. I saw plenty of threads pushing for wrestlers or styles, and those wrestlers got nowhere. Elliott pushed hard for Jerry Blackwell, and nothing. 

 

16 hours ago, Mantaur Rodeo Clown said:

"actually no, Lulu Pencil isn't a better wrestler than Chris Adams you fucking [Eugene], watch some more wrestling, mark"

Why can't Lulu Pencil be a better wrestler than Chris Adams? For all of the very good Chris Adams, there is also very bad Chris Adams. What if people connect with Lulu Pencil more than Chris Adams? A lot of wrestling and being a great worker is not just the moves but how the moves resonate with your audience. Lulu Pencil was great at doing that, Adams wasn't. Pencil was a great face that you could sympathize with, you could get behind, you could feel her struggle and her efforts and her improving and trying her hardest. Chris Adams never had any of this, sorry. And Lulu Pencil never had the lows of Adams.

 

16 hours ago, Mantaur Rodeo Clown said:

shouted down by the teeming masses who think Bianca Belair is worthy of being 400 places above Dan Kroffat. No, you're all wrong, and you're all [Eugene].

Bianca Belair is not 400 places better than Dan Kroffat, but she is better. Also, relax. You may be mentally ill. 

 

16 hours ago, Mantaur Rodeo Clown said:

As such, it is natural that other wrestlers will fall, with no sustained campaign for them.

Then make the campaign for them.

[Grimmas]

People think Goldberg isn't a great wrestler? That's wild to me, but whatever.

[HeadCheese]

Was talking to someone about The Undertaker and then checked his stats from 2016 vs. 2026.

It is really interesting with the ballot field being more diverse Undertaker went from from #84 to #130 despite him actually having being actually higher in some metrics (more pepole voting for him and stuff). 

59 to 125 votes, this time getting the high vote of 2 vs. last time at his high votes were 14, and maybe twice as high in overall points.

I wonder if that will be that is the case for some other wrestlers too. Not saying it's good or bad just interesting 

[Stephen-]

7 hours ago, El-P said:

Is there any modern joshi left ?

Iwatani and Shirai. And I think Asuka?

[El Boricua]

Most fascinating thing to me so far is we are almost at 120 and no one has yet been on at least 40% of ballots. We're getting mixed pockets of plurality rather than a majority so far.

[ohtani's jacket]

No! Drop the elbow, Hammer!

Amusing to see Chicana finish above Allin, and Maeda sandwiched between two foreigners. 

 

[Tetsujin]

14 minutes ago, El Boricua said:

Most fascinating thing to me so far is we are almost at 120 and no one has yet been on at least 40% of ballots. We're getting mixed pockets of plurality rather than a majority so far.

Yeah this is hella interesting. At this pace I wonder if the one finishing on top will get more than, let's say 75% of total ballots.

[El McKell]

3 hours ago, El-P said:

 

Akira Maeda. It's ironic when you realize some of the most important wrestlers in Japanese history are actually Korean.

 

He was born and raised in Japan. He’s as Korean as Eddie Guerrero is Mexican.

[El-P]

14 minutes ago, El McKell said:

He was born and raised in Japan. He’s as Korean as Eddie Guerrero is Mexican.

Yes, I know. But you know what I mean. To me it's super interesting that, even putting Rikidozan apart, the two most influential wrestlers in Japan in the 80's (the other one being Riki Choshu) are coming from Korean families. And I wonder if that ever played a part, even unconsciously, in what they brought to Japanese wrestling. Both pushed the style further, pushed the intensity, both were seen as rebels and anti-system heroes. If I believe Choshu's Wiki, he was prevented from representing Japan at the 72 Olympics because he was seen as Korean, and when it happened it actually competed for South Korea. I wonder if a certain experience of racism pushed both of them to shake the Japanese pro-wrestling system and aesthetics, going toward heated Japanese vs Japanese stars, moving away from the US gaijin stars, Choshu pushing the pace like crazy, Maeda changing the dynamics with doing the clean job as a huge star to build the new generation, something neither Inoki nor Baba were willing to do. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Still, it's a topic I'd love to hear more about from the concerned people, but sadly, unless a totally shoot documentary about that topic comes up, we'll never know.