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Get those lists in people, there is still time!
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Feb 3, 2024 12:51
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Rarity posted:It's me, I'm PSP's wrestler of the year The man said "active"
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Feb 3, 2024 12:52
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I get out of bed at least 3 days a week I'll have you know
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Feb 3, 2024 13:05
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Jeru, FINISH THE STORY
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Feb 3, 2024 15:43
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drat, I forgot this was happening tomorrow morning and promised my sister i'd go and help her move house. Will be eagerly awaiting going through the results when I get home
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Feb 3, 2024 16:05
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super macho dude posted:Jeru, FINISH THE STORY J-Ru will finish the countdown... but tomorrow is not the right time. I'll be taking it from here 
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Feb 3, 2024 16:16
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Rarity posted:I get out of bed at least 3 days a week I'll have you know what a show-off.
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Feb 3, 2024 17:22
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I didn't expect The Rock to win this.
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Feb 3, 2024 17:35
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#100 will be posted on valen time's Day. each successive number will be posted on the first of the month until the end of 2032
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Feb 4, 2024 00:54
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Another year, another round of lists, and it is once again time to see who Punch Sport Pagoda's consensus favorite wrestlers for the year 2023 were. This year we had 198 wrestlers picked by 94 goons, which is lower (wrestlers AND goons) than 2019, 2021 and 2022's versions of these threads but still fairly close, and still well above the 186 wrestlers and 65 goons from 2020. It's wonderful to see these threads continue to get such a high level of participation. As a result, this year we have 53 ranked positions, as quirks of math see 10 less ranking positions than for 2019, 2021 and 2022, and 10 more than 2020's 43. To fit the forum's word count (and BB Code!) limit for posts, I'll be "dumping" the results for 53 - 45 across several posts with only brief commentary. After that, we hit the wrestlers who managed at least 10 points, including some who were the FAVORITE wrestler for at least one goon, and so there will be a little more detail.  Atlantis Jr. - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Leva Bates - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: 63/63 | 2020 Position: 43/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Anthony Bowens - 2022 Position: 44/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jeff Cobb - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Alex Coughlin - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank EFFY - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 52/63 Tatsumi Fujinami - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jordynne Grace - 2022 Position: 60/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: 38/43 | 2019 Position: 61/63 Stu Grayson - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 55/63 | 2020 Position: 38/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Stokely Hathaway - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Kaito Ishida - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 34/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Madoka Kikuta - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank LA Knight - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mercedes Moné - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: 57/63 Omos - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank PAC - 2022 Position: 18/63 | 2021 Position: 12/63 | 2020 Position: 15/63 | 2019 Position: 17/63 Lowlife Louie Ramos - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Kip Sabian - 2022 Position: 62/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank R-Truth - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 63/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jey Uso - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Sawyer Wreck - 2022 Position: 47/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Malakai Black - 2022 Position: 47/63 | 2021 Position: 18/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 38/63 Dax Harwood - 2022 Position: 22/63 | 2021 Position: 35/63 | 2020 Position: 41/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Joe Hendry - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mickie Knuckles - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 54/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank KUSHIDA - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Santana Jackson - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jeff Jarrett - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank PCP Manny - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mariah May - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Juria Nagano - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Arisa Nakajima - 2022 Position: 58/63 | 2021 Position: 53/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mei Seira - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank IYO SKY - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 54/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 42/63 Soberano Jr. - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mei Saint-Michel - 2022 Position: 29/63 | 2021 Position: 28/63 | 2020 Position: 16/43 | 2019 Position: 60/63 Mei Suruga - 2022 Position: 29/63 | 2021 Position: 28/63 | 2020 Position: 16/43 | 2019 Position: 60/63 Taya Valkyrie - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Momo Watanabe - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 38/43 | 2019 Position: 55/63 Cash Wheeler - 2022 Position: 57/63 | 2021 Position: 39/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Yuma Anzai - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Skye Blue - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Rey Fénix - 2022 Position: 15/63 | 2021 Position: 5/63 | 2020 Position: 11/43 | 2019 Position: 34/63 Max the Impaler - 2022 Position: 55/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Ram Kaichow - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank KRULE - 2022 Position: 62/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Keith Lee - 2022 Position: 19/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 57/63 Steve Maclin - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jinder Mahal - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Green Phantom - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Riho - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 39/63 | 2020 Position: 29/43 | 2019 Position: 55/63 Rika Tatsumi - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jaguar Yokota - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank YuuRI - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Asuka - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 35/63 | 2020 Position: 17/43 | 2019 Position: 23/63 John Cena - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Kazusada Higuchi - 2022 Position: 59/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Violent J - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Satoshi Kojima - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank MAO - 2022 Position: 52/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 57/63 Thunderbird Damo McCullough - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Unagi Sayaka - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank While these are the lowest ranks, it pays to remember that every single one of these wrestlers is somebody that at least one person on this subforum likes enough that they gave them a spot on their Top Ten FAVORITE active wrestlers list. Every wrestler out there has a fan, somebody who is delighted to see them wrestle, and this list demonstrates that. Some of them are newcomers like Alex Coughlin, some of them have been around for awhile but didn't "count" for various reasons such as Stokely Hathaway, others have popped back after long hiatuses like John Cena, and still others have been around for years but have found a somewhat late-in-career clicking with a Punch Sport Pagoda fan, as in the case with the former Eli Drake/current LA Knight. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is the drop of Asuka, who for years has done respectable totals and often been up there (or THE) top ranked WWE wrestler for that year's thread. FTR both managed to end up in the same spot (shared with current rival Malakai Black!) which is really rather nice. But the saddest realization though is that this is probably the last time we will see Mei Saint-Michel appear in these threads, as her master Sakisama has retreated to her palatial French Estate to lie glamorously on couches, benches and across window-sills, and where she goes, Mei Saint-Michel must follow due to the powerful Goblin magicks that bind her. If it makes you feel any better though, remember that time Satoshi Kojima (ranked 50th) elbowed CM Punk (unranked) in the dick and balls? 
