Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #26 Shinya Hashimoto 2016 Ranking: 23 [-3] 2006 Ranking: 24 [-2] Points: 21808 Points per Vote: 72.5 Votes: 301, 62.84% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 7-59-148 Standard Deviation: 22.9 Nomination Thread: Shinya Hashimoto High Vote: 1 High Voter: Brock Obama, Ryuma Go, Olivia "Lucky for us, pro wrestling comes in all shapes and sizes. Slick indie spotfests up and down the American East Coast, seedy brawls in the back alleys of Mexico City, sporting contests in every concert hall across England—the list goes ever on. For me, though, nothing compares to the cacophonous roar of a crowd of thousands whose earnest, undivided attention is fixed on the ring before them. And no one engrossed their record-setting audiences, wrangling these roiling seas of humanity and turning their tides to his own ends, quite as well as Shinya Hashimoto. From the inaugural wrestling show in the Tokyo Dome to his stunning G1 upsets (and eventual triumph) to his devastating defeats at the hands of Naoya Ogawa, Hashimoto instilled soaring emotion in the hearts of countless thousands unlike any wrestler I've ever seen. When I think of pro wrestling, its idealized form taking shape in my mind's eye, I picture a spotlit ring surrounded by a massive crowd chanting a single name over and over again. When I think of pro wrestling, I think of Shinya Hashimoto." Brock Obama "I've debated a lot about every single placement on this list, with the exception of #1. Shinya Hashimoto is god and him being the greatest wrestler of all time is the most obvious choice I can make with this list. He's got everything one can want from a #1 contender, a long excellent career, an evangelion of great matches under his belt, including several in which he has given his opponent their best match ever, the fact he had probably the most believable offense in all of pro wrestling history, the fact that he could do it all from being a terrifying monster in the ring to the greatest hard fighting babyface you've ever seen, the fact he could do excellent mat wrestling as well as hard hitting heavyweight slugfests and intense chess matches, the way he would bring the Tokyo Dome to a boil. All while always being unmistakably Shinya Hashimoto. I love every part of his career from his early days where he emerged like a folk here to his gritty last days. To put it simply, Shinya Hashimoto is the greatest and there will never be another wrestler like him." Ryuma Go Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #25 Jushin "Thunder" Liger 2016 Ranking: 6 [-19] 2006 Ranking: 4 [-21] Points: 21952 Points per Vote: 63.6 Votes: 345, 72.03% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 8-32-131 Standard Deviation: 24.8 Nomination Thread: Jushin Liger High Vote: 1 High Voter: Satanic Boho, JML "Most versatile wrestler in the history of pro wrestling. Liger can work babyface, heel, junior heavyweight, heavyweight, underdog, bully, veteran, plucky youngster, masked, unmasked, full body suit, brawler, ground work, etc. All while doing this in Japan, Mexico, Europe and America." JML Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #24 Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat "lowest ranked on 3/4 of the ballots" 2016 Ranking: 15 [-9] 2006 Ranking: 13 [-11] Points: 23242 Points per Vote: 63.5 Votes: 366, 76.41% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 1-19-129 Standard Deviation: 21.9 Nomination Thread: Ricky Steamboat High Vote: 3 High Voter: Rafa Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #23 CM Punk 2016 Ranking: 46 [+23] 2006 Ranking: 425 [+402] Points: 24064 Points per Vote: 69.1 Votes: 348, 72.65% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 19-70-164 Standard Deviation: 27.8 Nomination Thread: CM Punk High Vote: 1 High Voter: Ben, Maxwell Tidball, Tommy, Dalton Mack, jadeee, Logan "Simply put, he gets the best out of everyone he faces. He’s put on matches with some guys that wouldn’t even be top 10,000 that were instant classics." Maxwell Tidball "Extremely high peaks from the 2000s to the early 2020s, best return/debut of all time in AEW followed by a fantastic run of in-ring performances, brought the best work out of a lot of lesser wrestlers and the soulmate of a lot of all-time wrestlers like Samoa Joe and Cena. Makes you feel strongly or negatively and in the camp of feeling extremely strong about his work I have him at #1." Tommy "I want to care. Like too many other people, I've found my attention slipping and going to my phone or something else while wrestling is on. When Punk is on TV, cutting a promo or wrestling a match, my attention stays on what he's doing. He talks like a human being, his athleticism (while far from elite) has always been good enough for his age at the time, and his selling is probably the most realistic I've seen since I began watching wrestling. You can make a strong case he gave the following excellent wrestlers the best match of their career: John Cena, Jeff Hardy, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Eddie Kingston, MJF, Raven, Chris Hero and Austin Aries. I understand he is polarizing, as may be this pick. But isn't that what you want a wrestler to do: generate feelings in the viewer, positive or negative?" Dalton Mack "I think CM Punk has one of the most complex GWE cases to discuss - the most "your mileage may vary" contender because, as much as you may try, it is impossible to ignore the outside of the ring controversies. They're too prevalent, shoved down every online wrestling fan's throats both by himself and others, and obviously because they're married to his work. I say this because I'm sure a lot of people try to be fair and take an "objective" stance, to try and view his work as it is, maybe from the lens of somebody in thirty years who doesn't have the option of living through each and every CM Punk controversy in real time and is viewing *purely* the work. Whether he's high, low or in the middle of your list, you cannot deny that witnessing all of it firsthand has impacted where you put him - whether that impact is small or major is what differs, but I have to believe it exists for everyone. All this to say, I'm very interested in where he'll rank. For me, those controversies amplify even the work I don't enjoy as much as his prime work - most notably his current WWE run. As much as I love him, I can't really stand to watch his stuff now, but even despite it not really being for me, I cannot deny that he hasn't lost his magic, and I doubt he ever will. Even now, he still makes people believe this is real, and it very much does translate to his ring work and the reactions and heat he can generate. It's the kind of magic I feel grateful to be alive to witness. I can't say for sure, but I really doubt there'll ever be somebody who can make people believe quite like he can ever again. That magic that has been ever present is what made me fall head over heels in love with pro wrestling at the age of 5. CM Punk was not my *first* favorite wrestler (though he was my first favorite active wrestler), but I think even a young me who was obviously too young to understand the intricacies of what I was watching knew that the way he spoke and the way he acted was not like anybody else on TV. The funny thing is, I didn't see the Pipebomb until like half a year after it happened and even when I saw it, I didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. I can't credit that, or any specific promo, it was literally just a feeling in the air when I saw him, especially given that he main evented the first live show I went to (against Triple H, but still). When I was young, I felt a lot of "magic", but at age 19, I can say a lot of it has worn off. The magic of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has turned to apathy for me. The same goes for Star Wars, Harry Potter, Seth Rollins, you name it - yet, still, the magic of CM Punk still moves me, and he has multiple all-time matches in three different decades across several different companies in so many different stages of his life - of my top twenty favorite matches ever, Punk has five (Cena MITB, Joe 2 & 3, Rave cage, Aries title match) and I just cannot name a wrestler who moves me even close to this level other than my #2, Akira Hokuto. If you talk about JUST the work? CM Punk is my #1. But when you factor in everything else? All the drama, the fact I'm straight edge because of him, the fact that, for better or worse he's morphed like, 60% of my personality? He's #1 with a bullet. There is no doubt in my mind that now and forever, in my heart, CM Punk is the greatest professional wrestler to ever live." jadeee "CM Punk is the greatest wrestler ever because he blends elite in ring skill with unmatched mic ability. He makes every match feel real, every promo matter, and connects with fans on a level few ever have. His authenticity and storytelling set him apart from everyone else." Logan Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #22 El Hijo del Santo 2016 Ranking: 29 [+7] 2006 Ranking: 20 [-2] Points: 24335 Points per Vote: 85.7 Votes: 284, 59.29% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 28-103-195 Standard Deviation: 21.7 Nomination Thread: El Hijo del Santo High Vote: 1 High Voter: JM, Jose, cad, Tawren/Neil, Reel, Felipe Oliveira "My ballot prioritizes bell-to-bell action since I only speak one language. That being said, everything that a wrestler could be good at, Santito is great at. Grappling, brawling, flying, grounding, bravery, cowardice, confidence, cruelty... El Hijo Del Santo has not only done it all, he's excelled at it all." JM "His presence, his grace, his longevity, his greatness from day 1. His ability to star in huge arenas, be a hero to children, live a legacy but also appear in grimy bloody mask ripping brawls while traveling across European museums. I will always adore his dives. Easy pick for me." Tawren/Neil "Everytime I watch Hijo del Santo, I'm struck by how good his offense looks. I'm struck by how well he sells and his ability to emote in a mask. I'm struck by his ability to carry on perhaps the biggest legacy in all of wrestling, and at the same time his willingness to turn on Negro Casas and have a great heel run. I'm struck by his willingness to brawl and bleed, to take it to the mat, to hit an incredible tope. He has the list of great matches, he has adaptability, and his stuff always looks good. He was the only answer for number 1 for me." Reel "Perfect as a face but his best match (which is also my GME) is as a heel against Negro Casas in 97. Huge draw and an extraordinary, flawless wrestler who´s able to connect with every audience. A cultural hero in Mexico with a legendary mask and match catalogue, and he´s also the son of Mexico´s biggest star ever, El Santo. His career lasted 43 years and he has incredible matches in three different decades, which gives him a lot of points. He´s also incredibly versatile, he can put together awesome bouts against any opponent or style. High-flying, scientific wrestling and lucha bloody-brawls, he can produce gold in all of them. I just can not think of a better pro-wrestler than him. If he exists, I don´t know the guy yet lol." Felipe Oliveira Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 27 Author Posted May 27 (edited) #21 Randy "Macho Man" Savage 2016 Ranking: 18 [-3] 2006 Ranking: 44 [+23] Points: 24912 Points per Vote: 69.6 Votes: 358, 74.74% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 15-63-156 Standard Deviation: 25.0 Nomination Thread: Randy Savage High Vote: 1 High Voter: Adam, Doug Edwards, Charles, Woebegone Jabroni, The Idiot King "Ringwork is still some of the greatest of all time. Both pioneered and perfected modern television wrestling with his long term booking centered on Ms Elizabeth. A bona fide draw in the territories, 80s wwf and 90s wcw. Passes the "mom" test with ease. Nearly 50 years after his prime he is still one of the everlasting avatars of the sport." Doug Edwards "One day, Randy Savage stopped speaking with the voice that God gave him and just started talking 'like that' and never used his 'real' voice again. He is the Platonic form of the pro wrestler." Woebegone Jabroni "One of the only people to truly "get it." Unhinged, idiosyncratic, larger than life, flamboyant and was innovating things bell to bell. Never an underdog, really but also an underdog for his whole career. Terrifying but also beloved by children. An icon by being himself -- drug-addled, paranoid, scary. Could improv like a trained actor and then run around in his underwear like a maniac. Committed to the bit." The Idiot King Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 (edited) #20 Samoa Joe 2016 Ranking: 59 [+39] 2006 Ranking: 116 [+96] Points: 26113 Points per Vote: 66.8 Votes: 391, 81.63% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 9-40-150 Standard Deviation: 22.7 Nomination Thread: Samoa Joe High Vote: 2 High Voter: Basterd, Lukas Edmundson, Karlsruhe00, Rhys Withhisspoon Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 (edited) #19 Jumbo Tsuruta 2016 Ranking: 11 [-8] 2006 Ranking: 1 [-18] Points: 26387 Points per Vote: 77.8 Votes: 339, 70.77% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 19-74-192 Standard Deviation: 22.0 Nomination Thread: Jumbo Tsuruta High Vote: 1 High Voter: Samuel, Nick Casaccio, Dylan Fox "Greatest ace a wrestling company has ever seen, best big match wrestler of all time, has the best matches with all of the best wrestlers. No one better." Nick Casaccio "The best match and among the best wrestlers in 3 different decades, no one can match his peak and longevity combined as an all time great worker. In addition whether it was through his athletic ability, timing, realistic striking or his