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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, showcasing Punch Sport Pagoda's Top Ten Currently Active Wrestlers, and it was successful enough to warrant doing again in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 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 2023. Last year saw the surprising (to some (okay to me)) repeat win of Bryan Danielson, who made it back-to-back wins despite an incredible workhorse performance across the year by Jon Moxley who could "only" place second. Can Danielson make it a threepeat? Will we ever again see the dominance he displayed in the 2021 thread? Speaking of which, AEW dominated yet again with the number of wrestlers on their roster who were represented in lists, something they've managed every single FULL year they've been a promotion: can they do it again? While we had slightly less overall promotions represented last year with 23 compared to 2021's 27, it still represented a broad range of different sized promotions, can we expect more of that? Diversity is good! So here is how it is going to work - think about all the wrestlers currently working in wrestling 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 ten to one 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 24th 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:10. Kenoh Poster B posted:10. Kenoh Would result in: Kenoh = 2 Shota Umino = 2 Kenny Omega = 6 Shoko Nakajima = 7 Miyu Yamashita = 7 Jon Moxley = 8 Konosuke Takeshita = 8 Hangman Adam Page = 9 Kenny Omega = 9 Deonna Purrazzo = 9 Sami Zayn = 9 Bryan Danielson = 10 Jun Kasai = 11 Adam Copeland = 13 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 Emi Sakura to a vote for Bryan Keith!" - think VERY CAREFULLY before making your selection! Also, please consider:
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Jan 9, 2024 12:49
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Results Countdown Starts Here Final Overall Rankings --- Sandman McMahon posted:I don't know how to embed this poo poo but I think it's really important that everybody who hasn't voted yet clicks this link. And everybody else too. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Feb 4, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 12:49
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Now, to kick things off - my "Top Ten": 10. Hyper Misao (TJPW, 34) - I had to include Hyper Misao on my list, I knew that as soon as I finally got to watch her Produce Show for TJPW in May. Misao is always good for a laugh and plenty of antics, and this show had those in plenty. But it was the major... well, match isn't quite the right word for it, the major "event" of the show that blew me away. Hyper Misao sent Mahiro Kiryu traveling through time and space through parallel realities and different wrestling gimmicks, all of which was hilarious and showcased a lot more range from Kiryu than usual... but also lead to the incredibly emotional and affecting moment where Misao came to the ring and gave an impassioned speech to Kiryu. I do not have a clue what she said, what the details were, or if they related to anything real or not. It doesn't matter. Hyper Misao absolute sold me on the emotion of the moment, giving me the impression that she deeply cared and wanted the best for Kiryu, and wanted to help bring her out of her shell in much the same way that wrestling threw a lifeline to Misao herself. That's the thing about Hyper Misao, it would be easy to dismiss her as "just" a comedy wrestler, and she's a very, very good one of those. But there's something more to her too, and it comes out in shows like this, and I was enthralled by what she managed to convey to me in a foreign language while wearing a goofy mask in front of 200 people. She's remarkable. 09. Jon Moxley (AEW, 38) - While he didn't have quite the powerhouse workhorse performance of 2022, Jon Moxley still had one hell of a year across multiple promotions (primarily AEW) running the gamut from heel to face to pissed off brawling rear end in a top hat who likes fighting alongside (and sometimes with) his friends. His brutal wars with Hangman Adam Page sold his deranged reaction to realizing he might have bitten off a little more than he could chew with a man he thought would be a soft touch and just getting angrier as a result. He cast his new wide, beating up stars and jobbers alike, bringing the same intensity and violence to each opponent regardless of their standing. But he wasn't just some rear end in a top hat picking fights with everybody: he reaffirmed the unlikely bond he'd established with Shota Umino, having him wrestle alongside him in America but also traveling to Japan to support his efforts and to team with him there. He ended Orange Cassidy's incredible AEW International Title run but made sure to put him over about as cleanly as possible in their rematch after injury saw him take an unplanned loss to Fénix. He continued to show love and support for Eddie Kingston even while lambasting him for STILL being pissed off "about some Chikara poo poo from 10 years ago!". He kicked tremendous amounts of rear end in the Continental Classic. Basically, though he wasn't the workhorse he was in 2022, he's still seemingly a long way away from ever getting that vacation, and he just keeps on stomping his way through beating some rear end around the world, and our lives are all the better for it. 08. El Desperado (New Japan, 40) - Like Moxley above, El Desperado was everywhere in 2023, including crossing paths with the man himself at New Japan's Independence Day in July. One of the best Junior Heavyweights in the world, Desperado has always been a tremendous talent but the last year or two he has really stepped things up and is now reliably one of the best performers on any given show, and works a pretty wild range of matches. His wars alongside Jun Kasai (after warring against him in 2022) were something to behold but on top of deathmatches he did Lucha, he did six man tags with Minoru Suzuki and Ren Narita, he went through to the semi-finals of the Best of the Super Junior, fought in GCW, in NOAH, beat up Evil Uno in Mystery Wrestling, did Fantasticamania in Mexico, worked in Impact, made a new best friend in Master Wato (source: Master Wato) and so much more. And every time it felt like he was freshening things up, doing things a little different, always making an impact (he wrestled there too!). Every time I see his name it's a mark of quality, a guarantee I am going to see something great, something a little different, something with a new twist on it. That he's continually developing and enhancing himself as a wrestler belies the fact that he "only" started wrestling in 2010. He's incredibly cool, a total badass, and a great wrestler. 07. Christian (AEW, 50) - Despite being forced to retire FOREVER due to a concussion he would NEVER recover from back in 2014, Christian returned to wrestling in 2021 and somehow not only looks like he hasn't missed a day, but looks like he's only gotten better in the intervening time. He was always a tremendous in-ring wrestler, with an often overlooked ability to change up and adapt the story of his matches over the length of a feud in new and interesting ways. But where he shines most is in his character, and it feels like the Christian we have in AEW is the perfected form of a type of character he initially developed in TNA of all places alongside AJ Styles before bringing a variation of it to WWE. His "Patriarch" gimmick, collecting fatherless wrestlers and taking them under his wing (whether they are actually fatherless or not!) all in service of extending out his own career and relevancy is handled with utter perfection. He's a complete monster, an utter slime, and it's (delightfully) maddening hear him outright lie and paint a picture completely at odds with reality but do it with such self-assurance and contempt for any other suggested alternative that even people who know better find themselves second-guessing what they think they know. The addition of Adam Copeland to AEW could have lead to a situation much like the rest of their career where Copeland cast too wide a shadow over Christian, but he's run with that idea and turned it into a fantastic further development of his monstrous little "family". Corrupting Nick Wayne, dragging Wayne's mother along in his wake in her desperation to maintain a connection with her son, negging the gently caress out of Killswitch (renamed against his will by Christian), detesting Darby Allin and embarrassing Bryan Alvarez at a press conference: every single appearance, match, commentary or backstage bit with Christian is always a highlight of any show. 06. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 42) - THE KING OF THE BUMS! Eddie Kingston has had a tremendously successful year and somehow managed to maintain his status as an underdog and perpetually wronged man in the process. He finished the job Hikuleo started of knocking Switchblade Jay White out of New Japan, he FINALLY got his big win over Claudio Castagnoli, he won the New Japan Strong Title and the ROH Title. He did a G1! He met Kawada! When the Continental Classic came along he threw both his titles into the mix alongside the Continental Title to sweeten the pot for everybody and create a new "Triple Crown" for the eventual winner that would be called the Continental Crown. Eddie faced endless obstacles and (eventually) overcame them all, his continued success and achievements in wrestling still the feel good story that started when he managed to score a TNT title shot during the global pandemic and turned it into a revitalization of his wrestling career. How high can he go? With Eddie the sky may be the limit, and the best part is that even if he makes it all the way to the top of AEW or New Japan, he'll do so complaining and getting angry and wanting to fight. Based on the last few years, he'll also somehow continue to do it in a fresh and exciting way that never gets old. I'm so glad Eddie is having such success, and I'm so glad he gets to continue to be ornery about it! 05. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 33) - Swerve has always been incredibly cool, a really great wrestler, and criminally underused in that he should be used a lot more! But man this year in particular he REALLY stepped things up. His pairing with Prince Nana and the Embassy somehow ended up working wonders for both of them, with Swerve's seemingly effortless cool showing a more dangerous side as he engaged in practices that even Nana found beyond the pale. On paper a lot of the angles he did or his interactions with Nana could have undercut his effectiveness as a wrestler, made him either goofy or strayed into bad late 90s WWE/WCW territory of heels just being open criminals. But Swerve somehow made it all work, even something as dumb as breaking into Darby Allin and Hangman Adam Page's homes, and in the former openly beating Darby in his own house purely to make a point to Darby Allin. In the Hangman case, it was helped of course by the two of them having one of the sickest and most hosed up matches I've seen since... well, since "Killshot" fought "Dante Fox" in a Hell of War match in Lucha Underground! Swerve feels like he's caught fire, and while it's fantastic watching him wrestle, it's also great to hear him in media scrums pointing out that there needs to be more coverage of wrestlers from outside the major promotions. Because of course for a long while he was one, working primarily in Defy and the indies, a big star in Seattle but struggling to make it on a more national scale, swallowed up into NXT and 205 Live purgatory in WWE. AEW is the biggest platform he's had to really showcase himself, the promotion wisely appears to have figured out what a star they have in him, and he's making the most of his chances. It's fantastic to see, and I can't wait to see where he goes in 2024. 