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Feb 4, 2024 14:02
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 Josh Alexander - 2022 Position: 52/63 | 2021 Position: 47/63 | 2020 Position: 40/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Atsuki Aoyagi - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Powerhouse Hobbs - 2022 Position: 41/63 | 2021 Position: 46/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mahiro Kiryu - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank 1 Called Manders - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Drew McIntyre - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 63/63 | 2020 Position: 19/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mecha Mummy - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Yuji Okabayashi - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Ethan Page - 2022 Position: 58/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Ryan Redfield - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Evil Uno - 2022 Position: 60/63 | 2021 Position: 52/63 | 2020 Position: 29/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Big Bill - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank| 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Jonathan Gresham - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Utami Hayashishita - 2022 Position: 52/63 | 2021 Position: 54/63 | 2020 Position: 28/43 | 2019 Position: 52/63 Sakura Hirota - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 36/43 | 2019 Position: 62/63 Shuji Ishikawa - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank MIRAI - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Moka Miyamoto - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Dr. Redacted - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Thekla - 2022 Position: 57/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Master Wato - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Death Worm - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Mark Briscoe - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 61/63 Brandon Cutler - 2022 Position: 52/63 | 2021 Position: 52/63 | 2020 Position: 39/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Snoop Dogg - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Ilja Dragunov - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 60/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Yoshiaki Fujiwara - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Daniel Garcia - 2022 Position: 39/63 | 2021 Position: 40/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Marcus Mathers - 2022 Position: 57/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Trey Miguel - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Takuya Nomura - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Serpentico - 2022 Position: 53/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Seth Rollins - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 58/63 Yuka Sakazaki - 2022 Position: 32/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: 11/43 | 2019 Position: 47/63 Dark Sheik - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: | Did Not Rank 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Titán - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Bad Bunny - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Colt Cabana - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: 56/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Claudio Castagnoli - 2022 Position: 28/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 26/63 El Desperado - 2022 Position: 35/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: 23/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank SeXXXy Eddy - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 61/63 | 2020 Position: 36/43 | 2019 Position: 54/63 Ziggy Haim - 2022 Position: 55/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank The Hoodfoot - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 43/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Mayu Iwatani - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 25/43 | 2019 Position: 54/63 Matt Jackson - 2022 Position: 59/63 | 2021 Position: 24/63 | 2020 Position: 24/43 | 2019 Position: 56/63 Hikari Noa - 2022 Position: 59/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: 41/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Alex Shelley - 2022 Position: 57/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 42/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Hiromu Takahashi - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: 42/63 | 2020 Position: 5/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank  Cool Hand Ang - 2022 Position: 55/63 | 2021 Position: 55/63 | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: 56/63 Himeka - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Nick Jackson - 2022 Position: 47/63 | 2021 Position: 26/63 | 2020 Position: 21/43 | 2019 Position: 62/63 Austin Luke - 2022 Position: 58/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Chris Sabin - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: 56/63 | 2020 Position: 39/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Sean Ross Sapp - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank Ruby Soho - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank MV Young - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank We have a mix here of one-off/periodic appearance celebrities like Bad Bunny, older wrestlers who still have a dedicated following, rising young stars, and some current and still high active at a high level wrestlers. Perhaps the biggest names in this section are AEW's EVPs The Young Bucks, top New Japan Jr. Heavyweights Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado, and of course the current (one of two) World Champion(s) for WWE, Seth Rollins. But here's the kinda amazing thing: This is Seth Rollins' first appearance in these threads since 2019 when he ranked 58th out of 63 rankings. But forget all that, the most important thing in the world here is that Cool Hand Ang and Ruby Soho ended up in the same spot, safe at last from the cruel distractions and evil plotting of their best friends Daddy Magic and Saraya!
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Feb 4, 2024 14:08
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We're into the double digits now. Every wrestler on this list either had more than one person who considers them one of their favorites, or has one person who thinks of them as their ABSOLUTE favorite... let's see who! Yuki Arai - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 1 Great Kojika - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 1 Maika - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Natsupoi - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Billie Starkz - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Edith Surreal - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 1 Matt Tremont - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 62/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 1 Toru Yano - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: 54/63 | 2020 Position: 24/43 | 2019 Position: 29/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed:1  Yuma Aoyagi - 2022 Position: 56/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Daddy Magic - 2022 Position: 45/63 | 2021 Position: 54/63 | 2020 Position: 34/43| 2019 Position: 55/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 2 Deonna Purrazzo - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 41/63 | 2020 Position: 34/43| 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Rush - 2022 Position: 55/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 60/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Suzu Suzuki - 2022 Position: 48/63 | 2021 Position: 60/63 | 2020 Position: 36/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2  Kazuki Hirata - 2022 Position: 63/63 | 2021 Position: 61/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 2 Kaito Kiyomiya - 2022 Position: 63/63 | 2021 Position: 60/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Katsuhiko Nakajima - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: 25/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 61/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Raku - 2022 Position: 50/63 | 2021 Position: 57/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Minoru Suzuki - 2022 Position: 37/63 | 2021 Position: 26/63 | 2020 Position: 9/43 | 2019 Position: 8/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Hiroshi Tanahashi - 2022 Position: 46/63 | 2021 Position: 38/63 | 2020 Position: 26/43 | 2019 Position: 14/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 2  Saori Anou - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Pom Harajuku - 2022 Position: 31/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Kevin Owens - 2022 Position: 63/63 | 2021 Position: 53/63 | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: 39/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Shota Umino - 2022 Position: 63/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 56/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2  Chris Brookes - 2022 Position: 59/63 | 2021 Position: 29/63 | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: 47/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 VENY - 2022 Position: 42/63 | 2021 Position: 27/63 | 2020 Position: 28/43 | 2019 Position: 46/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 We're seeing more and more of the top stars for some promotions making appearances here now, the likes of NOAH's Katsuhiko Nakajima (he didn't move to AJPW till 2023 was wrapping up) or All Japan's young star Yuma Aoyagi. There are wrestlers who are the obvious future for their promotions like Shota Umino and (again) Yuma Aoyagi, as well as Kaito Kiyomiya (I said OBVIOUS future, not that the promotions understood that) and of course the somehow still ridiculously young Suzu Suzuki (but Billie Starkz is even younger!). There are some well-established long time forum favorites like Chris Brookes, Kevin Owens, Daddy Magic, Pom Harajuku, Raku, Toru Yano and VENY. A smattering of Indy stars like Edith Surreal are in there, as well as big name veterans like Minoru Suzuki and current New Japan President Hiroshi Tanahashi (Ahem. Go ACE!). But those veterans seem like babbies compared to the OLDEST wrestler who has ever appeared in any of these threads, and indeed currently the oldest active wrestler in the world: 81-year-old The Great Kojika! Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Feb 4, 2024 |
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Feb 4, 2024 14:17
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Now that we're into the Top 40, the numbers for each ranking become more manageable, and so each post following this will be for a single rank. I'll post them at 3 minute intervals, so the countdown should be complete by roughly 10 - 10:30am Eastern, 3 - 3:30pm in the UK and 12 - 12:30am in Japan. I hope SOMEBODY is reading this 
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Feb 4, 2024 14:20
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Jerusalem posted:Now that we're into the Top 40, the numbers for each ranking become more manageable, and so each post following this will be for a single rank. I'll post them at 3 minute intervals, so the countdown should be complete by roughly 10 - 10:30am Eastern, 3 - 3:30pm in the UK and 12 - 12:30am in Japan. I hope SOMEBODY is reading this Well there's at least one of us.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:22
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Did anyone list CM Punk? Edit: no lol
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Feb 4, 2024 14:22
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I'm loving the writeups at the end of every post. It's so fun to see such a cool variety of wrestlers and the collages look amazing. 
