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Senerio posted:Watch her International Princess Title match with Maki Itoh. She's a natural heel and I think her face run in AEW isn't showing the best of her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHxnTfOdMFU
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Jan 25, 2021 09:03
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Rarity posted:I feel like I'm alone in not thinking Thunder Rosa is really that great. Like, she's fine but I think she gets overhyped cause of how light AEW's women's roster was when she came in I agree that she probably wouldn't stand out as much if she didn't appear in a women's wrestling oasis, but she's also one of the best all-around English-speaking wrestlers in America right now imo. Between in-ring, mic work and presence/look she doesn't have a real weakness in her game
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Jan 25, 2021 09:04
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Also, while this isn't her, look at how great adopting this aesthetic is
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Jan 25, 2021 09:07
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xbilkis posted:she's also one of the best all-around English-speaking wrestlers in America right now imo Eh, she's on the same kinda level as Shida and Nyla to me. Which doesn't mean she's bad by any means, it's just that she doesn't stand out to me the way she seems to for others. I wish I got it but I don't 
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Jan 25, 2021 09:08
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That's fair, some wrestlers just don't do it for ya. I feel the same way about a few of the people still to come on this list, and a few people who have been posted on this list reasonably recently. They're good and I can see why they place as high as they do, but I honestly could take or leave them.
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Jan 25, 2021 09:09
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 Zack Sabre Jr. - 2019 Position: #12 (no change) | Times Voted #1: 1 The big story at the start of 2020 for Zack Sabre Jr was the obvious passing of the torch of his RevPro British Heavyweight Championship to Will Ospreay. After successfully defending the belt against SANADA and then getting a surprise win over Ospreay at The New Beginning in Sapporo, ZSJ had to defend his belt against at RevPro High States in York Hall in London. People were super excited, and delighted when Ospreay won.... boy, what a difference a few months makes, eh? After that, ZSJ spent several months doing nothing due to COVID, but quickly returned to action once New Japan was up and running again. Losing to Kota Ibushi in the first round of the New Japan Cup, he jumped back into tag action with Suzuki-Gun stablemate Taichi, and together as Dangerous Tekkers they won the IWGP Tag Titles from Golden Ace, getting a small measure of revenge against Kota Ibushi. He and Taichi feuded with Golden Ace (Tanahashi and Ibushi) for a bit, missing out on a shot for the Six Man Tag Titles after they and Kanemaru lost to Golden Ace and Master Wato, but getting revenge again by retaining their own tag titles in a rematch with Golden Ace in August. ZSJ had a strong showing at the G1 Climax, ending on 10 points, but despite a victory on the final night of the World Tag League, he and Taichi weren't able to win the tournament itself. Overall it was a successful year for ZSJ, though clearly the momentum was stronger for him at the start of the year before COVID hit. He's found a strong niche in New Japan though, a high position in Suzuki-Gun as one of Suzuki's Top Lieutenants (and best friend of the person most likely to replace Suzuki as leader, Taichi), always delivers in singles matches AND is a top guy in the tag division. If he was simply just a consistent performer and nothing else, he'd be worthy of a high rank. If he was simply a high skilled technical wrestler that would be worthy of a high rank. If he was simply a master poo poo-talker, that would be worthy of a high rank. He happens to be all three, and that puts him over the top and keeps him at the same high ranking he held in 2019.
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Jan 25, 2021 09:11
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the worst sin of NXT UK existing is we don't get anymore WALTER v ZSJ matches
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Jan 25, 2021 09:13
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Oh hey the exact same spot as last year!
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Jan 25, 2021 09:16
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Just a reminder that COVID cost us a ZSJ/Moxley feud  I feel like Zack kinda got lost in the shuffle in 2020. Obviously I love Dangerous Tekkers but they've mostly been a vehicle to push Taichi while Zack's taken more of a backseat. I really hope he gets a decent stretch of singles time in 2021 so he can remind everyone just how good he is. Anyway, here's my favourite ZSJ promo of the year in which he is as impressed as the rest of us at YOSHI-HASHI's improvement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbgeAvNWs4o&t=31s
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Jan 25, 2021 09:16
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Artelier posted:Oh hey the exact same spot as last year! Zack Stable Jr.
