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Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

In 2007, I made a thread wherein WrestleHut2000 chose their top ten favorite wrestlers of all time. In 2019, I thought it might be fun to do a similar thread again, this time showcasing FIGHT ISLAND's Top Ten Currently Active Wrestlers, followed by another version in 2020.

So here we are, our chance to once again write up a top ten list of our current favorites, assign points for places and then find out who we as a forum truly loved the most in 2021. Last year was the first year where AEW was around and they dominated well over twice the number of wrestlers from their promotion than closest competitor New Japan, and twice the domination of 2019's top promotion of WWE (!). It will be very interesting (I hope) to see how things change from last year, as the new "normal" of COVID affected perception of some promotions (New Japan in particular) but we also saw a greater diversity of promotions being easily accessible: NOAH, DDT, TJPW, GCW, ChocoPro, BJW, SEAdLINNNG etc.

So here is how it is going to work - think about all the wrestlers currently working in major promotions, the indies, in America, Japan, Britain, Australia, Finland and anywhere else in the world. Write up who you are your current favorites, rank them from one to ten and then post them here in the thread. Feel free to go into as much or as little detail as you want as to why you've chosen who you've chosen, or to argue the case for any one (or more) particular wrestler you want to.

I'll accept lists posted up till midnight Eastern on the 23rd of January. Points will be assigned to each of the selected wrestlers and we'll see how each wrestler ranks - who the forum's overall favorite is and how other wrestlers rank beside them. Points will work based on individual rankings, with 10 points for a 1st place rank and 1 point for a 10th place rank. So for example:

Poster A posted:

1. Hangman Adam Page
2. Daniel Garcia
3. Bron Breakker
4. Roderick Strong
5. Eddie Kingston
6. Katsuhiko Nakajima
7. Deonna Purrazzo
8. Yuka Sakazaki
9. Kazuchika Okada
10. Moose

Poster B posted:

1. Eddie Kingston
2. Adam Cole
3. Daniel Garcia
4. Yuka Sakazaki
5. Hangman Adam Page
6. Miu Watanabe
7. Tomohiro Ishii
8. Hyper Misao
9. Katsuhiko Nakajima
10. Deonna Purrazzo

Would result in:

Daniel Garcia = 17
Eddie Kingston = 16
Hangman Adam Page = 16
Yuka Sakazaki = 10
Adam Cole = 9
Bron Breakker = 8
Katsuhiko Nakajima = 7
Roderick Strong = 7
Deonna Purrazzo = 5
Miu Watanabe = 5
Tomohiro Ishii = 4
Hyper Misao = 3
Kazuchika Okada = 2
Moose = 1

For the sake of my sanity I'll be keeping a running tally of points, so all votes as made are final - so no editing your post after the fact or posting 27 posts later,"Change my vote for Mickie James to a vote for Drew Parker!" - think VERY CAREFULLY before making your selection! Also, please consider:

  • You can enter a tag team on your list if you want, but I'll count them as two entries in alphabetical order which may drop others off your list, eg "The Young Bucks" would be ranked Matt Jackson first, Nick Jackson second.
  • If you don't rank your list, I'll assume whoever is at the top is #1 and whoever is at the bottom is at #10.
  • You must choose a wrestler who was ACTIVE in 2021. That means they have had at least one match between January 1st and December 31st, 2021.
  • In the event that a wrestlers' points total equals that of another, they'll be listed in alphabetical order.
  • Do NOT denigrate the choices of anybody else, these lists are subjective and will provide a generalized consensus but not a definitive one.
  • You can note any honorable mentions as well, if you are really struggling to remove people from your top choices. They won't count for points, but if you truly feel deep within your heart that Indi Hartwell or Danshoku Dieno needs some kind of recognition, they'll get it from your post.
  • If you can, please include the age of your wrestler and the promotion they (mostly) wrestle in. It's not necessary, but it can add some fun/interesting stats stuff later on.

And now, to kick things off - my "Top Ten":

10. Kagetsu (Independent, 29) - The Prime Minister returned! Still only 29-years-old, Kagetsu had retired from professional wrestling in early 2020 to pursue an entirely different career, but returned for a single night only for the bittersweet Hana Kimura Memorial Show. Despite being out of wrestling for over a year, Kagetsu ended up starring in TWO MOTYCs in that single night. The first was the originally scheduled 8-women tag main event, the second an impromptu singles match against ASUKA to end the night in style before the beautiful final "Matane". This is probably the last chance I'll ever have to vote for Kagetsu, an extraordinarily charismatic, funny and extremely talented wrestler who reminded in 2021 why even when she's been gone for a year, she's still one of the best wrestlers going today.

9. Penta El Zero M (AEW, 36) - He's less than six foot tall, he doesn't speak much English, and he constantly wears a mask. A decade ago Penta would have been stuck either in Mexico with the occasional jaunt to Japan, or having his time wasted in WWE mid-card (at bast) hell. But it's not a decade ago, it's 2021, and just like he has ever since he first popped up in Lucha Underground, the insane skeleton-man who feels zero fear and loves to break arms has been tearing it up all over the place. This year it all culminated in an incredible title win over The Young Bucks at All Out in September, as he and brother Rey Fenix won the belts in one of the greatest tag matches ever seen (5¾ stars on Dave Meltzer's 5-Star-Scale!). Fenix is the "better" wrestler of the two but Penta brings an insane charisma to everything he does in the ring, and he perfectly encapsulates the "CERO MIEDO!" mentality in how he carries himself and every move he makes. He's a star, pure and simple, and we're lucky we live in a time where we can see him almost every week on national television in front of big crowds going crazy for everything he does.

8. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 53) - Every year you'd think this is finally the year when Suzuki slows down, loses his edge, drops his in-ring quality or shows in some way some kind of decline. Every year... he doesn't! Suzuki is as scary as ever, as agile as ever, as mean as ever, as fast as ever (faster perhaps!) and keeps bringing the goods in the ring. Not simply relegated to New Japan though it is his main home, Suzuki continued to bring the terror in multiple promotions this year: Just Tap Out, Sendai Girls, Tenryu Project, GLEAT & DDT in Japan, and a wildly successful American tour that saw him make appearances in Glory Pro, PWX, West Coast Pro, Impact, GCW and most notably of all in AEW. He had fantastic matches all the way through the year, including an absolute banger of a dream match with Bryan Danielson for AEW that appeared for FREE on Youtube ahead of the first Rampage. Singles, tags, mixed tags, multi-mans, Suzuki can do it all, and at the highest level, and his age provides zero boundary. He isn't great for a 53-year-old, he's just great!

7. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 34) - The windy man! The long mover! ZSJ has for seven consecutive years been named the Best Technical Wrestler in year end awards for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, drawing ever closer to the record 9 consecutive years set by Bryan Danielson (causing the award to be named after him) and now that Bryan is finally out of WWE the possibility of seeing the two wrestle each other isn't just possible, it's probable! But it doesn't matter WHO Zack faces, because every single person he wrestles he manages to make look fantastic. A master of poo poo-talking who knows both when to dominate and when to eat poo poo and look like a fool, ZSJ is a master heel but also so incredibly technically talented that it wouldn't take more than the slightest tweaking to make him a beloved face. The crowd and his opponents respect him, and the latter fear him too, because he can seemingly hit one of a million different submission holds onto his opponent from ANYWHERE. Every so often he gets on enough of a tear to start sniffing around the main event scene, and though he's never held a top singles title in the promotion he has a legitimacy to him that makes people take him massively seriously as a threat. This year there was a period where he was arguably the best technical wrestler going, with a string of incredible performances and victories that made his ascent the top seem inevitable. That it all ended up falling apart (before shifting back into the top of the tag scene with his beloved partner Taichi) was just as perfect, because the only thing better than seeing ZSJ smugly and arrogantly talk trash is watching his delightful temper tantrums when things inevitably go wrong. He's just magnificent.

6. Kenoh (NOAH, 36) - I love this whiny pissbaby of a man so much! The first time I saw Kenoh was when I was watching a DDT show and he came out to admit to the GM that in spite of his disdain for DDT (NOAH and DDT now share the same parent company owner) he had to apologize for his COVID infection costing them a promoted match Kenoh was meant to take part in. That in turn lead to him talking trash about DDT almost immediately, and a set-up for a match with the terrifying Yukio Sakaguchi. But it also introduced me to Kenoh the whiner. The salty, perpetually angry and offended man-child with a helmet of hair who is constantly in a bad mood and taking everything personally. A great character for sure, but that by itself wouldn't be enough to make him a Top 10 wrestler for me. The thing is, part of what makes his pissy nature so entertaining is that... he's REALLY loving good! An intensely physical style of wrestling, Kenoh goes hard in all of his matches, fueled in part by the fact he's taking everything personally and is out for revenge on his opponents for the crime of existing. Even when he's happy he seems sour/irritated, and he is a perfect straight man for running into hi-jinks or nonsense and just seething over them (and everything else!). NOAH was the "other" promotion when I subscribed to Wrestle Universe, as I was mostly interested in TJPW and DDT. But Kenoh caught my eye, got me into NOAH as a promotion, and has kept up my interest ever since.

5. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 26) - Quite possibly the coolest person in the world, and certainly one of the most badass. Despite her youth, Yamashita carries herself with an authority that cannot be denied, even when she lets herself get caught up in some of the more nonsensical aspects of TJPW as a promotion. There are plenty of wrestlers with a cool aura/badass look of course, but Yamashita backs it up with great in-ring prowess, some of the best kicks you will ever see (Malakai Black raved about her spin kick when he saw it, and with good reason!), and a clear ability to put a match together to pull the biggest investment possible from the crowd. She's not just a great singles wrestler but a great tag wrestler too, her 121000000 tag team with Maki Itoh is always incredibly entertaining. That's helped by her friendship with Itoh coming across so well both in-ring and out-of-ring, they're always there to support and help each other but also to argue and talk trash to the other as well. In fact, the only real "downside" to Yamashita is that despite looking like the world's biggest badass when she comes to the ring, post-match she tends to appear nervous/shy about being the center of attention, though she has made leaps and bounds in that area over the last few months, perhaps helped by being front-and-center so often as the Champion. At only 26, she could be doing this for years to come, and if she's already this good it's crazy to think how much better she is going to get.

4. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 34) - If I was including the first week of January, 2022 in the range being considered, Okada would probably end up higher. After a surprisingly weak 2020, Okada still seemed to be somewhat on the back foot in the COVID-forced quieter environment of clap-only crowds in spite of a great match against Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 15. But as the year progressed, as the crowds (and wrestlers) got more used to the new "normal", something magical started to happen: Okada seemed to regain the heady confidence that carried him to such amazing heights before. While he lost a match for the vacant title against Shingo Takagi, it was an incredible match, and then into the G1 the (wonderful) inevitability of Okada as the top wrestler in the promotion seemed to come into sharper and sharper focus. He tanked his way through even the wretched House of Torture bullshit in a match against EVIL, won his block of the G1 against Jeff Cobb (who he's been feuding with through the year), and looked set for another classic against Kota Ibushi in the final until a horrible injury to Ibushi forced a referee stoppage and a weak ending to the Tournament as a whole. But Okada made the best of a bad situation, including bringing the beloved former IWGP Title back and insisting that THIS would be his "briefcase" symbolizing his G1 win, making himself the standard-bearer for those who disliked the new belt design first introduced by Kota Ibushi. Okada ended 2021 strongly, aiming for Wrestle Kingdom 16 and a return to the Godhood that made him FIGHT ISLAND's favorite active wrestle in 2019 before his stunning fall from grace in 2020. Will he be back in the Top 10 in 2021? Well clearly I think so, because here is is in my Top 5!

3. Hangman Adam Page (AEW, 30) - He only went and did it! After a last place finish in 2019, Page was FIGHT ISLAND's favorite active wrestler for 2020 and it wasn't hard to see why, given the incredible story being told that year around his own insecurities, the less than solid friendship/support of The Elite, and the machinations of Kenny Omega in particular. That story continued into 2021, and AEW stuck the landing after teasing stretching it out beyond where it should wrap up. After the cartoon super-villain that is Kenny Omega seemed to have tricked Page out of his deserved title shot and Hangman disappearing to soul-search some more and causing dissension in The Dark Order (in real life, Page took paternity leave to spend time with his wife and newborn baby), it seemed like we were back in overly familiar territory. Instead though, Page returned a changed man, fully self-confident, bringing the Dark Order back together, FINALLY getting to tell the Young Bucks exactly what he thought without them interrupting him, and then facing Kenny Omega without being crippled by self-doubt. Even a sneak attack by a long-hidden Don Callis couldn't stop him, and the Bucks chose to for once to not interfere and let the match play out fairly... and we saw a perfect ending to the storyline as Hangman proved himself the better man at last. By itself this storyline was enough to put Hangman on this list for me, but then he went ahead and had an incredible 60-minute draw against Bryan Danielson where he made it clear that he could match up to one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He didn't just want to be as good as Danielson though, and Page ended the year determined to start 2022 by putting all doubt aside that he was BETTER. That's for consideration for the 2022 thread though, but Hangman did more than enough to warrant this high ranking in 2021.

2. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 39) - Every time MOTY-Machine Shingo got into the main event scene, he'd fall just a little short. He wasn't in Hirooki Goto territory, far from it, but his best chance seemed to be against Will Ospreay earlier this year as the first challenger for Ospreay after the latter's shock win over Kota Ibushi. When Ospreay vacated the title and returned to England for an injury-break, Shingo got given a second chance for the vacant title, and he defeated living God Kazuchika Okada to win the belt at last. Still, it couldn't help but be a concern that he hadn't actually beaten a champion, so Shingo decided to just do what he does best: having absolute bangers with everybody and keep winning! Defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi was the perfect start, beating the Ace made it clear he belonged at the highest level. Having to fight EVIL next was... well, almost nobody comes out of EVIL's House of Torture bullshit matches looking good, least of all EVIL. But his last defense of the year against Zack Sabre Jr. was another example of Shingo being able to hang with and surpass the best wrestlers in the promotion. More than that though, Shingo easily seemed to slot into the other aspect of being champion: he carried himself with authority and strength, he was a spokesman for the promotion, he looked, felt and acted the part of the promotion's top star. All Shingo ever needed was the chance to prove himself, and he took it and grabbed it with both hands, and it's why he ended up being almost my favorite active wrestler for the year. Almost.

1. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40) - At the start of the year, Daniel Bryan was in WWE and it was... whatever. Somehow WWE had managed to take one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, take the incredible comeback story of his return from a seemingly career-ending injury, and turned him into just another guy... again! He was still great, but so much that he was involved in seemed pointless or ultimately futile. Even his inclusion yet again in the main event of Wrestlemania seemed to lack any energy or excitement. In-ring he was still clearly one of the best, but he didn't quite move as fast, his transitions often seemed clumsy, particularly compared to Zack Sabre Jr. Maybe after all the bumps, all the crazy matches, the injuries, and his aging body and fatherhood, Daniel Bryan had lost that spark that made him something special? Well maybe that was true for Daniel Bryan.... but Bryan Danielson on the other hand.... (camera starts shaking wildly!). Just under 5 months after his last appearance in WWE, Bryan Danielson appeared at AEW's All Out event to lead a brawl against Kenny Omega (and overshadowing the shock appearance of Adam Cole minutes earlier). And from there... it was all on again! Bryan Danielson was back, and suddenly it was like the years rolled back and all that energy and excitement and spark and creativity and technical skill was just magically back. FINALLY getting his first 5 star match from Dave Meltzer in a 30 minute draw against then champion Kenny Omega, Danielson went on an undefeated tear and ended 2021 without losing a single match, though he drew against both Omega and Adam page. Remarkably, he largely finished each match with a DIFFERENT move, using different submissions to showcase just how good he is, because he wants to win that Best Technical Wrestler award named after him again! He didn't just coast along on the goodwill of fans who love him though, Bryan took great delight in making a quick shift to heel when he went against Hangman Adam Page, playing up a "joke" he made at the All Out press conference about CM Punk being in AEW to help young wrestlers while Bryan himself had come to bury them. There was always something special about Bryan Danielson, and it's become as clear as possible that any decline he showed was the result of what has become painfully common: WWE just completely failed to understand what they had in him, and it's a testament to how great he is that he was still able to be such a star in spite of that. Now that he's in AEW, it's like the limiters have been removed and Bryan Danielson is once again the Best in the World.... and to my great delight also my favorite active wrestler for 2021.

The long and short of it:

1. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40)
2. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 39)
3. Hangman Adam Page (AEW, 30)
4. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 34)
5. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 26)
6. Kenoh (NOAH, 36)
7. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 34)
8. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 53)
9. Penta El Zero M (AEW, 36)
10. Kagetsu (Independent, 29)

So that's my top ten as at this present time. New Japan gets the most entries despite clearly lacking somewhat due to the COVID restrictions, but AEW "only" getting three spots is more that there are a ton of really, really, really good wrestlers there who kind of canceled each other out: Kenny Omega almost made the list, but there's Miro and Sammy and Adam Cole and MJF and Malakai Black and Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb and Dr. Britt Baker DMD and yes even Sting and holy poo poo CM Punk too to consider! I would have liked to include somebody from DDT (Konosuke Takeshita, Chris Brookes!), or more from TJPW (Hyper Misao, Miu Watanabe, Maki Itoh!) or NOAH (Nakajima, obviously, or Kiyomiya in spite of the bullshit he suffered with Mutoh) but there were only so many spots!

So that's me, but what about you? Who were YOUR favorite active wrestlers in 2021? Have a think, post your lists, talk about your wrestlers, have fun! You have until midnight Eastern on the 23rd of January to get your lists in, and after that we can see what we, the posters of FIGHT ISLAND, think!

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Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

63-56 Results
55-51 Results
Top 50 Countdown Starts Here
Top 25 Countdown Starts Here
Top 10 Countdown Starts Here
Complete listing of final results.

Final Statistics
Goon Prediction Rankings

Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Feb 13, 2022

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

2021 Top Ten Lists:

Jerusalem
xbilkis
I Before E
Conrad_Birdie
Lamuella
STONE COLD 64
IGgy IGsen
forkboy84
Kevino07
sticklefifer
Thauros
Kosmo Gallion
spamman
karmicknight
Eeevil
stab
Venomous
Psycho Mantits
Wintermutant
The Croc
Kvantum
beggar
Penguin Patrol
GEORGE W BUSHI
Nostradingus
Shard
BodyMassageMachine
Tampa Bae
Combine Thresher
saffi faildotter
Suplex Liberace
flashy_mcflash
IcePhoenix
Dimebags Brain
SG Bamboo
ItohRespectArmy
RealityWarCriminal
DeepDickPizza
Oasx
ThePariah
graph
edogawa rando
Samurai Foochs
pressedbunny
Sticky Nate
Barreft
Lethrom
Beef Jerky Robot
J-Ro
mooseinfants
Senerio
Pat Mustard
Thanlis
Edward Mass
Rarity
schweens
Insertnamehere31
Cavauro
Seams
Oh Snapple!
Fad
Scruffy the janitor
TheIncredulousHulk
Pinwiz11
TUS
Rick
Big Dave
Captain Foo
TV Zombie
NutShellBill
Saul Goode
Sandman McMahon
a cyborg mug
Twin Cinema
zimbomonkey
neoaxd
Purple Monkey
Low Desert Punk
duckdealer
Crapple!
Cerebral Bore
Benne
A Real Horse
Bard Maddox
Lamentable Dustman
In the Colosseum
Nilbop
Hellblazer187
Jordan7hm
fez_machine
kitten emergency
Davros1
Fish Of Doom
Abraham Linksys
Boco_T
Malcolm Excellent
Artelier
Outlaw Mailman
achillesforever6
NienNunb
Kennel
Vandar
Bonk
Kaveman

Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Jan 30, 2022

xbilkis
Apr 11, 2005

god qb
me
jay hova
1. Serena Deeb (AEW, 35)
2. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40)
3. Dante Martin (AEW, 20)
4. Andrade El Idolo (AEW, 32)
5. Rey Fenix (AEW, 31)
6. Kris Statlander (AEW, 26)
7. “Hangman” Adam Page (AEW, 30)
8. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 40)
9. Miro (AEW, 36)
10. PAC (AEW, 35)

Bad vibes around NJPW this year meant I barely watched the promotion and ended up with Oops! All AEW for my list, but luckily the wrestlers are all good still

I Before E
Jul 2, 2012

  1. CM Punk (AEW)
  2. Adam Page (AEW)
  3. Riho (AEW)
  4. Dante Martin (AEW)
  5. Bryan Danielson (AEW)
  6. VENY (AEW)
  7. Adam Cole (AEW)
  8. Kota Ibushi (can't recall)
  9. Nyla Rose (AEW)
  10. Minoru Suzuki (AEW)

Will add ages later

Conrad_Birdie
Jul 10, 2009

I WAS THERE
WHEN CODY RHODES
FINISHED THE STORY
1. Bryan Danielson
2. Kenny Omega
3. Hangman Adam Page
4. Rey Fenix
5. Dax Harwood
6. Cash Wheeler (FTR really did it for me this year. Top Guys)
7. Dante Martin
8. Matt Cardona
9. Kris Stat
10. Jungle Boy

I think the first three are just undeniably the best male American wrestlers of the year. Everytime those guys wrestled it delivered. The rest of the list is just gut reactions, and it hurts to pick certain members of tag teams and not others. I’m going with people who just made me HAVE to tune in Dynamite this year.