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Feb 4, 2024 14:22
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Who is that looking like Michael Jackson in #52?
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Feb 4, 2024 14:24
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 Giulia - 2022 Position: 41/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Kenoh - 2022 Position: 60/63 | 2021 Position: 42/63 | 2020 Position: 40/43 | 2019 Position:Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Brody King - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 58/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Emi Sakura - 2022 Position: 51/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: 42/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 3 With word that Giulia is looking to shift to an American promotion, it's possible she may end up becoming more visible to a wider audience and could see a higher ranking in the future. That's for the future though, in 2023 Giulia has made a small improvement over her 2022 ranking after not ranking in any year before then. She's had a few chances to been seen by people outside of Stardom subscribers this year, particularly with her appearances on New Japan shows to defend the NJPW STRONG Women's Title. She would appear to have done everything she can do in Stardom, having won multiple titles there, but while plenty of people have talked her up in Punch Sport Pagoda in the past she hasn't really stood out to a great deal. A change of environment might be just what she needs to shake things up. This angry, pissy little man is legit one of the funniest guys in wrestling, and it's fantastic because his character is so, so, so serious and deadpan constantly even when doing the most ridiculous things like climbing into a garbage bag and hopping out into a window day to cut a furious promo. This is a man who decided he had to win the N-1 Annual Tournament so he could do better than Kaito Kiyomiya did in the G1 and rub it in his face! This is a man who finally defeated "interloper" Jake Lee to become the GHC Champion again, defending NOAH with all his might and rage. Which is... well, a lot. He is a very, very angry man! The big man has been the standout in House of Black alongside Julia Hart. Not that there is anything wrong with Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews, but the rankings demonstrate that of the three men, it's Brody who has most stood out for the posters of Punch Sport Pagoda. As part of the Trios champions he was the big bruiser, but he's demonstrated outside blogs like Ethan Page's Toyhunt he is a lovely, friendly and very witty guy. He's shown in backstage segments and confrontations he can be a menacing figure all on his own even without Malakai and Buddy about. He's been there to support Julia Hart in her singles matches, and made a point of hating Daniel Garcia and bullying Daddy Magic on commentary. His performance in the Continental Classic really showcased he has legs should he ever decide to wrestle as a singles guy (but that he's a fantastic part of the core HoB trio) and at the end of the day, what is more wrestling than a big long-haired dude covered in tattoos who looks like he could tear a car apart with his bare hands? They did a show in Wembley and didn't book her  Poor Emi will just have to settle for being the go-to wrestler to showcase how good some of AEW's top or rising stars in the women's division are. She's a constantly reliable presence who brings out the best in her opponents, gives just enough to create a little doubt that she MIGHT win, and ends up making the other wrestler look tough as nails for beating her. It's always endearing to see her become emotional seeing some of her students succeed at the highest level, and of course on top of her job in AEW, she of course has her thing going in Gatoh Move as a nice palette cleanser for an entirely different style of wrestling fun.
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Feb 4, 2024 |
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Feb 4, 2024 14:26
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Oasx posted:Who is that looking like Michael Jackson in #52? I will presume Santana Jackson by the rule of wrestlers thinking subtext is for cowards
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Feb 4, 2024 14:26
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 Jamie Hayter - 2022 Position: 4/63 | 2021 Position: 33/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 58/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Last year she ranked 4th for the year, her highest ranking ever as well as the highest ranking for any woman wrestler in the history of these threads. So why has she dropped so low in 2023? It's not because she got worse or had a terrible in-ring year or anything. The sad fact is... she got injured! In a match at Double or Nothing against Toni Storm, Hayter suffered a "serious injury" and has been out ever since. People had hoped she would be at All In in London, but there was no sign of her (Saraya won the title there instead), and still no sign of when in 2024 - if at all - we can expect her back. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because there is a very good reason she ranked so highly in 2022: she's really loving good at wrestling!
