GWE 2026 Reaction Thread

[donsem43]

41 left total, 33 top 50, 21 top 25, 7 top 10

Surprised I have that many left other of than top 10.

 

[PaoloReaper]

6 hours ago, MasterJonBurr said:

OJ not doing a #1 blurb for Satanico is a bigger heel turn than Mantaur shooting on everyone. 

I laughed so hard at this lol

Although I assume is a pretty common take, I second Boss Rock in that Shibata's performance vs Okada at Sakura Genesis is just pro-wrestling at its most poetic. I cried like a baby at that match, goddamn.

And I just wanna comment very quickly on Dump's ability to rarefy any situation she was involved in, and turn it into pure, unparalleled chaos. I watched the Omori's scissor match like 4 days ago or something and jolted some immediate thoughts: "Some of the craziest, realest, most compelling things I've ever seen in my life. Dump Matsumoto is the wildest, most out-of-control wrestler ever (...) Dump may very well be the greatest wrestler of all time (...) Professional wrestling distilled into its primal essence and reaching its absolute peak.". I could watch Dump destroy any semblance of order in the world forever.

[cad]

Ah, my bete noire. I suppose I could be happy about a lucha candidate ranking this highly, but truth be told I always saw Satanico as more of an anti-lucha candidate. Satanico matches rarely leave anyone praising his opponent or looking forward to exploring more from that person, or just more lucha in general. When a Satanico match isn't good enough, then it could only be because his opponent wasn't good enough. When a Satanico match is too good, then a masterpiece like that could only be a Satanico carryjob. I've read Satanico praise that presents him on a level above the rest of his countrymen. I've read criticism of great luchadores for not wrestling enough like Satanico. So much of the discussion around him reduces all of Mexican wrestling to a temple in his honor, and talented wrestlers like Lizmark and Gran Cochisse become sacrifices that must be made at the altar of the great being. That bothers me as a fan of the style as a whole, and it bothers me as an analyst as well. What other great wrestler's case so involves tearing down other workers? It should be able to stand tall without resting atop a pile of bones.

I ended up ranking him thirty-first. I think I was fair. It was better than his overall rank, at least. He could easily have fared worse on my list if I'd done a better job opening myself up to different types of wrestling, but that's on me for failing to do that.

[El McKell]

Still 44 of my 100 left. The only top-50 wrestlers I didn't put in my 100 were: Meiko Satomura, Volk Han, Roddy Piper, Shinya Hashimoto, Atsushi Onita & Andre The Giant.

[club]

So we have Chigusa over Dump, Volk over Tamura, Austin over Rock, Inoki over Baba.

Bret over Shawn?

Stinger over Flair?

Bull over Aja?

[Garbage]

Counted 24 of my top 50 left. Of them LA Park, Volk Han and Andre surprise me the most. 

[ohtani's jacket]

1 hour ago, cad said:

Ah, my bete noire. I suppose I could be happy about a lucha candidate ranking this highly, but truth be told I always saw Satanico as more of an anti-lucha candidate. Satanico matches rarely leave anyone praising his opponent or looking forward to exploring more from that person, or just more lucha in general. When a Satanico match isn't good enough, then it could only be because his opponent wasn't good enough. When a Satanico match is too good, then a masterpiece like that could only be a Satanico carryjob. I've read Satanico praise that presents him on a level above the rest of his countrymen. I've read criticism of great luchadores for not wrestling enough like Satanico. So much of the discussion around him reduces all of Mexican wrestling to a temple in his honor, and talented wrestlers like Lizmark and Gran Cochisse become sacrifices that must be made at the altar of the great being. That bothers me as a fan of the style as a whole, and it bothers me as an analyst as well. What other great wrestler's case so involves tearing down other workers? It should be able to stand tall without resting atop a pile of bones.

I ended up ranking him thirty-first. I think I was fair. It was better than his overall rank, at least. He could easily have fared worse on my list if I'd done a better job opening myself up to different types of wrestling, but that's on me for failing to do that.

You're welcome to post this as my blurb for Satanico if you like.

