Grimmas Posted May 24 Author Posted May 24 (edited) #51 Dump Matsumoto 2016 Ranking: 288 [+237] 2006 Ranking: 79 [+28] Points: 14177 Points per Vote: 63.9 Votes: 222, 46.35% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 6-28-88 Standard Deviation: 26.4 Nomination Thread: Dump Matsumoto High Vote: 1 High Voter: Steve/overbooked "Dump Matsumoto transcends wrestling. She takes us to a world of high drama, performance art, questions of hierarchy, identity and gender, and presents something so visceral and ultimately cathartic that speaks to the horrors and wonders of being a human being. Plus all of her matches rule." Steve/overbooked Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 10:44 AM Author Posted Monday at 10:44 AM (edited) #50 Atsushi Onita 2016 Ranking: 89 [+39] 2006 Ranking: 129 [+79] Points: 14213 Points per Vote: 57.8 Votes: 246, 51.36% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 5-25-67 Standard Deviation: 26.4 Nomination Thread: Atsushi Onita High Vote: 1 High Voters: FMUSA GoF, Head in da Sand is da GOAT Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 10:46 AM Author Posted Monday at 10:46 AM (edited) #49 Volk Han 2016 Ranking: 60 [+11] 2006 Ranking: 42 [-7] Points: 14546 Points per Vote: 64.9 Votes: 224, 46.76% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 6-30-84 Standard Deviation: 25.7 Nomination Thread: Volk Han High Vote: 1 High Voters: Gennady, Piranha Death Match Killer, Anon "The greatest wrestler of my country and my personal all-time favorite." Gennady Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 10:47 AM Author Posted Monday at 10:47 AM (edited) #48 Sting 2016 Ranking: 113 [+65] 2006 Ranking: 127 [+79] Points: 14652 Points per Vote: 51.6 Votes: 284, 59.29% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 1-15-59 Standard Deviation: 25.4 Nomination Thread: Sting High Vote: 3 High Voter: toukon.org founder Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 08:32 PM Author Posted Monday at 08:32 PM (edited) #47 Blue Panther 2016 Ranking: 69 [+22] 2006 Ranking: 32 [-15] Points: 14827 Points per Vote: 58.4 Votes: 254, 53.03% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 3-18-78 Standard Deviation: 25.7 Nomination Thread: Blue Panther High Vote: 3 High Voters: Eric T., Jonathan Guevara, Pen Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 08:35 PM Author Posted Monday at 08:35 PM (edited) #46 Yoshiaki Fujiwara 2016 Ranking: 40 [-6] 2006 Ranking: 119 [+73] Points: 15311 Points per Vote: 75.8 Votes: 202, 42.17% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 13-62-105 Standard Deviation: 24.8 Nomination Thread: Yoshiaki Fujiwara High Vote: 1 High Voter: Dommo Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 08:46 PM Author Posted Monday at 08:46 PM (edited) #45 Meiko Satomura 2016 Ranking: 130 [+85] 2006 Ranking: 173 [+128] Points: 15340 Points per Vote: 60.9 Votes: 252, 52.61% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 4-23-79 Standard Deviation: 24.3 Nomination Thread: Meiko Satomura High Vote: 1 High Voter: Mike Church "One of few wrestlers to bridge the gap between the golden era of 90s joshi and still put on match of the year material up until retirement in 2025. She was primed as the star of GAEA from her first match and never let go of the gas. In GAEA, she was one of the greatest tag team wrestlers putting up multiple title reigns with extremely underrated matches and when she reached the main event scene, she managed to start one of the greatest career long rivalries in wrestling with Aja Kong. She founded Sendai Girls which still stands today as what I consider the best joshi promotion in 2026. One of the most consistent wrestlers in the dark era of joshi. I also think she played both sides of the coin very well, from underdog babyface in GAEA to absolute killer later in her career. She is probably the best wrestler at elevating talent ever, hence "final boss". Hashimoto, Io, Kairi, Roxanne Perez, Sareee, Kana, and Manami. I also believe she is one of the best intergender wrestlers ever with singles matches against Takeshita, Pete Dunne, Chris Brookes, Mark Davis, and Kyle Fletcher to name a few. Also some stellar intergender tag team and trios matches on top of that as well. While it makes sense for people to list Cena or Tanahashi because of draw power, accolades and match quality, I'll always feel like Meiko's career has easily been my favorite to fully uncover." Mike Church Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 08:54 PM Author Posted Monday at 08:54 PM (edited) #44 Andre the Giant 2016 Ranking: 51 [+7] 2006 Ranking: 164 [+120] Points: 15598 Points per Vote: 60.9 Votes: 256, 53.44% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 7-39-84 Standard Deviation: 28.0 Nomination Thread: Andre the Giant