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 Thunder Rosa - 2020 Position: 13 | 2019 Position: Did Not Rank | Times Voted #1: 0 After not ranking at all in 2019 and making it as high as 13 last year, Thunder Rosa's ascent continued as this year she made the Top 10, beating out Jon Moxley by only four points... but those four points mattered! She did all this without being named anybody's #1 wrestler, and without winning a title in the promotion she mostly now calls home in AEW (though she remains the Warrior Wrestling Women's Champion). Maybe it's because her matches are so good? Or because she has such great ring presence? Such a great look? People like her fun backstage vlog? Because they sense she's on the cusp of breaking through to FINALLY win a title in AEW? Maybe it's all of those things or none of them, you don't really need to justify why somebody is your favorite, and Thunder Rosa just has something that just immediately struck some people from the moment they saw her in, of all things, NWA Powerrr! That she's now signed to AEW and getting plenty more exposure is only going to elevate her further, and if she manages to finally win a title - whether AEW Women's or TBS or even some other title that doesn't exist yet, she's sure to rise up even higher. Also, not to beat a dead horse, but she was KOBRA MOON in 2018, only three years ago and she has improved so much it really is insane!
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Jan 30, 2022 02:39
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 Kris Statlander - 2020 Position: 33 | 2019 Position: 52 | Times Voted #1: 1 Boop! The alien returned from injury at Arcade Anarchy in March, Statlander slotted herself back in with the Best Friends immediately and was soon working her way up towards the top of the women's division, with her aim set squarely on Dr Britt Baker DMD. She'd had title success in AAW, holding the title for almost 2 years (but only 3 title defenses) before losing it to Allysin Kay, but it was in AEW where she was drawing the most attention. As at home in the goofy backstage skits as she was in hossing it up in the ring, Statlander's in-ring improvement has been notable and was perhaps on best display in her title match against Baker in September. But while she failed to get the win there, and only made it as far as the quarter-finals of the TBS Title Tournament before losing to Ruby Soho, she has continued to grow in popularity, particularly in this subforum. Which is why after only managing rankings in the 30s and 50s respectively the last two years of this thread, in 2021 Kris Statlander is the most popular woman wrestler in Punch Sport Pagoda!
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Jan 30, 2022 02:43
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 Penta El Zero M - 2020 Position: 29 | 2019 Position: 10 | Times Voted #1: 0 The insane skeleton man returns to the Top 10 again, bettering his 2019 position by 2 and blasting past his 2020 ranking as well. The man without fear, Penta had an incredible 2021, holding onto the AAA tag titles through most of the year as well as winning the AEW Tag Titles and holding them for the rest of the year. But Penta wasn't just tagging with his brother, though he did that a lot including in arguably the Match of the Year when he and Fénix defeated The Young Bucks in a steel cage to win the titles. He also had a number of singles matches, traveled between Mexico and America, worked for a number of different promotions in addition to AEW and AAA, and all the while wowed the fans with his deranged antics. Whether it's crazy double-teams with his brother, his lust for breaking arms, or his wild insistence that he perform his signature taunt to his opponents for the delighted crowd, people love watching Penta do his thing. With Alex Abrahantes added to the mix to provide his "Penta says!" translations, his love of costume variations, and the simple fact that a badass skeleton man is a loving cool gimmick, Penta's presence in the Top Ten makes all the sense in the world. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Feb 18, 2022 |
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Jan 30, 2022 02:48
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Hell yeah Kris Stat. So good post-injury, should have a huge 2022 too
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Jan 30, 2022 02:50
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 Kazuchika Okada - 2020 Position: 27 | 2019 Position: 1 | Times Voted #1: 3 After a stunning drop down the rankings in 2020 following his #1 finish in 2019, Okada makes his rightful return into the Top Ten in 2021. 2020 was rough for Okada, who finally exposed a chink in his armor that in 99% of circumstances would never be exposed: he NEEDS live crowds to perform at his best. In 2021, though the crowds were still somewhat limited in how they were allowed to react in order to main COVID protocols, Okada regained some of that lost energy, and sprang back into life with a back half of 2021 that vaulted him back up the rankings. Though he failed to beat Shingo Takagi for the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Okada seemed to fuel himself by tapping into the outrage over the change to the belt design. Winning the G1, tanking through the House of Torture bullshit that tried to derail him like it did everything else in New Japan in 2021, Okada replaced the usual G1 Winner's Briefcase with the old IWGP World Title, claiming that it would be the belt he carried with him into his title match at Wrestle Kingdom in 2022. Before he could get there though, he had to defend that "belt" against Tama Tonga, the only wrestler to beat Okada in the G1. That was largely a foregone conclusion though, and Okada ended 2021 roughly back where he should be - right at the top of New Japan, and near the top of our collective favorites list here in Punch Sport Pagoda.