excellent fundamental psychology, he also may be among the most versatile to ever do it as well. He also excelled in big matches in particular despite not indulging in excess as a rule. His matches with the likes of Tenryu and Misawa, as well as his late stage run as a ring general in several classic Multiman tags don't just hold up, they'd be considered the match of the year if they happened nearly 40 years after they happened. He was my #1 choice in 2016 and he hasn't been replaced. Maybe he never will." Dylan Fox Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 (edited) #18 Mick Foley Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dudley Love 2016 Ranking: 38 [+20] 2006 Ranking: 70 [+52] Points: 26539 Points per Vote: 66.2 Votes: 401, 83.72% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 10-60-161 Standard Deviation: 25.2 Nomination Thread: Mick Foley High Vote: 1 High Voter: Fluegel, Morgan, Lance, Jack "I feel like Foley does almost everything to a high degree. He's a phenomenal brawler. He can wrestle grounded and more technically driven styles. He's funny and can do comedy wrestling. One of the best deathmatch wrestlers ever. He consistently raised the ceiling of the younger guys he wrestled and helped to get over. He was great solo and as a tag wrestler. An amazing storyteller who could use as these different styles to get the most engagement out of the crowd and his opponents. Foley is Go(o)d." Lance Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 (edited) #17 AJ Styles 2016 Ranking: 39 [+22] 2006 Ranking: 301 [+284] Points: 26551 Points per Vote: 71.0 Votes: 374, 78.08% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 14-54-174 Standard Deviation: 21.9 Nomination Thread: AJ Styles High Vote: 1 High Voter: John , Jonathan Guevara "• AJ Styles is the FIRST one to win The WWE World Title outside of North America • ONLY ONE to win a singles Championship at a WWF House Show in the last 25 years • THE ONLY ONE who held IWGP, WWE, NWA, TNA WORLD TITLES **2X EACH** • The Inaugural ROH PURE Champion AJ Styles is the *only* professional wrestler in the history of the business to have won the IWGP,WWE,NWA and TNA World Titles. He is the first* western wrestler to win the IWGP title Twice* and the only American wrestler to win it twice He is the only wrestler of the 2010s who Main Evented The Tokyo Dome and Madison Square Garden while competing for the World Title The influence behind the best current young wrestlers. Drew McIntyre, Will Ospreay, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, Pete Dunne , Seth Rollins etc No one truly equaled him. There's nuance even in the way he sells and bumps. There's a nuanced ferocity in his style. Just consider his last match against Gunther, the way he controled and measured every story beat of thag match, punctuated by his skill and arsenal of moves that could be executed with an array of emotions that he so expertly displayed is genuinely unmatched. Even Vince noticed that according to Road Dogg. That "AJ wrestles like everything that's happening is... for real". From Ric Flair, Taker, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle and Tanahashi, Paul Heyman etc they all have the same opinion that Styles is one of, if not the best of his generation." John "I was 10 years old when i was introduced to AJ Styles; that was when he first debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble and he's been my guy since then. I followed his wwe career from beginning to end, from having that great extreme rules match against Roman Reigns and that amazing trilogy with John Cena that was capped off with my favorite match of all time in the Royal Rumble 2017. Since announcing his retirement i decided to skim through his career and it's safe to say that he easily has one of the best wrestling careers to date. AJ’s longevity is one of none. AJ was THE guy in three separate companies (TNA, NJPW, and WWE) even his stint in ROH he produced some of the best matches in that company (vs Adam Cole, vs Danielson, vs Paul London, etc.) He delivered classic matches for over 20 years with almost no major drop in quality. That level of sustained excellence is rare. All in all, AJ Styles is the most complete wrestler and that is why, to me, he's my number one ballot for the greatest wrestler ever." Jonathan Guevara Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 28 Author Posted May 28 (edited) #16 "The Dangerous Queen" Akira Hokuto "lowest ranked with over 200 top 25 votes" 2016 Ranking: 52 [+38] 2006 Ranking: 15 [-1] Points: 27013 Points per Vote: 81.6 Votes: 331, 69.10% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 27-95-214 Standard Deviation: 21.6 Nomination Thread: Akira Hokuto High Vote: 1 High Voters: Grimmas, Mike, Kappel Roan, Jennifer, IrelandForDevilMasami, Lespeckly/Speckles, Dylan J. Murray, Rana "Hokuto is undeniable. The greatest matches. The greatest presence. The best offense of anybody and the best defense. Wild brawls, great technical matches, blood, drama, fighting through injuries. She had EVERYTHING!" Grimmas "She was fantastic in the ring but also effortlessly charismatic, could talk, made everything she did believable, was utterly fearless and left a lasting impression. She was damn near perfect." Jennifer "A force of nature that bended wrestling around her. An early 90s peak that will never be bettered. Insane big match catalogue, and quite a varied career for her era. Nobody makes you feel like Hokuto. Nobody made it more real than Hokuto. Nobody better than Hokuto." IrelandForDevilMasami "Akira Hokuto is a wrestler who works in any setting. Undercard tags, gritty blood feuds, sprints, even Stalker Ichikawa matches. To me, she perfectly embodies what wrestling is all about, intensity. You see it in every movement she makes, every bump she takes, the way she sells, her willingness to get covered in her own blood just to draw some of her opponent's blood is unmatched. In addition to having several of my favorite matches ever, she has one of my favorite feuds ever, the Shinobu Kandori feud. On top of all of that, she has what I believe to be the single greatest calendar year ever in wrestling, 1993. Hokuto works well with all of AJW top talents and even the ladies not directly in that company. Although she never held the red belt, she didn't need it. Akira Hokuto is the greatest wrestler of all time." Lespeckly/Speckles "While many (correctly) believe that Akira Hokuto had the greatest peak of any wrestler ever in 1993, the amount of gems she produced outside of that single year could stand up to most wrestlers' catalogs all on their own. Her output in 1990, 1991, and 1992 was deeply underrated at the time and remains that way now. In fact, from the time she formed Marine Wolves alongside Suzuka Minami in 1989 until her retirement in 2001, she was among the strongest tag team wrestlers in the world. Plus, even while her deteriorating health did impact her offensive ability over time, Hokuto remained an unparalleled seller and even delivered a few legendary singles performances in the twilight years of her career; her stint in the 1999 GAEA vs. Nostradamus Gauntlet match and her all-time great match against Meiko Satomura in 2001 being the two most notable examples. For me, the best peak of anyone ever and better down years than most gives her a pretty strong case for being the greatest wrestler ever in my eyes." Dylan J. Murray Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 (edited) #15 Vader "highest rated without a #1 vote" 2016 Ranking: 14 [-1] 2006 Ranking: 17 [+2] Points: 27648 Points per Vote: 67.9 Votes: 407, 84.97% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 6-45-160 Standard Deviation: 21.8 Nomination Thread: Vader High Vote: 2 High Voters: Robert Scoville, Rex Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 (edited) #14 Toshiaki Kawada 2016 Ranking: 9 [-5] 2006 Ranking: 2 [-12] Points: 27978 Points per Vote: 77.9 Votes: 359, 74.95% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 18-88-199 Standard Deviation: 21.8 Nomination Thread: Toshiaki Kawada High Vote: 1 High Voters: Kris, @GeneBlastKyodai, Pyrochi, k-punk, Gerard Di Trolio, AndyLFC "No one in the sport performed at such a raw, intense, visceral, and authentic level like Kawada did from the early 90s to the mid 2000s. There is something to be said about the relentless desire of Kawada’s in-ring work that very few have ever come close to replicating. Stiff, hard-hitting offense along with perhaps the best selling the game has ever seen makes him a timeless performer that exemplifies what makes this fine sport great." Kris "I feel like I can’t put into words why Toshiaki Kawada is so good, I’ll try here though. I think he’s arguably the best seller in pro wrestling history, I think he’s the best striker in wrestling history, I don’t think I’ve ever come out of a Kawada match and not enjoyed it. His longevity is insane and even at the tail end of his career he was still an incredibly good wrestler and yet it still feels like he could’ve gone on longer, he was able to get the best out of workers I wouldn’t consider to be even close to his level and was the bright spot in all Japan for years. Just an absolutely immense talent and a huge draw in his prime years too." @GeneBlastKyodai "Kawada is the ultimate representation of a performer who always wanted to improve his craft. He was perhaps the largest part of the Kings Road style evolving into what it was, with him always feeling the need to outdo himself and try things that hadn't been done in prior kings road matches. Alongside that same vein his athleticism and stamina were fantastic, able to have classics last nearly an hour without getting dull the way through. I also personally believe there is no greater seller than Kawada, and often do people try to imitate the way he would act against moves, and fail to do so because they just don't have the same skillset that Kawada did. When I see a Kawada match, I only get the feeling I'm watching someone who wanted to show the best wrestling there is to the crowd." Pyrochi Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 (edited) #13 Hiroshi Tanahashi 2016 Ranking: 86 [+73] 2006 Ranking: 370 [+357] Points: 28702 Points per Vote: 82.7 Votes: 347, 72.44% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 31-123-216 Standard Deviation: 23.7 Nomination Thread: Hiroshi Tanahashi High Vote: 1 High Voters: Karl, Ashutosh, Michael Zidek, SoundwaveAU, Jamie Ross, Mike T., Maaz Waseem, Rhys Withhisspoon, Maaz Waseem, ThiccFlair "Greatest babyface, arguably greatest in ring performer, greatest champion of the decade, master promo worker, saved new japan pro wrestling, maintained his level amongst the younger generation to be the pinnacle of the highest peak ever in inring main event action. The ace of wrestling. And also the greatest sendoff ever." Karl "2.5 decades of work to pick from. So many roles. The fiery upstart, the newly crowned ace, the undisputed top guy, a villainous outsider, the old hero still trying to push past the limits of a broken body. And he was great at every single thing. Spending much of the career as the best wrestler in the world. #1 was not even close to a hard pick for me." Ashutosh "Overall match catalogue, adaptability & diversity of structure/styles in his best matches, catalyst of the both the recovery of New Japan and the 2010s boom period, able to work as both an outstanding face and heel when the situation called for it, ability to work with just about any opponent, ability to elevate wrestlers, able to carry weaker wrestlers to their best matches, the prototypical & ideal ace figure for a promotion." Michael Zidek "The greatest babyface of all time, able to effortlessly immerse the crowd and the viewer in his matches. A man who wears his emotions and struggles on his sleeve. A pinnacle of consistency who can bring greatness out of anybody. Him having one of the best retirement matches ever just recently only adds to his greatness. That entire last run was miraculous. Nobody else could have given us matches on that level with such a broken body." SoundwaveAU "The saviour of the King of Sports. I could write a full feature article on why he’s the greatest but truly I think his retirement run captured it perfectly. His body had broken down, yet he still had the magic of capturing a crowd on any given night and elevating a match beyond belief. Many wrestlers have been a promotion's Ace but none will ever embody that quite like Hiroshi Tanahashi did." Jamie Ross "Hiroshi Tanahashi is the greatest professional wrestler of all time. I think we’re all biased towards the eras that we watched live, and the wrestlers that made those eras special. 2010s New Japan is my favorite era of any wrestling promotion ever. Experiencing that week after week month after month year after year, I’ve never enjoyed wrestling quite like I did during that time. And Tanahashi was a significant part of that. Consistent MOTY contenders for damn near 20 years straight. Some of the single greatest wrestling matches ever with the likes of Okada, Omega, Naito, Suzuki, Shibata, Ishii the list goes on. No one can control the tempo of a match quite like him. No one ever had the crowd in the palm of their hand quite like him. No one ever made me feel like he did. The motherfucking ace of the universe. The greatest professional wrestler of all time." Rhys Withhisspoon "This man brought NJPW back from the Inokism doldrums and proceeded to carry it into and through it's a golden period with some of the greatest matches and performances and rivalries of all time. I love my Ace, that is all ♥️" Maaz Waseem Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 (edited) #12 Eddie Guerrero 2016 Ranking: 12 [-] 2006 Ranking: 6 [-6] Points: 29403 Points per Vote: 69.8 Votes: 421, 87.89% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 10-55-194 Standard Deviation: 22.9 Nomination Thread: Eddie Guerrero High Vote: 1 High Voters: Cool Nakano, Joe B, Asukalock47 , NasirSenpai, Vince "Most versatile wrestler I´ve ever seen. Able to wrestle any style, against any opponent, anywhere in the world, without it affecting his performance." Cool Nakano "Perfect timing, perfect heel or babyface, nobody has ever made it feel realer for me." Joe B "The ability to perfectly wrestle any style against any opponent in a way that nobody else can quite live up to." Asukalock47 "Eddie excelled at every aspect of pro wrestling. Intensity, ability, believability, he had it all in spades." NasirSenpai Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 29 Author Posted May 29 (edited) #11 Aja Kong 2016 Ranking: 49 [+38] 2006 Ranking: 18 [+7] Points: 30915 Points per Vote: 83.3 Votes: 371, 77.45% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 30-131-239 Standard Deviation: 22.6 Nomination Thread: Aja Kong High Vote: 1 High Voters: Mxtt, Alex Richards, Justice, Gin Malkavar, Fritts ""Aja Kong was a physical specime, capable of moving as fast as any of her cohorts while being as strong and monsterous as any of the heavyweights. Her physical attributes mixed with an in-ring IQ that allowed her to craft excellent matches no matter the opponent, era, or house style limitations. Whether asked to work on the ground in ARSION, to go broadway in 95, or to be a violent brawler against Bull Nakano in 91/92 she was able to have strong performances. Even as age has sloweed her down she's remained a wrestler capable of producing excellence as evidenced by the match with Senka Akatsuki." Alex Richards "Two of my favourite matches ever vs Hotta and KAORU, and countless classics otherwise. Insanely consistently great, wrestles my favourite style, and has an incredible longevity." Justice Edited May 30 by Grimmas corrected
