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Big caveat to my list is that I only watch AEW with the occasional indie match on YouTube. From when I had a NJPW sub, I know guys like Shingo and Ishii would be high on my list if I watched them, but ah well. My list is based on who I am most excited to see on a show right now. 1. Kenny Omega. He’s the best bout machine, and every time he’s in the ring he puts on ridiculous performances. I don’t think he’s had anything approaching a bad match since AEW started, and since Dynamite started he’s been amazing. He does comedy spots, crazy hardcore matches with Joey and Moxley, put on one of the best tag matches I’ve seen, and is currently doing a weird territory wrestler champion thing that I am here for. My only issue with Kenny is that I’m never really going to root against him. 2. Adam Page. When Dynamite started who would have guessed that we’d all become invested in the most boring overpushed babyface in the company? Pre-covid the beer drinking in the crowds bit was just so relatable. Post covid the spiral into alcoholism was sadly also relatable, and it was genuinely good storytelling as his partnership with Omega collapsed. The tournament and their first meeting was sooner than I expected but I’m very excited to see where they take Hangman next, and how he eventually overcomes his demons (hopefully with the help of some creepy friends). 3. Nick Jackson. Best hot tag in the business, and with his brother part of the best tag matches in AEW. The ladder match, the bout with Cowboy Bebop, and the FTR match which ended up being just amazing in-ring storytelling. The way the young bucks seem to now be using their championship to put the shine on younger teams is also really great, and I’m sure it’ll lead to some incredible matches. Nick gets the top nod of the two bucks because unlike his brother, who was only in one of the best singles matches since dynamite started (the BTE brothers match), Nick also had an absolute banger against Fenix. 4. MJF. My problem with Kenny as a heel is that he’s just so good that I never want him to be anywhere but at the top. MJF, despite proving in his match with Jungle Boy at DoN20 that he is also a really good wrestler, does not present that problem to me. As he proved with -1, MJF is just the worst. Between never breaking kayfabe, bringing the heeling into his wrestling in a major way (why do moves the crowd wants?), and just constantly pushing the envelope with his attitude while also always getting his comeuppance, he just makes me want to watch. 5. Matt Jackson. Everything I said about Nick except he didn’t have the singles match with Fenix. I think I like Matt’s wrestling a tiny bit more though. He plays the rear end in a top hat in-ring very well. 6. Nyla Rose. Women doing power moves loving rules. Like Kenny and the Bucks, Nyla has been in all the best women’s matches. Her matches with Riho were superb and her no rules match with Shida was one of the best on a very good card. The only issue with Nyla is the booking keeping her off my tv, and Vicky. I was open to Vicky being with her but it’s been months and nothing has come of it, Nyla has just faded more into the background. It sucks, because she didn’t really need a manager anyway, her promos were great. 7. Sammy Guevara. Amazing flippy wrestler with some cool power spots (that absurd mid match squat), Sammy is up here mainly because the vlog lets him really show his personality, and it makes me want to see more. His match with Darby at Revolution was wrestling on speed, and the whole run up to DoN20 in the summer was crazy. Since his well warranted time off with the company in the summer he’s really cooled down, but I circle his matches to pay close attention to. 8. Eddie Kingston. Eddie was the standout in the very limited NWA I watched when that show first hit YouTube. But he’s an overweight guy in his late 30s who can’t really do the cool things I associate with AEW so he doesn’t fit there. Or so I thought. I love Eddie. Like MJF, his wrestling fits his personality, which elevates a style that would otherwise not really interest me, but unlike MJF Eddie seems genuine. Every promo is “in character” but feels like it’s also got a core of truth to it, and it’s just really cool to see and so easy to become invested in the story as a result. His feud with Mox was the brightest burning story on Dynamite. 9. Brandon Cutler. I knew that I didn’t understand wrestling booking when I saw an early AEW match between Brandon and Shawn Spears, and Brandon was presented as the jobber. Amazing shape, great flippy moves, has actual personality in the ring, and deceptively big. His feud with Peter Avalon was must watch tv and my favorite AEW feud of the year. I want him to succeed on tv. He needs to lose the rpg gimmick though. The tenth spot could be just about anyone, but I’m going to give it to someone who would have probably been a lot higher if they hadn’t been injured this year. 10. Kris Statlander. Kris is my favorite female wrestler, it really sucks that she injured her knee. I don’t care about her alien gimmick, I just think she’s an awesome wrestler. Hopefully she comes back strong in the new year.
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Jan 2, 2021 16:51
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That was pretty a awesome countdown Jerusalem! Thanks for organizing it and doing all that work. Did not expect Hangman to run away with it the way he did, but it makes sense. His anxiety and twisted sense of self worth, and his propensity to self sabotage, are the most relatable characteristics of any professional wrestler I’ve ever watched. Plus he’s a great wrestler and extremely handsome.
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Jan 25, 2021 14:27
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