04. Zack Sabre Jr. (New Japan, 36) - The end of Suzuki-Gun could have lead to a period of struggle for ZSJ as he tried to find himself without the seemingly permanent crutch of his great friend Taichi in Dangerous Tekkers and the terrifying guidance of leader Minoru Suzuki giving him the stability to carve out a niche as a technical wunderkind. Instead, ZSJ didn't just land on his feet but hit the ground running. Joining and taking over TMDK almost immediately when he won the inaugural New Japan Television Title, ZSJ adopted Young Boy Kosei Fujita and took him his under his wing, breathing new life into a faction that had just lost its big powerhouse leader JONAH and finally giving it some firm direction. His status as leader of the group has never been challenged, and why would it? He's doing amazing! Holding the television title through all of 2023, the 15 minute time limit was a perfect way to ensure a fast pace and a sense of urgency to all his matches, which in turn just made his tremendous ability to transition between wrestling holds and his self-imposed 6-second window to get a submission meaning he was constantly on the move. He continued to wrestle internationally as well as Japan, going to ROH, GCW, NOAH, Defy, Beyond, Prestige & AEW. But perhaps the biggest match of his year was wrestling Bryan Danielson at AEW's WrestleDream in October. It was a dream match for many, with the two most prolific winners of the Wrestling Observer Best Technical Wrestler Award going head to head. ZSJ, mouthy little poo poo that he is, managed to turn his loss into a mocking taunt to Danielson for having to knock him out because he couldn't tap him, and elegantly set up a rematch in 2024. In 2023 though it was clear that no matter who was booked to win, ZSJ is one of the best wrestlers in the world, probably THE best technical wrestler in the world (Bryan's great but ZSJ's transitions are on a superhuman level) and absolutely one of my favorites. 03. Orange Cassidy (AEW, 39) - For a man whose whole gimmick is being lazy, OC was a surprise replacement of Jon Moxley as AEW's workhorse for 2023. The story of his gradual physical breakdown as he continually and without hesitation defended his AEW International Title again and again against all comers was well handled, and every week the matches continued to deliver at an exceptionally high level. The deterioration of the hand he used to do the Orange Punch played increasingly into each match, every week you could see his exasperation but also his resigned determination to keep defending the belt. It got to the point that he started assuming anybody doing an interview or even tangentially mentioning wanting to make a splash or get an opportunity was indirectly calling him out. So he'd cut to the chase and just shuffle into frame and "agree" to give them the match they had "asked" for. Somehow he managed to make an art-form of walking the fine line between seemingly being lazy and indifferent but also giving everything his all every single time. His eventual defeat to Jon Moxley made perfect sense, a chance for him to take some time away and then come back to face Moxley again for the title that had meant everything to him. Moxley's injury ended up muddying those waters, but OC did eventually get the win back, though this time to retain his regained title rather than win it back. Since then he's found himself back in the same trouble he was before, unable to help himself from just shrugging and agreeing to every challenge he gets... ESPECIALLY the ones that nobody actually made. How OC manages to pull this off every drat time amazes me, but after 4 years it seems to make even more laughable than before the old statement that OC's gimmick wouldn't get over on national television and even if it did it certainly wouldn't have legs. Turns out, if you give the lazy, lazy man the ball, he will (somehow languidly) run with it. 02. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, 36) - It was a fairly quiet year for Okada. He won the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at Wrestle Kingdom, defended it against Shingo Takagi and Hiroshi Tanahashi but then lost it to SANADA in a tremendous match at Sakura Genesis in April. 4 months as champion, a quarter of the year, and yet on paper it's kind of the same old thing: Okada as ol' reliable winning the title when a boost was needed and then losing it to somebody the promotion has hopes to build up to a higher level. You could even say he largely sleep-walked through the rest of the year, making a failed shot at the IWGP Tag Titles (held by his own stablemates, Bishamon!) and losing the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Titles before winning the NEVER Openweight Six Man Titles. There was a blip upwards when he made it through to the final of the G1 before losing to Tetsuya Naito. After that he mostly seemed to just go through the motions, doing a much of multi-mans and defending the Trios titles. Oh sure, his wrestling was as good as ever, after all his baseline average is INCREDIBLY GOOD but there didn't seem to be that urgency to him, and there was even talk (hopefully just a negotiating tactic) of examining his options to shift to an American Promotion once his contract ran out. So why is he so high on the list? Because all of that felt like part of a very deliberate and incredibly entertaining - in a very different way - twist on his character. Okada as the fed-up (36-year-old!) veteran who has just loving had it up to here with these goddamn kids like Kaito Kiyomiya and Kosei Fujita has been utterly delightful. He sneers, he paintbrushes their faces with his boots when they're down, he taunts them, mocks them, looks down on them... and when they dare to fight back he just gets even more insulted! His big brothering of Kaito Kiyomiya - the young ace and "Okada" of NOAH - in particular was a sight to behold. Then there was his reaction to being challenged by Bryan Danielson, a match he lost but in which he broke Danielson's arm, before another match where he mocked Danielson for having a cracked orbital bone. Where it will all go and how it will play out remains to be seen, but I can't wait to see it. Okada adding yet another wrinkle on his already incredible wrestling character is a real treat, as he adds another chapter to a story that already put him amongst the greatest wrestlers of all time. 01. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 42) - It's the greatest wrestler of all time, folks. Seriously. I don't think even Okada can touch him, he is utterly spectacular and his renaissance since coming to AEW has been nothing short of remarkable. He claims that 2024 will be his last year, but he's already somewhat walked that back by saying he'd just be working a part-time schedule instead. That's okay, I'll take every single Bryan Danielson match I can get. I'll cling to them and embrace each one as if it was the last. When the only wrestler who can even be said to be in the conversation with you as the greatest wrestler going today is Kazuchika Okada... well, that just about says it all. I did a double-take when I realized his 60+ minute Iron Man match with MJF was in March, it feels like so much has happened since then, and this year he only had 29 matches! I can't believe I've been lucky enough to watch so much of Danielson's career, and I hope I get to say that for many more years to come. Every year I'm at pains to say this is just a list of favorites, and that by the end of it we have a consensus of who Punch Sport Pagoda's favorites are, not necessarily the "best" wrestlers. That remains true now as well, but I have no reservations about saying that in 2023 my favorite wrestler of the year was also the best wrestler of the year. The long and short of it: 10. Hyper Misao (TJPW, 34) 09. Jon Moxley (AEW, 38) 08. El Desperado (New Japan, 40) 07. Christian (AEW, 50) 06. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 42) 05. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 33) 04. Zack Sabre Jr. (New Japan, 36) 03. Orange Cassidy (AEW, 39) 02. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, 36) 01. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 42) Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 12:50
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I like this thread and will be posting my own list once I have time to nail it down and do some nice writeups  I will sticky this.
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Jan 9, 2024 13:17
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I'm not going be as eloquent as J-ru (I mean, christ, who can match THAT?) so I'm just going to rattle off the list. 10. Dominik Mysterio - I personally rate him as one so young, and yet has developed in such a short while from the white meat babyface with his old man, to an absolute knobhead of the highest order. 9. Rhea Ripley - I don't watch a lot of women's wrestling - more fool me, I suppose - but I love what Rhea (and Dom) continue to do each and every week. The dragon lee *batman* remark had me giggling...it's a mutually beneficial relationship between the two of them, and they feel like they're having the time of their lives out there. 8. Tetsuya Naito - gosh he's awfully good at this pro wrestling thing, isn't he? His G1 run was fun to watch, and, not knowing if he felt left out of the PWI 500, I couldn't really leave him out of my top ten of the year. 7. Jon Moxley - slightly quieter year for his guy, but loved his match against Kingston recently - just beating the tar outta each other. 6. Orange Cassidy - yeah. Good year for this guy - the visual of the tape over his knuckles then Taipei death matching his fist was nuts. Dependable Cassidy, and just kept going. 5. Gunther - brilliant turn at the Rumble, ace match at Mania against two hard hitting bastards. People thought that the name change would hurt him - but he's ridden it out, and looked loving awesome doing it. 4. Will Ospreay - the year he's finally turned a corner and "matured" into his role. Working pretty much everywhere that could get him a spot, and churning out high level matches. 3. Bryan Danielson - fantastic year for this dude even though wasn't in the ring for some of it. Has made the best out of a bad situation with Regal and Punk leaving...and slotted into role(s) within AEW pretty much perfectly. 2. Eddie Kingston - have loved the king of diamonds, the last of a dying breed, the war king since way back in his Chikara days. Glad to see my favourite ever wrestler has got his flowers. Dude deserves the loving world. 1. Swerve Strickland - no-one's had a year like Swerve - drat near lost my voice shouting swerves house at wembley. Dude was over like rover. And after watching his TDM against Hangman later on in the year...dude just has it - whatever it is.