Grimmas Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 #10 Mitsuharu Misawa 2016 Ranking: 4 [-6] 2006 Ranking: 7 [-3] Points: 31217 Points per Vote: 81.9 Votes: 381, 79.54% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 40-122-235 Standard Deviation: 23.8 Nomination Thread: Mitsuharu Misawa High Vote: 1 High Voters: Zak, Madness, Jesse Collings, Vittero, Dylan, Will, Wrestling Colin, Joe M " Consistent bangers in single and tag matches between 1990-2003, reached a level no one else has imo, someone who understood how to make me emotionally invested in wrestling." Zak " Was consistently involved in GME contenders throughout his prime, giving other ATG wrestlers their best matched in the process. Still capable of doing incredible work before and after his prime. Got crowds reacting however he wanted them to with his wrestling alone. Wrestled a style that perfectly fit his character and role he was given within his company, a style that many ATG wrestlers that came after him would draw inspiration from." Madness " Mitsuharu Misawa exists in the sweet spot between the athleticism and effort that goes into modern wrestling, with the reverence and glamour that comes from wrestling's past. Misawa was not just a god to tape traders and the puro deep-divers of today, he was a deity to the All Japan fans, a heir to the titans that came before him in Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu. Subsequent generations of wrestlers may have become more athletic and more cerebral with their work, but something has always been missing with their connection with the audience--the enthusiasm that fans of a bygone era felt for the top star that isn't coming back, and thus Misawa's presence cannot be recreated." Jesse Collings " I thought about this for a long time (like 15 minutes) and I think it is amazing that he transitioned from a 2nd hand Tiger Mask (with great matches) to a decent right hand man to the most dominant champion of the 90s. Then he gets pissed at the company and starts his own company and is such an imposing figure that nobody can succeed him as ace. Then he dies in the ring of a broken neck. Tragic... but apropos. All Japan is my favorite company and the pillars are the reason. Kawada is my favorite but Misawa is the best" Will " Misawa was a man who could have a sold out Budokan in tears and hysterics without changing his facial expression once. Who led the greatest sellout streak of all time, and a company that produced some of the greatest wrestling matches of all time. A man changed the business landscape of pro wrestling Japan forever and gave everything to wrestling -- including his life. His work is thrilling, brutal, emotional, exciting and timeless." Wrestling Colin " I will sometimes go months+ without watching one of his matches and will be watching dragon gate or Ajw or 70s Backlund wwwf defences. Then I will throw on a Misawa match maybe one of the big ones or maybe a smaller cc match or an old man tag. It doesn't matter I will watch how he plays his role in the match and just left in awe of how much he embodies his role for the match, most famously as an Ace but could be big brother in a tag, underdog against larger bully, jr partner or old man legend. His offense, bumping, selling and most of all knowledge of how to construct a match and the timings of transitions have been central to my favourite matches and styles of wrestling. You will be able to see from the rest of my list that I am drawn to 90s wrestling and Japanese wrestling the most and the biggest hook there for me is him. He was my favourite from the first none wwe match I ever saw him Vs Kobashi in 2003 and even without any idea of the backstory or even which guy was which from maybe 2 mins in he became the best wrestler I had ever seen and that has never changed. He is not perfect, nobody is but he remains the best wrestler I have ever seen." Joe M
Grimmas Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 #9 Bret "Hitman" Hart 2016 Ranking: 17 [+8] 2006 Ranking: 9 [-] Points: 31324 Points per Vote: 77.3 Votes: 405, 84.55% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 27-101-214 Standard Deviation: 23.0 Nomination Thread: Bret Hart High Vote: 1 High Voters: Andrew Lacelle, Jake Mook, George Kaplan, Rex, Eric T., Peter Tomlinson, NotJayTabb, Benjamin Conor, Rob Finlay, TheBestThereNeverWillBe, Bobby C, Frankensteiner, Perhaps " The son of a regional promoter, rising up through the dying days of the territory era, Bret was perhaps never destined to attain the stardom that he did - and least of all in Vince McMahon's 'Land of Giants' in New England. But Bret took the path less chosen, and across his 14 year career in the WWF (now WWE) he charted a career second to none. Alongside Jim Neidhart, Bret twice won tag-team gold as the Hart Foundation - besting no less than the British Bulldogs and Demolition in the process. Striking out as a singles wrestler, Bret would add his name to the list of luminaries who held the Intercontinental Title (back in those days) - again besting no less than Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, and then Rowdy Roddy Piper (he of seldom doing a job fame). In October of 1992, a fortuitous series of events dictated that Bret would be crowned the world champion - and he would do so by going over the 16x Worlds Champion, Ric Flair. From there Bret would stand astride the New Generation era as its predominant figure and champion. He (alongside Undertaker and Shawn) would keep the ship afloat until the days of the Attitude Era could bring the WWE to higher heights. In his era Bret would win the WWF Heavyweight title 5x, tying the record of his predecessor Hulk Hogan - in an era when the world title wasn't just hot potatoed constantly. What lingers most though is Bret's artistry in the ring - a true mat technician, operating within McMahon's outlandish world was an auspicious pairing. But it generated magic in such classics as v Perfect (Summerslam 91; King of the Ring 93); Davey (Summerslam 92; IYH 95); Diesel (Survivor Series 95); Owen (WM X; Summerslam 94 in the cage); Piper (WM VIII); Shawn (WM XII); Austin (Survivor Series 96; WM 13); Taker (One Night Only 97) to mention only the most noteworthy. Bret is cited for not being a great promo, even by himself. But what he achieved was an honest, forthright connection with the audience (not something that can be compared to anyone of today's era) such that when he turned heel, the effect was substantive. Bret may well have had the greatest heel turn of all time. It happened not too far on the heels of Hogan's even-more famous turn in '96 in WCW. And yet, as momentous as that was, I recall reading one time someone posing 'what was really Hogan's motivation to turn heel?' - that was really something that was kind of just swept over. Whereas with Bret, near Shakespearean levels were plumbed in fomenting Bret's growing disgust over the 'heel turn' the American audience was making. He and Shawn engaged in what could almost be described as a first amendment debate on Raw in 97 - the two sides being essentially 'the right to be crass' versus 'the responsibility (if it exists) to rise above that'. Quiet heady for professional wrestling in the late 90s. Speaking of arch--rival Shawn, they of course had an unmatched professional, and personal rivalry - but Bret had nearly equally amazing rivalries with Owen and Austin that I would rank among the top 10 in WWE history. The Hart Foundation (the 97 group) remains one of the great unsung stables ever. The shades; the pink; the sharpshooter; 'the best there is, the best there was...' - Everyone has their favorites - part of what makes being a wrestling fan a great experience is getting to debate all those points out with others. For me, Bret hasn't been matched." George Kaplan " Bret Hart had a fundamental quality in the ring that was undeniable from the beginning of his career. While it took a few years for him to start coming into his own, once he got there, it was like a train that couldn’t be stopped. He just kept getting better and better, not only as a tag team wrestler, but as a singles wrestler as well. Bret Hart had close competition from Volk Han for the #1 spot, and what put him over the top was his ability to make the WWF feel “real” in the context of the style at the time. He wasn’t Akira Maeda or anything, but when American wrestling was feeling increasingly cartoonish and superfluous, Bret was able to mold an audience around the idea that a match could feel “real” in the sense of struggle, emotion, and personal stake while not going against the grain too much (which was probably needed to keep himself at the top of the card). Bret’s ability to do this week in and week out, especially from 1991 to 1997, is remarkable. I fell in love with him as a kid, and that love and belief that he is absolutely the best there ever was never went away despite my evolving tastes in wrestling, especially for wrestling that was even more realistic than what Bret had in mind. Bret Hart has remained the standard I have measured everyone else against. His matches continue to resonate with me, not only for their technical craft but for the emotional weight he brought to the ring. To me, Bret’s legacy as a wrestler and storyteller has only become more impressive in hindsight. I suppose the big ding against Bret would be his post-WWF run, but I don't hold that against him too much, and even in WCW, he still managed to find ways to turn shit into diamonds." Eric T " My absolute boy. Everything he did in ring made sense. I think I’ve watched everything he’s ever done and honestly so little wasted motion. He always cared about making his opponents look good, THE “match with a broom” guy." Peter Tomlinson " Bret is everything I look for in a pro wrestler. Execution looks great, yet is incredibly safe. Everything he does is logical, both in the confines of the match and in the larger picture. He's great at finishes, at callbacks to previous matches, he's a committed seller, very giving to the right opponent and has given a lot of wrestlers their career match. Most importantly for me, he's the wrestler I want to watch the most, and I'm yet to see a wrestler where I think "OK, he's better than Bret"" NotJayTabb " Blended art, pure sports, and the over-the-top characteristics of wrestling to a perfect balance. Never felt unauthentic with anything he did in the ring." Frankensteiner