 

[Makai Club #1]

11 hours ago, Control21 said:

If Volk Han and Kiyoshi Tamura had AEW runs, they would probably be in the Top 25 

I dunno about that. AEW fans appreciate a lot of things, but a submission heavy style is still a stretch too far for those fans to invest in. 

[El McKell]

1 hour ago, club said:

So we have Chigusa over Dump, Volk over Tamura, Austin over Rock, Inoki over Baba.

Bret over Shawn?

Stinger over Flair?

Bull over Aja?

Bret will probably over Shawn

No way is Sting ranking higher than Flair. Absolutely no chance whatsoever.

I really can't predict who's going to do better between Bull Nakano & Aja Kong. I'm guessing Aja, but I wouldn't be surprised either way.

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

If you had told me before the poll that Katsuyori Shibata would rank at 53, I would have said: 'ah yes, fair enough'.

But looking at the names he placed above, I'm just not sure if he's deserving to be that high. No one is denying the heights he was capable of touching (vs. Ishii 2013 G-1 Climax, vs. Okada Sakura Genesis 2017 being the two matches where he touched the face of God).

But compared to the other names, Riki Choshu, Bruno Sammartino, Keiji Mutoh, Hulk Hogan, even Akira Maeda way out past the breakers. Did Shibata really have the impact, the breadth of great matches that these guys did?

He's been relegated to Collision with the rest of Tony's unloved toys this year, and watching him on there, he has none of the vigor and verve that propelled him once to those lofty heights. He hasn't gotten better with age. He hasn't grown into an imperial majesty. I feel like I'm watching a guy who used to play Katsuyori Shibata on TV eke out a living. Doing strike exchanges and five minute matches with Alex Reynolds on an Honor Club stream no one will see. And then you start wondering what is the substance, when you've stripped away all the stiff strikes and self-annihilating style?

These recent performances do not detract from his earlier work, but simply put him in a lower category to the all-time greats. A good showing, but one I don't think will hold up over time. 

 

[El McKell]

I didn't rank Shibata over Choshu or anything & he definitely isn't close to as influencial a figure as the people you listed. 

But I do wanna address the "Did Shibata have the breadth of great matches that Hulk Hogan or Bruno Sammartino did?" And say, yes he did, comfortably. 

[Makai Club #1]

Spoiler

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 Balot 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 an anime and I will never soften on that dislike of that style. Had him at #80

74. Giant Baba
Can never really get into Baba, except maybe in his youth. Some people get the charm of Baba, but it doesn’t click with me., Big star though. 

73. William Regal
Like Ospreay, he is a wrestler that you either love or hate. And I see no reason to hate Regal which puts me in the former. Great wrestler. Just the best at being himself. Unique stylistically but proved to adapt to New Japan, WCW and WWE just fine, showing his skills. Had him at 88.

72. Mercedes Mone
Could’ve voted for her, but her inconsistencies hurt greatly. Great wrestler on her day. By far and away the best American women’s wrestler. But still behind some of the Joshi wrestlers which makes her inclusion even tough to consider. 

71. KENTA
His era of NOAH is not my thing, but it’s hard to say he had a toughness and aura that was pretty unrivaled, even by himself. 

70. Riki Choshu
I forgot the comparison because it’s been years since I saw it and I’ve forgotten the context. But someone liked Choshu to be like The Rock. Just a ball of superstar charisma who grabs the attention of the room immediately. Game changer in wrestling history. And maybe the greatest booker in wrestling history too. Had him as my #28 
 
69. Kota Ibushi
I determined a long time ago that I was gonna have Ibushi high on my list (#15) and I stand by it. He turned from a wrestler who was so raw that he was one of the few aerial wrestlers to be just as dangerous with his dives as Necro Butcher was with his toasters. And then when he matured more, he became an excellent striker who more than not matched the likes of Okada and Tanahashi despite being pushed under them. And when he finally got the crowd it sort of fell off for him. But the work up to that point was nothing short of iconic. Tiger Mask W for the win!