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Jan 9, 2024 13:45
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Thanks Erin, and thanks Red, great (and a relief!) to see another list so quick
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Jan 9, 2024 14:09
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10. Katsuyori Shibata (ROH, 44) he will always have a place on my lists. 9. Athena (ROH, 35) she has been the #1 reason to tune in to ROH and has had a tragically great run that most people haven't gotten to see. 8. Jon Moxley (AEW, 38) i never walk away from a jon moxley match thinking of how it could have been better, im almost always happy with how his matches turn out 7. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 30) his return had probably the most impact of any returning young lion in NJPW since okada. he was one of my favorite wrestlers to watch this past year and i argue that he probably should have beaten Sanada at dominion. 6. Kenny Omega (AEW, 40) best bout machine literally wrestled until the wheels fell off, or in this case the poop fell through the intestines. 5. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 33) i have been a fan and a follower of swerve's since the days he was working lucha underground and wrestlecircus. its been a treat to see him really come into his own here and for other people to finally see him at the level he should be at. now if only tony would pay for the chaka khan song... 4. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 36) Kazuchika Okada. 3. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 41) i have been a huge fan of Shingo since his days in Dragon Gate when i first saw him during a tour of ROH. I always thought he stood out from the rest of the DG roster and i feel like he's been one of the greatest additions to NJPW. his run during the last 2 block G1 was some of the best stuff I ever saw along with his heavyweight title reign. the matches arent as frequent as they used to be but they are still Must See and I think he has taken the tough man workhorse role from ishii as good as anyone could have. now give me the dragon vs joe. 2. Will Ospreay (NJPW, 30) will ospreay is the second best wrestler in the world right now and i think is going to be one of the biggest difference makers for AEW if he stays healthy in 2024. 1. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 42) i truly believe in my heart bryan danielson is the greatest professional wrestler to exist. he was my favorite in roh, my favorite in wwe, and is my favorite in aew. STING 64 fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 14:57
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I want to kick this off by saying that 2023 was one hell of a year for wrestling and picking a top 10 was incredibly difficult. This list doesn't even contain a bunch of people who I think rule a lot. 10. Athena (ROH) - She was basically given a blank template and ran with it, turning ROH into the Athena Show (featuring a bunch of other wrestlers, too) in my opinion. Great in the ring, great character work, and her stuff with Bllie Starkz has been instrumental in getting Billie over, too. 9. Christian Cage (AEW) - Christian was always good but was also criminally underutilized throughout most of his WWE career. When he first got to AEW people responded with a lot of "mehs" but we were pretty quickly proven wrong as he proceeded to have great matches (the highlight I think was the Impact Title match on Rampage way back when). However, this year was Christian's year. He took heeling to a new level but never once skimped on his in-ring stuff. He's a highlight of the show every time he appears, his turtleneck gear is amazing, and he's proven once and for all how great he always was. 8. Hangman Adam Page (AEW) - This wasn't the brightest year for Hangman but he's had a pretty incredible fall and winter after a bit of a sluggish summer. His Texas Death match with Swerve was one for the ages and it seems like he and Swerve have settled into a spot where they'll consistently clash, it'll kick all kinds of rear end, and it'll bring out the best in both of them. 7. Penta el Zero Miedo (AEW, AAA) - I think he might be one of the most charismatic wrestlers to ever live. He's great in the ring but it's all the little stuff that elevates him to an even higher level. Always happy to see him wrestling. 6. Willow Nightingale (AEW) - I think 2023 was a pretty incredible year for Willow, winning both the NJPW STRONG Women's Title and the Owen Hart Women's Tournament. Great matches, great personality, and I think 2024's going to be an even bigger year for her. 5. Kris Statlander (AEW) - She also had a hell of a 2023 after returning in May, being only the 2nd woman to hold the TBS title and defeating Jade Cargill and sending her out of AEW in what might have been Jade's best match ever. She rules. 4. Orange Cassidy (AEW) - He's always going to have a good to great match and it's still funny to see people online twist themselves into knots trying to say he's a bad wrestler. Probably the poster child for why AEW is good; he'd never have gotten a huge showcase if AEW didn't exist and he opened the door for more oddball gimmicks like Danhausen to get over in a major company. 3. Jon Moxley (AEW) - He and Orange have a lot in common; they're both extremely dependable guys who are synonymous with AEW at this point. Mox has proven time and time again why he's so respected. Great matches, constantly changing up his style, and he just has that aura of being a big deal. Plus I met him in person and he signed my copy of his book and was really nice to my wife and I. 2. Bryan Danielson (AEW) - I think he's the best wrestler in the world and understands wrestling on a level we can't, to be quite honest. Heel or face, he always brings it and he knows exactly what buttons to press to get the desired reaction. He really shined in the C2 this year, both as a arrogant foil to Eddie Kingston and as an injured underdog against guys like Brody King and Andrade. Nobody else does it like him. 1. Eddie Kingston (AEW, ROH) - I just think he's neat. Makes me believe pro wrestling is real every time he's in the ring.
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Jan 9, 2024 15:51
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10 - jon moxley - the good hand of aew. very high floor but didn't do much for me for most of the year. 9 - natsupoi - was on pace to have an incredible 2023 with amazing matches all year before injuries cut it short. Ganbapoi~ come back soon 8 - kento miyahara - i wish i loved anything as much as a 300 person crowd in Niigata loves kento miyahara 7 - eddie kingston - big fat slob hes just like me fr 6 - mayu iwatani - not put into big time matches/opportunities very much this year but every time she was she turned it up and had a great match. probably shouldnt be this high on the list but its my own list and my own biases and she's the icon of stardom. 5 - katsuhiko nakajima - one of the very few bright spots of NOAH, his AJPW work catapulted him up my list. best work of his career and i cant wait to see whats next for this little prick 4 - zack sabre jr - best year of his career, njpw tv belt reign didn't have a single bad match. had best match of career with danielson. constantly evolving and innovating. 3 - will ospreay - yawn another year of being the best wrestler alive 2 - saori anou - freelance joshi who wrestled approximately 8000 times this year. match quality bottoms out at good. insane bumper and seller, and not afraid to lay it the gently caress in. 1 - bryan danielson - he's the best of all time and he had his best year of all time byepoi
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Jan 9, 2024 16:00
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It's late and I'm tired and I don't know if the things I'm typing make sense anyway here's my list: Honourable Mention to Naito who I've been down on for a while but showed this year how good he can be when he wants to. EDIT: While I think of it it also Honourable Mention to Kojima for elbow dropping CM Punk squarely in the dick. 10. Kris Statlander (28, AEW) - Women’s wrestling needs more big hosses and Stat is one of the best. Was putting on more or less weekly bangers during her TBS reign. 9. Momo Watanabe (23, Stardom) - I started watching Stardom when she was 15 and seeing her become such a great and cool wrestler has been so much fun. Idk I just like her. 8. Christian (50, AEW) - Loved him since I was a kid. Absolutely wild that he’s still doing some of the best work of his career at 50. 7. Zack Sabre Jr. (36, NJPW) - One of the consistently best wrestlers in the world for like a decade now. More than deserves to be in the Heavyweight Title picture. 6. SANADA (35, NJPW) - Been a fan of his for years and finally getting to see him as champ was great, and I think by the end of it he really felt legitimate. 5. Miyu Yamashita (28, TJPW) - Just the absolute coolest person on the planet. 4. Yota Tsuji (30, NJPW) - The first time I saw Umino/Narita/Tsuji/Uemura in a match together I picked Tsuji as my favourite and he hasn’t let me down. A guaranteed future star. 3. Bryan Danielson (42, AEW) - I don’t really know what else can be said about him other than somehow he seems to keep getting better. 2. Kazuchika Okada (36, NJPW) - Probably the best ever in my book. 1. Tomohiro Ishii (48, NJPW) - Ishii is like my wrestling version of comfort food. I will never get tired of watching him. Taffy Torpedo fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 16:07
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I've watched less wrestling this year than I usually do so most of the stuff I did watch I was seeking out specific matches instead of watching anything in full or week-to-week shows. Pretty much the only weekly shows I were watching were Dynamite and ROH, then maybe a full Stardom or TJPW show on the background if I was up that early. Other than that almost everything was just looking for specific wrestlers I like on shows so my top of 2023 is more like, my top of 2022 because I didn't seek out a whole lot 10. Utami Hayashishita [Stardom | Japan | 25 Years Old] Hey sometimes you've just got to put your favorites in a top 10 list. I don't think she's even close to being the best wrestler from Stardom and even in my favorite matches of hers she isn't the reason why they're great but I'm putting her here because I can. Sorry Syuri, Suzu, Giulia, and Natsupoi I know y'all had better years 9. Gunther [WWE | Austria | 36 Years Old] There were only like two reasons to watch WWE for me and Gunther was one. I remember watching his match against PCO and being in total awe. I'd seen Walter wrestle before in WXW but I never really appreciated just how hard he hits until then. Incredible 2023 year as the IC champion, an all-time Rumble run and that awesome 3-way against Sheamus and Drew. If I watch WWE in 2024 most of it's probably because of Gunther too. 8. Brody King [AEW | America | 36 Years Old] drat I wish he had been higher on the list, I had so much hope for the House of Black but injuries pretty much kept them on the shelf most of the year but his Continental Classic run was incredible. Love a big guy who just plows through people effortlessly. He also got me to watch a toy vlog and he's helped tiny taker come into her own as a new/young champion so big props to that too 7. Hiromu Takahashi [NJPW | Japan | 34 Years Old] I think one of my favorite wrestling styles is a dude just throwing himself like a bullet at people with no regard for their own safety and Takahashi is probably one of the best to ever do it. Probably most surprising this year is that his best matches are either outside of NJPW or against gaijin so he's really solidifying himself as a master of all type who could easily be up there with OC in a couple years. 