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I'm throwing this top 10 off the top of my head, so I will probably forget some of my favourites. Disclaimer: WALTER and Daniel Bryan would be my top two picks, but the other wrestles on a show that doesn't exist and the other only has one match I was bothered to check out during the past year (DBD vs Gulak @EC). HMs: Chuck Taylor, Shun Skywalker, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Toru Yano, Masato Yoshino, Chuck Mambo 10. Stark Adder (FCF Wrestling, ??) The obligatory local Finnish guy. Adder is one of the few veterans of the Finnish scene, debuting in 2004 (being the second most experienced Finn in the wrestling business) and probably the best technical wrestler this country has produced. Has really been on a great run the past few years delivering every time he steps in the ring. He might possess a negative amount of mic skills, but the crowd adores him anyways, as the shouts of "Nylje se!" (loosely translated to "Skin him/her!") rally him on. For some reasons there's really no info about the ages of our wrestlers, so sorry about that. 9. Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 38) Let's be honest, his GHC Heavyweight run this year has made me a fan and his every big match is a must watch, even if I don't have the time to watch NOAH shows in their entirety. Best wrestler of the year 2020, don't let any awards tell you otherwise. 8. Brian Cage (AEW, 36) The first PWG show I ever watched was Threemendous III in 2012 and that was the first time I saw Brian Cage. His Discus Lariat immediately made me a fan and I've followed most of his major work ever since as his reputation (and muscle mass) has grown. He was great in PWG, awesome in Lucha Underground, good in Impact and a great pairing with Taz in AEW. Just a big ball of beef who knows next to nothing about in-ring psychology, but man, he can pull of some moves and sequences. 7. Don Fujii (Dragon Gate, 50) I've always enjoyed the trope of the old, grumpy wrestler beating the figurative shite out of young wrestlers. I'd argue there are few better at this than the great Don Fujii. I've probably missed the peak of his career (as I started to check out Dragon Gate in around 2014/15 and the old DG material is tough to find) but that hasn't really mattered. 6. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 33) The man who has a made a deal with the devil: knows every possible submission hold to exist, can't keep one locked in for more than 10 seconds. I kid, he has gotten a lot better with that since he joined NJPW. Stylistically a welcome pallet cleanser in NJPW, where his submission style has the room to stand out. His great promos are just a cherry on top. 5. Matt Sydal (AEW, 37) When I started watching wrestling in 2008 (I know), I had few guys that kept me watching WWE most weeks. When I found a way to watch WWECW the next year, I saw Matt Sydal, then Evan Bourne, for the first time. And he became my favourite wrestler. I kept watching Raw FOR YEARS just to see Matt Sydal have a match... and usually job to The Miz or Jack Swagger. There were highs (PPV match with Jericho, great MITB performances, Air Boom) and lows (lower card jobber for 85% of his run). After smoking just a bit too much weed and getting shown the door, Sydal has stayed consistently great in the subsequent years. 4. Hangman Page (AEW, 29) While THE star of AEW is Jon Moxley, Hangman Page IS AEW. This is the cornerstone, this is the most crucial building block the company has. If everything goes right, he's THE star for the next ten years. Charismatic, great in the ring and has a good sense of humor. 3. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 52) He might be 52, but he is still just the best. 2. Masaaki Mochizuki (Dragon Gate, 50) He's turning 51 this weekend, but that hasn't really slowed down the iron man of Dragon Gate. Despite not being part of the major storyline of the year, Mochi is still a delight every time he steps in the ring. 1. Kaito Ishida (Dragon Gate, 25) The Kick Boy is my boy. When I got into Dragon Gate, Ishida and Takehiro Yamamura (rip) we're their current young boys. I quickly took a liking to them and Ishida has been a favourite since. His heel run has really shown the world that he's a DG main eventer in the making.
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Jan 15, 2021 16:31
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 04:14 |
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