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Feb 4, 2024 14:29
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Gaz-L posted:I will presume Santana Jackson by the rule of wrestlers thinking subtext is for cowards Yep, I was just as confused when I went looking for pictures of him and couldn't understand why I kept getting back photos of a Michael Jackson impersonator  Erin M. Fiasco posted:I'm loving the writeups at the end of every post. It's so fun to see such a cool variety of wrestlers and the collages look amazing. Thanks
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Feb 4, 2024 14:33
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 Ricky Starks - 2022 Position: 21/63 | 2021 Position: 51/63 | 2020 Position: 14/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 2 Shingo Takagi - 2022 Position: 23/63 | 2021 Position: 6/63 | 2020 Position: 10/43 | 2019 Position: 11/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 2 Chuck Taylor - 2022 Position: 44/63 | 2021 Position: 30/63 | 2020 Position: 16/43| 2019 Position: 22/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Ricky Starks' 2023 is going to make for a wild time capsule in the future. Even looking through his year in early 2024 so many things stand out as bizarre moments that could only exist in a very, very specific time and space in wrestling. This was the year he ran through a gauntlet to get to Daniel Garcia. This was the year he beat Chris Jericho, lost to Switchblade Jay White and then won the Owen Hart tournament by beating...CM PUNK!?! This was the year he had a match against CM Punk with special guest referee... RICKY STEAMBOAT!?! The year he fought Bryan Danielson in a bloody and brutal strap match and followed it up with Texas Death! This was the year he got put into what felt like a completely random tag team with Big Bill (the former W. Morrissey/Big Cass) and... they won the tag titles!?! And held them for the rest of the year? And were a really good team!?!?!? And openly bragged about the fact they didn't know anything about the other and this was purely a business relationship!?!?!?!? If we hadn't seen it happen, we wouldn't believe it, but here's Ricky Starks in the Top 40 (lower than last year, higher than 2021, lower than 2020!) and one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions! The man who carried New Japan through the Global Pandemic doesn't really get enough love/appreciation from New Japan for what he did, and as a result he hasn't really ended up in the ranking he might be expected to have based on prior years. With his lowest ever ranking, Takagi gradually moved down the card in 2023 moving from an IWGP title shot in February that he lost to spending most of his singles matches in KOPW gimmick matches or with the NEVER Openweight Title traded between himself and Tama Tonga. Around those singles matches he mostly took part in multi-mans with Los Ingobernables de Japon, often feuding with Just 5 Guys. He's still as fantastic in the ring as ever, but it seems like he needs to go outside New Japan to the likes of AEW, RevPro and his old home promotion of DragonGate for people to remember... oh yeah, Shingo Takagi is one of the best wrestlers on the planet! Chuck Tayor had a quiet year, though he ranked higher than last year, with a late injury keeping him out for November, December and most of October. However, while the rest of the year was mostly a series of tags or multi-man matches or involved him seconding Trent? and/or Orange Cassidy, he was involved in two very high profile matches that helped keep him in the public eye. He and Trent? had the second ever Parking Lot Brawl in AEW, fighting the Blackpool Combat Club of Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli. Best Friends had won the first against Proud 'n' Powerful, but they fell short against BCC. History repeated at Stadium Stampede at the massive All In show in London, where they teamed with Orange Cassidy, Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero M against the Blackpool Combat Club (Mox, Claudio & Wheeler) along with the very briefly re-formed Proud 'n' Powerful. Other than that, however, it was a quiet 2023. Here is hoping for a louder and weirder 2024 for Chuckie T.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:34
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 Dalton Castle - 2022 Position: 62/63 | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: 61/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 3 Taichi - 2022 Position: 27/63 | 2021 Position: 32/63 | 2020 Position: 9/43 | 2019 Position: 19/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 3 Sami Zayn - 2022 Position: 20/63 | 2021 Position: 43/63 | 2020 Position: 35/43 | 2019 Position: 51/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 It's been wonderful to see Dalton Castle on television again, what with his relative obscurity due to a combination of his bad back and ROH being essentially buried in the shadow of AEW for so long until Tony Khan purchased it. People immediately took to him, of course, because Dalton Castle is a loving weirdo in the best pro-wrestling way, and that has just become more pronounced over 2023 and into 2024 as he has gone off the deep end pursuing Johnny TV and dragging Lexy Nair into the madness. With his The Boys and his speeches to camera, his unhinged promos and his surprising strength in ring, he's a delight to watch, and his ranking has increased from his two prior appearances and failures to rank from previous years. With Suzuki-Gun ending at the end of 2022, the former members went their separate ways including the breakup of beloved tag team Dangerous Tekkers. Zack Sabre Jr. went on to adopt and mold TMDK in his own image. Taichi created something entirely new: Just 4 Guys, an initial grouping of prior Suzuki-Gun members Kanemaru, DOUKI and TAKA. But it was the New Japan Cup where things really took a turn, as he chewed out Los Ingobernables de Japon member SANADA during a match against him for not showing enough fire. SANADA responded, won the New Japan Cup... and immediately joined Just 4 Guys, making them 5 guys, so they became Just 5 Guys instead! Taichi was the mastermind behind it all, the mentor whose own interest appeared to be selfless: he'd always said he wouldn't have wanted the leadership of Suzuki-Gun, and Just 5 Guys indicated he really was more interested in finding like-minded people and all of them helping each other to succeed, especially SANADA finally achieving his potential. Taichi himself still had motivations, of course, and spent the rest of the year trying to retain or win back the KOPW Provisional Title, as well as efforts to win the tag titles or six-man titles. But like Suzuki-Gun, Just 5 Guys is a faction of surprisingly wholesome and supportive scumbags, and Taichi may be the most supportive of them all. If only he could find pants that were as supportive. There was legitimately a time in early 2023 where Sami Zayn may have been the most popular pro-wrestler on the planet. It didn't last, not because he wasn't capable of maintaining that, but because WWE never believed he was anything other than a flash in the pan. But during that period, people were raving about his run with and against the Bloodline, culminating in a reunion with old best friend/worst enemy Kevin Owens. Good for Sami, he rules and is by all accounts one of the nicest (if annoying) people on the planet. He actually ranked higher last year which may be an indication of people being let down by how high he rose only for it to go nowhere (there are plenty of other reasons not to want to add a WWE wrestler to a Top Ten list, unfortunately) but with any luck that won't be the last chance people get a chance to see how great Sami Zayn can be.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:37