6. Athena [ROH | America | 35 Years Old] It's always weird to see people arguing that Athena should go to AEW when ROH is her show. She's killing it and carrying the company right now, I don't want to see her lose all of that just to cut two promos a month and have an 8 minute heatless match. She is easily the best women's wrestler from America in 2023 by miles, all of her defenses have been incredible and probably the best of her career and specifically the match she had where she pulled out all of the SHIMMER shoutouts was worth seeking out. If anything, I'd rather see ROH grow as a brand than see her taken away from it because she's just shown she can carry ROH on her back and if you're not watching ROH at this point you really should find it in your budget 5. Konosuke Takeshita [AEW | Japan | 25 Years Old] When the year started I don't think Takeshita was even my favorite guy from 37KAMIINA but after going nearly full-time in AEW he stepped way up and even though the match happened this year, probably had one of my favorite David vs Goliath style matches of all time against Darby. Takeshita has just tightened up every single aspect of his game and it's already so rare to see someone at his size be so athletic, but he's also one of the strongest looking guys in AEW too 4. Orange Cassidy [AEW | America | 39 Years Old] Every company needs an all-around guy who can carry the midcard against any type of style that can be thrown at him. This guy can do Lucha, technical, comedy, hard striking brawls and short of death matches he's done them all nearly to perfection in AEW this year. Just the most solid guy you could have on your roster and incredibly important when you've got a title that takes on all-comers, he's just second to none at making every against him look great and jumpstarting their careers in AEW. 3. Miyu Yamashita [TJPW | Japan | 28 Years Old] Yamashita is the only wrestler in 2023 I was really going out of my way to watch indie shows for in a year where my regular wrestling viewing was probably at its lowest in a decade. She oozes that that quiet killer charisma and has always had some incredibly solid matches against opponents all over the world and even though she didn't have any of my overall favorite matches of the year it's still incredibly impressive just how many matches she had all over the globe and carried titles in many of them 2. Swerve Strickland [AEW | America | 33 Years Old] I used to listen to every one of William R Washington's RBR podcasts from nearly the start until he left to do his own thing and I'll never forget laughing at him for picking Swerve as his wrestler of the year all the way back before he was even signed to NXT. I kind of laughed it off because he was William R's cousin but drat is he vindicated because Swerve has had one of the best years for a rising star I've seen in a long time. Some incredible singles matches topped off with one of the most memorable death matches in a long time Swerve was so close to being my wrestler of the year. 1. Samoa Joe [AEW | America | 44 Years Old] It's so sad that Joe's had so many start/stop pushes since his first overall peak in his ROH career into his early TNA career because this guy has always come off as the guy you want to build a company around. Intimidating, great on the mic, and in incredible wrestler with a pretty unique and varied style for such a big guy. 2023 is the first time I really felt that a company was completely behind Joe since his original ROH run as this monster killer and winning the AEW World Title at last makes me excited to see what might be his last great run in his career
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Jan 9, 2024 16:37
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It was a hell of a year for wrestling. I feel like a brand new fan all over again thanks to my break, and so much happened and I watched so many shows that I forget what happened when. Last January feels like it happened a lifetime ago. I'm going to drop my list and not overthink it or else I'll redo it a billion times so dammit, here: 10. GUNTHER (WWE, 36) - In a year where WWE brought me back to American pro wrestling full-time only to lose me again in hilarious and spectacular fashion, one wrestler stood head-and-shoulders above everyone on the roster. I've loved WALTER since watching my first Ringkampf match on PROGRESS in 2017, and while he's no longer a wall of meat, it's a miracle that he hasn't been turned into a clown and is allowed to keep his ring style even on the main roster. It's genuinely cool that someone finally broke the Honky Tonk Man's record as IC Champion, and more importantly if you look at the best WWE matches this year there's a good chance he dominates them. The triple threat with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus is one of the few saving graces of WrestleMania Night 2, a truly excellent and brutal match full of big guys doing big things. Even with the WWE veneer hovering over everything he does, GUNTHER stands above it all, a rare spark in a company that hates when people stand out. 9. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW/DDT, 28) - God, what a superstar. Consistently part of some of my favorite moments and matches last year. Incredible every time he stepped into the ring, the perfect Babyface and the perfect Heel. He's absolutely magnetic and I hope 2024 sees him rocket into superstardom as he deserves. We're off to a good start with the Darby match. His match against MAO from DDT Who's Gonna Top is on my MOTY shortlist. The sky is the limit for this guy. 8. Hyper Misao (TJPW, 34) - I've mentioned that this year was my coming back to pro wrestling fandom as a regular watcher. There were a few things that kicked this off, but it all started in January where my partner, who was hopping back on the train earlier than me, suggested we subscribe to a Japanese wrestling streaming service. Something stirred deep in my mind and I remembered the letters TJPW and how much we liked DDT back in the day, and I've been paying for Wrestle Universe ever since. As soon as I watched MIZUKI vs. Hyper Misao at Wrestle Princess 3, I was hooked all over again. Much like J-Ru, it was Hyper Misao's Produce Show - HYPE! that blew me away, but I can't think of a single Hyper Misao match I haven't dropped everything to watch this year. I've shown her to friends to get them into the Wrestle Universe shows and I have gladly rewatched the match against Sanshiro Takagi multiple times. She understands everything I love about the campier side of wrestling - including that in the end it is wrestling. I wish the SA-GCCX team was still around so I could pay them to translate and sub HYPE! I've never watched anything like it, a beautiful celebration of wrestling as art, and I want the world to see it. 7. Chris Brookes (DDT, 32) - I could talk about him being the first gaijin in forever to win DDT's top championship, his great matches during his short run as champ, his great and entertaining commentary, his look, his ring gear, all of the things that make a wrestler great...but honestly, sometimes there are those guys you just kinda dig. I like him. I like to see him. He's everything I like in a wrestler and he also happened to have a brilliant shining moment this year so he makes the list. 6. Maki Itoh (TJPW/GCW, 28) - You can honestly say that I Paid To See Maki Itoh. When she was announced for the GCW show in Columbus I immediately made plans to go. It was my first independent show since 2018 for a lot of complex reasons, and without getting too personal this particular show was a very healing experience for me. I got to tell friends all of her signature spots and react to them live! And no matter how many times she does them I never get tired of them. From her fired idol character to her little violence gremlin and Maki Death Kill era, I can't think of a time I haven't been blown away by how purely entertaining she is. That said, her match with MIZUKI for the championship is what propels her high in this list. It is the second-best championship match I watched this year, with a pitch-perfect story so well-told it left the crowd silent in anticipation as they built to the first blow. It was an incredible exploration of wrestling as emotion, of rewarding a viewer through history, of creating a truly excellent if tragic wrestling ending all through facial expressions and in-ring storytelling. She may not always be the best, but she's so, so good at what she does. 5. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 33) - I've loved Swerve since seeing him enter at my local indy in 2017. He is magnetic. He causes crowds to watch in awe with just a glance. His momentum through this year has been wonderful to watch and the deathmatch with Hangman is one of my MOTYs. It was so twisted and so sick. Compelling television. Also, he brought Nana back on my TV full time. Thank you, Swerve. The future is so bright for him and I'm so, so glad he was signed. The world is seeing what so many of us saw all those years ago and it's great to see. Whenever he does anything it is must-watch. 4. Saki Akai (TJPW/DDT, 36) - I'm going to miss her so much. Saki Akai had poise and charisma, bombshell good looks, in-ring confidence, and knew how to entertain. When I was getting into TJPW and DDT she was a fast standout with an incredible theme song, and the story of Sakisama and NEO-Bishiiki-gun was one of the coolest things I have ever seen in wrestling and I'm so glad she was able to 3. Eddie Kingston (AEW/ROH, 42) - Eddie's story built and built all year until his incredible crowning moment. As someone who got into independent wrestling through CHIKARA, seeing one of the biggest names who deserved it the most go from almost retiring to cutting his emotional, real promos and going on a dream AJPW-inspired run that saw him defeating his forever rival (after losing to him in a heartbreaker during the amazing Supercard of Honor) and wagering his belts to fight back and win it all...it really was one of the best stories AEW has ever told and both on TV and outside of the ring it filled me with joy and catharsis. Plus, honestly? I just like seeing a big angry pudgy dude chop someone until they collapse. It's the best kind of wrestling. 2. Orange Cassidy (AEW, 39) - Compelling is the word for Cassidy's run with the International Championship. It was built so subtly from the ground up, gaining in momentum every week until it became a main event-level juggernaut of an angle. It's a shame the follow-up was plagued with issues, but nothing stopped that magical night where All Out knocked it out of the park. His kicks finally becoming legit may be on the shortlist for moment of the year. As I just said I'm biased towards anyone I watched in CHIKARA making it to the big time, but there's a special kind of sweetness seeing Orange prove absolutely everyone wrong with some good goddamn wrestling. You'll never find more creative finishes in a single run than you saw during his title run. The sheer quality and quantity of his matches just edges out Eddie for me, but it's close. 1. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 42) - There's not a wrestler better in the world and there may never be. Backstage, between the ropes, on the microphone, this man does it all. I can't believe how deep he's got his hooks in me and has for over 15 years. MJF vs. Danielson is my match of the year, and every time he wrestles I'm reminded that he's incomparably good, on a level so many wish to achieve but likely never will. I can't believe I lived to see him enter to The Final Countdown one more time. And just for some fun... Honorable Mentions: MAO - This man is going to be a superstar. I can feel it. The Takeshita match was so good. Ryo Mizunami - There is not a single wrestler alive as cool as Aniki. MIZUKI - Her antics, her finisher, and her title run and Itoh match - she deserves a shout-out. Athena - On the run of a lifetime in ROH, the ace of the show, nothing but fantastic matches. She's only just missing out and yet I still feel bad for leaving her off. Christian Cage - TNA Christian is back and somehow better than he ever has been. The Adam Copeland feud was excellent. Sami Zayn - I truly believed in his run leading up to Elimination Chamber. Maybe that makes me the clown for wanting things to finally be different. He's always been amazing, and if it wasn't for the steep drop he's had since Mania, he could be much higher on the list. Sadly, WWE will always be WWE.