High Vote: 1 High Voters: Steven McMichael, Tommy Gentleman "Pro-wrestling is entirely built around the question, could this person beat Andre the Giant?" Steven McMichael Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 09:42 PM Author Posted Monday at 09:42 PM (edited) #43 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper 2016 Ranking: 83 [+43] 2006 Ranking: 153 [+110] Points: 15845 Points per Vote: 55.8 Votes: 284, 59.29% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 1-14-69 Standard Deviation: 23.9 Nomination Thread: Roddy Piper High Vote: 2 High Voter: Jenna Funk Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 09:46 PM Author Posted Monday at 09:46 PM (edited) #42 Tatsumi Fujinami 2016 Ranking: 20 [-22] 2006 Ranking: 58 [+16] Points: 15859 Points per Vote: 64.7 Votes: 245, 51.15% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 7-28-95 Standard Deviation: 24.8 Nomination Thread: Tatsumi Fujinami High Vote: 1 High Voters: Soalpost, Barbecue, TheDragon98 "Tatsumi Fujinami was the model from which all archetypal ace characters derive, even down to the ever-popular "Dragon" moniker borrowed by dozens of wrestlers across the globe. Few wrestlers have ever been able to successfully portray a "master of all trades" without succumbing to overambition or losing sight of their limitations as performers. The true, original Dragon was one of those rare breeds of Renaissance wrestlers, one who had such confidence in their ability and vision that they needn't be burdened with honing just one aspect of their craft. Beyond elite-level mat acumen, taught directly by Karl Gotch and inheriting the legacy of the catch-style that serves as the bedrock of classical pro-wrestling, brushes up against suave charisma and an understated intensity that few who followed could hope to emulate. Fujinami conveyed more unbridled spirit with a single clap of his hands as he circled his opponent before a lock-up than other wrestlers could with the most forced flamboyance or histrionics. It's reminiscent of the pre-match rituals and habits of various sumōtori throughout the history of Sumo (eg, Chiyonofuji's idiosyncratic method of throwing salt, or Asashōryū's patented mawashi slap). It's one that aspires awe from the crowd and builds further immersion and suspense. Fujinami channeling this presence, without dipping into the exaggerated waters of typical pro-wrestling excess, is deeply tied to the history of Japanese sport but can be understood and resonated with universally, regardless of cultural background or wrestling-style preference. This magnetism was not lost with age, able to bring passionate performances across five decades, amid the unforgiving tides of time that wore his body down. To that end, his longevity has been a point of contention, but the claims of his physical regression into the 90s are overstated. Fujinami excelled in more heated brawls to compensate alongside his continually stellar technical performances. In an ever-entropic artistic world, where traditional archetypes are treated as archaic and deemed unnecessary, it's vital to look at Fujinami's immense body of work not to lament what is lost in today's wrestling, but to identify and nurture what persists. Reject cynicism, embrace Dradition." Soalpost Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Monday at 09:48 PM Author Posted Monday at 09:48 PM (edited) #41 Manami Toyota 2016 Ranking: 85 [+44] 2006 Ranking: 29 [-12] Points: 15956 Points per Vote: 63.8 Votes: 250, 52.19% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 7-40-100 Standard Deviation: 28.0 Nomination Thread: Manami Toyota High Vote: 1 High Voters: ZombieTrashDog, Mark Rodenhurst, Valentin Bonzom "I don't think anyone in wrestling has had such a profound influence on how wrestling would look going forward as Toyota. Her work was revolutionary and still reverberates in the hyper speed, intricate stylings of modern wrestling 30 years after her peak. But accompanying this was an unrivalled ability to sell and construct matches of unparalleled emotion and drama. The fact that her matches still hold up today, with no need to adjust the brain for the styles and pacing of yesteryear are testament to the power of her work and innovation. The best in my humble opinion." Mark Rodenhurst Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 11:28 AM Author Posted Tuesday at 11:28 AM #40 L.A. Park 2016 Ranking: 96 [+56] 2006 Ranking: 125 [+85] Points: 16221 Points per Vote: 58.8 Votes: 276, 57.62% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 3-19-86 Standard Deviation: 25.3 Nomination Thread: LA Park High Vote: 2 High Voter: Olivia