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 Dominik Mysterio - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Yota Tsuji - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Dominik Mysterio has been one of WWE's success stories: a young man who has quickly been picked up on by the crowd as somebody to hate, who has leaned deeply into his heel status and eagerly played up his dirtbag status and the love the crowd has for his legendary father Rey Mysterio Jr. A storyline where he was put into a police cell for an hour or so for trying to force his way into the family home on Thanksgiving turned into Dominik adopting a "prison hard" persona where he was a hardened convict who mixed with killers and gangleaders and more than held his own if not dominated them. Along with his relationship with his "Mami" Rhea Ripley, Dominik is seemingly custom-made to enrage fans (which delights them of course), and it seems his dad knew what he was doing when he decided to stick with WWE to give his son the best chace for a successful career in wrestling. It looks like it REALLY paid off. Yota Tsuji was ALMOST a bonafide brand new star upon his shocking return to New Japan from Young Boy excursion. It didn't quite come off, and he's never quite recaptured that sense of excitement that came about when he showed up and speared SANADA almost out of his boots and nearly pulled off a modern Rainmaker Shock, but he's still got the air of a new star about him. After a series of vignettes narrated by Chris Charlton in a newscaster voice about what appeared to be a werewolf meteor, the subject was revealed to be a returning Yota Tsuji, who not only was getting an immediate title shot against SANADA but was TELLING not asking Naito that he was going to be in Los Ingobernables de Japon. He failed to get the win on SANADA, and Naito took the chance to gently but firmly remind Tsuji what the hierarchy in the faction was, but this is still somebody to watch in the future. Clearly plenty of you agree, as Tsuji ranks in one of these threads for the first time ever.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:41
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 Roman Reigns - 2022 Position: 37/63 | 2021 Position: 59/63 | 2020 Position: 22/63 | 2019 Position: 56/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Those still watching WWE spoke very highly of the Bloodline storyline in the first half of 2023, particularly the segments featuring Sami Zayn, but Roman was the central heel figure that made that story work. After years of being bait and switched by WWE himself, Roman had become the biggest star in the company and the top heel, and people were rabid to see a hot babyface defeat him. Maybe it wouldn't be Sami Zayn, but surely it would be Cody Rhodes!  The Bloodline story has continued all through 2023, with Roman retaining the title at Wrestlemania because it was hugely important that he be champion for the rest of the year so he could... defend the title twice. Once at a Blood Money show in Saudi Arabia... against LA Knight. Something about it must be working though, WWE continues to make record ticket sales for events and score big ratings. As for Punch Sport Pagoda? Well, despite a very active and understandable anti-WWE bias, Roman has managed a slight improvement over his 2022 ranking.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:45
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 Julia Hart - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 8 Katsuyori Shibata - 2022 Position: 38/63 | 2021 Position: 36/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 4 Julia Ghoulia ranks for the first time in one of these threads, as apparently her former gimmick of "kinda scared and a little weepy cheerleader" didn't exactly set the world on fire. Luckily since joining the House of Black she has really come into her own, and her appearance on a media scrum after Full Gear when she won the TBS Title gave her the opportunity to talk about just how much she preferred her current situation, how poorly that prior character sat with her, and how much of a better place she was in now. That's very sweet and wholesome, which of course stands in direct contrast to her being tiny lady Undertaker giving people the spooks and spitting black mist in their faces to help her Goth friends. Wrestling rules, and so does Julia Hart. After being out of wrestling for 4 years and returning in 2021, people were rightfully concerned about how much Shibata could actually do without putting his actual life in risk. The injuries he'd suffered in his Sakura Genesis match against Kazuchika Okada had him not just in danger of losing his career but his ability to move or possibly even his life. But gradually over the following years, he wrestled a little more, he did more in-the-ring, and then in 2023 he was essentially back as close to a full-time wrestler as it was possible to be... but not in New Japan. Instead, Shibata is now an AEW/ROH wrestler, and he was quickly back to his old winning ways. He won the ROH Pure title from Wheeler Yuta and defended it multiple times over the following 8 months before losing it back to a cheating Yuta who also very deliberately dropped him right on the head to both make him more of a despicable heel as well as give Shibata a chance to take a little time off to sort out business in Japan. The wrestler we thought we might never see wrestle again is now back, wrestling in front of a bigger audience than ever before, and hopefully around for many more years to come.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:48
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 Yuki Kamifuku - 2022 Position: 54/63 | 2021 Position: 55/63 | 2020 Position: 36/43| 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 2 | Total Times Listed: 4 Gabe Kidd - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Yuki Kamifuku leaps up the ranking to beat her previous best ever spot in 2020. This year she made it all the way to the final of the Tokyo Princess Cup, only falling against eventual Princess of Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita at the final hurdle. She was part of the 23-on-1 Handicap match as part of Saki Akai's farewell to TJPW, and then ended the year strongly by winning the SPW Queen of Asia Title from Alexis Lee at SPW Viva La Lucha in late November, her first singles title since she was the International Princess Champion in 2021. Gabe Kidd is a madman, you know? I know this because Gabe Kidd often yells,"I'M A MADMAN, YOU KNOW!" - this sounds like I am insulting his character work, but I'm not. Because the dude is loving insane and it rules. Clearly the guy who SHOULD be the leader of Bullet Club War Dogs, Gabe Kidd comes out spitting fury, barking obscenities, and never shutting up or slowing down because he's too angry to die. He's a wildman in the ring and outside of it, you never know quite what you are going to get, and as a result he'd ended up with not only his highest ranking ever, but his ONLY ranking ever. His time as a Young Boy he was impressive but still a Young Boy, and then there was concern about his mental state during the pandemic. But ever since his return, he's been an absolute favorite, and it's great to see what he is going to do next and hear what he is going to say.