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Jan 25, 2021 09:16
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Rarity posted:Just a reminder that COVID cost us a ZSJ/Moxley feud If we're posting favourite ZSJ promos this is my choice  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq3XXDWA3iA
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Jan 25, 2021 09:18
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Artelier posted:Oh hey the exact same spot as last year! *shakes fist at ZSJ winning another best technical wrestler award* like yes i know his style and the best at it but like as much as I enjoy ZSJ I can't in good conscience say as a technical wrestlers matches i enjoy see him week in/week out than like Daniel Bryan or Dean Malenko or Kurt Angle or Eddie or [REDACTED] Timothy Thatcher seems to be showing great promise though but he's on a show no one watches or cares about.
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Jan 25, 2021 09:20
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Lid posted:*shakes fist at ZSJ winning another best technical wrestler award* The depressing thing is people seem to care about Thatcher even less than everything else in NXT.
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Jan 25, 2021 09:26
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Jerusalem posted:
I just have to point out that Mochizuki had a slightly more successful year than that. He won the GHC HW Tag belts with Marufuji, and he was also great in the N1. Just have to give him his due
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Jan 25, 2021 09:28
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Rarity posted:Just a reminder that COVID cost us a ZSJ/Moxley feud Just think how many of these promos that were stolen from us  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDES8MkZtaA&t=212s
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Jan 25, 2021 09:32
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 Yuka Sakazaki - 2019 Position: #47 (+36 places improvement) | Times Voted #1: 0 Rey Fenix - 2019 Position: #34 (+23 places improvement) | Times Voted #1: 0 Yuka Sakazaki started 2020 with a successful title defense of the Princess of Princess title against Miyu Yamashita in TJPW's first show of the year. Then, between matches for TJPW she also made several highly welcome appearances in AEW where she defeated Britt Baker, lost a fourway against Hikaru Shida, Big Swole and Shanna, and finally lost a tag match with Riho against Britt Baker and Penelope Ford. She returned to Japan for a couple more TJPW matches and then.... nothing for 2 months, as COVID shut down everything in Japan, a sadly recurring theme for many of the people on this list. When TJPW finally returned, it would be another couple of months before her next title defense, a successful match against Yuki Aino at Brand New Wrestling 4 ~ Ubau Nakare, Atae Tamae ~. After that she made it to the second round of the Princess Cup where she lost to Hyper Misao, and then spent most of the rest of the year in a variety of non-title singles matches and various tag matches. The title matches mentioned were well regarded and got a few MOTYC votes (not quite enough to hit the threshold sadly), and of course people loved seeing her in AEW and loved even more hearing her infectiously fun theme music (which spawned the  thread icon)... but why is she rated so incredibly highly on the list? So high that she is, in fact, the highest ranked woman wrestler for 2020? Well perhaps because she main evented what in terms of sheer numbers alone was the greatest wrestling PPV of not just 2020 but perhaps the entire history of Punchsport Pagoda? Yes, on the 7th of November, a day that also included the highly lauded NJPW Power Struggle and AEW Full Gear, TJPW ran the WRESTLE PRINCESS Show, and it garnered the biggest outpouring of awestruck MOTYC nominations in forums history. 7 of the 10 matches on the card successfully managed MOTYC nominations, and people raved about match after match on the card. Spearheading it all was Yuka Sakazaki vs. Mizuki for the Princess of Princess Championship, a match that Yuka won AND that garnered her a second place finish in the Champ of the Month thread for November, which left some people feeling sore that she didn't win outright (she did win in July for her match with Yuki Aino). She is, quite frankly, a remarkable talent, and it isn't arguable that she is the most popular woman wrestler in Punchsport Pagoda, because the votes are in and she IS. There was no more popular/favorite woman wrestler in 2020, Yuka Sakazaki is it.While I was writing the above, Rey Fenix died horribly when he fell off an extremely high thing and landed directly on his head, severing his spine and immediately killi- oh never mind he's up and doing moonsaults already. Fenix is one of the most incredible wrestlers of his generation, the exception that proves the rule when people say it is impossible that there will ever be a "new" Rey Mysterio Jr. He does things that shouldn't be possible, he controls his body in ways that make no sense, defies physics with high-flying and pulls them off expertly... except for when he doesn't, and even then he somehow leaps up and continues just fine after crashes that would paralyze or kill most anybody else. He's not just crazy high risking moves though, he knows how to structure and pace a match, how to exactly hit the right spots to do the crazy poo poo that blows peoples minds. In 2020, we were robbed of Triangulo de la Muerte and a feud with The Best Friends due to COVID, but when he returned and hooked up with Eddie Kingston, we got the joy of watching him not only deliver the goods in the ring but see Eddie's manipulations to turn Fenix and Pentagon against each other for HIS benefit, and thrilled to the unexpected return of PAC as a good guy!?! His match against his brother Pentagon was astonishing, but sadly cost us a match against Kenny Omega (they had it in 2021 instead and holy fucccck). Most people expected Lucha Bros to be tag champs by now, and it is to AEW's credit they've managed to keep things fresh while sidelining them from championship gold, fitting them into wonderful feuds with other trios. Even more exciting though is the knowledge that if he isn't being part of one of the best tag teams in the world, Fenix is more than capable of being one of the best singles wrestlers in the world. Just... just don't kill yourself in the process, Fenix!