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 12:44 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 12:44 PM (edited) #39 Jon Moxley 2016 Ranking: 275 [+236] 2006 Ranking: - Points: 16723 Points per Vote: 54.1 Votes: 309, 64.51% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 5-21-69 Standard Deviation: 25.2 Nomination Thread: Dean Ambrose High Vote: 1 High Voters: TheWumbster, Kerlo "I think Moxley is able to do a lot of stuff that people say he can't do, in a really enjoyable way. He is the "Ace of The World" to me, because that is what he can deliver, ask him to do a style of match, and you will get that style of match." TheWumbster "Bare with me here but im not a big paragraph typer kind of guy and I just want to keep things sweet and simple. I started watching wrestling around the spring of 2019 so one of the first people I remember being exposed to was Mox during his rise to the top storyline in year 1 AEW. All his promos and his matches during that run (especially the lights out with Omega at Full Gear 2019) got me so hooked on this crazy ass sport. When putting this list together I really had to think of who played the biggest impact on how I personally view this sport and it has to 100% be everything that Mox has done in the past 7 years. I can think of a number of matches from Jon's catalog that arent just my favorite Mox matches but just my favorite matches in the sport in general. Mox vs OC at All Out 2023. Both of the Texas Death matches with Hanger. Full Gear 2019 with Omega. Danielsons retirement match at Wrestledream 2024. I just fucking love Jon Moxley man thats all I really can say. Im sure he wont finish 1st on everyone's ballots and hell he may not even come close to finishing 1st on the final overall tally but hes #1 in my heart and thats what matters to me. I guess to paraphrase his last theme "Wild Thing, you move me"" Kerlo Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 01:29 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 01:29 PM (edited) #38 Jun Akiyama 2016 Ranking: 27 [-11] 2006 Ranking: 50 [+12] Points: 17537 Points per Vote: 60.3 Votes: 291, 60.75% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 4-18-90 Standard Deviation: 24.9 Nomination Thread: Jun Akiyama High Vote: 1 High Voters: Cody Milkman, FluffyAvery, Chris O'Brien, Tanner "Back in 2021, me and a handful of friends had this crappy little joke fed on Fire Pro Wrestling World where we put Jun Akiyama in just as "Kobashi's friend." I knew about Jun at the time of course, he was a wrestler I had a brief enjoyment of. This changed after this fed led me to deep dive on the man who would become my favorite wrestler of all time. Jun Akiyama was one of the few wrestlers who immediately just understood it, just got what wrestling logically was back when he debuted against Kobashi himself in 1992. Over the next 8 years in AJPW, Jun would become a tag specialist, and absurd singles worker. His best matches around this time are often seen as a tad underrated in my eyes. The 2000s match against Misawa, the 1998 match against Kobashi, all acclaimed yes, but often not seen as the all timers I see them as. His NOAH run is where he truly became an all timer worker in my opinion. Those 2000s matches against Kobashi are some of my favorite matches ever, and he only grew as a performer over this time. Entering his 30s Jun was one of the best wrestlers of the planet with a lot of time to show. Sadly this is where booking would hamper what should've been Jun's run as the Ace of NOAH and the landmark of their 2000s run. Hell he was one of the reasons the company was even formed, because Mrs. Baba didn't see him as a top guy while Misawa did! Despite the booking, Jun was often really great during this era, but it was obvious he wasn't in it as much until he returned to AJPW in the 2010s. He really found himself here again. Having some classics with Suwama, Kento, Omori, and many others during this time. He also became quite a great booker during this time as the later 2010s of AJPW booked by him was some of the most fun wrestling ever. He left next for DDT where now in his late 40s going into his 50s, he still had more to give and had an incredible run to the KO-D Openweight Title and continues to put on fun matches and give more later in his 50s now. Jun has been a consistently great worker from his debut to now. From the highs of the Tokyo Dome Main Event to the lows of working 1st Ring, he always gave his best and that's why I believe him to be the greatest wrestler of all time." FluffyAvery "Even 34 years in he’s still have great performances in singles, tags and trios. All timer heel run in early NOAH, one of the best rookies ever, and hundreds of great matches in a career entering its fourth decade." Tanner Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 02:03 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 02:03 PM (edited) #37 Shawn Michaels 2016 