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Feb 4, 2024 14:52
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 Saki Akai - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: 34/43 | 2019 Position: 62/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Sakisama - 2022 Position: 61/63 | 2021 Position: 58/63 | 2020 Position: 34/43 | 2019 Position: 62/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Speedball Mike Bailey - 2022 Position: 36/63 | 2021 Position: 56/63 | 2020 Position: 41/43 | 2019 Position: 48/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 5 Saki Akai wrapped up her time as an active wrestler in emotional fashion in 2023. She had given plenty of notice, and it gave promotions a chance to say proper goodbyes to her, particularly in TJPW and DDT. This included an opportunity she was given to wrestle old friend Chris Brookes for his KO-D Openweight Title, and she managed to retire still holding the KO-D Six Man Tag Titles, causing them to be vacated. In a truly lovely retirement ceremony at Ultimate Party, new KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno paid tribute to her, while President Sanshiro Takagi asked her to consider continuing to work for them in their office, because frankly nobody wants to REALLY say goodbye to Saki Akai! This will be her last ever appearance in one of these threads, short of a miracle, and so it is fitting that she ends so highly after sitting near the bottom of the rankings the last two years. Over in TJPW, another tall, slim woman wrestler decided to retire too, purely by coincidence. Sakisama, perhaps tired of the ugliness of modern urban society, decided to retreat to her palatial French Estate to be sophisticated and glamorous in privacy, taking her Goblin Maid Mei Saint-Michel with her. What a shame to see her go, but some people are just too glamorous to be wasted on the likes of us. Speedball Mike Bailey has been making up for lost time once he was allowed back in the United States, and has spent the year having a series of bangers with a variety of wrestlers in different promotions. Now based in Impact (which became TNA in early 2024), he appeared in mind-boggling variety of different promotions and was often the best match on any given card. He also made it to the Semi-Finals of New Japan's Best of the Super Junior and won their All Star Junior Festival. he took at a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title and the Television Title both. All of that was JUST in New Japan, and he was all over GCW, Impact, MCW, AAA, Prestige and WSW among others. He's rewarded with his best ever ranking in these threads, climbing up just a little higher each year as he gets his face out there... well, everywhere!
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Feb 4, 2024 14:57
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 Penta El Zero M - 2022 Position: 14/63 | 2021 Position: 8/63 | 2020 Position: 29/43 | 2019 Position: 10/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 7 SANADA - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: 31/43 | 2019 Position: 20/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 The insane skeleton man falls to this "worst" ever ranking since these threads began, though he's still at a respectable 30th place. But while he remained as busy and insane as ever, it can't have helped but hurt his status that his brother Fénix was badly injured through the last couple of months of the year, and Penta spent a lot of time in tags or three way matches with the likes of Komander who, despite being very talented in their own right, are not The Lucha Bros. Penta stayed busy though, wrestling both in AEW and ROH, but also in AAA, for Republic of Lucha and IWRG, and various freelance shows in America and Mexico. SANADA meanwhile had a hell of a year, arguably his best ever in spite of being trapped in a House of Torture feud for two months that were the longest 84 years of my life. Beating David Finlay to win the New Japan Cup, SANADA finally put to rest a long-standing demon by not only beating Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis, but beating him for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. Leaving Los Ingobernables de Japon and joining Just 4 Guys (which became Just 5 Guys as a result) to join Taichi who had screamed some life into him during the New Japan Cup, and he would spend the rest of the year as Champion before facing his former leader (but still friend) Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom. SANADA showcased what he could do at the top of the card in 2023, and apart from House of Torture bullshit he did a good job, though his ranking suggests perhaps not as well as those who supported him in 2022 and 2021 might have hoped.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:00
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 Maki Itoh - 2022 Position: 25/63 | 2021 Position: 22/63 | 2020 Position: 21/43 | 2019 Position: 25/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 4 Hyper Misao - 2022 Position: 42/63 | 2021 Position: 45/63 | 2020 Position: 26/43 | 2019 Position: 25/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 7 Sting - 2022 Position: 49/63 | 2021 Position: 28/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 6 Maki Itoh did NOT win the Princess of Princess Championship from Mizuki in 2023. This was a mistake. This was incorrect. She should have won, and though Miyu Yamashita later corrected things to the best of her ability, that still leaves Maki Itoh NOT the Princess of Princess Champion. This will not stand. This... aggression... will not stand. She did do a bunch of other stuff though, including being Princess Tag Champions with Miyu Yamashita until they lost them to Yuka Sakazaki and... Mizuki...  - she also wrestled on Monster Island for Lucha, Libre & Laughs, wrestled for the DEFY Women's Title against Vert Vixen, took a shot at the DDT Universal Title against Matt Cardona for DDT and tried for the MLW Women's World Featherweight Title against Janai Kai in New York. She ended the year without any titles, especially not the Princess of Princess Title. Boo!Hopefully by now most of you know that Hyper Misao is a very entertaining, very creative and very fun wrestler to watch. So I'll just double down on insisting you all go out of your way to somehow watch the Hyper Misao Produce Show - Hype! from May of this year. It is an extraordinary thing to watch, all of them coming from one of the most intriguing, out-there and fascinating minds in pro-wrestling. And that is saying alot! It's STIIIIIIING! As he moves into his retirement year at 64-years-old, Sting is a veteran who is seemingly beloved by everybody, enough so that they even manage to forgive him for bringing Ric Flair somewhat along for the ride. His partnership with Darby Allin breathed new life into a career that seemed dead and buried after the injuries he suffered during his last WWE run, and the fact he hasn't so-much been a moderating influence on Darby but just been encouraged to do wild and crazy poo poo himself has been all the more endearing. Sting is reminding everybody why when he was young so many people saw a bright future in him, and that all the little Stingers were right to believe in him even when things were at their worst. Yay Sting! Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Feb 4, 2024 |
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Feb 4, 2024 15:06