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Jan 25, 2021 09:37
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Taichi just made the top 10 
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Jan 25, 2021 09:40
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Rarity posted:Taichi just made the top 10 It was never in doubt and 2019 was Wrong 
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Jan 25, 2021 09:43
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I'm super tired so I'm not gonna do a full writeup on Yuka vs Mizuki like I did with Saki Akai vs Hyper Misao but it was my legit Match of the Year, it's the match where the Whirling Candy gif is from, and much more importantly is the connection between the two wrestlers. Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki are the Magical Sugar Rabbits, the second-longest reigning Princess Tag Team Champions, having held the title from August 25, 2018 to June 8, 2019, dropping them to Neo Biishiki-gun (Misao and Sakisama). The friendship between the two was so strong, that in order to psych herself up to fight Yuka, Mizuki covered her ears so she wouldn't get excited at her friend's theme song. The two are tagging at the next big TJPW show on the 11th, against Suzume and Arisu Endo. Just pointing out that that match was a pretty huge deal, as was Yuka's defense against Miyu at the Jan 4th show. Yuka and Miyu have been on-and-off rivals throughout the entirety of Yuka's wrestling career which is most of TJPW's history. That is covered in the documentary on Yuka and Miyu by the dude who did the Misao one I keep pushing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxJr0r4gKU Senerio fucked around with this message at 09:48 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 09:45
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Also yes, watch Wrestle Princess it was phenomenal and every match was at the very least "great"
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Jan 25, 2021 09:52
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 Shingo Takagi - 2019 Position: #11 (+1 place improvement) | Times Voted #1: 1 Taking one step up from 2019 and breaking into the Top Ten, Shingo Takagi also continues his climb up the rankings in New Japan. Winning the Never Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto at the New Beginning in Sapporo (his second MOTYC of the year), he defended it against Tomohiro Ishii at New Japan Road in February (another MOTYC) and then again against SHO in July (another MOTYC following a MOTYC against SHO in June during the New Japan Cup) before losing the title to Minoru Suzuki in August (another MOTYC) and then winning it back against him in November at Power Struggle (another MOTYC) oh and also between then he had a bunch of other singles matches that were, you guessed it, MOTYCs. Yes, he managed 13 MOTYCs this year, more than one a month which is even more remarkable considering New Japan didn't actually run any shows for several months! The point is that Shingo Takagi is one of the best wrestlers in the world (always has been, his supporters are quick to point out) and he only seems to be getting better with age. Ever since he came to New Japan he has been working his way up, and the signs in 2021 are that he'll be taking that extra step further by feuding with company Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi. That's for next year's thread though, in 2020 all you need to know is that he's just an incredibly cool guy who may or may not secretly be a dragon, and that every single time he gets into the ring the match quality is just out of this world good. But wait! It's not over yet!  Kota Ibushi - 2019 Position: #5 (-5 places dropped) | Times Voted #1: 2 Yes we have a tie, as 2019's #5 drops somewhat down the list but manages to just hold on to his position in the Top 10. Kota Ibushi had a rough 2020, as his destiny to become IWGP Champion was denied at Wrestle Kingdom by living God Kazuchika Okada. Let down by his failure, Ibushi looked to his other God, company Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi for direction as they formed the Tag Team Golden Ace. Things seemed to go well at first as they defeated Guerrillas of Destiny to become the Tag Team Champions, but after Ibushi failed in the New Japan Cup they also lost the titles to Dangerous Tekkers at Dominion. Tanahashi began to question whether he was still able to go at the highest level, a mindset that upset and unsettled Ibushi, who was looking for mentorship from the same God who destroyed his hopes for title gold at the G1 Climax 28. When they failed at their effort to regain the titles, Ibushi saw that he would have to do this for himself, and went on to win the G1 Climax 30. He'd won the G1 before though and that wasn't enough, and so he vowed that he would not run away or let anybody down... he would BECOME GOD! Choosing to believe in himself, to attack and dethrone God because really Kota Ibushi is just a real life anime, Ibushi looked to an end of the year where he would finally achieve his destiny... at which point THAT DETESTABLE PERVERT SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE CHEATED HE loving CHEATED to steal the G1 Briefcase and steal away Ibushi's destiny once more. Ibushi was stunned, it had happened again, only for Double Champion Tetsuya Naito to say the hell with that bullshit and challenge Ibushi himself to the Night 1 Main Event, since Switchblade had smugly declared he would cash in on Night 2. So Ibushi ended the year with his hopes of Godhood and a destiny fulfilled still intact, and that was good enough for the goons of Punchsport Pagoda to keep him in their top ten favorite active wrestlers... just shared with the living dragon Shingo Takagi. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 10:22