Ranking: 31 [-6] 2006 Ranking: 46 [+9] Points: 18125 Points per Vote: 66.4 Votes: 273, 56.99% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 12-46-112 Standard Deviation: 27.3 Nomination Thread: Shawn Michaels High Vote: 1 High Voters: Dhruv Chouhan, Kingboat Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 02:20 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 02:20 PM (edited) #36 Antonio Inoki 2016 Ranking: 132 [+96] 2006 Ranking: 71 [+35] Points: 18294 Points per Vote: 62.9 Votes: 291, 60.75% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 15-42-103 Standard Deviation: 27.7 Nomination Thread: Antonio Inoki High Vote: 1 High Voters: Bryan, GOTNW, chris gibbons, Garrett "No one was better at making a wrestling match feel like a "big fight" than Inoki." Bryan "No single career encompasses the magnificence and variety of pro-wrestling as the one of Antonio Inoki. Since the 1960s until his retirement, and even after it, he was a constant source of incredible energy in creation which moved the pro wrestling industry forward. Technical catch-esque masterpieces, chaotic bloody brawls which destroyed both the competitors and the surroundings, grandiose maximalist epics, minimalist sprints, hybrid and shoot-style bouts, classic 2 vs 2 tag team matches, multi-man elimination tags, matches outside conventional locations, matches vs celebrities, matches between theater and MMA, actual real fights - if a genre exists in pro-wrestling, chances are Antonio Inoki engaged in it and excelled in it, often whilst helping create it." GOTNW "Wrestling career, Creation and early success of NJPW, humanitarian work, largest attendance in history, influence on creation of MMA." Garrett Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 03:27 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 03:27 PM (edited) #35 Akira Taue 2016 Ranking: 26 [-9] 2006 Ranking: 26 [-9] Points: 18516 Points per Vote: 57.9 Votes: 320, 66.81% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 2-10-82 Standard Deviation: 23.8 Nomination Thread: Akira Taue High Vote: 2 High Voter: Ben Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 04:12 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 04:12 PM (edited) #34 John Cena 2016 Ranking: 30 [-4] 2006 Ranking: - Points: 19567 Points per Vote: 62.8 Votes: 311, 64.93% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 13-38-112 Standard Deviation: 26.6 Nomination Thread: John Cena High Vote: 1 High Voters: David, Adonis, Comedy Case Chase, Mihir Joshi, cozy, battlart, SZ "He was the reason I got into wrestling, so the personal attachment is second to none. Beyond that, the greatest big match worker ever, highly versatile in terms of how he adapted to opponents/settings, incredible at responding to the moment/live crowd, wildly underrated seller, could talk, all-time bleeder, and one of the most extensive catalogs of awesome matches you'll find. To me, a perfect pro wrestler." Adonis "Greatest big match performer in North American Wrestling history. Incredible longevity as a top guy. Awesome feel for the business and an underrated heel performer in the ring. Great blader too." Mihir Joshi "I love babyfaces, and I think my list generally reflects that. The main reason we all can't escape the trap that is the magic of pro wrestling is to see the good guy beat the bad guy. This might be somewhat sporadic as I'm just going to wing this. I'm by no means a great writer, but I'll give it my best shot. John Cena is the greatest Ace figure in wrestling ever. I get it--He was the face of maybe the most flauntingly evil company in existence. He was part of some of the worst angles, segments and years in wrestling ever. And despite that, Cena still shone so bright for many years. From 2003-2016, John Cena was an unbelievably great professional wrestler. The best Ace pro wrestling has ever had where it mattered most, in between the ropes. One instance that demonstrates this is the infamous match with Rob Van Dam at Hammerstein during the heavily maligned ECW revival. RVD--someone who didn't make my list for many reasons--is completely eaten alive by Cena here. Despite his opponent winning the WWE Championship, it's barely even remembered all these years later. From the moment he emerges from the stage, Cena is eating the camera up. From his body language, to his facial expressions, and to his work itself in the match where he reacts to the response given. The entire match is just Cena completely eating RVD alive in every aspect of the sport. The feeling, the connective tissue, the snug stuff where it matters. Cena would only get better as the years went on, culminating in his masterclasses with CM Punk years later. Fully cemented as the Ace, Cena had developed into the complete pro wrestler in my view. To