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 Lexis King - 2022 Position: Did Not Rank | 2021 Position: Did Not Rank | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 2 | Total Times Listed: 3 Hikaru Shida - 2022 Position: 13/63 | 2021 Position: 32/63 | 2020 Position: 17/43 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 5 The power of a Cameo! - After Sandman McMahon's post, Lexis King was picked by 3 Goons (4, but one of them rued and lamented his single entry joke list and I took pity) with two of them putting him in the top spot. As a result, here he is with his best ever ranking... because it's his ONLY ever ranking. The former Brian Pillman Jr. in AEW moved to NXT and by all accounts it's worked out well for him. He gets a lot more screentime than he ever got in AEW, and has a defined character which is also a point of difference. Whether he's actually any good I don't know, but here he is ranked #28! Hikaru Shida meanwhile had a year of ups and down, winning the AEW Women's title for a 2nd and 3rd time, wrestling at All In in front of 70,000+ fans in a show that sold 80,000+ tickets making it the biggest paid wrestling show of all time. She had a bizarre feud with Toni Storm mostly based on her being very angry and very confused at this new (old) version of Timeless Toni Storm. She held onto the Regina Di WAVE Title until October, losing it to VENY, and got menaced by Abadon yet again in a Fright Night Fight (though she won the match!) to mark Halloween. After losing the AEW Women's Title at Full Gear in November, she's been fairly quiet but still around, but based on her 2023 it seems likely she'll be back in the title picture - whether the World title or the TBS Title - sooner rather than later.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:10
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 Cody Rhodes - 2022 Position: 35/63 | 2021 Position: 34/63 | 2020 Position: 20/43 | 2019 Position: 15/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 4 Look... I like Cody. Honestly. He's a massive carny but there's something kind of adorable about that, and how carefully constructed his persona is while simultaneously feeling like it is very earnest and something he believes in himself. Perhaps that is a side effect of growing up with Dusty Rhodes as a (present) father, and Cody has made no bones about how much his father has influenced his career, his idea of himself as a man and a wrestler, and his desired place in the wrestling pantheon. But come on man... come on. It's totally understandable to see a chance to main event Wrestlemania and "finish the story" your father never could, to prove your doubters wrong, to show the likes of Vince McMahon (before the early 2024 total exposure that he was even more of a despicable monster than people already thought) that they should have backed him all along instead of putting him into Stardust spandex as a mean-spirited rib on his dad. But WWE is gonna WWE, and while Cody has undoubtedly been accepted as a huge star by the audience and he's won back-to-back Royal Rumbles since his return from AEW, he's also been beaten in that main event of Wrestlemania by Roman Reigns, then spoken up about THIS time he's coming for Roman and it's only Roman's title he is after, to having to step aside and let the 51-year-old Rock take his spot instead while he goes and fights for the belt literally created as a "this is the belt for the losers who can't beat Roman" belt. Perhaps the only saving grace (apart from the huge amount of money and increased exposure he now has!) is that WWE did the same thing to Roman Reigns himself multiple times, pulling the football out from in front of him as he went to kick it, humiliating him multiple times (sometimes in front of his family!), seemingly telling him one thing only to change their mind at their leisure with no concern that he wouldn't have to do anything but suck it up. It all paid off for Roman eventually, but will it for Cody? Despite all the jokes and laughter at his expense he's ranked higher this year than he has for the last two. Maybe Dusty's "story" really was "I wish I would have been promised the title at Wrestlemania and then had to watch Rocky Johnson come in and get my spot instead" all along?
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Feb 4, 2024 15:15
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 Darby Allin - 2022 Position: 23/63 | 2021 Position: 56/63 | 2020 Position: 37/43 | 2019 Position: 32/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 6 Tomohiro Ishii - 2022 Position: 26/63 | 2021 Position: 16/63 | 2020 Position: 7/43 | 2019 Position: 2/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 8 Miu Watanabe - 2022 Position: 17/63 | 2021 Position: 52/63 | 2020 Position: Did Not Rank | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 7 Darby Allin had no shortage of enemies in 2023, though the one constant throughout his year was Sting being there to support him when wanted and willing to step aside and leave him to be his own man as requested. Winning the TNT Title from Samoa Joe in January, he held it till February and managed 4 defenses before losing it back to Joe. He was involved in a "Four Pillars" fourway for the AEW World Title against champion MJF alongside fellow "pillars" Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy, with MJF making it a point of trying to humiliate Darby most of all among his challengers. He and Sting took on Christian Cage and Swerve Strickland in a Coffin Match of all things (original participant AR Fox couldn't take part, which would have made more sense) and he tried to make sense of the betrayal of his protege Nick Wayne to Christian Cage of all people. Darby looking the other way on AR Fox taking part in a home invasion of Nick's house might have played a part there! In-between all that, he started training to climb Mt. Everest and introduced Adam Copeland to guerrilla film-making! Tomohiro Ishii suffered from success, as he found himself having to share the NEVER Openweight Trios Titles with not just his CHAOS leader Kazuchika Okada but also Hiroshi Tanahashi too! Tanahashi is very much NOT a part of CHAOS, and Ishii didn't really see why they were teammates... but hey, Okada says it is so, so it is so! So in typical Stone Pitbull fashion, Ishii just blasted his way through his opponents alongside his partners, holding the titles through to the end of 2023. It wasn't just Trios matches though, he had his typical solid (but too low points wise!) G1, he fought for the Television title, he went to Canada to wrestle Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite(!), he and Luke Jacobs beat the poo poo out of each other at RevPro's 11th Anniversary Show and then again at Uprising, and butted heads with Shingo Takagi at New Japan's Royal Quest in London. That's the "problem" with Ishii, he's utterly reliable at just having a really, really, really good match all the time with EVERYBODY and so this year was "just" another example of him being really drat good all year long. He drops one spot from last year, and his ranking has been dropping every year despite (or because of) the fact he hasn't really changed. Which isn't a bad thing, because what he does is really great! Much like she often gets in the way of Miu's fantastic theme song, Rika Tatsumi got in the way of Miu Watanabe's run as International Princess Champion, winning the title from her at Grand Princess in March. That would be fine if it was leading to bigger things, but for the rest of the year Miu was decidedly NOT the Princess of Princess Champion, nor she even get a match to try and win it! She lost in the Quarter Final of the Tokyo Princess Cup to Yuki Kamifuku, ending up fighting for another shot at the International Princess title (Shoko Nakajima got the shot instead) and ended the year booked into a three-way for the vacant Princess Tag Titles in 2024. All of which is to say that Miu Watanabe should be a bigger star than she is, and while you don't want to rush into things, she spent 9 months of 2023 essentially achieving nothing and she's way, way, way too good not to be in a prominent spot in TJPW, especially now that they've lost Yuka Sakazaki and Sakisama from their ranks. Look, I just really like Miu Watanabe, okay? 