My HMs are probably: Luchasaurus (imo the perfect hot tag dude. He does like four things but they’re always awesome), HOOK (which is crazy cuz he had like two matches, maybe 2022), and Sting (who had such a loving fun year and just delivered on all his big matches).

Lamuella
Jun 26, 2003

It's like goldy or bronzy, but made of iron.


1. Chris Brookes (DDT)

There's basically nothing that Brookes can't do. He can wrestle a technical style, a big match style, or a hardcore style. He's insanely good at comedy and willing to do the silliest things to get a laugh and have a good match. He tries his hardest to elevate his opponents, and is in turn elevated by the matches he has with them. Outside of the ring he's an excellent commentator, a really good artist, and by all accounts an incredibly decent guy, and has jumped in with both feet to not only wrestling in Japan but fully living in Japan. Basically the closest thing I can think of to an optimal pro wrestler.

2. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW)

The coolest wrestler in the world. Absolute poise, incredible ring work, kicks like she's trying to put your ribcage through your spine. I've probably considered more matches by her classsics than by any other competitor this year. And not shy about doing the usual round of TJPW nonsense if the situation calls for it.

3. Hangman Page (AEW)

Oh, Hangman. The purest and best AEW success story, told through absolutely superb matches, storytelling with genuine emotional heft, bravery when it came to looking at things like mental health, and a hefty slab of foolishness in there. He's great, his journey has been great.

4. Daniel Garcia (AEW)

When you see Garcia wrestle, you are seeing a performer at maximum. Everything from attitude to workrate to style is on full. WIthin aboiut six months he's gone for me from "Oh hey, this guy looks cool" to "this is the best guy on the show tonight" pretty much every time he's on.

5. Leyla Hirsch (AEW)

Similar to Garcia, Leyla is here because she represents absolute potential. She is already really good, given the right framing she could be one of the most dominant women in pro wrestling.

6. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT)

Oh, soup. Beautiful soup. In a promotion filled with blow up dolls, people's asses, and weird lego goblin boys, Takeshita manages to just be an incredible, athletic, versatile pro wrestler with exceptional good looks, a wonderful attitude, and a capacity for always putting on the best match on the card. I hope in 2022 he gets to show the world how great the Ace of DDT is.

7. Kaito Kiyomiya (Noah)

From a 26 year old who is one of the best in the world to a 25 year old who is one of the best in the world. A year ago my take on Kiyo was that he was really good but there was something missing. He was a bit too soft, a bit too pretty, and unless he found the right sort of edge he was always going to be a featured act rather than being the main event. By god has he found it Despite the efforts of Noah booking - which is unable to comprehend the idea of someone being simultaneously young AND incredible - Kiyomiya has had an incredible second half of the year. A new look, and a rediscovery of his hard hitting style have made his matches - especially his matches with Kenoh - absolutely mustn't miss.

8. Eddie Kingston (AEW)

The beating, bleeding heart of pro wrestling. The most genuine guy in any room. Eddie's promos are so good that people miss out on what a great worker he is in-ring. Give him spots he can commit to with his whole heaty and Eddie will be the best worker on your entire roster.

9. Katsuhiko Nakajima (Noah)

Nak is, simply, a phenomenon. He can work the murder-you King's Road style, but he brings to it a cockiness and an ability to taunt that few of his contemporaries have. In the best match on the card, no matter what else is happening on that card.

10. Hikari Noa (TJPW)

TJPW's most improved for me this year. She finally got her deathmatch and shows no sign of slowing down. Her International Princess reign was great, her commitment to getting better in the ring and pushing her boundaries is genuinely inspirational, and she's the best Up Up Girl. Several people are going to want to murder me for that last statement.


I am missing a million people but these are the first ones I think of when I think "wrestlers I love"

Lamuella fucked around with this message at 11:19 on Jan 10, 2022

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~
Very excited for this thread! :neckbeard:

There are too many good pro wrestlers so this year I will be doing a top 20. 20-11 will just be for funsies of course

STING 64
Oct 20, 2006

1) Kazuchika Okada
2) Katsuyori Shibata
3) Kenny Omega
4) Hiroshi Tanahashi
5) Kota Ibushi
6) Hangman Page
7) Cody Rhodes
8) Riho
9) Eddie Kingston
10) Shingo Takagi

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

Rarity posted:

There are too many good pro wrestlers so this year I will be doing a top 20. 20-11 will just be for funsies of course

Looking forward to it!

By the by, I'm counting all the lists even if they don't include even a line about why the particular wrestler is so good, but I do highly encourage people to talk about why they do like the wrestlers so much! It's always fun to see what people think, and sometimes it encourages people to check out a wrestler they might not have otherwise :)

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~
I will be writing enough words for everyone :hai:

STING 64
Oct 20, 2006

STONE COLD 64 posted:

1) Kazuchika Okada
2) Katsuyori Shibata
3) Kenny Omega
4) Hiroshi Tanahashi
5) Kota Ibushi
6) Hangman Page
7) Cody Rhodes
8) Riho
9) Eddie Kingston
10) Shingo Takagi
this was just based off my gut and which names spark the most interest to me into tuning into a match.


vvvv yeah i was conflicted on including shibata but realized its my list and 2 matches was enough for me to consider him active.

STING 64 fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Jan 10, 2022

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

I was so tempted to add Shibata myself, maybe if I was counting this year's Wrestle Kingdom I would have. So glad he's back!

IGgy IGsen
Apr 11, 2013

"If I lose I will set myself on fire."
1. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW)
He's a GOAT. He might not be a top star but he's a highlight of every show he's on, that's why I rank him so highly.

2. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW)
This dude is a future legend. I haven't watched NJPW in two years and I'm still thinking of how good he is. And yes, Ishii is higher, go write a 10000 word fair and nuanced screed about how wrong I am, I don't care.

3. Kenny Omega (AEW)
Cooled off on him after his initial AEW run but his heel run and eventual loss to Hangman was a story to behold. I also have to bring up his bouts with Okada, especially the fourth one. It might not be the best match they had but in terms of the story it told it was a perfect storm of many things coming together which makes me put these two so high up. Kenny even carried the Jabroni Daniel Bryan to a 5 Star match. All these great things have Kenny as a unifying factor.

4. Bryan Danielson (AEW)
j/k, he's really loving good. I feel bad not putting him in the top 3 but I'm not sacrificing Ishii's No. 1 spot.

5. Hangman Adam Page (AEW)
Need I say more? He went from too good the be a Bullet Club sideshow guy to being on the very top of AEW in such a short time. His program with Kenny told since the beginning of AEW is the stuff of legends.

6. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW)
She kicks rear end and she has an aura of rear end-kicking. I can't believe I slept on her for so long.

7. Orange Cassidy (AEW)
Truth be told, I liked him way more when he didn't go hard as often as he does now. Keep it a rare feast, in my opinion. But I don't want that to take away from just how good he is at making everything seem effortless and even lazy. Sure, go dive with the hands in your pocket, hope they catch you.

8. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW)
While he is winding down he still got it, not sure I need to say more.

9. Eddie Kingston (AEW)
God tier promo and a really good mind for putting matches together with his opponent. Plus he did the Takayama/Frye spot with Punk, that's gotta count for something.

10. Calvin Tankman (Independent)
gently caress, this dude just rules. It might be controversial to put him in a top ten list like this but I don't give a gently caress. He's seriously great.

E: I haven't watched WK yet, but If I did I'd probably include Shibata too because it makes me so happy he's back.

IGgy IGsen fucked around with this message at 09:56 on Jan 10, 2022

forkboy84
Jun 13, 2012

Corgis love bread. And Puro


1. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 39)
I didn't think it was possible for me to love Shingo more than I did, but it was. I also didn't think I'd ever get to see Shingo in his rightful place, on top of the promotion he's currently in but I was also wrong about that. Nobody had higher highs in 2021. Nobody had more highs either as far as I'm concerned: Shingo was loving great from Wrestle Kingdom to Power Struggle (because I didn't watch the WTL/BOSJ tour)
2. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 33)
Loved the all-too-brief Aggression Tag Team reunion, then the split & feud was excellent. And that about sums up the first half of his 2021, good but nothing to write home about. The 10/1 multiman Kongo vs Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura is a really good match that doesn't get remembered. And then N1 season hit & Nakajima got warmed up: I have him with 9 matches at ****¼ or higher from September on, the N1 teaser tag, N1 semi-final & final, beating Marufuji, the title preview tag with Dangan Yankees vs Nakajima & Mochizuki, the matches with Tanaka & Kenoh (my MOTY), the Go comeback tag. He's loving great in-ring, he's a beautiful cocky bastard, what's not to love?
3. Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 39)
This is just "I love this guy" residual energy, his 2021 wasn't actually that remarkable. Because he sat out 9 months injured. He's almost entirely responsible for me going from dabbling in NOAH to being a massive fan of NOAH for the first time in a decade plus.
4. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40)
Lemme quote myself from the last time we did this: "Sigh. Look, he's my all-time #1 fave. He's technically still active so I gotta include him in my top 10. But gently caress me do I not care about what he's doing at present. He's stuck treading water in a poo poo company that is unwatchable. It sucks & would have been as well him never coming back from his retirement with how little they've taken advantage of his talent." Well hey, now he's actually in a wrestling company & he's no longer treading water because he gets to be the best in the world again! Whodda thunk?
5. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW, 32)
I love Hiromu. He's great, a huge personality that's just fun to watch. But I skipped all but 1 match of BOSJ so he takes a hint. It's not his fault, it's the booking. He had a great match with DOUKI in the summer, the BOSJ match with Despy kicked booty, & the non-tournament match during G1 with Ishii was great. I still love Hiromu, I just hope we get BOSJ at its normal time rather than mashed up with WTL to allow him to show it this year.
6. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG, 32)
My highest ranked woman in 2020 was Yoshiko, she sat out almost the entire year despite some fun stuff at the start of it, so hey, instead SEAdLINNNG compatriot Arisa Nakajima gets the nod here. She's a great babyface, she's been great as the Violence Queen heel, tagging with Tsukasa Fujimoto in Best Friends or with Citrus Wind or having wild singles matches. Particularly that match in the summer with Nanae Takahashi from Nanae's Anniversary Show, & then her match with Mizunami in December which is my #2 joshi match of the year. Long Live The Violence Queen
7. Suzu Suzuki (Freelancer, 19)
Talking of violence, Suzu is still a teenager & she's loving amazing. 2020 was all about her ICE×∞ reign, which ended with a loss to Fujimoto at the start of 2021. Instead 2021 was about Suzu doing a trial series. A hardcore trial series. It started relatively tame with Yuko Miyamoto in a very solid match, then ramped up to Takashi Sasaki before in match 3 she got absolutely broken by Masashi Takeda & kept getting back up. It's a tremendous match, I loved it, you may not, Suzu does get eaten up & it's a pretty brutal intergender hardcore match that I know would put off people. She has great matches with Jun Kasai & Isami Kodaka, a match with Abdullah Kobayashi, then there's a brief pause for a run to the semi-finals of the intergender hardcore tag tournament Risa Sera ran where Suzu tagged with Takeda we get a rematch with Yuko Miyamoto: this time it's a proper deathmatch though with barbwire boards. But the real standout performance was at the Ice Ribbon 15th Anniversary in a Summer Hellboard And Weapons deathmatch for the FantastICE Title against Rina Yamashita, the baddest woman on the planet. This loving rules hard & is both my #3 women's match of 2021 & probably my #1 deathmatch (at worst #2 because Jack vs Kasai is real loving good too). And then she forms Prominence with Risa Sera & friends & goes freelance and has already kicked off 2022 in style. Hero.
8. Kenoh (NOAH, 37)
Floppy haired petulant manchild who kicks you harder than a baseball bat shot to the solar plexus. The perfect gimmick, and the wrestler good enough to hang with the gimmick.
9. Takuya Nomura (BJW, 28)
Big Japan loving sucks. Not the match quality, the booking. It's like they are terrified of making a new star who sticks. Anyway, Nomura is half of the best tag team in the world, Astronauts, & is a hell of a singles wrestler in his own right. His charisma is very low-key it's fair to say, but man just wrestles excitingly. And finally this year BJW pulled the trigger on him winning the Strong Title. Of course they then gave up on it before he'd held the belt 6 months because Big Japan hates the prospect of making a new star, as previously stated but Nomura is still an absolute must-watch. Honestly though, if Big Japan died I think that'd be a net-positive. We'd lose their dojo which puts out talent, but then they just use them so loving poorly. Nomura, Nakanoue, Aoki, Ishikawa, Sekifuda, Parker, Hashimoto, Sekimoto, Okabayashi, Kamitani, they'd all have the potential to be huge additions to DDT, AJPW, NOAH, FREEDOMS, who'd all use them a thousand times better.
10. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 32)
Kento is the face of All Japan for very good reason, he's a star in a company without them. His Champion Carnival last year was maybe the best individual tournament run of 2021, just so much consistency against a variety of opponents. His tag team with Yuma Aoyagi has really done wonders to elevate Yuma to that top tier as a legit guy & being around him has also really helped the development of Atsuki Aoyagi too. And finally AJPW managed to have a year where they kept Kento away from the Triple Crown & didn't feel like they totally squandered him. You should really check out the Tag Title match with Yuma & Kento vs Suwama & Ashino from 3rd January 2022, it's a fine example of why Kento rules.