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ok I'm a little comforted by the fact that it didn't matter that I neglected to put Yuka on my top 10. If #10 was like 8 points away I'd feel sad about it.
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Jan 25, 2021 10:26
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Taichi now confirmed a higher finish than maybe the best NEVER champ ever and God himself
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Jan 25, 2021 10:26
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I genuinely didn't expect anyone outside the TJPW contingent to put literally anybody I would put onto the list which is why I took some of the big names off for some AEW names. Forgetting Miyu, though, was 100% on me.
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Jan 25, 2021 10:28
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 Taichi - 2019 Position: #19 (+10 places improved) | Times Voted #1: 2 In 2020, Taichi suffered the toughest and most horrific challenge of his life... he had to start coming to the ring without valet Miho Abe. Despite that though, he toughed through it and found himself in a remarkable position: the lazy man who only ever put in the barest effort found himself forced into matches where he had to go at it just as hard as his opponents to survive... and he did... and he thrived. This may have been the best in-ring year of the 40-year-old wrestler's life, further evidence that his movement up into the heavyweight division was absolutely to his benefit. Fans took notice too, as people who once dismissed him as a gimmick or unworthy of the pushes he was getting started to see him in a fresh light, and to appreciate everything he did in the ring. His strong showings in the New Japan Cup and the G1 Climax showed he was more than just a tag team specialist, and while nothing has explicitly been said it has started to seem more and more apparent that Taichi may be the heir-apparent to the throne of Suzuki-Gun, especially after Taichi beat his terrifying boss Minoru Suzuki during the G1. The singles stuff is the icing on the cake to his qualities as a tag team wrestler though, as his ongoing friendship with Zack Sabre Jr has seen them have success after success as the Dangerous Tekkers. They ended 2020 as the tag team champions, which didn't last long into 2021, but whether he sticks in the tag division or makes another serious push as a singles wrestler, he'll be a welcome addition. When you watch a Taichi match, you used to be able to rely on some entertainment, and while he still has fun in his matches (his disastrous decision to get into a kick battle with Kota Ibushi for example), nowadays you can absolutely expect and get delivered a quality singles match in its own right. But that's not all!  Minoru Suzuki - 2019 Position: #8 (-1 place dropped) | Times Voted #1: 1 Yes, it's another tie, as Taichi's Boss Minoru Suzuki doesn't quite let his underling fully surpass him just yet. Minoru Suzuki was one of those wrestlers who was able to excel during the empty arena era following the return from the COVID hiatus. His brutal murder-grandpa wars with Yuji Nagata were a thing to behold. While he was knocked out early from the New Japan Cup, he did manage a highlight by winning the NEVER Openweight Title from Shingo Takagi not long after. His G1 Climax did not go well, especially his loss to underling Taichi, and he lost his title back to Shingo at Power Struggle in November. But it will be a moment from before COVID though that most people will probably remember his 2020 for. THIS moment, one of the coolest things seen all year and the match that followed at The New Beginning in Osaka: A reminder that for as good as New Japan wrestling has managed to remain during COVID, things are gonna go banana when fully vocal crowds can return. For as good as Minoru Suzuki can be in an empty arena or one where the crowds must not use their voices, it will be even better when everybody can finally sing ♪ KAZE NI NARE! ♪ But wait, it's not over yet!  