Grimmas Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 #8 Rey Mysterio Jr. 2016 Ranking: 7 [-1] 2006 Ranking: 22 [+14] Points: 31689 Points per Vote: 73.7 Votes: 430, 89.77% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 16-72-216 Standard Deviation: 22.2 Nomination Thread: Rey Mysterio Jr. High Vote: 1 High Voters: James Christian, Nick Cavallaro, Stephen G., Mrzfn, Robert Wescott, Connor, Brandon Machado " The first time I saw Rey's work in WCW I literally did not think it was even possible to do things like that with a human body. His contributions to popularising Lucha Libre and it's customs outside of Mexico go without saying but I also think he's a huge, and slightly unspoken, influence on the 'hybrid style' which became the lingua franca of global wrestling in the 2010s and 2020s. Simply put wrestling as we know it today would just not exist without Rey Mysterio Jr. On a personal level it was a tough choice choosing between Rey and Bret for my number one; Bret was the first wrestler I ever loved, the man who introduced me to the entire form and informed much of what I think about it to this day. But Rey ultimately just never fails to *thrill* me, even in his later career (his 2020s WWE run at it's heights is among the lower tier of best stuff he did in his whole career IMHO) His 90s work in AAA, ECW and WCW is tier of the Gods stuff and even if he was never *quite* the same in WWE he was easily among the top five wrestlers in that company for all of the 00s and his matches with Angle, Eddie, Benoit and Edge specifically are among the very best the 'Ruthless Agression era' had to offer. Simply put, he's my favourite wrestler and I think he always will be!" James Christian " From the mid 90s to at least the late 10s, except for that brief period before he got his knees pumped full of stem cells, Mysterio in my view has been consistently one of the very best in the world almost every single year. My pick for the very best in the world in 1996, 2002, and 2009. Like many of the best wrestlers ever, he is extremely adaptable to any opponent and any style, easily mastering WWE style like very few others ever have but also showing an intense level of skill in virtually every major promotion in North America for the past 30 years at one time or another, and even making it over to Japan more than a few times. A trailblazer both in terms of size and in terms of integrating traditional lucha libre with American style, his classic matches and feuds are too numerous to mention, and whether WWE liked to admit it or not a critical part of upholding the good parts of their brand during many low periods. Insane longevity, insane peaks, insane global success despite starting out with what appeared on paper as steep barriers to success, specifically his size and race. A true shining star in every respect, Mysterio is #1." Mrzfn " Real life superhero. Was the coolest dude as a kid in the WWE, felt like a giant when he left the WWE and was traveling the world during my teenage years and still going strong today. Years of being great before I was even born. It’s Rey all day." Robert Wescott " Innovative career spanning 4 decades, impactful during every stage of his career, and continuously showcased a style never before seen to American audiences." Connor " Few wrestlers have maintained the consistency that Rey has, in addition to being an icon that transgressed pretty much every crossover hurdle that one could have endured during the past 35+ years of this wonderful art/sport. Rey in and outside of the ring is the embodiment of determination, heart, and perseverance, and the ultimate babyface." Brandon Machado
Grimmas Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 #7 Stan Hansen 2016 Ranking: 3 [-4] 2006 Ranking: 10 [+3] Points: 32866 Points per Vote: 81.6 Votes: 403, 84.13% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 22-115-258 Standard Deviation: 22.3 Nomination Thread: Stan Hansen High Vote: 1 High Voters: JB, Steven X, Lê Hữu Quân, Johnny Waltom, KFG " Beautiful violence. Every time I've ever seen Stan Hansen work, I've been captivated. He seems simultaneously out of control and completely logical within the structure of a match. He does exactly what he should do in most matches. His exhaustion and brutality are unmatched. Every match he's in feels like a fight to the end without looking ridiculous or overbooked. There is no wrestler in history that I could watch on replay without getting bored more consistently than the #1: Stan Hansen." JB " Incredible number of high level performances, incredible sense of Actual Danger, multiple decades as one of the biggest stars, blah blah blah. Anyway, ha ha ha lariat go brrr." Steven X " A young fan like myself watching the more modern wrestling always wondered how it was like back in the day. I found myself digging through old All Japan matches with whatever I could find, and that’s where I ran into Stan Hansen. At first I didn’t get it. He looked wild, almost sloppy, like he was swinging too hard and barely in control, but the more I watched, the more it clicked that he wasn’t sloppy, he was dangerous. Every time he winds up that lariat it doesn’t feel like a move, it feels like something could genuinely go wrong, like the other guy is bracing for impact instead of cooperating, and that’s when it hit me that this doesn’t feel like performance, it feels like survival. Hansen doesn’t try to look good, he doesn’t smooth things out, he just feels real in a way that almost nobody I’ve watched since does, and even in that chaos the matches still build and pull you in until you’re not watching spots anymore, you’re watching someone try to endure him." Lê Hữu Quân " He's just the greatest wrestler ever." Johnny Waltom " Stan Hansen is still pro wrestling at its core. He's not doing worked MMA grappling or death match weapons galore, he's just a big tough bastard of a man who seems like a nonstop bull of fury hitting people as hard as he can no matter how tired how beat down he gets. He's normally constant and consistent violence in a match that makes its feel like a struggle for his opponents but still in the tapings and showmanship of pro wrestling at its biggest and loudest." KFG
Grimmas Posted Sunday at 11:36 AM Author Posted Sunday at 11:36 AM #6 Genichiro Tenryu 2016 Ranking: 13 [+7] 2006 Ranking: 21 [+15] Points: 35628 Points per Vote: 97.1 Votes: 367, 76.62% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 82-197-282 Standard Deviation: 19.1 Nomination Thread: Genichiro Tenryu High Vote: 1 High Voters: Kas, Stump, Suvam, João Eduardo, akuma, jom, OrphanStar, George, Will, LucasThing, Cole, Simon (HW), Nolan / @Nolan_EXE, Mason R, Seán, Four Pillars of Hell, Justin, t gentleman, Justin " What HASN'T Genichiro Tenryu done exactly? The man started being great in 1981, and kept that trend ongoing until around about 30 years later until 2011 where he had to have his hip explode to finally stop having incredible matches, as if God himself was getting jealous, and then he kept having them anyway after that! Seldom few have really done it all like he did, and to be frank Tenryu was one of the few who out of all of them really felt like he did everything remotely possible and then some. Greatest feuds, the greatest longevity bar only maybe 1 person (you can maybe guess who) and an abundance of must-watch material make him my #1. Consistency is king in my ring and Tenryu is frankly the best to ever do it in that regard." Stump " Because he is grumpy and he rearranges people's jaw with his punches." Suvam " No one was as consistently good for so long. One of the best wrestlers in the world for 20+ years." João Eduardo " Tenryu's longevity is a defining factor, as well as his incredible consistency having loads of genuine Match of The Year, and Match of The Decade contenders in the 39 years that he was active." akuma " Rugged perfection. Tenryu is boundlessly capable in all facets of professional wrestling, yet retains a level of roughness that makes all of his work feel genuine. Very few have ever been able to emote and physically communicate a story to such an incredible degree. Very few have ever presented such high physicality in their in-ring work. Very few have ever balanced strength and weakness to feel like the strongest wrestler alive while still coming off as vulnerable when on the back foot. Nobody else has ever done all of those things at the same time and at the same level as Tenryu. Plus, he carried himself at such a high level for his entire career. You can find fantastic performances from the mid-70s, all the way to his retirement in 2015. Not only the best ever, but a step above everyone else." jom " Insane longevity , sense of hierarchy, add a sense of gravita at all his matches, punche people in the face. Someone on PWO said, "There's always something to love about a Tenryu performance, regardless of the era, the opponent, or the setting." And I agree 100%." OrphanStar " Incredible consistency, longevity, flawless in his style, able to get incredible matches out of so many different kinds of opponents, basically great until the very end." George " Looks like a debt collector. He matches up well with just about anyone. Wild brawls, shoot style, NJPW epics, whatever. He’s able to bring it whilst remaining that authentic Tenryu and bringing the best out of his opponent." Will " He was one of the best in the world for the better part of 30 years including having an incredible retirement match. Most critically over some of the other guys near the top, once he got good he did not have an era where I was pissed off at him for having bad matches or giving too much to other wrestlers. Always protected himself in that way and it translated to incredible matches when guys could get one over on him. Great both in his early career climbing the mountain all the way through his late period as the grumpiest old man of all time who just punches guys in the fucking face." Cole " The meanest and most hateful, also an incredible babyface, with a knack for bringing the evil out of everyone else he was ever in the ring with. The rare wrestler that's great from start to finish." Simon (HW) " The feeling that arises from watching a Tenryu match can not be compared as you watch a man without any regard for his opponents, nor himself in some cases. The stoic facials, the jaw-crunching punches, the knife edge chops directly to the throat, Tenryu is exactly what you want out of a pro wrestling badass. His offense feels incredibly innovative yet simple, feeling like he's coming up with new ways to attack while in the ring yet keeping to his signature moveset of Powerbombs, Lariats, and Backdrops. The catalog of performances Tenryu has over four decades is only rivaled by Terry Funk. An incredibly unique wrestler who you're interested to see how his opponents will handle his offense in every match. Will they reach Tenryu's level and smack the old man in the face with all they have? Or will they have their soul snatched from their by a man with no change in expression. Tenryu IS pro wrestling emotion. He embodies struggle, heart, determination, and grit. When I need to remember why pro wrestling is the greatest, I watch Tenryu." Nolan / @Nolan_EXE " A singular worker. One of the most important wrestlers ever, a best-in-the-world candidate for at least five of the 40-something years he was truly great. Easiest pick of my life." Four Pillars of Hell " His Style of wrestling just suits me the most. He has great versatility and had great matches against nearly every top star in his era." Justin " has had an unbelievable number of ****+ matches with top guys from many promotions" t gentleman
Grimmas Posted Sunday at 12:44 PM Author Posted Sunday at 12:44 PM #5 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2016 Ranking: 24 [+19] 2006 Ranking: 16 [+11] Points: 36489 Points per Vote: 82.6 Votes: 442, 92.28% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 39-144-268 Standard Deviation: 21.3 Nomination Thread: Steve Austin High Vote: 1 High Voters: Sport Fanatic, pto, Josh Lerner, Brayden, Jack Bracegirdle, blatantlywhite, Daniel, tacccomeat, Next Day, warpenguin, Juan, Liam "He made me love wrestling. There isn't a single thing he can't do in and out of the ring. Just the best at all aspects of wrestling and one of the biggest draws of all time." Josh Lerner "His sheer connection to the fans, led the biggest company ever during their best period ever. Also criminally underrated in the ring, has one of the best mania matches ever and even when he came back with KO at WM38 he tore the house down. A part of 2 of the most iconic rivalries of all time with McMahon and Rock." Jack Bracegirdle "The complete package, man. Steve Austin is THAT fucking guy to me. Everyone obviously points to the WM13 match with Bret as one of the best ever, and while I do agree, Austin still has a strong resume of matches that I love. Couple of examples being vs. The Rock at WM17 and vs. Dude Love at In Your House: Over The Edge '98. Personal guilty pleasure match of mine is vs. Vince/Shane at KotR '99. You can talk about promos all day ("You treat me like a dog and expect me to smile..." + "I'm gonna be the superstar that I always knew that I could be" being my top two) and talk about the character work (personally peaked in late '96-early '97), but there's no person I'd rather watch an in-ring performance from than Steve Austin. He's the GOAT, and my GOAT." blatantlywhite "Became one of the hottest wrestlers at his peak, incredible adaptability of his wrestling style as he went from great pre injury to great post injury. Has some of the greatest matches ever like his ones with bret at wm and ss. Everything from promo work to in-ring psychology seemed like second nature to him." Daniel "To me, Steve Austin represents the very essence of 'wanting it' that separates a good wrestler from great, and a great wrestler from the greatest. Regardless of the period of his career, Austin approaches everything that he does with a poise that makes you *feel* everything that he brings to the table. One of the most unique wrestlers as far as distinct mannerisms go, I watch Austin wrestle and hardly do I ever see instances of wasted movement on his end. Even in his most chaotic performances, there is a level of deliberate act that helps you retain your immersion. Steve Austin is without a doubt the Michael Jordan of professional wrestling, you can put him anywhere on the floor and he'll find a way to excel. Watching Austin wrestle makes me feel that same competitive drive that Jordan, an athlete in a non-predetermined sport, possessed. If I published this to an outside circle; that may sound crazy, but it's the truth. Sure, Steve may know the result of the match but Steve Austin the character fought like his life depended on it as Stone Cold or approached the match with a master-like strategy tactic as Stunning Steve. I appreciate wrestlers that I feel like I can deeply analyze and Austin has always been one of them. There are a ton of variables that play into why I consider Austin the greatest wrestler ever. I think adversity is one of the most important factors for why I value a wrestler, and the way of which Austin transitions his style post-neck injury and continues his greatness encapsulates why he is what he is. He played Southern grounded grappler so well and it goes without saying that he's one of the best brawlers to grace a ring. Austin represents everything that I love about wrestling. The down, dirty, and impassioned part of it. You're either all the way in, or you're all the way out. You can't go halfway, and Steve Austin sure as hell didn't go halfway." tacccomeat "Whatever criteria you want to use, Steve Austin has the argument for being the very best! Biggest draw? Best on the mic? Most entertaining matches? Biggest feud? Memorable Moments? Merchandise? Catchphrases? Versatility? Believability? Entrance music? Humor? Selling? Intensity? He simply has it all. From a mid card talent, to a tag team specialist, to the biggest star in the sport. Dead serious on the mic, but also hilarious. Whatever you need on the card, even when he feels paralyzed…Steve Austin is like door dash. He will always deliver." Juan