Honourable Mentions.
Tomohiro Ishii. I still love you Tam, I do. But boy did he spend 2021 on the backburner. Even his G1 was merely "very good", albeit he opened with NJPW's MOTY against Shingo.
Takumi Iroha. Not a Marvelous viewer really so mostly saw her in Stardom but god she's cool & an amazing worker.
Rina Yamashita, the baddest motherfucker on the planet quite honestly. She's is effortlessly cool both in joshi promotions & in Freedoms getting to hang with the guys. Her upcoming King of FREEDOM match with Jun Kasai is super exciting.
Masashi Takeda. The King of Death Match wrestling.
And also Kzy, Shun Skywalker, Kota Minoura, Big Boss Shimizu, Susumu Yokosuka, Masaaki Mochizuki, SB KENTo, Yuma Aoyagi, Shotaro Ashino, Hokuto Omori, Akira Francesco, Taichi, ZSJ, Takanori Ito, Yu Iizuka, ASUKA, Risa Sera, Giulia, Takashi Sugiura, Yoshiki Inamura & Fuminori Abe.

In short, I love an awful lot of wrestlers. I didn't even mention anyone from DDT, so a pox on my house.

forkboy84 fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Jan 10, 2022

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

IGgy IGsen posted:

10. Calvin Tankman (Independent)
gently caress, this dude just rules. It might be controversial to put him in a top ten list like this but I don't give a gently caress. He's seriously great.

It's a favorites listing, so as long as they've wrestled at least once between January 1st and December 31st of 2021, they have just as much right to be on this list as anybody else! :)

forkboy84 posted:

loving hell, I didn't press post, I typed 2. & somehow my PC decided post this poo poo. Thanks Chrome.

So uhhh, give me a chance to actually work out my top 10... Woops.

Haha, I thought,"Wow, forkboy REALLY has strong feelings about Shingo Takagi!" :allears:

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~
Which brave soul will be the first to vote for Kidd Bandit?

IGgy IGsen
Apr 11, 2013

"If I lose I will set myself on fire."

Rarity posted:

Which brave soul will be the first to vote for Kidd Bandit?

Luther said Kidd Bandit is the future of the business so if someone does list them we have a good candidate for what Luther's SA account is.

SamuraiFoochs
Jan 16, 2007




Grimey Drawer
7 people so far and not a single person has Mox in their top 10?

A pox on this forum.

(Top 10 coming soon, promise, but seriously guys, what the gently caress)

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~

SamuraiFoochs posted:

7 people so far and not a single person has Mox in their top 10?

A pox on this forum.

(Top 10 coming soon, promise, but seriously guys, what the gently caress)

Mox is like my #21. There are lots of cool wrestlers :shrug:

forkboy84
Jun 13, 2012

Corgis love bread. And Puro


Jerusalem posted:

Haha, I thought,"Wow, forkboy REALLY has strong feelings about Shingo Takagi!" :allears:

I mean, I REALLY do. Just uhhhh, not quite so strongly that they subsume all my other opinions, of which I have a thousand.

Lamuella
Jun 26, 2003

It's like goldy or bronzy, but made of iron.


forkboy84 posted:

Honestly though, if Big Japan died I think that'd be a net-positive. We'd lose their dojo which puts out talent, but then they just use them so loving poorly. Nomura, Nakanoue, Aoki, Ishikawa, Sekifuda, Parker, Hashimoto, Sekimoto, Okabayashi, Kamitani, they'd all have the potential to be huge additions to DDT, AJPW, NOAH, FREEDOMS, who'd all use them a thousand times better.

I would be entirely here for Drew Parker to become a permanent member of the DDT roster and win the tag titles with Chris Brookes.

Kevino07
Oct 16, 2008
1. Hangman Adam Page (AEW, 30)

His journey to the title was the most compelling storyline last year, and dragged me back to wrestling after a year off during the pandemic. A wrestler who feels underrated in the ring because of his opponents over the past few months too.

2. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 40)

Been a fan of him since his Chikara days, so glad he's having a career revival and is beimng acknowledged as a modern day Mick Foley. The most compelling talker on the list and an excellent brawler and seller. I check out Dark Elevation solely because he's on commentary.

3. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40)

Glad he's proving just how great he is in the ring - was great in WWE's framework, but unshackled and brimming with creativity he's a different beast.

4. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 34)

A master of his craft, so compelling when thrust into a main event spot.

5. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 34)

Love technical wrestling and submission specialists, and he's the best at it. Hope this is the year we get Danielson vs ZSJ.

6. Thunder Rosa (AEW, 35)

Love her look and creativity, and can go in the ring to back it up. Hadn't really seen her until she turned up in AEW. Hope she gets a run at the top soon.

7. PAC (AEW, 35)

Smooth and vicious in the ring. Love watching him work

8. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (AEW, 25)

Seems to surprise me every few weeks. Outrageously talented in the ring and already a well rounded character.

9. Jon Moxley (AEW, 36)

Amazing on the mic, great brawler. Glad he took a step back for his mental health.

10. Big E (WWE, 35)

Wish he would break free of WWE and have a run elsewhere to show his stuff. So charismatic, and I love his power moveset.

Honourable mentions to Kris Statlander, Shingo Takagi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jeff Cobb, WALTER, Pete Dunne, Tomohiro Ishii, Jonathan Gresham, Miro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens (who would probably have broken in if they weren't loving about in the WWE), Bronn Breaker, Wardlow, Gabriel Kidd, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Orange Cassidy and "Legit" Leyla Hirsch
Wrestling feels like it's a good state

This was posted in the AEW thread about the prospect of Hangman and Eddie feuding, but it perfectly encapsulates why I gravitate towards them as my top two, so will paste it here:

Lid posted:

Page and Kingston would be interesting but difficult because they are two sides of the same coin - introverted anxiety riddled wrestlers who always question belief in themselves. The difference is age and where they're from - one raised in New York streets and one raised in Virginia.

Both are inherently underdogs with substance issues but express their trauma in opposite ways. Kingston hates being hurt so much he won't let anyone get close to him so lashes out by instinct whereas Hangman won't let anyone get close to him because he can't bear the shame of letting them down.

It's a real tough sell because even writing this my first instinct is to chant PLEASE DON'T FIGHT.

Kevino07 fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Jan 10, 2022

IGgy IGsen
Apr 11, 2013

"If I lose I will set myself on fire."

Kevino07 posted:

10. Big E (AEW, 35)
I hope this is prophetic

Kevino07
Oct 16, 2008

IGgy IGsen posted:

I hope this is prophetic

Haha so do I. Had less than an hours sleep so was on autopilot there.

Like I said, I truly want to see Big E outside of the WWE. He has magnetic charisma and he was done dirty in his title reign - to the surprise of no-one sadly...

SG Bamboo
Aug 21, 2013

Smile. Win. Yay!

Really enjoying reading people's lists, will pull a Rarity when I get home from work and put some time into mine, when I last shortlisted mine a few months ago it was 36 wrestlers who could have made my top 10. Going to be real sad if I can't put any points towards Seiki Yoshioka who rules but is probably like 15th on the list

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames
Caveat: I know this technically is for 2021, but my logic is that my list was so full that I had to cut corners somewhere; Omega, Fenix, and Ibushi are all 'inactive' at the time of this post, otherwise they all would've been somewhere in the top 6 or 7.