John Silver - 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 1 A brand new entry onto the list also makes it into the Top 10, getting equal points to Minoru Suzuki and Taichi... and he's a kid, a 29-year-old kid! John Silver was one of THE finds of 2020, initially just one of the also-ran background guys from the indies (Beaver Boys fans will take exception to this description I'm sure) who was making up the numbers in The Dark Order. Then something magical happened, as he was involved in skits on Being The Elite and started showing more of his real personality, and unlike in WWE the management reacted by telling him to go with what came naturally to him and be more like that on Dynamite too. Suddenly instead of just being Dark Order Member #4, he was John Silver, weirdo little hyperactive (29-year-old) kid who drove The Exalted One up the wall and continually caused no end of problems for The Dark Order as he and partner Alex Reynolds took it upon themselves to be the group's recruitment specialists. But a funny thing happens when somebody gets to be themselves and do goofy stuff... people start liking it! By the end of 2020, it was clear that The Dark Order were defacto faces, and after the Brodie Lee memorial show it was undeniable. They'd gone from cultists trying to attract members to a bunch of weirdo but supportive friends just having themselves a great time, and nobody set a clearer example of that than John Silver himself. Even Mr. Brodie Lee had come to reluctantly accept and appreciate him by his final appearance, a sweet way to end their on-screen pairing, and Silver's efforts over the last few weeks of 2020 to finally achieve the impossible and recruit Hangman Adam Page were some of the most entertaining aspects of a very entertaining show. Also, it's late to mention it... but he's also a really good wrestler! Zooming all over the ring, demonstrating crazy power moves because for as short as he is he also has arms the size of tree trunks, exhibiting incredible cardio, Silver isn't just vastly entertaining as a personality but a drat fine wrestler too, and well deserving of his final placement within Punchsport Pagoda's Top 10 active wrestlers. And that IS it. This was the final draw, every other ranking from this point forward is a single wrestler only. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 10:53
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Taichi and Suzuki finishing on the exact same points is 
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Jan 25, 2021 11:00
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 Orange Cassidy - 2019 Position: #16 (+8 places improvement) | Times Voted #1: 1 One of the big questions as the start of 2020 was whether Orange Cassidy's obvious popularity could last, especially once he finally had to actually get into the ring and actually put any kind of effort into his fighting. The answer, based on the end of 2020, is that yes his popularity absolutely WOULD last. In his first big match for AEW, Orange Cassidy had an incredible MOTYC against PAC, two wrestlers who couldn't be more opposed to each other: Cassidy languid and low-effort, PAC constantly in a state of rage and determined to put in the most effort possible to achieve his goals (beating the poo poo out of people). But would OC survive the novelty of those times he put in effort? The answer, again, was yes! With matches on Dark, Dynamite and on PPV, Orange Cassidy continued to shift expertly from no-effort to some-effort to (sometimes) high effort. What was remarkable though was the demonstration of his complete body-control: it takes tremendous effort to make something look effortless, and OC doing high flying moves and counters while keeping his hands in his pockets was a remarkable sight to behold. Plus his Superman Punch is utterly astounding. Though his matches with Chris Jericho didn't hit the highs that the one with PAC did, like with PAC they were a fantastic clash of personalities, with Jericho's self-importance and willingness to humiliate himself mixing wonderfully with Orange Cassidy not really particularly caring about what was going on or feeling any obligation to pay for Jericho's (increasingly) orange juice splattered suit. The only thing OC has really been missing since then is an active opponent to feud with, he's had matches against MJF, Cody, Mr. Brodie Lee, John Silver etc among others, but the clearest direction he's had for a feud has been as an addition to the Best Friends vs. Kip Sabian and Miro, though this may go new places in 2021. It's clear fans aren't sick of seeing him, whether he's been in-character sleeping on guest commentary or doing remarkable things in the ring, his status as a fan-favorite doesn't appear to be a flash-in-the-pan. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Jan 29, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 11:04
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Just some Orange Cassidy 2020 highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c1VQAAgyVQ&t=32s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmBz04zFyRg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ-L7knAC2Q I'm really excited to see where OC goes with this Miro feud now that he has a reason to care about something again
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Jan 25, 2021 11:14