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Jan 9, 2024 17:17
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10. Timeless Toni Storm - She makes funny faces and I laugh when she says pretty much anything and if that doesn’t make a great wrestler I don’t know what does. 9. MJF - I guess it’s been a rocky year for the former champ, and while not everything worked I feel like Maxwell absolutely deserves credit for the work he put in with the big belt. People have been too hard on him lately. He’s good. 8. Rush - RUSH! Rush is the kind of wrestler who just goes 50-100% harder than anybody else and I will always pop when it’s time for a Rush match. 7. Christian Cage - Watching Christian this last year has just been so much fun. The Patriarchy is my favourite kind of 6. Jon Moxley - This dude always delivers and man, I just really loved the match with Eddie Kingston. I love their story. Such good poo poo. 5. Bryan Danielson - The greatest goat of all time. 4. Hangman Adam Page - What can I say, I just really like the guy. One half of my match of the year and did you see him drink Swerve’s blood?? That made me feel feelings. 3. Eddie Kingston - Back in the Chikara days I always thought Eddie was the best wrestler who was never gonna make it. Well I think it’s time to say that I was wrong because the Mad King has fuckin made it. Finally! 2. Swerve Strickland - I’ve been waiting a while for Swerve to have his breakthrough moment and by god, the Texas Death Match was god damned it. Easily my match of the year and a huge win for Strickland. Can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for this fella. 1. Orange Cassidy - The International Championship run has been totally awesome with great matches against a huge variety of opponents. I got to see the match against Jeff Jarrett live and I’m pretty sure that match was booked for me personally. Now I’m imaging OC vs Joe for the big belt and I dunno about you but I think that match would probably be pretty dang good! Here’s all the other wrestlers I thought of but didn’t make the list: Darby Allin, Sting, Switchblade Jay White, Ricky Starks, Samoa Joe, Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Brody King, Daniel Garcia, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, FTR, Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix and Cozy Rhodes
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Jan 9, 2024 17:28
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This is going to be so goddamn hard
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Jan 9, 2024 17:38
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1. Bryan Danielson 2. Kenny Omega 3. Will Ospreay 4. Eddie Kingston 5. Athena 6. Adam Page 7. Konosuke Takeshita 8. Swerve Strickland 9. Tomohiro Ishii 10. Kris Statlander It's so hard to keep it in ten. Kennel fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 17:39
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Captain Foo posted:This is going to be so goddamn hard
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Jan 9, 2024 17:39
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I am fickle so this is just taking a look at the year of 2023 for me and maybe not my view of things as a whole. As such, I have some HMs of people who could have made the list but I ultimately knocked out, most likely because I didn't get to watch them very much in 2023 (injuries, majority of time in a promotion I don't watch, etc): Adam Copeland, Dante Martin, Okada, Osprey, Athena, Kenny Omega (ok he was featured a lot but it was mostly tag/trios stuff and singles Kenny is what makes me love him), PAC, The Lucha Bros (penalized because I can't separate them), Vikingo, Eddie Kingston (not sure why but it's just harder for me to get into his matches like I used to), Jon Moxley (see Eddie), Jamie Hayter 10: 9: Orange Cassidy - His more recent stuff isn't hitting the same for me which is probably why he's so "low" on this list but his initial run with the international championship was incredible. 8: Samoa Joe - Dude is on an ultimate badass run and I'm happy he got his gold. His promos and his matches all have an unmatched intensity. 7: Christian Cage - Speaking of all-timer runs...god drat Christian has been on fire for going on what, seven months now? Longer? It's incredible. 6: Kris Statlander - Many of the same qualities as Shida but she's just not quite as good. Also her dorky energy rules. 5: Takeshita - Every time I see this dude wrestle he does something that makes me go "oh wow" or "holy poo poo!" in a good way. Insane that he's only 28 4: Bryan Danielson - He's the GOAT, and it feels like everything he touches is gold. I don't think anything else needs to be said. 3: Hangman Adam Page - He said he and Swerve will always be linked together now and it's even true here. Even in what felt like a down year for him in 2023 I still always popped when his music hit and I loved every match and promo he delivered. 2: Swerve Strickland - I don't think he was on my list last year but drat what a meteoric rise in 2023. I always knew he was good but he took it to another level, and now everyone (myself included) can;t wait for AEW to really become Swerve's House. 1: Hikaru Shida - The ACE of the Women's division in AEW. She can get a good match out of anyone and has that natural charisma that draws crowds in while doing it. IcePhoenix fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 17:45
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10. Emi Sakura Emi got on TV way more in 2023 and had so many kickass matches in AEW, ROH, and the indies, to the point where Mox specifically put her over in Sports Illustrated when he was hyping the women's tournament he booked for Revolver. She got her first US championship thanks to DPW and is a workhorse who can still go hard in the paint when needed. 9. Julia Hart Julia improved a lot in 2023, both as a wrestler and a personality. She got very over on her own merits and, while still green, doesn't feel out of place as a champion. Also, spooky poo poo is cool. 8. Skye Blue Similar to Julia, Skye has improved a lot and no longer looks terrified to be in front of people. She also works indies like crazy, which is why she's improved so much, and has been featured much more prominently on TV as a result. 7. Athena Athena's time as women's champ is by far the most interesting thing about ROH, and she's had both hilarious squash matches and very, very good main events against Willow, Kiera Hogan, and most recently Billie Starkz. You can tell she's having a ball doing what she's doing, and while I'd like to see her take on the AEW women's division more, it's nice to see an ROH champion actually defend their title on ROH programming. 6. Big Bill A surprising addition to my list, Large Billiam has been great in AEW, in part because they're good at booking him to his strengths and in part because, like Athena, he looks like he's having fun out there. He's even a tag team champion now! Granted, he and Ricky are rarely on TV now that they have the belts, but Bill has overdelivered since he was signed and his title match against OC stands out as a highlight. 5. Hijo del Vikingo Speaking of people tearing up the indies, Vikingo has been great this year. The guy never stops working, it seems, and is rounding out his in-ring game without blunting what makes him special. Plus, seriously, Vikingo is built different. He moves like Nightcrawler and there's really no one out there like him at the moment. 4. Christian Cage I had no idea Christian had this heel run in him. He's gone far out of his way to make himself as unlikeable as possible, leaning into the Patriarchy stuff in exactly the right way, and is also willing to look like a total coward and loser to get babyfaces over. He's been a breath of fresh air, and his matches have all been really good on top of that, as he works at a more methodical pace than the rest of the roster, so he stands out without being boring. 3. Swerve Strickland Another case of someone leaning into old school heeling, Swerve can't help but get cheered because he is incredibly cool and has another AEW success story in Prince Nana as a manager. Swerve had an insane death match with Adam Page and an impressive showing in the C2, and went from being a guy people liked to a credible choice for world champion in a pretty short amount of time. He has all the tools to make himself into a big star and seems hellbent on doing just that. 2. Eddie Kingston AEW turning into a vehicle for realizing all of Eddie's lifelong dreams has been great to see, as he became a world champion and a round-robin tournament winner in the same year, having great matches along the way. No one else in AEW, or anywhere else, has the connection with fans that Eddie does, and seeing him finally get the push and attention he deserves has been amazing. 1. Orange Cassidy OC will likely always be high on my list but man, he had great matches with a variety of opponents for most of 2023. Not only that, but he went out there and put on clinics with guys like Kip Sabian (good but underpushed) and Jake Hager (mediocre but surprisingly funny) as well as guys like Penta, Shibata, and Mox. And thanks to him, what many saw at first as an unnecessary title became an important one that main event guys can and should hold. As much as he may not think so, Orange is one of the best all-around workers in AEW and probably wrestling as a whole.
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Jan 9, 2024 18:13
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This is real cool and fun to see because i like STATS All are AEW except Ospreay 10. Daddy Magic - Promos, Commentary, Drama, Most over man in Montréal, MAGIC MEAT? What's not to love? 9. Daniel Garcia - I really hope they have something cooking for him in 2024, really good in the ring and I like the Heartfelt Wrestler promos. 8. Adam Page - I think I don't rate him higher just because he kinda gets lost in the shuffle all the time, but he always has a match or two every year right now that will stick with me forever. 7. MJF - Still had a hell of a year despite the last half being really bumbling. I don't hate things I just stop watching instead, and his stuff definitely made me want to stop watching AEW for a bit. 6. Jay White - Love the way this guy wrestles and talks, I feel like he needs to be way more of a prominent figure in AEW 5. Eddie Kingston - Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! 4. Swerve - For a big guy, he can somehow do anything in the ring and it's great. 3. Will Ospreay - Can't wait to see what he does in AEW, easily see him taking the top spot when Omega/Bryan slow down. 2. Kenny Omega - Was my number 1 for most of the year but Bryan surged ahead in the last half. His matches with Ospreay were incredible. 1. Bryan Danielson 
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Jan 9, 2024 18:50
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10 - Swerve Strickland. I suspect he'll be higher on my list if we do this in 2024 but he seems to be on a slow boil right now and I think there's still a way to go before we see his full potential. 9 - Timeless Toni Storm. I wasn't sure about the throwback Sunset Boulevard gimmick at first, but when she ended up wrestling in an old-school singlet it clicked for me. 8 - Roman Reigns. Despite the Bloodline angle refusing to die I still respect (and acknowledge) the way he's able to play to the crowd and make every match he's in seem like the most important match of all time. 7 - Asuka. After so long she was finally allowed to do her creepy clown gimmick in WWE and it's panned out nicely. 6 - Eddie Kingston. Someone who can make you believe "yes, this man could end up winning three belts from three different promotions through simply being too stubborn to lose". 5 - Deonna Purazzo. I didn't pay much attention to TNA/Impact this past year, and have largely forgotten what most of their talent were doing, but Deonna's recent signing to AEW made me sit up and take notice because she is so good in-ring and on the mic and the prospect of her honing her craft there under Danielson's learning tree bodes very well for the future. 4 - Bryan Danielson. I was bummed out when he wasn't at All In but he's really shown his value of late and I hope he makes it to All In 2024. 3 - Dominik Mysterio. Last year's heel turn was already special, but he's really taken the whole "chickenshit heel who's high on his own farts" angle to the next level this year with the whole "I spent an hour in a police station lockup so now I'm a hardened convict" gimmick (his Wrestlemania entrance was a case in point). Absolute heat magnet, obviously elevated by his association with Rhea but the way he's been able to make the best of it shows incredibly well-honed heel instincts. His father, Eddie, would be proud. 2 - Samoa Joe. Continues to be one of the most credibly dangerous-seeming men in wrestling even this deep into his career, plus managed to wrangle a solid match out of CM Punk at All In under absurd circumstances. 1 - Rhea Ripley. Prior to this year she suffered somewhat from WWE's chronic stop-start booking, but this year they seem to have decided to get fully behind her. Anyone can do reasonably well under such circumstances if they don't outright fumble the opportunity, but it takes something special to kill it to the extent she is. Friends who don't otherwise follow wrestling seem to be either broadly aware of her or sit up and take notice when they first see her, which is a rare thing, and she projects presence like few others. The interactions with Dom began last year, were hilarious then, but have continued to be entertaining now. In the ring she might not be the most technical wrestler out there, but she does solid work and looks credible and is able to get better than expected matches out of people I'd cooled off on or hadn't previously rated - her Wrestlemania match with Charlotte was great and the perfect redressing of the balance after 2020's 'mania. WWE seem to be positioning her as the Roman Reigns of the women's division at the moment, albeit with a busier work schedule, and she's doing a great job of pulling that off.
