Nominees

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Started his career as the hot tag in a high flying ant team and was amazing in that role. Later turned into the best comedy wrestler ever, and has transitioned that into some insanely great matches (David Starr, Pac, etc..) .The commitment to character and the different ranges between them is pretty damn impressive. Recs: Fire Ant vs Vin Girard (2008-06-15 Chikara) Orange Cassidy vs David Starr (2018-11-25 Beyond) Orange Cassidy vs PAC (2020-02-29 AEW)

From El McKell: Shocked nobody has nominated him yet and someone's gotta want to vote for him. Got himself super over in Lucha Underground with his personality and aura. Always carries himself like he's a star even when he's mired in mediocre booking. Not as spectacular as his brother, but still pretty adept at doing cool shit. In his best bloody/violent stuff he comes across really dangerous. vs Kairi Hojo, Mayu Iwatani & Io Shiari Lucha Underground - Season 3 Episode 13 vs Kenny Omega All In 2019 w/Fenix vs Young Bucks All Out 2021 vs Villano IV Mas vs Mask in 2022

From club: I’m not much for Toryumon or 00s NOAH juniors, but I could watch this dickhead stomp and punch all day long, and it’s a crying shame he didn’t have a longer career. I’d really like to take a look into his Toryumon stuff - hoping people here better versed in it can signpost me to the good stuff. Dragon Kid vs SUWA - 24/08/00 KENTA vs SUWA - 09/18/05 SUWA vs Mitsuo Momota - 07/16/06 Mil Mascaras, Ultimo Dragon, Kazuchika Okada & Marco Corleone vs Ultimo Guererro, SUWA, Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki - 05/13/07

From fxnj: One of the best joshi workers of the overlooked late 2000s-early 2010s period. Very diverse worker who could do solid matwork sections, work an uncomfortably violent brawl, and also be a trailblazer for intergender deathmatch wrestling. vs. Abdullah Kobayashi 7/30/2006 vs. Meiko Satomura 12/3/2006 and 3/11/2015 vs. Kana 8/16/2008 and 3/4/2014 w/ Command Bolshoi vs. Arisa Nakajima & Kana 3/2/2014

From HowtobeaMark: I don't think I have ever seen a bad performance from Ilja. His selling is often great, his offence looks fantastic and his presentation is very serious which has become a breathe of fresh air in modern American wrestling. Almost without exception, if every current wrestler was a bit more like Ilja they would improve their work. He always brings passion to his matches which always makes his matches feel important. vs Walter vs John Klinger (10th March 2018) vs Walter (29th October 2020) vs Walter (22nd August 2021) vs Bron Breakker vs JD McDonagh (22nd October 2022) vs Dijak (28th May 2023) vs Carmelo Hayes (30th July…

From El McKell: Someone with a sneaky good long career, pretty good in early PWG, Evolve, peak early 2010s PWG, probably the 2nd best guy in the cruiserweight classic (which for my money is one of the best things WWE ever produced), quite a few sporadic really good Impact matches, and then a really good Best of the Super Juniors this year. vs Kyle O'Reilly 2013/08/09 vs Kota Ibushi Cruiserweight Classic vs Gran Metalik Cruiserweight Classic vs Josh Alexander Iron Man 2021/06/03 vs Hiromu Takahashi 2023/05/19

From Microstatistics: To me, the most impressive wrestler from all of the French footage. Great as the technically gifted stooging heel who could big bump AND violently rough up opponents. w/Inca Peruano vs. Gilbert Cesca/Ben Chemoil, 3/12/1965 vs. Walter Borders, 8/29/1967 vs. Jon Guil Don, 4/18/1976

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Jetlag said: The case of Yasushi Sato is even more mysterious than Watanabe. From what I know he only started wrestling in the mid-2000s, at a pretty old age, and barely ever making tape. But when he does, this guy looks like a wrestling genius. He is incredibly efficient working technical matches built around his leg grapevine moves. He also has a neck for unique amateur spots and cradles, a bit like a smaller Tamon Honda. I wouldn't hesitate to call his match against Masamune a match of the decade contender, and for someone who shows up on tape so little his hit rate of great matches is incredibly high. Definitely someone everyone should check out. Recommende…

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Control21 said: One of the more talented junior heavyweights in wrestling since the mid-2000s. Ishimori has made a name for himself in NOAH and NJPW. He has combined his considerable athleticism with technical skills and a knack for inserting a ton of energy and excitement into his matches. While other wrestlers like KUSHIDA and Hiromu Takahashi may overshadow him, he still has quite a resume and continues to deliver worthwhile matches. His consistency and output warrant at least a conversation. Recommended matches – vs Hiromu Takahashi (6/4/2018) vs Hiromu Takahashi (6/21/2022) w/KENTA vs Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji (7/15/2007) w/Nao…

HowtobeaMark said: Has transformed himself into one of the most important wrestlers in the world today. Has shown great character diversity with Legacy, Dashing, Stardust, American Nightmare etc. Has had some of the most emotionally charged matches of recent years and is proving himself to be one of the best on the mic. Think it is time he gets at least evaluated amongst the top names the business has ever produced. Recommended Matches Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs The Shield - 6 October 2013 Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes - 25 May 2019 Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins - 5 June 2022

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Control21 said: A very talented wrestler that has vastly improved his resume over the past four years or so. The "lost" NJPW young lion has become a very versatile wrestler proficient in technical wrestling, Lucha Libre, the modern NJPW "house style," and even deathmatches. He has become an important piece to the NJPW Junior Heavyweight division and is a fan favorite for many. In many ways, he mirrors Hiromu Takahashi to some degree. Desperado is able to convey emotion in his matches to a very palpable degree, a gift that not many wrestlers have. Certainly, someone that could contend for the lower half of a few Top 100 lists. Recommended matches - El Despe…

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Control21 said: The archetype of the burly strongman from the Soviet bloc. Zangiev would become one of the most recognizable and impactful foreigners from the late 1980s for Puroresu. Even influencing video games such as Street Fighter. Zangiev would make his debut in 1989 for NJPW after Antonio Inoki visited the Soviet Union and negotiated access to two Russian amateur wrestlers (Salman Hashimikov was the other). Zangiev was perhaps the more charismatic of the two and was capable of having good matches. Seemingly a natural, Zangiev became one of the most formidable outsiders in 1989. Zangiev would later work on several UWFi shows. Recommended matches – vs …