Top 10 Favorite Active Wrestlers:

1) PAC (AEW)
-Strong contender for my all-time favorite. Everything he does looks awesome, he can pull off so many styles, and I love his angry wet goblin persona. I don't think he has a "peak condition" because that would imply he's ever had valleys.

2) Shingo Takagi (NJPW)
-I've been a fan from his wars with BxB Hulk in DG to his rise to champion in NJPW. I can always count on him to put on an amazing match. Just an absolute badass. I hope he stays in the title scene.

3) Penta el Zero M (AEW/AAA)
-The coolest guy in wrestling, and it's not even close. He's just so incredibly charismatic, and a drat great wrestler to match. If you asked me a few years ago to put together my dream stable in AEW, I would've created Death Triangle myself.

4) SB KENTo (Dragon Gate)
-I'm consistently shocked at how good he is at only 21. He's almost certainly gearing up for a Dream Gate run by next year if not this year. Every match he has is an absolute banger, and he's brought a ton of credibility to the Brave Gate belt.

5) Serena Deeb (AEW)
-Holy hell has she reinvented herself over the years. Her heel turn has been a lot of fun, but her style as a Malenko-style submission master who can tap you out in seconds with anything in her arsenal has gotten me really invested.

6) El Hijo del Vikingo (AAA)
-Literal jaw-dropping talent. If he stays healthy long-term he might go down as one of the best luchadors ever, because as impressive as guys like Fenix and Dante are, I honestly don't think they can pull off some of Vikingo's best moves.

7) Deonna Purrazzo (Impact)
-I'm glad she's such a big deal now. I can't believe she was ever a jobber in WWE. She's one of the hardest working wrestlers out there; last year alone she wrestled in 19 promotions. If anyone deserves a Belt Collector gimmick, it's her.

8) Shun Skywalker (Dragon Gate)
-Last summer he wrestled two MOTYCs in two nights back to back, but his recent character work of a slow spiral into madness - from sacrificing Dragon Dia's mask to his attempts to 'fix' Masquerade - has been fascinating to watch unfold.

9) Josh Alexander (Impact)
-Every once in a while a "wrestler's wrestler" shows up in a major promotion, and he's That Guy. He reminds me of Kurt Angle in all the best ways, and I hope Impact has the sense to build the main event scene around him this year.

10) Myron Reed (MLW)
-I can't believe the major promotions are sleeping on this guy. He's got the charisma, look, and moves, and he works his rear end off (I mentioned Deonna's 19 promotions last year, Reed worked 30). The only thing he needs now is someone big to notice him and sign him. He'd make a great X-Division guy.


Honorable Mentions (aka 11-20):

11) Bryan Danielson (AEW)
-Only reason he's not on the list is because he's only just begun to cut loose (and I watched no WWE last year), so September to December is a small window.

12) Thunder Rosa (AEW)
-She absolutely needs a title run this year. I have nothing but respect for her progress and how hard she's worked to get where she is.

13) Jason Lee (Dragon Gate)
-Some of the most crisp offense I've ever seen. He's ridiculously consistent and you can tell his inspiration is Bruce Lee, because he flows like water.

14) Ryo Mizunami (AEW/SEAdLINNNG)
-Effortlessly cool, and really fun to watch in the ring. I like her style so much that I started checking out her promotion to see MORE ANIKI.

15) Angelico (AEW)
-Been one of my faves for years, so it's a shame to see him doing so little right now. If he was given matches and some time, he'd be on the list.

16) El Lindaman (GLEAT)
-Holy poo poo has this guy transformed himself. In DG he was a pudgy midcarder and the least important member of Millennials, now he's jacked and he rules.

17) Trey Miguel (Impact)
-He's X-Division champion for a reason, and I love his aesthetic. His matches are always really fun to watch.

18) Ryuichi Kawakami (GLEAT)
-I wasn't big on him at first, but his work in BULK Orchestra is super fun and he's been an excellent bastard heel.

19) El Phantasmo (NJPW)
-I love the kind of heel that nails being an utter scumbag. ELP is great in the ring but a total slimeball as a character, and it rules.

20) Daniel Makabe (NEW)
-I had seen some of his stuff in ECCW before the big roster exodus to NEW, but he impresses me every time I see him and I almost forget how good he is.

Lid
Feb 18, 2005

And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.
Insert here a four overlapping circles labelled indie fans, AEW fans, WWE fans and puro fans and at the very centre BRYAN DANIELSON

Thauros
Jan 29, 2003

you can tell i've basically been only watching three promotions lately.... fell off of stardom when a friend of mine also did but started to get back into it last month so hopefully it won't be all guys next year.


1.hiroshi tanahashi (NJPW) go ace
2.katsuyori shibata (NJPW) - his return has gone better so far than i ever could've expected and the angle of the year is already won
3.tetsuya naito (NJPW)
4.hiromu takahashi (NJPW)
5.shingo takagi (NJPW) - best in ring worker in the world past couple years
6.eddie kingston (AEW) - best english language promo in the world
7.kzy (Dragongate) - one of the best natural babyfaces in wrestling, superb worker
8.bryan danielson (AEW)- amazing run so far, love his heel work
9. shun skywalker (Dragongate) - incredible heel, hate that fucker right now in the best way possible
10.taichi (new japan) - love the gimmick/presentation and he's done an outstanding job making the new japan tag division actually feel kinda relavent

Kosmo Gallion
Sep 13, 2013
Hangman Adam Page - he's been my number one reason for watching AEW religiously every week, ever since they swerved us on his heel turn at the start of 2020 and instead slow burned him to be the most popular face on the roster. I feel like I've been on the journey to the title with him. I love you Hanger.

Walter - Easily the best wrestler in WWE and lured me into watching NXT UK each week in 2019. Every match he has is at least 4 stars and his two match series with Ilja Dragunov are among the best WWE matches of all time. I'm sad he's now been exiled to the rainbow show.

Rey Fenix - My god, when I first saw The Lucha Brothers I really disliked Fenix. I thought he had nowhere near the ability or charisma of Penta. I was a fool. His singles run at the start of 2021 was just mind blowing. He's consistently putting out the best performance of the night, every night. There isn't a wrestler alive like Rey Fenix.

Penta El 0 M - Fantastic wrestler and carries himself with such swagger, he can even pull off Joker cosplay in 2022 and it's still cool. "Penta says" is such a simple gimmick that works so well. Definitely a highlight of Dynamite each week.

Wardlow - AEW does slow burn storylines better than anybody and I'm so here for Wardog turning face on the Pinnacle and beating the snot out of MJF. His matches are quick and brutal, that's all that's needed.

Thunder Rosa - The best wrestler in AEW's Women's division. I'm so glad she got away from the NWA. Put the belt on her already.

Powerhouse Hobbs - I loved Hobbs when he was a jobber on Dark. He's got the build and look of of wrestler I enjoy. Joining Team Taz was a great decision. I really want Brave Tony to give him a Goldberg push this year, leading to a main event run in 2023. The guy deserves it and I think he'll be the first black World Champion.