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Another thing COVID stole from us: the Suzuki/OC match
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Jan 25, 2021 11:15
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 Tomohiro Ishii - 2019 Position: #2 (-5 places dropped) | Times Voted #1: 2 Last year's silver medalist drops down to #7 this year, but held up far, far, far better than last year's #1, Kazuchika Okada. One possible reason why is that, like Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki, Ishii's style can survive and even thrive in low-to-no crowd situations. Crazily, he had an "off" year with only 11 MOTYCs in 2020, compared to the 16 he got in 2019. There were no real stories for Ishii, no arcs or character developments beyond maybe being a spoiler in the G1 due to points totals. The thing is, you don't really NEED all that stuff for Ishii, because the story is always the same and it always rules: a sentient fire hydrant is gonna start hitting you extremely hard, and expects you to hit it back just as hard. Ishii brings the best out of all his opponents, which is both his strength and his weakness because New Japan's bookers know they can have him lose as much as they want and it's never gonna stop people from being super-psyched for his matches. It does however mean until he eventually hits one lariat too many and crumples into dust, you can always slot him in for a title match and he's instantly believable as a real threat. He's not JUST a big (little) guy who hits you really hard though, plenty of wrestlers can do that. He is the absolutely unrivaled master of knowing exactly when to sell and when NOT to sell, and the times he chooses to do either can raise a very good match into something spectacular. As his 11 MOTYCs demonstrate in a year where New Japan took several months off, he continues to make things spectacular on a regular basis.
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Jan 25, 2021 11:18
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Not surprised that Ishii dropped a few spots, he never got any focus in New Japan in 2020. That Taichi match was banger though.
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Jan 25, 2021 11:25
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Once again STONE PITBULL TOUGH AND HARD has been criminally underrated.
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Jan 25, 2021 11:25
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Wish I'd thrown a vote to Uncle Nobu, sucks he's the only member of Suzuki-gun that didn't make the list
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Jan 25, 2021 11:28
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Also J-Ru neglected to mention that Taichi racked up 10 MOTYCs in 2020
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Jan 25, 2021 11:30
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 Mr. Brodie Lee - 2019 Position: #63 (57 places improvement!) | Times Voted #1: 0 Beyond the obvious, it's a goddamn tragedy. For his family of course, for his friends and loved ones, it's just horrible that they were robbed of his wonderful presence in their lives for decades to come. The sudden and shocking death of Jonathan Huber, better known to wrestling fans as Mr. Brodie Lee or Luke Harper, must always be looked at first and foremost for the impact it will have on his family. It is a wonderful thing that they got to see such an outpouring of love for him, that the final AEW Dynamite of the year - one of the best wrestling shows ever to air - was dedicated entirely to and all about the impact he had on his co-workers and friends. By far on the lesser end of the scale is what WE will all miss, the fans who know we'll never get to see what he might have done next with the Dark Order, or the mouth-watering potential matchups he might have had against the likes of Triangulo de la Muerte or Eddie Kingston's family or even Team Taz. We already missed out on so much for things that seem so petty and unimportant now: WWE's failure to understand what they had in Luke Harper (who only managed a single point in the 2019 version of this thread), the long period he spent doing nothing while wanting to express himself creatively. What we can take solace in is that from his arrival in AEW right up to his final appearances on Dynamite and Being The Elite, we got to experience something magical. He doesn't rank this highly simply because of the tragic circumstances of his death, but because in the short time he was in AEW he was absolutely a revelation. Not just a big, scary looking dude, he was articulate and calculating which made him all the more terrifying. That he also had an incredible sense of humor and the ability to switch up and become more comedic as circumstances dictated just further demonstrated what a rare all-around talent he was. He debuted too late in 2020 to enjoy live crowds, his debut - intended for his hometown of Rochester - happened in a largely empty arena instead, but despite that he managed to make everything