Grimmas Posted Sunday at 01:44 PM Author Posted Sunday at 01:44 PM #4 "Nature Boy" Ric Flair 2016 Ranking: 1 [-3] 2006 Ranking: 8 [+4] Points: 38515 Points per Vote: 91.7 Votes: 420, 87.68% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 56-190-312 Standard Deviation: 20.9 Nomination Thread: Ric Flair High Vote: 1 High Voters: Eduardo Soto, bustedquad, Shannon Steward, Filipo Guzman, Kevin Held, Oliver, Jim Fannin, Lyle Jones, Thomas Brown, Nathan Hickey, Jesse Velasquez, Steven, Darren Lynch, BackToBionic, Conor Keary, Marty "Superstar" Sleeze, MCP, Level 50 Slowbro, Christopher, Vincent Dumont, Dan Martin, toukon.org founder, Jimmy Jimbo, Arthur Campos, Jon Burr "Flair carried NWA for almost 10 years and made a big part of the success of many territories, include PR, WCCW, JCP and Memphis. From my perspective, delivered most 5* matches than any other, and had multiple great runs (80' s acroos promotions, early 90's in WWF, WCW return, etc). He is the passion personificated for this sport." Eduardo Soto "I started watching wrestling when I was 3, became more cognizant of what I was watching around the middle of the WWF New Generation era, and started posting online around 2001. I’ve rated and reviewed wrestling for over 15 years, and in the last 3, have begun watching everything I possibly could. Wrestlers and promotions I had heard of but never seen, or even cases of discovering things I was totally unaware about prior to 2023. And I went all that way, traveled all of those internet miles, just to find that the same truth stood in front of me now like it did in every year prior: Ric Flair is the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Nobody has gotten me to elicit emotion over wrestling matches like has. Nobody has drawn my attention towards the small nuances of what does and doesn’t work more than Flair. He’s gotten criticized about allegedly having “the same match for 30 years” but brother guess what, coca-cola’s been the same formula for most of the last century, and the one time they deviated from it, it almost bankrupt them. There are others whose highs I may like more, but none of Flair’s lows reach down as far as those same people. He is the standard bearer for what can make the in ring product great, in my opinion." bustedquad "Ability to carry anyone, hardest worker every night in addition to classics." Shannon Steward "When I originally started exploring the Territories he was my Go-To-Wrestler. Despite everyone else I've seen since he seems to be creeping up. Always." Oliver "He traveled the world as champion and wrestled everyone and was the best talker I saw when I was becoming a fan. He could make me care about matches against wrestlers I didn't even care about. The majority of my favorite memories when I think about wrestling revolve around a match/angle/promo that involved Ric Flair." Jim Fannin "The goal of each "character" in professional wrestling should be to be THE GUY, to be THE CHAMPION. It's not the amount of reigns that Flair had. It's how important the belt felt because he held it. And when he held it. Every one of his major feuds revolved around the title, and he has so many noteworthy feuds. If we look at pro wrestling as a storytelling medium, maybe no one other individual person has contributed to the storybook of wrestling in a greater and more meaningful way." Lyle Jones "Because he entertained me more, and for a longer period of time, than any other wrestler. Also defined what 'good wrestling' was when I started caring more about match quality in 95-96. Has many entries near the top on my all time favorite matches list." Thomas Brown "His showmanship, charisma, drawing power and ability to work with so many different styles of performer are what make him the greatest to ever do it." Jesse Velasquez "Best Heel of All time, Strong Babyface. Excellent Travelling Champion. Versatile against many different wrestlers. Love how he builds a match. He makes 30-60 minutes fly by. The way he changes strategies (straight wrestling, uptempo rope running, strikes, crowding in the corner, using the outside and cheating). Great at brawling and championship style wrestling. Amazing Longevity. He is the Usual Suspect for the reason because he is the Greatest of All Time." Marty "Superstar" Sleeze "Because he has put on more great matches then anyone else in history, is wildly entertaining & quotable on the mic, and is in my opinion the physical embodiment of what makes Wrestling so great." MCP "Curt Hawkins did an interview once, talking about his early days in the WWE tagging with Zack Ryder. They worked a house show cage match against HBK and Ric Flair, and despite the PG limitations, Flair bladed anyways. A real gusher. Hawkins says he and Ryder got back to the locker room, covered in the now geriatric Flair’s blood. And they looked at each other and didn’t want to get changed. He admits only a weirdo wrestling fan would ever understand, how being covered in a 60 year old man’s blood was one of the most powerful moments of their professional lives. But we understand. Anyone filling out this form understands. They weren’t just two job guys who worked a match with a blade job. They were acolytes at the altar of pro wrestling. And they were bathed in the blood of a god. In the countless documentaries on him, his peers make it clear that Richard Morgan Fliehr no longer exists. That man has been subsumed entirely into the idea of Ric Flair. There is no kayfabe. There is no artifice. There is Ric Flair, the greatest professional wrestler who ever lived. He has multiple claims to having been in the best match ever wrestled. He has multiple claims to have cut the best promo ever cut. He has succeeded in every city, every town, every venue he has ever wrestled in from Pittsburgh to Pyongyang, and done so on a schedule that will never be replicated again. Others on this list will be measured by their contributions to pro wrestling. For their work in the sphere of pro wrestling. But Ric Flair is pro wrestling. In every aspect, in every metric, he exemplifies what the art form is, and could be if one has the ability to make their vision manifest. Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler of all time." Level 50 Slowbro "Insane body of work over a long period of time. Almost always on top, in title picture. Crazy charisma, mic skills. The total package. Could work with anyone at any time." Christopher "The Nature Boy. His character work as a heel, his longevity, his in-ring ability. Greatest ever WOOOOO !!!" Vincent Dumont "Longevity, Titles, Charisma, Fame, In-ring ability." Dan Martin "The platonic ideal of a pro-wrestler. His interview style consists of flexing his watches, jackets, shoes. He wrestles like an Olympic athlete, you may be stronger or tougher than Flair, but no one has the pace or cardio to go as long as he can. Undeniable swag, aura, steeze. He should be #1 forever. " toukon.org founder "The best between the ropes, and on the mic with fantastic performances in 5 different decades." Jimmy Jimbo "The greatest ever nedds to be an apotheosis that defies notions of time and style, he needs to draw you into a match, and after you're hooked you need to be just as engaged during the bout. Ric Flair does it all from the most complex to the simplest things in and out of the ring, this is why he is the greatest to ever do it." Arthur Campos "A tired and, with regards to the state of things, decidedly unfashionable pick, yet I just keep coming back to the unbelievable career, with most of his prime barely making tape. No holes in his game and the archetypal wrestler, with every facet of his bejeweled career worth exploring." Jon Burr
Grimmas Posted Sunday at 03:45 PM Author Posted Sunday at 03:45 PM #3 Kenta Kobashi 2016 Ranking: 8 [+5] 2006 Ranking: 5 [+2] Points: 39637 Points per Vote: 95.5 Votes: 415, 86.64% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 90-206-314 Standard Deviation: 19.9 Nomination Thread: Kenta Kobashi High Vote: 1 High Voters: Boss Rock, Kyle McLaughlin, Tetsujin, Vincente, rind_guardian, Owe R, Austin, Troyvang, Azrael, Microstatistics, Igoras, MC, Daniel, Case Lowe, Noah Martinez, Saúl Costa, Ben C, Uni, Eric, Tall4Life, Ajeki, Leo Violet "The greatest offensive wrestler. Not just in how many cool moves he did and how impeccable they looked, but knowing when and how to use them. Everyone talks about how Kobashi only did the Burning Hammer seven times, but how many times did he actually do the Orange Crush? The antithesis of the GMSI ethos. And as indulgent as the King's Road style could be, Kobashi was the king of making every match feel like a dramatic, meaningful spectacle. Not only that, but he's the greatest babyface. He's the greatest seller. He wrestled in both the greatest singles match and greatest tag match ever. Simply put, Kenta Kobashi is the greatest wrestler ever." Boss Rock "I've never seen anyone at his best better than him; even more: I've never seen anyone at his best asmany times throughout their careers as I've seen Kobashi at his very best. At the end of the day, he's the most "yeah he has to be #1 with a performance like THAT one" wrestler I've seen. He goes out there and goes all fucking out every single time, trying his best to win or die trying. Also, he's the one that made me cry the most during his matches/moments, and I'm definitely not a crying guy while interacting with media." Tetsujin "Apart of the greatest match of all time (vs Misawa in 03), had the greatest title reign of all time, involved in some of the most legendary and memorable rivalries ever, had countless career years even some of the other all time greats could only dream of having, had the best match on arguably the best wrestling PPV of all time (vs Kensuke, NOAH Destiny 2005), sold out the Budokan after beating cancer. Just truly the GOAT. He also has a beautiful smile " Owe R "Really long career peak, in some of the best matches ever, and Kobashi never let me down in every match I watched for the project over the last 10 years." Austin "He’s just amazing. It’s almost hard to put into words. His offense is great and hard-hitting. He is also a great seller and can take a good beating. I love to watch him and know I’ll be in for a good one when I throw a match of his on." Troyvang "No wrestler has truly worked as an out and out baby face with a work rate like Kobashi’s. The man had at least one all timer match in his catalogue from 1993 to about 2005. In my eyes, that’s enough to warrant him the top spot." Azrael "The most unassailable output in history coupled with most sound fundamentals." Microstatistics "No one have more great matches and better story." Igoras "Kenta Kobashi (not-so) simply is the master of almost everything necessary to be GWE. The work is undeniable, even to his biggest detractors. Kobashi has 15+ years of the highest work that the industry has scene and proved it not only against the likes of Misawa or Kawada, but against lesser tier wrestlers such as Yoshinari Ogawa, Yuji Nagata & Tamon Honda. Kobashi's work would remain some of the best of all time in 1998, let alone reaching another peak in his career that would sustain generations of good will. Kobashi has quality and quantity. Kobashi was always innovative and creative. He would also mix combative stiff wrestling with emotional storytelling in ways very few could convincingly match. Kobashi's body of work, talent and legacy defies belief. Kobashi is #1 for me." MC "I've went back and forth on this a lot with my top 3, the margin is razor thin and I was watching right up till I submitted. In that time, Kobashi just made me feel that little extra excitement in his matches so I put him #1. When he clenches his fists and launches into a comeback, there's no one I root for more." Daniel "No one is like Kenta Kobashi. Many have tried. Maybe have even come close at times. But no one has ever encapsulated what being the perfect pro wrestler is quite like the Orange Crush himself. Kobashi can fit himself into any rule and play it better than anyone else. He can be the best babyface ever, complete with maybe THE best shine and/or hot tag any babyface has ever produced. 6-Man Tags (Super Generation Army vs. TsurutaGun 1990-1992), Tag Teams (w/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Can Am Express for the All Asia Tag Team Championships 5/25/92) , Singles Matches (vs. Misawa 2003, vs. Joe 2006), Kobashi has been involved in the pinnacles of all of them. Multiple matches that you can argue are the greatest to ever happen in the history of the sport. You could also argue he has the greatest world title reign the sport has ever seen, as he held the GHC Heavyweight Championship for 735 days, making 13 successful title defenses. Kobashi can make himself look smaller against monsters, he can make himself look like a killer when he needs too and do whatever inbetween. Also can be a great brutish heel that can straight up bully someone (vs. KENTA 9/10/04). He’s really good on the mat, can hit a moonsault like Essa Rios, revolutionized striking by being a master of the chops and has an unmatched power game complete with crazy suplexes and slams. He also has taken some of the nastiest bumps the sport has ever seen (Suplex on apron vs. Saito 10/24/04, top rope lariat vs. Hansen 7/29/93, THAT Misawa ramp bump). When you look at the overall package when it comes to between the ropes, Kobashi is that to a tee. The way he’s able to drag emotions out of people and just use a simple yell and a pump of the fist to make the people rise to their feet is inspiring to watch." Noah Martinez "He put his body on the line every single time, be it in All Japan or NOAH, beat cancer multiple times (to the detriment of his wrestling career, but health is paramount in wrestling) and he books one of the most fun produce shows every year with Fortune Dream." Saúl Costa "Perfect all-round pro wrestler. If I had to only watch one wrestler's matches for the rest of my life it would be Kobashi." Ben C "no one has his resume" Eric "He is a true superhero come to life, and whether he's an underdog fighting for a comeback, a hero waiting for a hot tag, or the final boss, he excelled at all roles. Perfect, diverse moveset. Humongous aura. If God were real, his perfect wrestler would be Kenta Kobashi." Tall4Life "He was one of the best mid card wrestlers in the early 90s. Then he would go on to become one of the greatest babyfaces of all time. His selling, expressions, his fire just felt so alive and real. Like you couldn't hate him. Great variety in opponents. Unfathomable aura. Could be the underdog (despite his size) or the Final Boss. Also he beat brain cancer." Ajeki