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Jan 30, 2022 02:51
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 Shingo Takagi - 2020 Position: 10 | 2019 Position: 11 | Times Voted #1: 4 But while Okada started to shine again in the back half of 2021, the workhorse who carried the promotion through a difficult year and a seemingly cursed World Title scene was not to be denied. Shingo Takagi was the absolute MVP of New Japan in 2021, delivering the goods in the ring again and again and again and again and again. After not quite being able to win the title from Will Ospreay early in the year, Shingo defeated Okada to win the vacated title and then proved to everybody but the devoted fans who'd always believed in him that he absolutely belonged at the top of the promotion. Carrying himself with obvious authority, looking entirely home as THE MAN in one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world, Shingo made it clear that he wasn't just an oversized Junior Heavyweight, he wasn't just a big fish from a small pond who couldn't quite cut it in the big leagues of New Japan. No, Shingo was the best wrestler going in 2021 for New Japan, their top star, their main attraction, and he kept things going in spite of everything standing against him like clap-only crowds, forced attendance restrictions, and frequent lockdowns or card reshuffles due to COVID. That's the reason why Shingo Takagi was the top ranked New Japan Wrestler in 2021 for Punch Sport Pagoda!
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Jan 30, 2022 02:55
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rosas quetzal gear loving rules
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Jan 30, 2022 02:57
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hey this is a good list! can it stick the landing?
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Jan 30, 2022 02:57
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 Rey Fénix - 2020 Position: 11 | 2019 Position: 34 | Times Voted #1: 2 Dante Martin might not be aware that gravity exists, but Fénix knows and simply doesn't give a poo poo. Just like he understands that falling on your head or breaking every bone in your body is supposed to be bad but doesn't have time for any of that bullshit. Seemingly indestructible, quick to return from injuries that would seemingly end the career of other wrestlers, Fénix is a revelation. One of the most exciting high-flying singles wrestlers going today, he's also an EXCEPTIONAL tag team wrestler, as was proven by his Match of the Year with brother Penta against the Young Bucks in a Steel Cage to win the AEW Titles. For years, promoters (particularly Vince McMahon) have been searching for a "new" Rey Mysterio. I always thought that was a silly idea, not least of all because McMahon wanted his "new" Mysterio to be basically everything Rey wasn't, but also because Rey Mysterio is a one-of-a-kind legendary figure whose incredible talent and unique style could NEVER be matched.... and then I saw Rey Fénix. This is it, this is the guy who could easily be the top Latin star in wrestling, even if he doesn't have the insanely high level of charisma as his brother does. Because there is NOTHING he can't do, and seemingly nothing he WON'T do, and all we can do is watch agog as he does it so, so, so loving well.