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Jan 9, 2024 18:57
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10. eddie kingston 9. utami hayashishita 8. katsuyori shibata 7. saori anou 6. zack sabre jr 5. el hijo del vikingo 4. swerve strickland 3. will ospreay 2. shingo takagi 1. bryan danielson want to see kyle o'reily and pac in 2024. want to see garcia move on. honorable to athena and fenix and others. every1
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Jan 9, 2024 19:22
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don't want to get an edited post marker. honorable to veny and trenty. i mightve shouldve put veny in my list but what's done is done. peace lol i forgt one of my favorite wrestlers somehow too. i won't even say who it is. let this be a lesson Cavauro fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 19:27
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Last year I did this off my spreadsheet o' ratings, & I'm going to do that again, because I keep that & gently caress it I may as well use it for something. I also did a top 25 because I have 558 wrestlers with at least 1 HM nomination so hey. gently caress it. Because having to write my favourites would be too hard. And it's all Japan based wrestlers because that's what I watched  25. Arisa Nakajima - 1 *****, 1 ****¾, 8 MOTYC, 6 HMs. Not Ranked last year. She'd be higher if this was a favourites list but unfortunately she mainly wrestles for SEAdLINNNG, which doesn't run many more times than once a month. Still rules. 24. El Desperado - 1 ****¾, 8 MOTYC, 12 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Once again his top match was a deathmatch, he almost feels wasted in New Japan where they just don't him let his sicko out enough. 23. Tomohiro Ishii - 1 ****¾, 9 MOTYCs, 9 HMs. Up 2 from #25 last year. It keeps feeling like Ishii is slowing down & yet he's still one of the best wrestlers in Japan. Kinda mad, kinda cool. 22. Manabu Soya - 1 ****¾, 6 MOTYCs, 14 HMs. Not Ranked last year. He turns 40 this year & debuted in 2007 but I kind of want to call this a breakout year. He did some great stuff with Kongo, including winning the tag titles in All Japan. And he's been the big winner from Kongo's demise, and just put on some terrific matches. 21. Yuki Yoshioka - 7 MOTYCs, 17 HMs. Not Ranked last year. One of the stars of the Reiwa 6 in Dragongate, extremely consistent. Did have a slightly disappointing run in the NOAH N-1 though. 20. Hikaru Sato - 5 MOTYCs, 26 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Sato's most prominent match last year was probably the All Star Junior Festival in New Japan, where he did his horrid "comic" sex pervert gimmick. Which is a shame, because when he's ex-MMA fighter Hikaru Sato he's just a bad rear end who constantly puts on real good wrestling matches against almost everyone. 19. Yuji Okabayashi - 1 ****¾, 6 MOTYCs, 16 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Okabayashi went on hiatus in May. He's still on here. Fantastic year, could easily have been in my top 5 if he carried on at that rate. 18. Naruki Doi - 5 MOTYCs, 29 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Since leaving Dragongate as a full-timers, Naruki Doi has gone to pretty much every indie in Japan that has an ex-DG guy that he's friendly with. And he's been great in all those places. Nobody had more ***¾ matches last year, just absurdly consistent, & really benefited the young talent in All Japan who have gotten to work with him. 17. Hiromu Takahashi - 10 MOTYCs, 11 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Weird year for Hiromu. Not bad obviously. But he just did loving nothing in New Japan in the back half of the year. Which I suppose is kind of normal but still unsatisfying. But hey, we got him in Michinoku Pro & DDT which was cool. 16. Kaito Kiyomiya - 2 ****¾, 10 MOTYCs, 11 HMs. Down 2 from 14 last year. Kaito is still tremendous, even if NOSAWA hates him for some loving incomprehensible reason. 15. Rising HAYATO - 7 MOTYCs, 27 HMs. Not Ranked last year. This young, beautiful high flyer from the micro-indy Ehime Pro (he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest wrestling match, Ehime Pro did a battle royal that went on for over 24 hours) is one of the stars of the All Japan Junior division. Another remarkably consistent performer. 14. Ryuki Honda - 11 MOTYCs, 14 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Another young rad dude in All Japan. Getting the impression I dig them? 13. Will Ospreay - 2 *****, 11 MOTYCs, 4 HMs. Up 2 from 15. Had some of the best matches of the year, but spent a lot of the year outside of Japan so isn't higher. 12. T-Hawk - 1 ****¾, 11 MOTYCs, 15 HMs. Up 1 from 13. Spent most of the year as G-REX Champion in GLEAT but also had some great appearances in All Japan. He's very cool. Definitely the standout from GLEAT. 11. Fuminori Abe - 1 *****, 6 MOTYCs, 30 HMs. Not Ranked last year. Was in my #2 match of the year. Wrestles everywhere from AJPW, BJW to loving weird indies that don't even have Cagematch pages. Also one half of the best tag team in wrestling. If you know, you know. With that said, here's the ones that actually count. 10. Madoka Kikuta - Dragongate - 24  Kikuta's first match happened in June 2020, during Dragongate's first closed doors tour. From there he's grown rapidly into a star, first in the heel unit RED, where he challenged for the top DG title 11 months on from his debut, only to have the match waved off for a horrendous & unfortunate dislocated shoulder (IIRC) from a drop toe told that had the match ended after less than 5 minutes. He spent the next year out, having his return match 365 days later. He also turned face on his return, teamed up with Yuki Yoshioka & Dragon Dia as part of D'courage & then in May 2023 won the Dream Gate. There were great matches all along the way & he's grown into one of the top stars in the company. Match to Watch: Madoka Kikuta vs Shun Skywalker, 5th May 1 ****¾, 10 MOTYCs, 14 HMs, Not Ranked last year. 9. Kazuchika Okada - New Japan - 36  The man who makes it rain money. Great singles matches, especially in the G1. Great multiman tag matches, especially with the NEVER 6 Man Tag titles. What is left to say about Okada? He's great. Match to Watch: Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi, 11th February 2 ****¾, 14 MOTYCs, 6 HMs, Up from 19 last year. 8. Yuma Anzai - All Japan - 24  A highly rated collegiate wrestler from Chuo University, he was highly desired by pro wrestling companies. Yuji Nagata was desperate to get him into the New Japan dojo but I assume All Japan were able to snag him because he'd be a much bigger part of the promotion with their smaller roster. His first 2 matches were on back to back nights, 18th & 19th September 2022 at the Nippon Budkan vs Yuji Nagata and against Minoru Suzuki at Korauen Hall. This was clearly a guy they were behind & rightly so. He competed in his first Champion Carnival this year, picking up 3 wins! He was in a big match on the All Together show with LIJ, he had his first Triple Crown match, losing to Yuji Nagata, & in the Real World Tag League he went to a 30 minute draw with Yuma Aoyagi & Kento Miyahara. Genuinely think this is the best prospect. Match to Watch: New Period (Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai) vs Zennichi Shin Jidai (Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi, 19th November 10 MOTYCs, 25 HMs, Not ranked last year 7. Suzu Suzuki - Stardom - 21  Still a phenomenal talent at an absurdly young age, Suzu moved on from the indie deathmatch/hardcore joshi group Prominence this year, which to me is a drat shame but undoubtedly has done great things for her (pardon the pun) prominence on the joshi scene. Because for a lot of joshi watchers, if it isn't happening in Stardom then it's not happening. So she has largely left deathmatches behind for the time being (her final one was in March against psycho legend Masashi Takeda). In Stardom she has quickly established a team with a fellow new arrival, Mei Seira, formerly of Marvelous, & she also won the big round robin tournament in the company, the 5 Star Grand Prix, meaning she was in the World of Stardom Title match at Sumo Hall on 29th December. Bigger & better things await. Match to Watch: Suzu Suzuki vs Syuri, 23rd July 1 ****¾, 12 MOTYCs, 18 HMs, Down from 2 last year. 6. Atsuki Aoyagi - All Japan - 24  You getting the impression that I like All Japan? He didn't actually have quite as many high points as others in the top 10, but he was so consistent as the new ace of the All Japan junior division. Loved him. Loved his year. Tagging with his brother, with Rising HAYATO, singles stuff in the junior division, it's been terrific. Just has that star quality. Match to Watch: Atsuki Aoyagi vs Naruki Doi, 19th February 11 MOTYCs, 28 HMs, Up from 22 last year 5. Katsuhiko Nakajima - Freelancer - 35  Nakajima finished up with with NOAH this year, turning up in All Japan to face off with his training partner from back in the day Kento Miyahara. But before leaving NOAH there were spectacular matches with Kenoh, Manabu Soya & Miyahara himself. And then he arrived in AJPW, whooped his way to the Triple Crown, & finished the year putting away Kento. All the while turning into Antonio Inoki. Amazing. Match to Watch: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kento Miyahara, 15th July 2 *****s, 2 ****¾, 11 MOTYCs, 16 HMs, Up from 16th last year 4. Takuya Nomura - Big Japan - 30  Astronauts, tag team of the year. And then the best men's wrestling match of the year, Astronauts members Abe & Nomura