Grimmas Posted Monday at 09:55 PM Author Posted Monday at 09:55 PM #2 "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson 2016 Ranking: 5 [+3] 2006 Ranking: 117 [+115] Points: 45867 Points per Vote: 106.9 Votes: 429, 89.56% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 180-278-340 Standard Deviation: 21.7 Nomination Thread: Daniel Bryan High Vote: 1 High Voters: xiomax, Kadooboo, Adin , Braulio Fernandez-Flores, Jamie Halliday, el mckell, HD, Luke Noble, Luke , Childs, Aaron Glazer , Redshow, Adam Shindel, Squill, Lucas E., PapissPuro, mulywumpous, Kunal Singh Rawat, eugene, Pheno, Nori, Brynn Jade, Naif, Andrew Heuerman , David Barnett, gungan, Jamie Sessions , Patrick Feehan , El Hijo de Fritz Von Erich, Ben, Ian Nolan, Niall Morrissey, ZubazKid, Charles Fluit, Ignacio Salvo, Future Hall of Famer Scottie B, Danny Kuchler, Mark Bright, Matt Richards, Ok_Awesome, Quentin, Danny, mac, Aniruddh Nambudiri , Cole + Drew, Chris Rose, Strab, Rustie, Mehul Kumar (MoS on PWO), moxicide, Esaú Reis Matos , Travis Woloshyn, Logan, Rob Hutton, Joseph Montecillo, Ed Mills, Ren Ten One, Gramsci, Fred Morlan, donsem43, Tyler Hutzler, Pen, Cromat , bradluen, greg, Adam, Soph, Billy Miller, Roberto Alva , Barry Venison’s Nan, Karlsruhe00, Rudowood, Broc Riblet, math1823, Timothy Robert Buechner, Matt Rogers, Nathan Heslip, SheltonMysterio, Johnny P, Louie Shrimpton , Nova, Dan Rice, hearing.loss.speedrun, Tsunami Papi, Midas Gloves, Carlos, Alex aka Noahs_Savior, D, Jayden Gensweider "Longevity and stable peak, from 2001 till 2014 you could argue on him being on the top 20 wrestlers of the year every year, and from his return to his retirement in 2024 that also rings true. Multiple years he's just the wrestler of the year, he has wrestled everywhere and done every style to great success." xiomax "I simply have yet to see anyone better." Kadooboo "Greatest In Ring worker of All Time One of the greatest promos of All Time Had some of the best babyface stretches of all time (Yes Movement, AEW 2023/24) Had some of the greatest heel stretches of all time (Vegan Champion, ROH world champion) Some of the greatest moments of all time (WrestleMaina 30, All In 2024, All Out 2021, Kofi Maina, Final Battle 06) Broke the WWE superstar mold and was able to become a legit main event draw in WWE at only 5 foot 10 and 210 pounds. All time ROH and Indie run in the 2000s All time retirement tour in AEW" Adin "The gold standard of professional wrestling for almost 3 decades there’s nothing that I can easily criticize in his tool set. A spectacular brawler, a terrific talker and one of the best technical wrestlers ever. A top level draw for basically every professional wrestling company he worked at." Braulio Fernandez-Flores "I don’t believe there is such a thing as a greatest ever, and I’m woefully uneducated on certain eras and regions, but I think the longevity and variety of his success, in various regions, at various levels (tags, mid-card, main event, indies, NJPW, PWG, ROH, WrestleMania, AEW) and his actual ability put him in the middle of the myriad factors I think are to be considered for a best ever." Jamie Halliday "The longevity, in-ring work, crowd control, consistency are all key factors in my criteria and Danielson is so great at all these factors across 20+ years of footage that it would be difficult for anyone to top him, that final full-time run in AEW also was a major factor in solidifying him for me as the GWE." HD "Bryan's resumé is made up of the versitlity I value in a great wrestler, which he's built up over twenty years in mainly three different promotions, with other excellent work elsewhere. Likely most famous for the long indy 'epics', a lot of which I feel hold up, Bryan is someone who could adapt himself and still be compelling as a face or heel within WWE's limitations. He was the one wrestler during the pandemic who still managed to get produce solid TV matches despite the empty arenas or digital crowd." Luke Noble "He has been the best wrestler in the world most of the time he was active and has proven he can do every style (long technical matches, WWE style TV, main event epics with AEW, brawls)." Luke "He probably isn't but I'm trying to judge by the footage we have, and we have it all from him. He fits my taste amazingly, has drawn and worked at a top level everywhere he went. He checks every box." Aaron Glazer "Bryan Danielson, from the first time I saw him wrestle, has made me feel fully immersed in his work. From long technical battles, to brutal and bloody brawls, he is wrestling." Adam Shindel "Has worked everywhere with everyone, succeeded on every level. Danielson has put on some of the greatest matches of all time, and somehow had incredible longevity despite the injury layoffs. He's the GOAT." Squill "Longevity and Consistency of being at minimum top 5 in the world any given year he wasn't hurt. He worked in any company no matter what ceiling was holding him and he wasn't egotistical being willing to look at the lights if he felt it was right." Lucas E. "First time I watched wrestling was WWE back in 2013. Daniel Bryan and Shield were my favourite wrestlers. Bryan's chase to winning the title at WrestleMania 30 was some of the best childhood moments of my life. It was sad to see him retire so early in 2016. After coming back from injury, he was sensational wrestler producing classics against AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar and Kofi Kingston. And when he turned up in AEW, it was a holy shit moment. His AEW run is out of this world level. His matches against variety of opponents in AEW are some of the best matches in promotion's short history. Matches against Rush, Omega, Hangman, MJF, Swerve, ZSJ, Ricky Starks, etc. (there are so many of them). He gave so many wrestlers their career best matches and it may not be his top ten matches. That's how great Danielson is. Even in promos, he was outstanding. His promo after coming back from retirement. "My heaven is bleeding in front of the fans" was goosebump giving line. He was versatile whether working as babyface or as a heel." Kunal Singh Rawat "versatility, longetivy, volume and peaks" eugene "I've never seen a wrestler been able to so perfectly adapt to different time periods, different company philosophies, different ring-styles so well. To be consistently great for almost every year that you're an active wrestler, including as a rookie, is simply incredible. Danielson has this power to make you believe, or to make you root against him even when he is so beloved--against him in ROH and against Kofi Kingston come to mind. In a post-Curtain Call world, he made match results uncertain. I was there at Wembley Stadium when he won the AEW World Title in the main event, and even then I truly did not know what the result would be until the bell rang. I wouldn't have believed he'd won until I saw it with my own eyes. Danielson makes you believe. His ability to work almost every style (granted, he isn't going to be working like Manami Toyota) and finding ways to adapt to others styles, or a company's house style is what makes his longevity as applaudable as it is. Of course the sports-orientated styles of New Japan and ROH is where he fit best, but working the lucha libre style in CMLL and the entertainment style of WWE and making the latter part feel watchable and intense is a real talent. Over the Limit 2012 against CM Punk for example. While he hasn't reinvented himself as many times as someone like Chris Jericho, I really think that he is an exceptional case where his in-ring ability is what sells him the most. His character work is phenomenal and compliments it perfectly, but it's truly his in-ring skill, philosophy and talent that puts him far above everyone else I've ever watched, and that's why he's the greatest wrestler of all time--he is the perfect example of what a professional wrestler can be." Nori "Because he's "F7L Of The Ring"" Naif "He’s the perfect pro wrestler" Andrew Heuerman "He can do everything. He stood at the top of everywhere he's been. The best World Champion in WWE, AEW, and ROH. He even developed a decent promo game. Always had charisma though. It was in his aura." David Barnett "Longevity, adaptability, consistency" gungan "Bryan has had the greatest versatility adapting to different promotions, heel/face dynamics and opponents. He has succeeded in the mid 2000's indy style, WWE Style and Strong style. His technique is inpecable, timing and selling all top notch and is responsible for many of the best matches over a 2 decade period." Ben "Standard of excellence for over 20 years. Moments and matches across multiple years that reinvigorated my love for wrestling time and time again. Whether it be ROH, WWE, AEW or elsewhere always had the best matches on the card. Feels like he had 3 separate distinct all time great careers." Niall Morrissey "Danielson is the greatest wrestler ever because he has performed all across the world, in numerous styles and roles. He could have technical matches, bloody brawls and everything in-between. He was a immediate success having great matches with Low Ki as early as 2001 and he was one of the pioneers of the indy boom of the 2000s. He continued traveling the world having great matches in Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA, PWG and many other indie promotions before making his way to WWE. Despite not being the typical WWE wrestler, he found a shocking amount of success, main eventing WrestleMania as an underdog babyface and being the heel champion in a WWE Championship match at another WrestleMania. He had great matches with tons of guys including HHH, for God's sake, and was key in Kofi Kingston having a WM classic. He capped it off with great work in AEW starting with great TV matches against Hangman Page and Kenny Omega through his late matches against Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley. He had great matches with MJF, Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr, Eddie Kingston and many more. He played the underdog babyface, cocky heel, lecturing environmentalist heel (which is a rare one), and beloved veteran babyface. Danielson did it all through his career." ZubazKid "Es el más diferente y especial de todos." Ignacio Salvo "Honestly never seen a bad Danielson match, letter in his career he showed he could also do somewhat comedy with the Kane stuff. Killed it in AEW. I honestly believe he is the greatest ever." Future Hall of Famer Scottie B "Highest peaks, mastering of different styles, ability to have great matches with everybody, great face and heel, super longevity as one of the best in the world from early in career until retirement." Mark Bright "I would say he only slightly edges out Terry Funk on pure audience connection alone. Same reason those two are so high for me is honestly because I think they're both Amazing promos, highly skilled at Brawling and Technical Wrestling, and of course the thing that sets them apart from everybody else, the selling. Fuck Lesnar, but Danielsons performance in that match at Survivor Series is one of the reasons I list him above Terry. It's basic stuff, but done by a performer so advanced it's revolutionary. Ultimately the thing that sets them apart is half bias, and half actual criteria which is audience connection. Both are excellent Heels and Faces obviously, but I thought to myself and asked a question sincerely. If the two were in a face vs face match, who would I cheer for. And I snapped onto Bryan immediately, so I realized he had to be number 1." Ok_Awesome "My first love. I remember watching WWE as a 7 or 8 year old and being an angry, smaller kid who wanted his voice heard. This was before ever even seeing stuff outside of the TV shows and PPVs we would get in India. I remember seeing Daniel Bryan and being captivated by him. He was loud, aggressive and in the ring? The moment I saw him in the ring, I no longer believed