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Jan 30, 2022 02:59
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Okada at 7 is criminal
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Jan 30, 2022 03:00
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 Eddie Kingston - 2020 Position: 4 | 2019 Position: 56 | Times Voted #1: 5 In 2019 he barely squeaked in with a few points to make a ranking of 56/63. In 2020 he leaped all the way up to a 4th place finish.... and in 2021 he held that high ranking with ease, over 120 points higher than 5th position, his ranking never really in doubt. After reuniting with Jon Moxley towards the start of the year, the two tagged together as they went after their mutual enemies, particularly those in The Elite, culminating in a tag team titles shot against the Young Bucks. While they didn't win that, the two had no shortage of further enemies to tackle, and... well, Eddie didn't exactly have a shortage of further enemies to tackle even WITHOUT Mox on his side. joining up with Triangulo de la Muerte in spite of his bad history with PAC and Fénix (he loves Penta, and the insane skeleton man loves him too), he continued to make life hell for The Elite, before turning his attention on Miro for daring to worship God when God was #1 on Eddie's enemy list! While he didn't win the title, Eddie still has no shortage of enemies, reuniting again with Mox to go to war with Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer, then feuding alone with CM Punk before heading over to New Japan Strong for a banger with Gabriel Kidd before losing his loving mind over 2point0 and Daniel Garcia bothering him backstage and declaring war on them as well. Look, Eddie Kingston gets pissed off easily, and it's a good thing because it leads to some insane promos, great matches, and getting to see Eddie - after so many years of doing it hard - shining at the highest level in one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world. Long may he remain this high in our favorites ranking.
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Jan 30, 2022 03:01
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NienNunb posted:Okada at 7 is criminal Even if noone watches Nooj anymore it's good they still recognise he's in the Pantheon
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Jan 30, 2022 03:02
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NienNunb posted:Okada at 7 is criminal Give him a lively crowd and he'll be up even higher again in 2022 
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Jan 30, 2022 03:02
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 Hangman Adam Page - 2020 Position: 1 | 2019 Position: 63 | Times Voted #1: 6 While Eddie's 4th place finish was largely never in doubt, for Hangman Adam Page his final position was wildly in flux for much of the tournament. Not that he was ever lower, but that he frequently jumped between 1st and 2nd, then eventually 2nd and 3rd. Well clear of 4th place, it seemed he would secure second place at least until a few well placed lists knocked him down to 3rd place. Last year he was the surprise (to some) 1st place finish, a massive jump up from his 63rd ranking in 2019. This year he is still in the Top 3, after a year in which he finally reached the end of a journey years in the making. Hangman hit one final obstacle in his path towards the title, his allies and friends in the Dark Order risked falling apart in his absence.... and then he returned and EVERYTHING finally worked. Secure and self-confident after years of doubting himself, Hangman came back from paternity leave with a renewed focus. He helped heal the cracks in the Dark Order, he refused to back down or allow himself to be intimidated or thrown off-balance by Omega's mind games, he FINALLY got to tell the Young Bucks off and put them in their place. When they finally, finally, finally fought, for once we got to see a completely fair fight. The Young Bucks chose not to interfere, Omega had nothing to give him the unfair advantage, and Hangman proved himself once and for all the better man. Tossing aside an offered drink of beer in favor of embracing his friends, Hangman had reached the apex.... and as he put it on the next Dynamite, he didn't deserve the win.... HE EARNED IT. So how to follow up the culmination of this long storyline and this achievement? In Hangman's case it was to prove he was able to go toe-to-toe with the very best in the world, as he battled Bryan Danielson to a 60 minute time limit draw and never for a moment looked lost or out of his element. Hangman ended 2021 with a self-confidence he'd been lacking for so long, and just like that title he didn't just deserve it, he earned it. What a story, what a wrestler, what a champion.