putting on a small Battlarts influenced show purely so they could beat the absolute poo poo out of each other with the gnarliest headbutts, punches & kicks. Absolute brutality, not for everyone. Oh, & as well as his amazing tag team with Abe, he also had another one with Kento Miyahara that had one of the best matches of the year. This boy can go. Match to Watch: Takuya Nomura vs Fuminori Abe, 12th October 2 *****s, 10 MOTYCs, 26 HMs, Up from 9 last year 3. Kenoh - NOAH - 39  The big angry pissy kickboy. God bless this man. 2023 was a rough year for NOAH but Kenoh was the shining light here. A stronger first half of the year than back half, there were terrific matches in both All Japan & Dragongate (seriously, Kongo vs M3K from 2nd June is fantastic), an insane match with Nakajima, he's so charismatic. But it's NOAH so you never know. Match to Watch: Kaito Kiyomiya vs Kenoh 5 ****¾, 14 MOTYCs, 14 HMs, Up from 17 last year 2. Yuma Aoyagi - All Japan - 28  At the end of the year there was nothing between him & Kento. But Yuma Aoyagi was pipped at the post, with Kento having a great match on the 31st December that was the difference between the two. An absolutely stellar year. Yuma Aoyagi is a star. Watch All Japan already. Match to Watch: Yuma Aoyagi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, 5th November 2 *****, 4 ****¾, 27 MOTYCs, 24 HMs, Up from 3 last year 1. Kento Miyahara - All Japan - 34  Last year I said "Kento Miyahara is keeping this company alive." It's still true, albeit less so thanks to #2 & #5 on this list as well as some other great young talents. Him and #2 are so far ahead of the field as far as I'm concerned. Just the indisputable top guys in Japanese wrestling. Nobody had more matches as MOTYCs, nobody had more combined MOTYCs & HMs. Nobody had more ***** matches on my spreadsheet. He's the life blood of the best wrestling company in the world as far as I'm concerned. Long may it continue. The match with Nakajima is one of the top 5 matches from lst year. He's in 5 of my top 25 matches of 2023. He's The Best of the Best, end of. Match to Watch: Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi, 22nd January 2 *****, 3 ****¾, 28 MOTYCs, 25 HMs, No change in ranking forkboy84 fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 19:53
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This has been a good year for wrestling. Which is nice because the outlook of 2024 makes it seem like I may not be watching enough wrestling to make a top 10 list in January of 2025, what with some of my favorites either gone or on their way out, and the promoter of the only major American companies I watch more than like 1-2 shows a year happily signing sex pests and their enablers (Flair, Ospreay), but that negativity is for the AEW hell thread, and this is positivity, so here's the 10 wrestlers who I appreciated most in 2023! Was gonna do full writeups but like, meh. 10) Ram Kaichow - Love wins! Technically a tie with Raku but I went with Ram here after flipping a coin. 9) Dominik Mysterio - That 30 seconds in prison changed him, man. RIP Eddie. Genuinely the biggest wrestling-related laugh out of me all year was his entrance at Mania. 8) Riho - She's eligible she gets a nod 7) Billie Starkz - Half of the best storyline this year. 6) Miyu Yamashita - I got to see her live, thanks DPW! 5) Saki Akai o7 4) Christian Cage Inspirational. Wise. Selfless. Loved. Courageous. Generous. Compassionate. Respected. Sacrificing. Devoted. Father. 3) Chris Brookes He finally won the big one! Also his shows 2) Athena - the other half of the best storyline this year. ROH is her show, and everytime people complain that she's only in ROH I hope she stays longer in ROH. 1) Swerve Strickland - this was swerve's year.
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Jan 9, 2024 20:20
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I went through my MOTYC/HM picks from last year and weighted them to make my picks - it's that simple. 10. Jordynne Grace (TNA, 27) 9. KUSHIDA (TNA, 40) 8. Steve Maclin (TNA, 36) 7. Josh Alexander (TNA, 36) 6. Deonna Purrazzo (AEW, 29) 5. Jonathan Gresham (TNA, 35) 4. Trey Miguel (TNA, 29) 3. Alex Shelly (TNA, 40) 2. Chris Sabin (TNA, 41) 1. "Speedball" Mike Bailey (TNA, 33)
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Jan 9, 2024 20:49
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HM (in no particular order) * Dominik Mysterio (WWE) - Infinitely hateable, for all the right reasons. * Zack Sabre, Jr (NJPW and occasionally AEW) - Hopefully the new top gaijin for NJPW. * Willow Nightengale (AEW) - Nothing matters. Smile anyway. * Samoa Joe (AEW) - Finally a drat world champion again. That only took how many friggin' years? * Asuka (WWE) - Murder clown is gonna kill you. 10. Orange Cassidy (AEW) - How many good to great title defenses can one guy have in a calendar year? 09. Gunther (WWE) - There's not much I find watchable in WWE, but he's a big part of that. 08. Kris Statlander (AEW) - More powerhouse hoss fights in the Women's division, Tony. More! 07. Rhea Ripley (WWE) - The other big part of watchable WWE. 06. Swerve Strickland (AEW) - We're just waiting on his 2024 to include a World Title win. 05. Jon Moxley (AEW and occasionally NJPW) - The best brawler of the 21st Century? Maybe ever, though Terry Funk would drat well have a case. 04. Will Ospreay (NJPW and now AEW) - The greatest British wrestler ever, maybe? 03. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW and occasionally AEW) - The greatest pro wrestler from Japan this century. 02. Eddie Kingston (AEW/ROH/NJPW) - When you can honestly say a guy could talk you into following him into Hell and back, he's gotta be up there. I'd normally have Okada rank higher, but Eddie's had a better year. 01. Bryan Danielson (AEW and occasionally NJPW) - The greatest pro wrestler ever, no contest. All that needs to be said.
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Jan 9, 2024 21:14
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Phone posting so no long write-ups here, sorry. I took a break from trying to watch EVERYTHING in 2023, so my list leans very heavy AEW and who I think is cool & good. 10. 1 Called Manders (had a great 2023 on the indie scene, one of the nicest guys irl, 100% committed to livin' that life, and hopefully doesn't get lost to the MLW vacuum and moves onto a bigger & better promotion in 2024) 9. Toni Storm (Turned chickenshit into chicken salad by getting the hell out of the Outcasts gimmick and become a STAR.) 8. Konosuke Takeshita (He's singles title bound in 2024, mark my words. He has the proverbial IT Factor, and has rapidly hit the point in his AEW career that it doesn't matter if he's face or heel, he's an incredible wrestler and personality.) 7. El Desperado (he had that match against Jun Kasai in September of '22, and took Jun's advice at the end of the match in one of the realest and most emotional scenes I've watched in a wrestling match and found himself in 2023. I can't wait to see what he does in '24) 6. Samoa Joe (He'd be higher on my list if they had him beat MJF the first time but what are you gonna do? He's been wrestling for 24 years and is a living legend on par with Danielson.) 5. Eddie Kingston (He finally bundled up.) 4. Christian Cage (The greatest heel currently wrestling today. Full disclosure, Cage always had Xpac Heat with me since the Attitude Era all the way into his AEW debut. But when he put on that black turtleneck, I finally saw the light.) 3. GUNTHER (Had my favorite match of last year's Wrestlemania, forcing Michael Cole to absolutely mark the gently caress out and break character. He's having the winning streak they should of done with Roman by actually defending more than 3x a year. The Final Boss of WWE) 2. Orange Cassidy (wrestled 63 matches last year, only lost NINE, which while some on the list have a better record, no one did it like OC. The initial International Championship run turned him into one of the TRUE 4 Pillars of AEW, and I guarantee he's in line for a World Championship sooner than later.) 1. Bryan Danielson (Best in the World. Hasn't won a single title since joining AEW and probably never will and it doesn't matter at all. He selflessly puts over his opponents when it makes sense time and time again yet elevates every match into something special.) ‐---‐--------------------------------------------------- It's extremely difficult to rank just 10. I'm leaving out people like MJF, Kris Statlander, a huge amount of Japanese and Indie wrestlers, etc... because of indecision. Wrestling was extremely good in 2023.
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Jan 9, 2024 22:23
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10. Rhea Ripley 09. MJF 08. Roman Reigns 07. Jon Moxley 06. Jay Brisco 05. Brian Danielson 04. Seth Rollins 03. Athena 02. Cody Rhodes 01. Okada
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Jan 9, 2024 22:54
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I need to think about it, but wanted to comment that while I knew many of the top guys were no longer "young", seeing the ages of Kingston, Mox, Orange, Danielson, etc just makes me all the more impressed that they can go so hard. Guess I'm too used to pro sports with peak years being age 26-28 and guys retiring in their early-to-mid 30s. Being 40 myself, I'm like "yeah, I get it, I did physical poo poo 7 years ago that I'm as likely to do in 2024 as I am to master the art of levitation". Defend the International week-in week-out, or win the C2, or return from a fractured arm AND orbital bone just because? 