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Feb 4, 2024 15:21
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We've now reached the Top 25, and from this point on there are no more ties. Every rank is occupied by a single wrestler, each rank divided by sometimes as little as one point because yes EVERY LIST MAKES A DIFFERENCE! 
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Feb 4, 2024 15:21
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I am reading this J-Ru. I just didn't know if I should post in the middle of your posting. But since I have I will say that 7 of my top 10 are off the board already. Including my #2, #3 & #4. So far Kenoh is the only one to have gotten more than 2 votes, & Suzu Suzuki & Yuma Aoyagi got 2 votes. Beepie got more votes than the 2nd best wrestler of 2023. You had to see it. (Good write-ups so far)
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Feb 4, 2024 15:23
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Thanks, and please anybody feel free to post, it's nice to know this isn't going into the void!
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Feb 4, 2024 15:26
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 Tetsuya Naito - 2022 Position: 42/63 | 2021 Position: 40/63 | 2020 Position: 20/63 | 2019 Position: 13/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 6
It's ironic given the initial Naito push was rejected by crowds who saw him as a shallow corporate attempt to create a new Tanahashi, and the "Stardust Genius" was largely a failure. But after an excursion to Mexico and witnessing first hand the power of Tranquilo, Naito formed a Japanese off-shoot of the Los Ingobernables faction, and a star was Now, any wrestler with an ounce of credibility and self-respect wouldn't allow some older wrestler to come back and simply take away the thing they had invested so much of their motivation and personal story into! So Naito set out to right this wrong, winning the G1 in 2023 and getting himself once again into the main event of Wrestle Kingdom (despite a little trolling from Kazuchika Okada suggesting they have another infamous poll like the one that cost the "Stardust Genius" his first Wrestle Kingdom main event!). While it is outside the range of this year's thread, he of course did go on to "Finish the story" at Wrestle Kingdom in 2024, defeating SANADA and (eventually) doing his roll-call before an adoring, near worshipful crowd. The question now is what next, but that's a matter for 2024's thread, in 2023 Tetsuya Naito is one of Punch Sport Pagoda's Top 25 wrestlers, and arguably Japan's #1.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:26
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 Kento Miyahara - 2022 Position: 53/63 | 2021 Position: 63/63 | 2020 Position: 39/43 | 2019 Position: 42/63 | Times Voted #1: 1 | Total Times Listed: 5
All Japan's highest ranked wrestler, it's no surprise that he is also one of All Japan's most pushed wrestlers. He started the year as Triple Crown champion, won the AJPW Tag Titles at the start of 2023 after winning the Real World Tag League with Takuya Nomura in 2022, finished highly placed in the Champion Carnival, won the AJPW tag titles for a second time (this time with Yuma Aoyagi as part of Zennichi Shin Jidai) and lost them to Voodoo Murders in October. He finished highly in the 2023 version of the Real World Tag League, had another shot at the Triple Crown against Yuma Aoyagi and was the guy chosen to try and defeat interloper (and old Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring stablemate) Katushiko Nakajima when HE defeated Aoyagi. Miyahara was unable to beat Nakajima, but that is part of an ongoing story from as far back as 2008. Miyahara has NEVER beaten Nakajima in any of the 5 singles matches they've had over the last 15 years. Now Nakajima, newly arrived from NOAH with a big fake smile and a love for poking you with a stick when you're trying to sleep, is the Triple Crown Champion. This is surely leading to something big in 2024, but that's for next year. In 2023, Miyahara's performance and the growing visibility of All Japan was enough to get him his highest ranking ever.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:30
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 Switchblade Jay White - 2022 Position: 33/63 | 2021 Position: 62/63 | 2020 Position: 28/43 | 2019 Position: 21/63 | Times Voted #1: 0 | Total Times Listed: 8 It was a horrible start to the year for Switchblade. Hikuleo kicked him out of New Japan in Japan, and then Eddie Kingston got him kicked out of New Japan... entirely! Many people thought he might be going to prison, but instead he wisely chose AEW instead, and things only picked up from there for him as he quickly showcased why he was made the head of Bullet Club post-Kenny Omega in the first place, and why Gedo betrayed his perfect son to side with this detestable pervert instead. Teaming up initially with the deranged Juice Robinson, they expanded to include the Gunns (mockingly called The rear end Boys despite their constant protests to the audience to stop) and formed "Bullet Club Gold", though they also referred to themselves as the "Bang Bang Gang". They were... idiots. But intensely entertaining idiots, with of course a mean streak and a willingness to go beyond the pale to achieve what they wanted, all while goofing off and having a great ol' time... for themselves. Switchblade was at the head of it all, even when he wasn't at a show he was represented by "Cardblade", a cardboard cutout of Switchblade that they immediately put on sale because of course people wanted to get in on the ridiculousness. Gold has continued to elude Switchblade in AEW though, as he and Juice failed to win a 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the tag titles against FTR, and a rather drawn out angle with MJF resulted in Jay failing to beat the champion at Full Gear in a near-30 minute long match. He did so strongly at the inaugural Continental Classic, however, thanks in part to his G1 experience, as even with the usual Bullet Club interference tactics out of the mix he was able to make it to the final of his block, in a Triple Threat against Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland. He ended the year goldless and on the losing end of his World's End 8 man tag against Blackpool Combat Club, Daniel Garcia and Mark Briscoe, but still with momentum as - at a bare minimum - an upper midcard guy who can absolutely hang with the top guys in AEW. He just hasn't managed to get that one big win he needs, but if his time in New Japan taught us anything, it is that he is very persistent and very, very patient when he needs to be.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:35
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 16:39 |
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Kento finishing ahead of the middest wrestler in Japan, Tetsuya Naito, is nice at least.
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Feb 4, 2024 15:35
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