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Jan 30, 2022 03:05
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 Kenny Omega - 2020 Position: 3 | 2019 Position: 7 | Times Voted #1: 16 But while Hangman was the one to triumph in the battle for the title, it is Kenny Omega who pips him with a late charge of points to slip one higher than his 3rd place ranking in 2020 and finish in second place. While Hangman ended the year confident and self-assured, for Omega it was a year all about his wild overconfidence being in place to try and shield the fact he was falling apart and was terrified that he didn't have what it took to win a fair fight after all. His Belt Collector run was amazing to watch, as along with Don Callis he transcended human form and became a Saturday Morning Cartoon Supervillain. He built a literal bomb to try and blow up Jon Moxley (it didn't work), he organized inept backstage ambushes of his various opponents using his incompetent lackeys, he vowed revenge like he was Dr. Claw escaping Inspector Gadget, he cackled and he blustered and he made incredible aghast faces and it was so, so, so much fun. But on top of that, Omega continued to be the Best Bout Machine, delivering incredible match after incredible match even as he was struggling with niggling injuries and the wear and tear of constant wrestling. As the Belt Collector, he appeared in Impact, he appeared in AAA, he was in AEW, and he was delivering MOTYC after MOTYC. Andrade, Christian, Jungle Boy, Rich Swann, Moxley, Orange Cassidy, PAC, all of them were absolute bangers and through it all the only loss he took was once to Christian to lose the Impact title before he squared that up by retaining the AEW title against him. When it finally ended against Hangman, he seemed almost relieved, his long-abused body crumpling to the Buckshot Lariat. Vacating the AAA title, Kenny finally took a long-deserved break, and even then things were being set up for down the road in 2022 and beyond as Adam Cole - so recently reunited with his old Bullet Club buddies - appeared to already be positioning himself to replace Omega while he wasn't around to defend himself. Yes, 2021 was an incredible year for Kenny, but he only managed to make the #2 spot. It's obvious to most who the winner must be.... but how close was it? At 391 points Kenny has one of the highest results in the history of these threads.... what would it have taken him to get over the hump and be Punch Sport Pagoda's #1 wrestler? Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Jan 30, 2022 |
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Jan 30, 2022 03:09
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Penguin Patrol posted:hey this is a good list! can it stick the landing? Clearly not if Shingo & Katsu aren't both top 20  (Nice work Jerusalem, I loved the Kenoh Grimes picture in particular, but all the words are also good)
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Jan 30, 2022 03:13
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 Bryan Danielson - 2020 Position: 23 | 2019 Position: 3 | Times Voted #1: 18 It wasn't even REMOTELY close.
What's remarkable is that based on his result in 2020, his top ranking was based entirely on his time in AEW.... and that was less than 3 months! In 2021 he main evented Wrestlemania and... nobody really seemed to care. He was just another guy in WWE, a seemingly impossible feat considered how beloved he was as Daniel Bryan. But then he showed up in AEW, and suddenly it was like the years rolled back to the ROH days, and Bryan Danielson was back and he wasn't just as good as ever.... he was better! The slowness, the awkward grappling, the solid but unspectacular promos that marked much of the last part of his WWE run? They were all gone, and he was working at the highest level possible again, and reminding everybody just why Bryan Danielson has been so beloved for so long. He wrestled Nick Jackson, Minoru Suzuki (!), Bobby Fish, Dustin Rhodes, Colt Cabana, Evil Uno John Silver, Rocky Romero, Alan Angel, Aaron Solo & Anthony Bowens, the kind of matches most of these could never have expected to become a reality. But he also went to insane time limit draws with Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page, and perhaps most excitingly of all decided to REALLY go old school and somehow managed to - within six weeks of arriving in AEW as a white-hot babyface - become rear end in a top hat heel Bryan Danielson again and get massively booed by fans, an almost unthinkable feat that he made look effortless. Bryan Danielson was everybody's favorite wrestler for a very long time, even through into his WWE run in spite of multiple instances of being badly used or having his potential stymied. We all knew exactly how great Bryan was, or at least thought we did, so it's all the more remarkable to see him with the limiters removed and discover he's still exactly as great as he once was. How great was that? He's the best wrestler in the world, perhaps one of the best in history. That's opinion, of course, but also... well, it's now consensus fact that in 2021 Bryan Danielson is Punch Sport Pagoda's favorite active wrestler, and it wasn't even close. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Jan 30, 2022 |
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Jan 30, 2022 03:13
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If the #1 wrestler isn't who I think it is I will be very surprised e: lol sniped
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Jan 30, 2022 03:14
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To put it in perspective, if I only counted Bryan Danielson's #1 picks, he still would have placed 5th and beaten Fénix 
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Jan 30, 2022 03:15
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thank you for compiling the results and the spectacular write-up j-ru! appreciate all of it had a good laugh at what you picked for kenny's close up face too
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Jan 30, 2022 03:16
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technically Bryan Danielson should also be counted as WWE's highest ranking wrestler. He main evented Wrestlemania in 2021
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Jan 30, 2022 03:19
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no no that was daniel bryan, easy mistake to make don't worry about it
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Jan 30, 2022 03:24
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we love Bryan Danielson don’t we folks
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Jan 30, 2022 03:24
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my favorite thread of the year  thank you for all your work j-ru it rocks
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Jan 30, 2022 03:35
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graph posted:my favorite thread of the year
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Jan 30, 2022 03:36
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 fe1 holy poo poo the jump from 5 to 4 fe2 the jump from 2 to 1fe3 THANKS J-RU this was great to read
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Jan 30, 2022 03:41
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A final ease of use ranking:code:Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Feb 13, 2022 |
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Jan 30, 2022 03:48
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Bryan Danielson rocks thank you for the list!!!