in superheroes. I believed in Daniel Bryan. As a teenager, I tried but could not always lift kids for moved in the backyard, but I damn sure could put on a crossface. I cried when Wrestlemania 30 happened and cried even more when he had to retire. By this time, I was getting more used to wrestling outside WWE and in going back and seeing the classics, I stumbled on the American Dragon and fell in love once again. His matches with people like KENTA, Morishima and especially McGuinness became some of my all time favorites. When he came back in 2018, I was there for him and only him in what was a dismal time for the WWE. Bryan Danielson was making me sit through Baron Corbin vs Roman Reigns bits just so I could see him, and I was always there. Then the move to AEW and the return of the American Dragon happens. His final years as a performer are all time great, having some of the best matches of his career and him getting to share a moment with his family in the ring in Wembley, it made me that kid from 2014 once again. Everything in my life changed, I changed. Danielson always was there for me. He will always be there for me. I suppose y'all want a more comprehensive and 'objective' evaluation. Its a simple case for me, name me a bad Bryan Danielson performance. He has been in bad matches sure, but none of them were where he was the fault or the problem. He could work any style and worked both as a benevolent good guy or shit-eating bad guy. He fit perfectly with both wrestlers double his size or those working a cruiserweight style. He is also one of the most influential wrestlers of his time and we see his influence every day on the indies and on television as well. He could work a technical masterpiece or a full on indy-tastic wonder as well. He could even do comedy. What can Bryan Danielson not do? That is why he is the greatest wrestler ever." Aniruddh Nambudiri "Wrestling is charisma plus kinetics. It is the art of moving one’s body to perform simulated violence while simultaneously indirectly characterizing oneself. There is nobody in the world who can do this as well and with as much variety as Bryan Danielson." Cole + Drew "He makes me “believe,” he’s been a top guy in just about every company he worked for, and I’ve followed his entire career. Best ever." Chris Rose "Bryan is insanely well-rounded. He can work a technical match, brawl, rassling, super serious, comedy, emotional, singles, tags, trios, multi-men, as a coward hell, bully heel, veteran, underdog, ace. Just name it and I'd bet he could do it well. He adjusts his style to the character and situation easily. Always gets the crowd to react to him and when things don't go well, he is able to throw the plans away and adjust on the fly. His promos are incredible. He can make me sympathize with him, run through a wall for him or hate him so much wanna see him get mauled. It never feels like he's putting anything on. He completely immerses himself into being the gimmick asked of him. His match catalogue is ridiculously stacked. He's wrestled everywhere, had great matches everywhere against all sort of opponents in multiple memorable feuds. He is one of the best in regards to versatility, longetivity & peaks. He peaked in 2004-2009, 2012-2014, 2021-2024. He's legitimately the best in the world during these eras. But even outside of those years, he's never been not great. Being so good for so long despite career ending injuries is frankly insane. So when I look at all these factors, I, in 2026, can conclude that Bryan Danielson is the Greatest Wrestler Ever." Strab "Because He is" Rustie "In a fake sport, Bryan Danielson has consistently, for the past 2 decades, reached the pinnacle of success, sometimes in active resistance against his bosses, simply by how damn good he is. This should not happen in a fake sport, where theoretically, your legs can be cut off from underneath you at the whim of a promoter, and there are no hard stats to back you up (save for undeniable draws at a time when promoters were weak, like Londos, Hogan, but these are rare exceptions). This has happened to so many brilliant wrestlers over the course of wrestling history. It could not happen to Danielson, simply because of how good he is. There is no better endorsement of his case. His flaws are present and have been discussed. He "suffered" from ambitions loftier than what was apposite. He could sometimes feel like a pastiche of wrestlers whose tapes he watched than having a singular identity of his own, although I feel this is a bit unfair. But despite that, he has given consistently brilliant performances in a variety of different promotions, card positions, in front of different audiences with different tastes and expectations, and in my opinion, even at his worst, has always been at least interesting to watch. At his best, he has made Kane feel entertaining. He has made Miz feel like an actual wrestler. He had a great match with THE FIEND, one of the worst gimmicks ever. His AEW run for me has put him over the top as the GOAT. There have been times when he has gone along with his opponent and not stuck to his guns, like the Ospreay match or the MJF ironman, but he still has the 2nd Hangman match, the 2nd Eddie Kingston match, Anarchy in the Arena, excellent tag works with the Death Riders. Looking at his daughter and screaming he loves her as Swerve beats on him, and deriving the strength by looking at his family to fight through the pain and win the world title. Constantly making us worried about whether he is shoot injured with his neck. He is the GOAT." Mehul Kumar (MoS on PWO) "despite his size he played a legitimate heel, was a super over babyface, incredible indy run, he didnt get his legacy destroyed by the fed, superb aew run, impeccable selling especially in his late aew run with the eyepatch, could get a good match out of anybody, he did it all" moxicide "He never was the fleshy one, the most skilled, not even close to be the most strongest. He, in theory, was supposed to be a complete failure, specially for the time Bryan started to wrestle. But, wrestling isn't about theory. He always was super smart at what he was supposed to do inside the ring and outside, able to be the face of three different promotions during three different eras. And the most important thing for me, at least, is what the pro wrestler means to me. There is not a single wrestler in all history who means more to me than Bryan Danielson, I saw him as a inspiration, someone to have as a idol. Pro wrestling is sometimes about passion, and he provided me that. He is my GOAT, and maybe he will always be." Esaú Reis Matos "He has had so many of the best matches I’ve ever seen, had staggering longevity at a high level, versatile in the ring and in his character, elite level runs as a top face and as a top heel, made every opponent look better and is part of some of the most special moments in art I’ve ever experienced. His last world title win is my favourite moment in wrestling history." Logan "He was the man when I was getting into indie wrestling in the mid-2000s, and somehow still the man two decades later. An endlessly adaptable wrestler who succeeded everywhere, with plenty of high highs and few lows." Rob Hutton "https://youtu.be/XZWVPdCYKrU + the AEW stuff doesn't bug me" Joseph Montecillo "He's the one that made truly appreciate wrestling as an artform." Pen "it's Bryan Danielson man only guy I would say has been the best in the world for a year in three different decades; 07 13 21-til his retirement the most verstial and fun wrestler I laid eyes on." Cromat "One of the best in the world as early as the first Ring of Honor show’s classic main event, by 2007 Danielson had shown more versatility than anyone of his era, giving his matches a genuine sport feel whether playing face or heel. Then he got rich, and was the best in the world as of his final match." bradluen "Main events and undercard matches at the highest level, on multiple continents as well as a babyface or a heel. Pilar of the indie boom of the 2000s not only stylistically but also as a showcase that a modern style could draw money in the states." greg "For me he’s the greatest because he could do pretty much anything and make it work. He has an outstanding number of great matches, and he could make you feel like almost nobody else. Remarkable consistency across 20 years in different styles, different companies and different opponents, all capped off by the All In 2024 main event, my favourite live wrestling moment ever." Adam "His in ring ability is the best i've seen. He is so captivating and I am completely invested in everything he does. His technical ability is second to none and he has a catalogue to prove it. He is phenomenal in the ring and I don't think we will see a talent like him for a very long time. Very few wrestlers have a bad match when Danielson is the opponent and he manages to make even mediocre wrestlers look good. Seeing him live at Wembley was incredible. He is a top all time babyface a top all time heel and incredibly well rounded.. I think he's a once in a generation wrestler and in the short time I've watched wrestler there was no one better than him. Twenty five years of sheer brilliance from ROH to WWE to AEW, brawls technical wrestling and tag team bouts he could do it all." Soph "He's simply the best. An endless array of high level matches across several promotions and decades. One of the most adaptable wrestlers as well. He has done it all and at the highest levels. Sympathetic babyface, bully heel, brawling, high flyer, technical, bloody battles." Billy Miller "No wrestler has spoke to me like Danielson. Part of that is watching him succeed on the fed after getting deep on his ROH and indie catalog, part of it is watching him have bangers decade after decade until the bitter end. Technically and value-wise he speaks to me like no one before." Roberto Alva "Consistency/longevity/versatility/match quality - can do just about anything in a wrestling ring" Barry Venison’s Nan "He's just the goat man. Unbelivable catalogue over 25 years, incredible consistency to put out great matches. The amount of people, who had their best match against Danielson is endless. The true number 1." Karlsruhe00 "In my opinion, they are the greatest ever" Rudowood "Versatility, adaptability, able to wrestle every style and come near to or achieve top level at the art form of pro wrestling." Johnny P "Close case with Bockwinkel, but the sheer number of great matches were he plays every role imaginable is hard to argue against. From having great stuff against Spanky in 01 to his retirement, he's outstanding." Nova "Already great from a very young age and still managed to be one of the best in the world during a period of nearly 20 years. Bryan was able to make work so many different types of performances that were demanded from him, and in vastly different types of crowds too. Every box that one could think about what makes a wrestler a candidate for the GWE, in my mind, Bryan has it marked." Tsunami Papi "Excels in any role, in any style, against any opponent, in any era. All this applies to Terry Funk who also wrestled for longer but Bryan is why I became a fan so he's my #1." Midas Gloves "Same reason as my 1st submission; his longevity is great, and his peaks are pretty much almost continuous. Again, I apologize for my 2nd submission; but I REALLY wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't include Cash Wheeler here. Lastly, please just remove my previous vote for TJP. He's OUT of my Top 100 GWE with Cash's inclusion here." Carlos "Versatility, longevity, highest peaks, good face and heel, elevates every match he's in." D #1 The Greatest Wrestler Ever Terry Funk 2016 Ranking: 2 [+1] 2006 Ranking: 11 [+10] Points: 50790 Points per Vote: 111.9 Votes: 454, 94.78% of Ballots Top 3-10-25 Votes: 192-323-398 Standard Deviation: 15.6 Nomination Thread: Terry Funk High Vote: 1 High Voters: Corey, Jamaal Artis, Bruno Stroszek, lucharaisedme, MatoCC14, Shogen, Darren Richardson, Larry Yacht, Robert Scoville, David Brodie, Bunnie , Rafa, Jake Oultram, John, e , Brett Thousand, Harry, Marilyn of Death, Norm, Debbie, Kelly Nelson, Jared, willvswrestling, jon, El Hijo de Johnny Hotbody, Alexis, Brandon Collard, mikeawesomemike, Mattsdmf, BerzerkPanda, CHOOSE DEATH, Craig Spencer, Travis, Ryan, Liar Hip, Christopher Donaldson, Trent Williams, Hollinger, BJ Hatch , Sam Brown, CRP Unionist, Eric Larnick, CM Bussmann, oldcasper, Mysterious and Handsome Grappler, Josh Goldberg, Jeremy Clark, ed c, Steven Campbell, FUJIWARASMIRK, Tim, Jamesie, Sinj Throwaway, Elliott, Joey Phelan, Michael Z, Colette Arrand, EnviousStupid, Alejandro Valadez, CorndogVachon, Samuel Kendall , Felix Kohlenberg, TERMINATOR ENTRANCE, Chaka, Caio, Garbage, Angel, Icaro, soba, Russell S. Grosse, Freddy, maycon, Waldo > Fritz, Sean Whittaker, Mr. Balls, Kevin Lyon, Nope, Arturo Galletti, Nicholas Yeoman, Daiem, John Morton, Scarlet, Runaway5fan, Daniel Ackermann, Oliver Hayhoe, Tim Akins, billdifferen, El Boricua, Daniel Mazzeu, Shane Price, Sportofdings "In every aspect of the industry, he excelled. He had almost no down periods that weren't self inflicted and immediately bounced back from, such as his run in Hollywood in the late 80s. He has influenced so many others with his work, and no one else I've ever watched has entertained me more." Corey "The longevity plus the accolades that stretch from 1970’s to almost the 2000’s…A traveling NWA Champion to the Godfather of Hardcore…The Funker is the greatest." Jamaal Artis "Funk's record speaks for itself across multiple decades and styles. Number one forever, forever, forever!" Bruno Stroszek "I see wrestling as an artistic form of human expression and nobody was more human and expressed more in the ring than the