68. Yuki Ishikawa
Like Daisuke Ikeda, Ishikawa is an out of sight, out of mind wrestler. But when I watch him, I remember how much I loved him. Didn't vote for him but he’s one to consider for the future. 

67. Tomohiro Ishii
The reason Japanese wrestling almost lost its title of being the place for wrestling, because of his role in making “strike-strike” matches far too common. But it’s hard to deny Ishii his deserved plaudits. A valuable member of any roster. Outstanding in the ring and could work anywhere. And did. Had him #45. 

This is getting quite long now: 79-67

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

12 minutes ago, El McKell said:

I didn't rank Shibata over Choshu or anything & he definitely isn't close to as influencial a figure as the people you listed. 

But I do wanna address the "Did Shibata have the breadth of great matches that Hulk Hogan or Bruno Sammartino did?" And say, yes he did, comfortably. 

haha, Hogan was a gimme.

[MoS]

I am ready for the brickbats, but I think Sting is too high. I don't even think he would be in my top 50 90s wrestlers. I don't think there is anything great he did that I haven't seen others do better.

He might actually be the guy who has benefited the most from AEW's existence, and from the fact that he has never been booked as well as he was in AEW, including the year he spent in the rafters in WCW.

[Boss Rock]

Onita was my 71 and honestly, it's awesome to see him make the top 50. The king of the deathmatch as he understood the importance of tension and release. Very rough around the edges but just so physically charismatic. A great brawler overall and the Texas Deathmatch with Tarzan Goto against Masanobu Kurisu and Dragon Master is one of the best ever. Him smoking on the stage while being pelted with trash is still the greatest entrance in wrestling history.

Did not vote for Sting. I like his early 90's WCW well enough and he had a hell of a final chapter and retirement, which is what I imagine garnered him so much support this time around. I just didn't think there was enough to warrant a spot on my ballot. Not mad about his placing though.

[El McKell]

5 minutes ago, MoS said:

I am ready for the brickbats, but I think Sting is too high. I don't even think he would be in my top 50 90s wrestlers. I don't think there is anything great he did that I haven't seen others do better.

He might actually be the guy who has benefited the most from AEW's existence, and from the fact that he has never been booked as well as he was in AEW, including the year he spent in the rafters in WCW.

[Tetsujin]

Onita and Sting are both two of those "and then the bell rang" guys for me, so it's funny they ranked together, although much higher that I personally would have put them. Still, they're two guys I can never be mad about people voting for them, their aura and importance are something else.

[club]

Pleased to see Onita place at 50. Maybe the best phoenix from the flames wrestler in history. Also maybe the best at working around his physical limitations.

[ohtani's jacket]

Onita is a nice pick for #50. I find him kind of worthless as a wrestler, but he's a cool character.

Volk should have been higher.

If Sting vs. The NWO had a payoff, I'd be down with this placement. But it didn't. Surfer Sting is great. 

[TheDuke]

I have only seen very little Puroresu, which is a big reason I didn't submit a ballot in a poll like this, but I didn't realize Onita, or "The Great Nita" was better than The Great Muta. Although I'm guessing his placement is not due to his matches under the "Great Nita" gimmick. 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Tony Khan just booked a multi-million dollar four year campaign for Sting's GWE case.

I kneel....money-mark-sama.....

Realistically Sting has always been the recipient of career boosting pushes. Flair chose him to be a babyface star. Scott Hall practically handed him the gimmick when he told him to go Crow. Plenty of time at the top of the card in TNA. And one of the best booked retirements, where some all-time greats bump around him to make him look like a star. He has ethereal, otherworldly charisma and presence. That's obvious. But actually watching his stuff and looking him as a worker in the cold light of day, I don't think he in the elite tier.

[MoS]

1 hour ago, El McKell said:

Not sure if this is sarcastic or not, but a look at how we discussed Sting pre-AEW (even when everyone was sympathetic to him for Vince still salty about a war he won 15 years before Sting debuted in WWE) and how much general praise for him started being seen much much more frequently after (and during!) his AEW run substantiate my point imo.