say John Cena isn't the smoothest wrestler would probably be an understatement. However, despite that, there's just so much feeling to everything he does. Maybe he hits a move a little sloppy, maybe the STF isn't locked in tight, but man--does it have passion to it. Great strikes, great stagger-selling, an underrated Lariat and great at the connective tissue of a match in general. For someone who comes off as so robotic out of the ring, the man has passion in spades when the bell rings. At the end of the day, pro wrestling to me is about struggle, feeling and emotion. The very idea of the Irish Whip is utterly ridiculous, but it doesn't matter inside the confines of the wacky world of professional wrestling. Pro wrestlers sell the struggle, and we buy into it if they give us a reason to believe in them. No wrestler has made me feel the way Cena has when he's on the way only he could be. Whether it was rooting against him, or for him. Through his tremendous selling, fiery babyface comebacks, great fighting from underneath and just being the best goddamn Ace. That is why I'm voting John Cena as the Greatest Pro Wrestler Ever. Feeling." Cozy "extensive catalogue, unreal big match really, sound fundamentals even if unorthodox, atg seller at his peak, atg instincts and psycology, ace for 15 years" battlart "While John Cena is mainstream it's actually crazy to think the guy managed to bring the best out of Great Khali. He got his moveset nerfed around 2005. His match with Kurt angle in 2003 was him proving himself as the next big star. Cena also went on to have a classic with JBL at Judgment day in 2005. He had a fine run but did hit a slump in 2010-11 phase. After the so called "Best in the world" of Cm Punk popped up he did get his wrestling soulmate. For the environment he was in he did great. His 2015 run was remarkable too. It's sad how his retirement tour was booked. Also in 2007 it was him who held the fortress considering what Chris benoit did. Yeah I can write a big essay but I've to study. He is the greatest of all time for me." SZ Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 04:29 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 04:29 PM (edited) #33 Nick Bockwinkel 2016 Ranking: 16 [-17] 2006 Ranking: 56 [+23] Points: 19567 Points per Vote: 74.4 Votes: 263, 54.91% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 18-60-140 Standard Deviation: 24.9 Nomination Thread: Nick Bockwinkel High Vote: 1 High Voters: trillyrobinson (andy), Matt D, HD, Robert Barry "The art (and science) of professional wrestling is centered in the creation of a tangible, immersive, believable, and compelling false reality. Every moment of a match is a building block in that reality. The correct creative choice, the correct executed performance grows and nurtures that reality. A wrong, careless, facile choice or execution tears it down. In the history of professional wrestling, as evidenced by the footage we have available, there is no one more skilled at crafting such realities as Nick Bockwinkel. Everything that he does, from his early match strategy to his late match full body exhausted selling is focused upon creating the most interesting, meaningful, rewarding, accessible realities possible. He manages this across an incredibly varied range of opponents and in a number of roles, even within the range of footage we have, most being from after his 40th birthday." Matt D "I originally thought Danielson would be my number 1, then I went back over some Bockwinkel, and truly realised how consistent he was from the couple of early matches we have of him as a young guy in the late 1950s all the way to his once a year matches in the early 90s where he looked to have not lost a step, mind you all of this is coming off footage where he is mostly 40+ years. the right mix of consistency, longevity, versatility and supreme in-ring skills makes Nick Bockwinkel in my opinion the Greatest Wrestler Ever." HD "Consummate professional. Walks the fine line between fiery babyface and vulnerable heel. Out works others yet always made his opponents look like a million bucks. Always interesting and engaging you with in ring work, promos, interactions with various opponents. Longevity and being able to deliver across various decades no matter what role he was called upon to do. All the pieces and details matter. He's someone who I wish we had more footage of as even his performances in the 80's are legendary for someone his age at the time of those matches. Something is always happening when Bock is in ring and he makes choices I think more wrestlers could borrow from. A brilliant mind for wrestling." Robert Barry Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 05:47 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 05:47 PM (edited) #32 