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1. Minoru Suzuki - I thought about this for a while, and honestly, I could've put any of the people in my top 5 in the number one spot, but after mulling it over again and again, I came to the conclusion that it has to be Minoru Suzuki. There is no one in the world who combines technical ability, speed, viciousness, a legitimately terrifying intensity, always consistent and brilliant characterwork and match psychology other than this guy. AND that's not even speaking of him doing all that at over 50 years old. It is absolutely astounding that Minoru has zero problems keeping up with people half his age, who could reasonably be expected to be faster, more agile and more intense than him. KAZE NI NARE!!! 2. Chris Jericho - Jericho has already been summed up here multiple times and I'm just going to echo them while adding that he was a childhood favorite of mine and last year-ish I came to the conclusion that when all is said and done, he might legit be the GOAT. I just hope he'll know when to retire from active in-ring competition, even if he has a few years left in the tank at this point. Let's enjoy the gloriously entertaining, chameleon-like bastard that is Chris Jericho for now, though! 3. Kazuchika Okada - literally the best in the world at pro wrestling, also a wonderful boy who makes me smile every time 4. Tomohiro Ishii - literally the best in the world at pro wrestling, also a stone cold badass who makes me go  every time5. Taichi - it might very well be that I rate Taichi higher as a reaction to people still dunking on him, but Taichi loving rules, and especially this year he's put in some amazing work. His offense is unique (for example the kicks instead of chops in the classic Japanese test of endurance spot) and his character work as the sneering, arrogant, lazy, cheating piece of poo poo is some of the best in the world. And the times when allows the multiple layers of his sleaziness to open to reveal the secret fire hidden deep in his black soul, like in his matches with Ishii, he proves he can also go with the best of them. He's able to draw me into a Naito match in a way no one else on the NJPW roster can. And, of course, you can't talk about Taichi without mentioning Miho Abe. She is Taichi's conscience and perfect angel who he knows will always believe in him, no matter what even if Taichi often ruthlessly uses her in his schemes. Taichi and Miho are simply one of the best pro wrestling acts currently going. 6. Zack Sabre Jr. - I know I'm in for a good time whenever I see my socialist vegan octopus. ZSJ always, always brings out a different side out of his opponents because his style is so unique. 7. Riho - Riho is sweet and wonderful and kicks rear end and I'm happy for her and her big break out year in 2019. I really hope she gets the spotlight she deserves in AEW for years to come. 8. Viktor Tykki - I wanted the final standings to have at least one Finnish name so I needed to choose my favorite from the FCF roster. I went with Viktor Tykki. Imagine a guy who has the body of Kevin Owens and just that aura of intensity like Samoa Joe, coupled with genuinely violent-looking, snappy offense and an excellent grasp of match psychology and his character. Also, he's only been active for a few years and is already in the top 3 wrestlers in this country. There are others like his eternal rival Shemeikka or Salomon Strid who are technically better, but I think this dude is the total package and could be a legit player in the pro wrestling industry if he were to break out of Finland. 9. SANADA - I feel like I've cooled down on SANADA quite a bit this year, mostly due to him being stuck in endless GoD matches and occasionally tending to be formulaic. You don't need to do the double split leap + dropkick combo and the Paradise Lock in every single match, you know. However, the matches with Minoru Suzuki and the G1 Okada match reminded why this dude is the future IWGP champ. People criticize him for lacking intensity and impactful offense, but when he gets to have a big match, you can't help but get sucked in. Also,  10. Shota Umino - also wanted to have an up-and-coming guy here. In my opinion Shota is the best the current crop of Young Lions New Japan has to offer and is going to be a big god drat deal down the road. I honestly can't wait for him to go on excursion and return to become a huge star. Man, this was a lot harder than I thought, and you really have to leave a lot of your favorites out. Last year around this time Tanahashi absolutely would've been on the top of the list, for example, and although he's still been brilliant, he's obviously not in great shape right now. He simply hasn't been the same since that Omega match at WK, unfortunately. Ospreay is also having an insane year of course and should be on everyone's list, but in the very end I still like all of the above people more, mostly because of their characters. There's plenty of others too, of course. a cyborg mug fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Sep 8, 2019 |
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Sep 8, 2019 10:04
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 10:32 |
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Unfortunately I can’t find any information on Viktor Tykki’s age anywhere, including Finnish sources. He’s probably around 23-25 based on what he’s said about his pro wrestling fandom, though.
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Sep 24, 2019 17:56
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Jerusalem is doing exciting stats stuff and asked about the ages of a couple of wrestlers with no information on them
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Sep 24, 2019 18:34
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After this we should do the same for everyone's Top Ten Favorite Active Rowdy Ringsports Posters. This is a really good idea that's not bad at all
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Sep 29, 2019 09:43
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Stone Pitbull 141 posted:I"m going to level with you J-Ru, I've attempted 5 times now to make a list and I just can't decide. I think your name should be considered a vote
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Sep 30, 2019 08:21
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Ishii in the top 5 confirmed 
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Oct 2, 2019 20:36
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 10:32 |
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I hope Okada and Ishii are tied and get married and live happily ever after as Best Wrestling Bros
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Oct 2, 2019 21:19
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