Cody Rhodes - I've been a fan of Cody ever since he turned up as Bob Holly's tag partner in WWE. I've loved everything he's done, Dashing, unDashing, moustache, Stardust, Bullet Club Starscream, TNT open challenge guy. I'm really enjoying this "John Cena" character he's playing at the minute, he started off being really subtle with it and now is leaning into it fully. It's entertaining as hell and his matches are always good.

Joey Janela - I really like Joey's aesthetic and look. I wish he appeared on Dynamite more often than he does Dark but I understand his true value to AEW is in scouting the indies rather than as a big time player. Still his feud with Sonny was good and their blow off match was great (it deserved to be seen by more people). Also has the best theme in AEW.

Dustin Rhodes - I love old guys who still try to hang with the next generation and every match Dustin has is really watchable. He's so smooth and has never looked better. I feel he needs more recognition for the work he does.

STING 64
Oct 20, 2006

Thauros posted:

you can tell i've basically been only watching three promotions lately.... fell off of stardom when a friend of mine also did but started to get back into it last month so hopefully it won't be all guys next year.


1.hiroshi tanahashi (NJPW) go ace
2.katsuyori shibata (NJPW) - his return has gone better so far than i ever could've expected and the angle of the year is already won
3.tetsuya naito (NJPW)
4.hiromu takahashi (NJPW)
5.shingo takagi (NJPW) - best in ring worker in the world past couple years
6.eddie kingston (AEW) - best english language promo in the world
7.kzy (Dragongate) - one of the best natural babyfaces in wrestling, superb worker
8.bryan danielson (AEW)- amazing run so far, love his heel work
9. shun skywalker (Dragongate) - incredible heel, hate that fucker right now in the best way possible
10.taichi (new japan) - love the gimmick/presentation and he's done an outstanding job making the new japan tag division actually feel kinda relavent

man i gotta give credit to taichi from being the laziest piece of poo poo jr heavyweight to the point people were comparing him to the miz for how soft style he was to stepping up seemingly at age 40 to actually be one of the more competent and exciting to watch members of the heavyweight tag division. he is still a disgrace to dangerous k.

spamman
Jul 11, 2002

Chin up Tiger, There is always next season...
As always, a very current list:

1. Kenny Omega - Human cartoon
2. Nick Jackson - Inhuman under-actor
3. Matt Jackson - Inhuman over-actor
4. Penta El Zero M - Human pantomine
5. PAC - Human goblin
6. Jade Cargill - Super-human
7. Eddie Kingston - Human emotion
8. Hangman Adam Page - Human redemption
9. Ryan Nemeth - Human cream addict/disaster
10. Rey Fenix - Human highlight reel

karmicknight
Aug 21, 2011
1) Mei Suruga (ChocoPro/Gatoh Move)
2) Yuki "Kamiyu" Kamifuku (TJPW)
3) Miyu Yamashita (TJPW)
4) Chris Brookes (DDT)
5) Chuck Taylor (AEW)
6) Chie Koishikawa (ChocoPro/Gatoh Move)
7) Eddie Kingston (AEW)
8) Maki Itoh (TJPW)
9) Pom Harajuku (TJPW)
10) Raku (TJPW)

karmicknight fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Jan 10, 2022

Eeevil
Oct 28, 2010

Well obviously he didn't see it, or he'd be wearing a hardhat :colbert:
1 ) Miro (AEW)
2 ) Pac (AEW)
3 ) Thunder Rosa (AEW)
4 ) HOOK (AEW)
5 ) Matt Cardona (GCW, Impact)
6 ) Dax Harwood (AEW)
7 ) Cash Wheeler (AEW)
8 ) Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW)
9 ) Maki Itoh (TJPW)
10) Baron/King/Happy Corbin (WWE)

Eeevil fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Jan 12, 2022

stab
Feb 12, 2003

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high
1) matt lee

My boy


2) jeff parker


My boy

3) sami zayn

My boy

4) kevin owens

My boy

5) speedball Bailey

My boy

6) evil uno

My boy

7) stu grayson

My boy

8) sexxxy eddy

My boy

9) daniel garcia

My boy's boy

10) eddie kingston


gently caress you Kingston

Venomous
Nov 7, 2011





1. Toru Yano
2. Taichi
3. Hangman Page
4. Tomohiro Ishii
5. Bryan Danielson
6. Thunder Rosa
7. Kenny Omega
8. Nyla Rose
9. Christian Cage
10. WALTER

Psycho Mantits
Oct 6, 2009
1. Kenny Omega (AEW, 38)

Best wrestler in North America. His only real competition for that tile is...

2. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 40)

Talk about a career resurgence. Bryan's indie and ROH work speaks for itself but, for as compelling as his Mania 30 journey was, I never thought his WWE run was all that great. On an objective level his matches were always at least good, but I felt he was hamstrung by always having to be either a plucky underdog or a conniving heel. Bryan in AEW is once again a wrestling terminator, and as such he's become must-watch.

3. Malakai Black (AEW/PWG, 36)
I've been a fan of Black since his NXT days, but the first half of his 2021 was lackluster to say the least. Like Bryan, he's had a total career resurgence since coming to AEW. Enigmatic, badass, and judging from the time I met him, a hell of a nice guy.

4. Penta el Zero M (AEW/AAA, 36)

An incredible tag wrestler, a charismatic and entertaining singles wrestler, was part of one of the best tag team matches I've ever seen. CERO MIEDO PUTO

5. Rey Fenix (AEW/AAA, 31)

Not as charismatic as his brother but makes up for it by being an utterly freakish athlete.

6. "Hangman" Adam Page (AEW, 30)
Now that his redemption is complete, Hangman has become the best pure babyface in modern wrestling.

7. Serena Deeb (AEW, 35)

Been a Serena fan since the Straight Edge Society days but 2021 was a new level for her. She's a fantastic in-ring technician and now has a character that fits her to a T.

8. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 46)

I didn't watch much New Japan in 2021, but of the shows I did watch, Ishii was almost always involved in the better parts. TOUGH AND HARD BITE YOU etc.

9. Thunder Rosa (AEW/Mission Pro, 35)
THUNDER! ROSA! YEAAAAAARRRGGHHH. She rules.

10. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 40)
The best promo in wrestling today and a great mix of stiff brawling and badass suplexes.

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

spamman posted:

a very current list:

stab posted:

My boy
My boy's boy
gently caress you Kingston

Sheer poetry from both lists :golfclap:

Wintermutant
Oct 2, 2009




Dinosaur Gum
1. Bryan Danielson (AEW)
2. Lee Moriarty (AEW)
3. Adam Page (AEW)
4. Ricky Starks (AEW)
5. Effy (Independent)
6. Willow Nightingale (Independent)
7. AJ Grey (Independent)
8. Eddie Kingston (AEW)
9. Dark Sheik (Independent)
10. Rey Fenix (AEW)

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The Croc
Dec 19, 2004

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird!

OH YEAH!



1. Bryan Danielson
2. Kenny Omega
3. Kazuchika Okada
4. Tomohiro Ishii
5. Shingo Takagi
6. Adam Cole
7. Nick Jackson
8. Matt Jackson
9. PAC
10. Drew McIntyre

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