Chigusa Nagayo 2016 Ranking: 110 [+78] 2006 Ranking: 39 [+7] Points: 19789 Points per Vote: 74.1 Votes: 267, 55.74% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 16-54-128 Standard Deviation: 23.1 Nomination Thread: Chigusa Nagayo High Vote: 1 High Voter: Patrick Kay Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Tuesday at 05:50 PM Author Posted Tuesday at 05:50 PM (edited) #31 Bull Nakano 2016 Ranking: 61 [+30] 2006 Ranking: 43 [+12] Points: 20129 Points per Vote: 63.3 Votes: 318, 66.39% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 6-37-120 Standard Deviation: 25.9 Nomination Thread: Bull Nakano High Vote: 2 High Voters: Cool Nakano, Vicente "Sata", Johnny Waltom, Lespeckly/Speckles Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Wednesday at 11:14 AM Author Posted Wednesday at 11:14 AM (edited) #30 Negro Casas 2016 Ranking: 22 [-8] 2006 Ranking: 38 [+8] Points: 20563 Points per Vote: 77.9 Votes: 264, 55.11% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 20-69-141 Standard Deviation: 23.2 Nomination Thread: Negro Casas High Vote: 1 High Voters: Anto, Aubie, Brady, Vicente "Sata", Andy McKeown, WKO_Mike, JR Goldberg, Sam DiMascio "It's hard for me to think of Casas as an athlete rather than an artist. He feels like a manifestation of unstoppable creativity in the ring. When he loses, he always delivers a great match and when he wins it feels like a certainty, like an invitation to ask yourself "how someone so cool could ever not win?", which is something you'd never find in any other sport or art form. He is the peak of pro wrestling." Anto "Five decades of being one of the greatest technicians ever, one of the great brawlers ever, and one of the great stooges ever." Aubie "What captivates me about Negro Casas is the way he combines remarkable athleticism and technique with a charisma that shone through regardless of his role (whether “rudo” or “tecnico"”); Negro knew exactly how to bring the story from the ring to the audience. He is what the perfect balance between a huge personality and a lot of skill looks like, and in my opinion, the best this business has seen." Vicente "Sata" "Impressive body of work, extreme longevity, can make throwaway matches memorable, master of psychology, can be gritty and violent as well as work beautiful lucha exchanges often in the same match. '97 singles against Santo is arguably the greatest match of all-time." WKO_Mike Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Wednesday at 11:57 AM Author Posted Wednesday at 11:57 AM (edited) #29 Kenny Omega 2016 Ranking: 259 [+230] 2006 Ranking: - Points: 20653 Points per Vote: 75.9 Votes: 272, 56.78% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 38-79-139 Standard Deviation: 27.7 Nomination Thread: Kenny Omega High Vote: 1 High Voters: Alex, Andy C, James Pierce, Luna Bourke, Lukas Edmundson, Scott MacGregor , Kyle Templeton, Nick Johnson, Ryan Duckworth, RICHARD LATTA II, Shane Wakefield, Sujay Patel, Desai Duran "His matches just scream "professional wrestling" to me, and his match against Ospreay at Forbidden Door first got me into professional wrestling, he's just a god in the ring." Alex "I've never seen someone tell stories in the ring the way he does. He best moments are pure magic." Andy C "Greatest big match wrestler ever combined with the highest impact for a post-2010s wrestler on the industry and having held top titles and drawing in USA, Mexico, and Japan along with having several of the best matches on North American and Japanese soil ever." James Pierce "The matches he had were some of the best ever, had a strong aura and created a large emotional response." Luna Bourke "I don’t think anyone has reached the peak of Kenny at his best in the history of wrestling." Scott MacGregor "Highest quality high end matches, highest variety of matches from multiman, comedy, hardcore, epic, memorable squashes, Western, Japan, Mexico, memorable storylines, blending modern and old school influence, has impact on peers with in ring influence." Nick Johnson "It's hard to describe how good Kenny is. Could there ever be a wrestler better suited for my taste and personality. The Okada series is masterful. The joy I felt watching Okada/Omega IV has rarely been matched." Ryan Duckworth "Kenny Omega is the greatest wrestler ever, because he is the greatest worker in big match situations ive ever seen. The peak of athleticism, explosion, drama, offensive wrestling, and if there was 1 wrestler i want to pick at the threat of someone blowing my head off if that person can't have an all time classic match, I want Kenny Omega in that match. He's done it in every country he's wrestled in, won the championships, and is a modern myth reputation wise. People fled their home promotions to come wrestle him no matter where