Funker. The fundamental wrestler to watch, the Lighthouse that shows us the promise land of what wrestling should be." MatoCC14 "He’s terry funk, but really, insane longevity, one of the greatest grapplers ever, had 2 of my GMEC, one of the greatest underdogs ever while also being a GREAT heel, was one of the pioneers of deathmatch and hardcore wrestling, the way he perfected his style of wrestling around how his body was treating him is phenomenal, i could cut his career into 3 sections: his Gaijen Run, his NWA run, his Deathmatch run, and they would all be my #1 #2 #3 in my GWE voting. He’s terry funk dude." Shogen "He embodies the magic of pro wrestling at every level. He seemed to get it more than anybody else. But" Darren Richardson "Because he is" Larry Yacht "A guy that has a match for anyone. Has maybe the largest catalog of essential matches." Robert Scoville "All facets of a great pro wrestler who did it better longer" David Brodie "Overall versatility, longevity, great promos, character work and in ring work." Rafa "No one does it like terry" Jake Oultram "I don't think it's a contest. In terms of work, being a phenomenal babyface and heel, longevity, being a unique performer in the most true sense, there will never be anyone like Terry Funk. He was everything that was great about professional wrestling." John "There is no category of judgment that you can use when it comes to pro wrestling that Terry Funk didn't excel at. He was the best at everything. A no brainer. It's a common choice because it's the truth." e "Longevity, stylistic diversity, willingness to learn and evolve, in-ring work, promos, character." Brett Thousand "Nobody more consistently good for so many years" Harry "Terry Funk, to me, is the greatest wrestler of all time because he's the blueprint for everything that makes wrestling great. It feels like he's not only innovated half the sport, but he was also the best at the stuff he innovated. Southern wrestling? Deathmatches? Big gaijin tag epics? Terry could do it all and better than everyone else in the history of wrestling." Marilyn of Death "Embodiment of the sport" Debbie "Best all rounder in the history of the sport." Jared "The most raw and emotional and enthralling wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. A phenomenally endearing, enchanting babyface and a magnificently cowardly stooging heel. His facials are world class, his technical ability is world class, his brawling is world class, his selling is world class, he’s just the complete package, maybe the most complete wrestler to ever live. If you take any one period of his career on its own he makes the top fifty. If you take them all together, for me he just has to be number one. As far as I’m concerned, Terry Funk is pro wrestling." willvswrestling "I have 10 matches from the Funker in my Top 100 GME + longevity + did everything in pro wrestling." Alexis "Because he evolved as the business evolved. Could go any style. Could cut any promo. A man who define and defies pro wrestling." Brandon Collard "He is everything a wrestler could and should be. He was able to work just about any style that was available to him. He could be the most sympathetic babyface, a vicious heel, a comedy heel, great traveling NWA champion, a badass and a coward. He could do it all." Mattsdmf "He’s just the Funkin’ greatest! Throughout numerous decades, numerous evolutions of character and alignment, whether it was America, Puerto Rico, or Japan, Terry Funk was everything he said to be. One of the best brawlers of all time, with incredible punches and relentless brutality, and a great sense of environmental plunder spots that would later serve him in further affairs through FMW and ECW. He was an incredible seller, often times leading into something akin to slapstick, but his timing and his continued fighting spirit while selling and pumping always kept it to where you can appreciate the whimsy and the brutality in his performance. He’s also one of the greatest tag wrestlers of all time, doing it so well whether against Abdullah and Sheik with brother Dory Jr. in Japan, or aligning with Cactus Jack to fight the early-days New Age Outlaws. I can’t say enough words to the greatness of Terry Funk. His legacy is forever. Forever. Forever." Craig Spencer "The best at what he did for the longest. Perfect promo ability, wrestling, match catalog, influence, and he's also a fucking nut. Wrestling's crazy grandpa." Ryan "Longevity with great matches on tape from 1970s to 2010s. Seamless whether playing great crowd endearing babyface or nasty kickass heel. Runs in AJPW in 80s, NWA 1989, indy run from 90-94, ECW 93-97, had great matches in 1998 WWF (hard bar to climb in that era.) and all the way up into the late 00's. The most entertaining wrestler I have ever come across. My wrestling hero." BJ Hatch "I have not watched as much of Terry Funk as I would like but everything I have watched of his I have loved, he posses everything that I value in a wrestler in spades. Perhaps most tellingly though three of my four all time favourite wrestlers name his as the wrestler they think is the greatest ever. If it is good enough for them then it is good enough for me." Sam Brown "Nobody evolved with the times like Funk. Classics across multiple decades. Delivered constant entertainment up to his final twilight days. Consistency. Versatility. Moved through the wrestling business like a real outlaw, without ever losing his integrity. Upstanding moral character in a business that sorely lacks it. Rugged Texas toughness. The brawls. The promos. Everything with Lawler, everything with Foley, everything with Flair, everything with Onita. Middle aged and crazy. Exploding barbed wire. The moonsault. The piledriver. The punches. The spinning toe hold. The spinning ladder move. The flaming branding iron. The plastic bag. Ennio Morricone. Desperado. Chainsaw Charlie. Double Cross Ranch. Funk U. Forever. Forever. Forever." Eric Larnick "Terry Funk did it all, in every territory, in every type of match, at a higher level, for longer than any other wrestler ever. He was an innovator. He was adaptable. He was always a step ahead of his peers in terms of having his pulse on the business. You can watch him as touring NWA champ, as top gaijin tag team with his brother in NJPW, as King of the Death Match, as Middle Aged & Crazy, etc, etc and always enjoy it while marveling at his work, his promos, his toughness. He had classics with everyone. He did it all." CM Bussmann "I value drama, storytelling, and creativity over everything else in wrestling. I've never found anyone who fulfills those desires as much as Terry Funk." Jeremy Clark "The best to ever do it" ed c "The embodiment of pro wrestling, among the very best ever at every relevant aspect of wrestling, unique charisma, incredible passion in his craft, tremendous and varied catalogue of great matches and all-time classics." Tim "Terry Funk defines pro-wrestling in a way no one else does." Elliott "Struggling to think of what to say here that doesn’t sound totally reductive at this point. The king. Without a doubt the wrestler I am most consistently entertained by on a moment to moment basis. A modern day folk hero. I wish I could hear how they speak about him in 100 years time." Joey Phelan "I mean, why wouldn’t he be? Some day someone will find footage of his NWA title run in a basement in Amarillo and we’ll have an even more complete picture of a man whose heart and soul and body and mind were 100% pure professional motherfucking wrestling and it’ll be like “well holy shit.” The fact that he seemed so consistently surprised, later in life, to find that anyone remembered him or thought so highly of him is wild. How can you be that goddamn good and not know it?" Colette Arrand "The most versatile wrestler I've ever seen. Has arguments as the greatest all-time babyface and heel, being such in remarkably distinct and unique ways (the most over face as a gaijin in 70s/80s Japan, and an excellent heel across small territory stints). The Funks are an all-time tag team, with much of it owed to how Terry works those matches. Excelled across a broad range of styles over the years, adapting well to both physical limitations and the shifting trends of the industry. No one else moves or reacts quite like Terry Funk, including his imitators who still went on to find varying levels of success. A 1-of-1 talent whose work on footage still hasn't ceased to amaze." EnviousStupid "This might be more of a subjective answer, cause we all know of his in-ring abilty, but the thing that makes him the epytome of pro-wrestling to me is verily his command of the ring itself. There's not a single match in his career that wasn't primarily a Terry Funk match, then everyone else's. His charisma, presence and pace demanded the attention of the crowds as much as the other wrestler's ability to wrestler around them. That, to me, translates to passion, grandeur and wrestling's particularity as an artform: to find resolution in violence." Alejandro Valadez "It's Terry Funk. It's always been Terry Funk." Samuel Kendall "Funk is larger than life but consistent and believable, played every role imaginable over the course of decades and did them all better than almost anyone. His work leaps off the screen." Chaka "Not only has he been great in 4 different decades he's the only wrestler that I can't point to a flaw or significant weakness. He was just incredible at every facet of wrestling." Caio "There has never been a wrestler with a better amount of quality and quantity. Terry Funk is a magical wrestler, when he steps in the ring, when his legs buckle and his fists fly you are transported to a world of childlike wonder, where you can't help but buy into every single movement. Every headbutt, uppercut, armdrag, and punch feel alive in a way no other wrestler can quite make you feel. For me at least, Terry Funk is the greatest wrestler of all time." Angel "because, for me, Funk is pretty much the one wrestler who embodies what pro-wrestling is. you cannot separate the person from the wrestler because Funk lived wrestling. he is the wrestler who made me fall in love with wrestling again, making me go deeper and deeper into older wrestling eras and learning from them, seeing how many things that we see and like were already being used or made by Terry during his time as an active wrestler." Icaro "He's a one of one in the sport. No one has ever felt more 'pro-wrestling' to me." soba "Good punches." Russell S. Grosse "Most consistent performer of all time for my taste, makes you feel every emotion ever and just fucking ruled across multiple evades with a wide variety of opponents and styles. FOREVER." Freddy "Want a definition of what pro wrestling means to me? It's Terry Funk, bloodied, calling out Abdullah The Butcher to continue the fight, yelling. It goes beyond selling and so many five-star matches in my concept. Terry Funk evokes feelings and vibrancy in the art. Besides his versatility, he's an all-timer in WCW, FMW, AJPW, and Memphis." maycon "they're Terry Funk" Mr. Balls "The most versatile wrestler no matter the situation he is in and excelled at it." Kevin Lyon "Terry Funk stood out as my one seed above those who are just as deserving (Tenryu, Santito, Kobashi & Danielson) primarily due to his other worldly ability to bump and sell like no other professional wrestler I have seen so far." Nope "Incredible worker everywhere. Magnetic charisma." Arturo Galletti "The case for Funk makes sense to me however you want to judge it- length of time putting on great matches, versatility, peaks etc etc" Nicholas Yeoman "Incredible bumper. at times, a working-class inspiration, and at times, a terrifying madman. transcendent in both roles at the top of the industry for twenty years, and then spent another ten helping establish the style that would act as a precursor to where mainstream wrestling was going." Daiem "Longevity, reinvention, mastery of multiple styles, over for 50 years, promo master." John Morton "Youll never leave a funk match with anything less than THE best." Scarlet "Nobody in this crazy sport gets me more emotionally invested in a match. The best to ever do it." Runaway5fan "Consistently great wrestling over four decades, keeping that level of in ring psychology consistent and making every match feel important no matter which style he was wrestling in, and he wrestled in a whole lot." Oliver Hayhoe "Excels in any role, in any style, against any opponent, in any era. All this applies to Terry Funk who also wrestled for longer but Bryan is why I became a fan so he's my #1." Midas Gloves "Terry Funk is a chameleon of a wrestler for his longevity. There are so many things he's done in the ring, in different rings, with different wrestlers, of different styles. My list gets loose with the actual rankings, and I'm not a completist, I have blind spots. That being said, through the years, it's been clear to me over time who the greatest ever likely is: Terry Funk." Tim Akins "It's Terry Fucking Funk" billdifferen "For me Terry is the embodiment of professional wrestling. He's a guy who thrived during different generations, and wrestled against many people in many different styles. Nobody understood the sport more than Terry, and I have him as my #1 seller ever, which is the thing I value the most, to me selling is the single most important aspect in pro wrestling. The fact he managed to transition into a classic wrestler into a hardcore icon is tremendous as well, and in my opinion, he's the one who mastered every era, decade, country or company in the history of this beautiful sport." Daniel Mazzeu "Was always in sync with what/where wrestling was going and was incredible at everything he did." Sportofdings
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