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Jan 9, 2024 23:05
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10 Stu Grayson 9 Pcp Manny 8 Green Phantom 7 Evil Uno 6 Sami Zayn 5 Mike Bailey 4 Kevin Owens 3 SeXXXy Eddy 2 Cool Hand Ang 1 Daddy Magic I'm sure youre shocked with my picks stab fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Jan 10, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 23:42
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Very glad to see this thread back. Thanks, Jerusalem! I'm a wrestling weirdo. I like underdogs, intelligence, talent and comedy, but I'm not against voting for main event guys. in fact my favourite guys of all time are ideally, guys who are built up over a long time story I can invest in. Also for me, conduct matters. For instance, Hangman Page would win any tiebreaker with say... Chris Jericho. But most wrestlers end up in a nebulous, neutral area where I assume they're idiots until proven otherwise, for better or worse. 2023 Top 10: Honourable Mentions: People I like trapped in the Fed, especially LA Knight. I did not give a thought to Eli Drake before this year. LA Knight almost made WWE think about changing plans, and given what he had to work with, it bears mentioning. Mei Suruga, Riho, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Ethan Page, most of the Dark Order. 10 ) Evil Uno, 36 yrs old (AEW) : I just like him. The cancer fund raising. The body transformation over the past few years, being able to work a comedy match, or bleed with people. And he's just as versatile on the stick, whether he's talking about shrimp dicks, being a charming underdog, or goofy evil guy. He reminds me of Mick Foley, before Mick lost some of his faculties. 9) Joe Hendry, 35 yrs old (Discovery/IMPACT) : Another guy who just clicks for me, though I think I like him best as an antagonist. Not the greatest in the ring, but the gimmick is really fun to me. 8) Brandon Cutler, 36 yrs old (AEW) : Not only am I never getting the fireworks factory where Brandon turns on the Bucks for treating him like poo poo; he's currently off-roading with Colt in a comedy Dark Match team. Don't care. Cutler is greatest jobber. (Sorry, PPA) 7) Kris Statlander, 28 yrs old (AEW) : I thought "World's Strongest Alien" with a connection to the Best Friends had more legs than "Is very good", but I enjoy watching her a bunch. 6) Chuck Taylor, 37 yrs old (AEW) : His year was pretty much the guy who eats pins for the Best Friends... so this is more of a lifetime achievement award. No doubt in my mind that Chuck languishes on the bench because he's just too self-sabotaging and modest. 5) Samoa Joe, 44 yrs old (ROH/AEW) : Did not see this coming. Might have ended up in my Top 3 for the year, if he hadn't needed to wander into the MJF nebula of storytelling to win the title. Not just good for his age, good enough to be world champ. 4) Konosuke Takeshita, 28 yrs old (DDT/AEW) : I hope I don't jinx him the same way I jinxed Ethan Page last year. Takeshita is a kinda in a holding pattern.. and still managed a really impressive year that makes me want to see much, much more. 3) Swerve Strickland, 33 yrs old (AEW): That was pretty good. Now do it again, and win the world title. I've loved this dude's work since Lucha Underground. If Mox liked it, you know it was good. 2) Christian Cage, 50 yrs old (AEW): The best heel in wrestling, at 50, after being written off for dead, by WWE... twice. My only criticism is that he accidentally won his feud with Jack Perry despite being buried alive. That's how awesome he is. Everything that Punk pretended to be in AEW. Mentor, draw, heat machine. And he doesn't feel like he has to draw attention to any of it. He'd be number 1, with a bullet, if it weren't for... 1) Orange Cassidy, 39 yrs old (AEW): The best face in wrestling. At 39. After being talked about of just going to do full time work as an architect. Orange will probably? never have a 5 star match, but hovers in the 3 - 4.5 range consistently with an insane workload. While still being over. And almost always winning. I'm worried about what happens to Best Friends if TK decides to split them; but for my money, Orange elevated the International Championship above the world title during MJF's reign. (Christian also elevated the TNT title, but I think Orange had the better year). It's not going to last forever, but I'll be damned if my fantasy booking didn't have the Best Friends come out and goad MJF into defending and losing against Orange. NutShellBill fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Jan 10, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 23:51
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1. Will Ospreay (NJPW, 30) 2. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 42) 3. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 34) 4. Kenny Omega (AEW, 40) 5. Jon Moxley (AEW, 38) 6. Kazuchika Okada (AEW, 36) 7. Hijo del Vikingo (AAA/AEW, 26) 8. Mike Bailey (Impact/NJPW/the entire planet, 33) 9. Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW, 28) 10. Titan (CMLL, 33)
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Jan 10, 2024 01:00
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0. Samoa Joe 9. Kris Statlander 8. Eddie Kingston 7. Christian Cage 6. Jon Moxley 5. Kenny Omega 4. Will Ospreay 3. Swerve Strickland 2. Orange Cassidy 1. Bryan Danielson, the GOAT. Feel honored to have watched him the past 20 years.
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Jan 10, 2024 01:55
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Last year I did a list of comedy wrestlers I liked, 2023 was a pretty fallow year for comedy wrestling with reduced creativity and the complete death of meme wrestling (although Kojima is bringing it back in 2024). So here's a fairly unadorned list of my fave wrestlers of 2023 10. Chris Brookes (DDT/Baka Gaijin and Friends/Gatoh Move, 36). Some top notch matches and Baka Gaijin is where all the best Chocopro ideas go now 09. Hyper Misao (TJPW, 34). Booked the best comedy show of the year. 08. MJF (27,AEW). Loved his in-ring work pretty much straight through the year even if the pre-tapes and promos got worse and worse as the year went on. 07. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 35). They took the belt off my man too fast and it'll be forever a tragedy that the Harimao Tag Run never happened properly 06. Hangman Adam Page (AEW, 32). Just terribly consistent, will always be my champ in AEW 05. OC (AEW, 39) Fantastic workhorse run in AEW 04. Yuka Sakazaki (TJPW/AEW, ?) Her graduation run of matches in TJPW were another level. 03. Darby Allin (AEW, 31) Straight up takes the nastiest bumps and elevates every match he's in. 02. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT/AEW, 28) Criminally underutilised in AEW but my god how good is he! 01. Emi Sakura (AEW/Gatoh Move, 47). 2023 was the year Tony booked Emi on TV and boy did she step up to the plate.
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Jan 10, 2024 02:16
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hello here is my annual list of bryan danielson and nine other people. I basically only watch AEW so it's all gonna be AEW or AEW-adjacent guys 1. Bryan Danielson - he is the best and greatest of all time and his AEW run has brought me back to the days in the late 00s where I got to watch him in-person in ROH kick people's loving heads in and it's the best wrestling gift ever. much like how bryan danielson is the best wrestler ever 2. Eddie Kingston - everyone's got it all wrong: eddie knows that wrestling is fake. he just doesn't care 3. Kenny by god Omega - hopefully before they're both done we manage to get kenny/danielson 2 and they wrestle a two-hour time limit draw or some poo poo 4. Will Ospreay - 20 dex, 0 int. love the british boy 5. Orange Cassidy - OC's first run with the all-atlantic/international title is going to be talked about for decades 6. "Hangman" Adam Page - the absolute nicest boy who will drink your blood and loving murder you if you piss him off 7. Maxwell Jacob Friedman - it's very very easy to focus on negatives with him but the guy does it all at an extremely high level 8. Swerve - he's the coolest 9. Satoshi Kojima - elbow dropped CM punk in the yambag 10. Samoa Joe - joe joe joe joe joe joe joe joe joe joe thank you. this has been my list of bryan danielson and nine other people. I spent roughly 15 minutes thinking about wrestlers 2 through 10 and will likely realize what a fool I've been with them later. but it does not matter, because this is a list of bryan danielson and nine other people
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Jan 10, 2024 05:57
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10) El Hijo Del Vikingo: This generation of high fliers keep upping the ante of what's possible. El Hijo Del Vikingo might be the frontrunner of all them. Not only the frontrunner but the one capable of wrestling the best singles matches. His match against Black Taurus on Rampage was a low-key late entrant into MotY. 9) Will Ospreay: I didn't see a lot of Will Ospreay this year, but what I did see makes me stoked as hell to see more of him. 8) Claudio Castagnoli: Watching Claudio turn from 'a high tier just a guy' in WWE to 'unstoppable kill machine made of steel and muscle' in AEW has been wonderful. 7) MJF: Time will vindicate him. How many other people could get people to go apeshit over a double clothesline. Not to mention the incredible matches he had against Kenny and Danielson. 6) Swerve Strickland: How incredible is Swerve Strickland? Incredible enough to make people forget he spent the first 3/4ths of the year handing out jobs like Reese's cups at Halloween over the course of 2 matches. 5) Jon Moxley: Mox in an incredible deathmatch with Hangman, incredible B&G match, insane All-Out main event vs Orange Cassidy. Mox has shown he's still the ace in defeat as well as victory. 4) Kenny Omega: 2 insane matches against Will Ospreay, an inredible match against Konnosuke Takeshita, the second best match of MJF's reign and part of the greatest best of 7 series in the history of professional wrestling. this was one hell of an off year for Kenny. 3) Eddie Kingston: Kingston doesn't really line up MotY candidates like some of the below talent but nobody will make you feel the emotion of whatever he's doing, inside and outside of the ring. This was the year of Eddie. Thank God it came. 2) Orange Cassidy: The stalwart, holding down the fort wherever on the card his is, whatever he's doing and whomever he's facing. If AEW had a '4 Present pillars' Cassidy would be one of them. 1) Brian Danielson: The GOAT. The motherfucking goat. GOATy GOAT GOAT. The only person who can dislodge Danielson from the #1 spot is Brian Danielson.
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Jan 10, 2024 07:10
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1. Toru Yano 2. Taichi 3. Eddie Kingston 4. Christian Cage 5. Bryan Danielson 6. Toni Storm 7. Orange Cassidy 8. Swerve Strickland 9. Kris Statlander 10. MJF
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Jan 10, 2024 08:53
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Awesome to see almost 30 Top Tens posted already, was great reading those with comments and being reminded of a lot of very cool poo poo that happened in 2023! All lists up to Venomous have now been recorded and there's already some crazy stuff going on in the rankings, and we're not even a full day into this yet On a sadder note, I feel like a dick for even bringing it up, but Eat My Fuc you've included Jay Briscoe in your list who unfortunately isn't eligible under the "must have wrestled one match in 2023" condition. I checked through his cagematch listing to be sure and as far as I can tell his last match before his unfortunate passing was on December 17th, 2022 at a House of Glory PPV. If I've got that wrong please let me know and I'll adjust the spreadsheet accordingly, but as things currently stand I didn't count him and just moved everybody else after him on your list up a notch.
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Jan 10, 2024 09:45
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1. Bryan Danielson 2. El Hijo del Vikingo 3. Kenny Omega 4. Orange Cassidy 5. Athena 6. Swerve Strickland 7. Christian Cage 8. Zack Sabre Jr 9. Eddie Kingston 10. Daniel Garcia
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Jan 10, 2024 13:48
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