he was located in the world. He's fast, charasmatic. creative, and at the same time a sure thing. Singles, tags, trios, it doesn't matter. He's had the greatest matches ever of all sorts. His peak started rather late, and from his age 33 year on, he turned into a literal super saiyan in NJPW and AEW. He's overcome tremendous injuries and is driven to give his best always. His style is in defiance of what came before him, and he's forged a career against that resistance. His 6/9/18 match with Okada made my friends and I wonder what we do with our lives after we saw it.He's reached perfection, and at the same time isn't a slave to it. Star ratings assassin, any style. He can do it." RICHARD LATTA II "In eras and promotions where it was most difficult to stand out and separate yourself from the sheer amount of excellent pro wrestling, he not only stood out but became so undeniable and spectacular that his greatness becomes more evident with each attempted imitation of his best work. The only valid knock on him throughout his career was that his natural babyface charisma was lacking when being presented as the underdog up against another babyface, but this has been disproven later in his career." Shane Wakefield "Greatest wrestler ever at portrayal actual cruelty as a heel and being a dickhead while simultaneously being a badass in the actual ring, and isn't that the art of pro wrestling?" Desai Duran Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Wednesday at 01:09 PM Author Posted Wednesday at 01:09 PM (edited) #28 Jerry "The King" Lawler 2016 Ranking: 10 [-18] 2006 Ranking: 41 [+13] Points: 21161 Points per Vote: 72.5 Votes: 292, 60.96% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 15-61-140 Standard Deviation: 24.2 Nomination Thread: Jerry Lawler High Vote: 1 High Voter: Sean, Neuromaniacal "All-time great bumper and seller, throws the greatest punches in wrestling history, with an absolute laundry list of some of the greatest wrestling matches ever put on tape. Countless classic angles and feuds. Tremendous talker. A great cowardly, obnoxious heel and an all-time great babyface. A master of getting something out of anything, and few have ever been able to squeeze as much from an opponent as Lawler could. Excellent at structuring a match and pacing a match." Neuromaniacal Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted Wednesday at 01:46 PM Author Posted Wednesday at 01:46 PM (edited) #27 Kazuchika Okada 2016 Ranking: 137 [+110] 2006 Ranking: - Points: 21479 Points per Vote: 70.2 Votes: 306, 63.88% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 17-71-139 Standard Deviation: 27.0 Nomination Thread: Kazuchika Okada High Vote: 1 High Voter: Nait Atia, Ogawa Airplane Spin, Monch, Atlas, Rich Kraetsch, Natsumi "Hiroshi Tanahashi kept New Japan afloat, but Okada took it to new heights. Even adjusted for inflation, his run at the top from 2012/13 until the pandemic is the highest grossing business period for New Japan ever. He has what I believe to be the greatest collection of matches ever, he was the best kayfabe and in ring rival of two other all time greats (Tanahashi and Omega) and was the perfect foil to the beloved Tetsuya Naito. He is also the most accomplished wrestler before 30, and one of the few you could make an argument for being a hall of famer before 30 (The Rock, Gordy, Ospreay etc). He also had the best match of the year in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. And is still having stellar matches in AEW, 21 years after his debut match." Atlas "The best big match wrestler in history. Kazuchika Okada was thrust into the spotlight at age 23 and grabbed the bull by the horns and never looked back. His series of matches against Hiroshi Tanahashi are the highest levels of main event pro wrestling with smart, high-effort work that always played off their previous encounters and rewarded you as an avid fan and viewer. He'd follow those up with an incredible series of matches with Kenny Omega that transformed Japanese professional wrestling and laid the groundwork for the creation of AEW. Just those series alone would make Okada an all-time but you add in his matches with the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Will Ospreay, Shinsuke Nakamura, and even getting the very best out of one of my other all-time favorites Genichiro Tenryu in his final match, it only strengthens his case. Okada was so good, so early in his career that we look at the 38-year-old as being on the downside of his career when he's still one of the best in the world. I had a front row seat to Okada's rise and when I sat down to figure out my #1, he was an easy pick. Locked in from jump." Rich Kraetsch Edited 14 hours ago by Grimmas corrected
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