he was doing seem like a big deal. He dominated early in singles matches against the likes of Marko Stunt and Christopher Daniels (who many suspected might be the real Exalted One early on) but hit a roadblock when he went after AEW Champion Jon Moxley. That might have marked yet another roadblock like he experienced in WWE where they never quite pulled the trigger on him as a top guy, but instead they tied him into the prominent TNT title storyline. His squash of Cody Rhodes in barely 3 minutes in August was one of the most perfect things I have ever seen in wrestling, made even better by the incredible post-match segment. He defeated Dustin Rhodes, an obvious first challenger and then Orange Cassidy too, before returning the favor and losing to Cody Rhodes in a Dog Collar rematch. It was his last match for AEW, only 7 months after his debut... but what an incredible 7 months. It's hard to imagine what we could have gotten from Mr. Brodie Lee over the years to come, and it's sad to think we'll never see him again. But we have the memories, and the storylines he started managed to somehow feel complete even before the cathartic beauty of the last Dynamite of 2020. Rest in Peace, Jonathan Huber, he'll never appear in one of these rankings again, but he more than deserved his place in this one. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 11:34
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O7nC60mHas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEfGXD2VrvY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syOW2eS7Bcc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCOTSPSDCyc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzFY5RT4b0 Deserved so much more than he got, absolutely proved he was a main event level talent, amazing father, wonderful husband, to lose him was so unfair Rarity fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 11:38
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 Hiromu Takahashi - 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 3 Last year people wanted to vote for Hiromu but they couldn't, because his career was over. He kept claiming he would be back when his neck was 1000%, but he'd been gone for so long that everybody knew that he wasn't ever coming back. But then, in November of 2019, over a year since he broke his neck, just over a month after the previous thread had ended, Takahashi returned. But surely he would have lost a step, he'd be more timid, more careful or at least gunshy, right? Well... no, he literally announced his return by running and jumping directly into a ring barricade! Winning back the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom Night 1, he would hold onto it until August (though keep in mind the several month COVID hiatus) where he would lose it to Taiji Ishimori, and go on a quest to earn another shot for it at the 2021 Wrestle Kingdom. Inbetween all of that though, he had a series of incredible matches, both title defenses, New Japan Cup and Best of the Super Junior tournament matches, and even had a shot at the vacant IWGP Junior Tag Titles with BUSHI. The match that probably stands out the most from a storyline point of view though was his reaction and efforts and to get revenge on EVIL's betrayal of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Hiromu, at the time the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion, fought EVIL in a match for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. People convinced themselves that the show being called Sengoku Lord was prophetic, and that Hiromu would "Unify" the promotion. It wasn't to be, Dick Togo interfering to save EVIL (which would become a common refrain) which drove Jushin Liger on commentary into a frenzy at seeing the Jr. Heavyweight Champion cheated out of a historic win. That's the kind of energy and spirit that Hiromu is able to generate in fans and other wrestlers alike though, as his astonishing match with El Desperado mentioned earlier up thread demonstrated. Hiromu is back, he's as good (and insane) as ever, and it's for that reason and many others that he ranks in 2020 as Punchsport Pagoda's TOP New Japan wrestler. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Jan 29, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 11:52
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Hiromu dragging washed-rear end Honma to his best match in like 4 years was probably the most impressive thing he did in all of 2020
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Jan 25, 2021 11:56
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Some say that Hiromu and Ryu Lee are still stood in a ring slapping the poo poo out of each other to this very day
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Jan 25, 2021 11:58
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| # ? May 16, 2024 19:20 |
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Hiromu's match vs Ryu Lee was insanely good.
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Jan 25, 2021 11:58
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