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Jan 30, 2022 03:51
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Great thread, thank you!
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Jan 30, 2022 04:36
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Congratulations to Bryan Danielson, you did it. Thanks Jerusalem!
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Jan 30, 2022 05:15
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Thanks for all your work Jerusalem, I’m happy than Bryan won.
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Jan 30, 2022 05:35
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Awesome stuff, JRu. Superlatives for same-ranked Top 50 wrestlers being forced to join a faction: Funniest Tag Team Concept: #23 - Adam Cole & John Silver Most JRPG Team: #32 - Hikaru Shida & Taichi Hardest-Hitting Team: #36 - Katsuyori Shibata & Tay Conti Weirdest Power Couple: #37 - Christian Cage & Lulupencil Most Badass Trios: #40 - Daniel Garcia, Shun Skywalker, Tetsuya Naito Most WTF Stable: #43 - Leyla Hirsch, Nick Gage, Sami Zayn, WALTER Best Workhorse Team: #47 - Josh Alexander & Kota Ibushi Cavauro posted:that's the goat stable
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Jan 30, 2022 06:36
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Great work J-Ru, I'll try to get the tag team topic up and link it in here today. Once I figure out what my favourite tag teams are...
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Jan 30, 2022 08:04
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GEORGE W BUSHI posted:Once I figure out what my favourite tag teams are... The great speedbump to posting that is having to be the first to make a list 
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Jan 30, 2022 08:06
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if bryan danielson didn't get that extra 1 point from taht one guy, he would have been at 557 which is a fictional gun reference based on the FN 5 7 and subconsciously very bad for people to read.
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Jan 30, 2022 08:09
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i dont think i'd have any of these people on my list
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Jan 30, 2022 08:34
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Thanks for the great thread. Bad year for the so-called Four Pillars, AEW dominated the lists and half of them couldn't even crack the top 50.
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Jan 30, 2022 09:39
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I can't fathom how long this all took, but you've done a marvellous job here and I gladly read every word. THANK-YOU J-RU *clap* *clap* *clapclapclap* THANK-YOU J-RU *clap* *clap* *clapclapclap* I'm more surprised by some of the lower rankings, e.g. Bowens coming below Max, than the top ten where I would've guessed before this thread was even made that BD would be taking #1 and Kenny and Hangman would be battling for #2. I am slightly surprised that Rey got above Penta—I thought they'd both make the last ten, but the other way around—and I giggled probably more than I should have at MJF beating Punk by one point. I've also made a new .txt on my desktop shortlisting some of the Japanese wrestlers and promotions ranked and mentioned here which I'm not yet familiar with, but sound very worth investigating. It would be nice to submit a list of ten names next year which contain something other than AEW. In any case, while we may not be wholly representative of popularity globally, let alone relate in any way to future booking, my extraterrestrial making the big cut and topping all the other women here gives me hope 2022 will be the year we finally get to take a ride to a brand new galaxy. Though I suppose she might be busy educating Wheeler Yuta, for failing to be listed at all.
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Jan 30, 2022 09:45
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For funsies I picked out my ten from J-Ru's big list and to no great shock it's a hell of a dropoff after Miyu (and Katsu). My favourites should be more popular dammit, especially Hino. I love that big beefy bastard, he's such a hoss  Jerusalem posted:
SG Bamboo fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Jan 30, 2022 |
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Jan 30, 2022 10:06
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That's a hell of a top 10 to wake up to. Great to see two women break into there as well. Congrats to Bryan for winning and congrats to J-Ru for another excellent thread 
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Jan 30, 2022 10:29
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