Nominees

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HeadCheese said: Yay, yay! One of the best wrestlers of the 2010s and still really good when getting opportunity in the 2020s. Great confidence in his movements. Great at being the overdog but, also great at being vunderable. A good face from what I seen) and a great heel. He's so good at finding the strengths helping accentuating the strengths of his tag team partners and opponets. CWF Mid Atlantic was my go to promotion of the mid-late 2010s because alot in part because of Arik Royal. Match Recs vs. Trevor Lee (CWF Mid Atlantic Battlecade, 12/28/13) w/ Ray Kandrack vs. Andrew Everett & Jesse Adler (CWF MA, 3/12/16) …

Discuss here. Clayton Jones said: "When it comes to a cool babyface who simply has "it" Strickland is one of the best of his generation. More than capable as a heel as well. Extremely versatile with the styles he can work while still having his own style that's uniquely Swerve. I can't recommend his run as the Ace of DEFY highly enough."

My nominee: Tam Nakano is one of the greatest babyface wrestlers of all-time, but can also go well as a heel or subtle heel. She is a master of storytelling and brings so much into her angles and lets that go front and center in her matches. She is littered with high end matches, but her ability to make anything work really puts her into contention. Recs: 2019 6 16 Stardom Shining Destiny Arisa Hoshiki vs Tam Nakano 2021 3 3 Stardom 10th Anniversary: All-Star Dream Cinderella…

Control21: Volador Jr has been one of CMLL’s mainstays since the 2000s, becoming one of the top wrestlers in the world with his athleticism and ability to convey great matches through pacing and psychology. In terms of Lucha Libre, Volador Jr grasps the nuances of in-ring storytelling with the best of them. He has had tremendous feuds with the likes of Barbaro Cavernario, Mistico, Ultimo Guerrero, and Rocky Romero. At 40 years old, he is still going strong and has become one of the standard bearers for CMLL. vs Barbaro Cavernario (10/7/2016) vs Ultimo Guerrero (7/14/2017) vs Angel de Oro (9/16/2023) vs Rocky Romero (6/30/2023) vs Rocky Romero…

HeadCheese said: The Big Dog, a great overdog that has a really interesting variety of wrestling. Really good presence. He is a wrestler I'm hoping look more into. Good at comedy, tag team wrestling, big singles, bloody wrestling, and more. Being the top champion for AJPW, BJW, DDT, and Kyushu Pro is very impressive. vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 9/25/2016) vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 12/4/2016) vs. Suwama (AJPW, 7/17/2017) vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 7/27/2017) w/ Suwama vs. Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu (AJPW, 12/12/17) w/ Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW, 6/17/2023).

Jimbo Cranium (discord) said: French tag wrestler who lights up every match he's in. Hard to spot a weakness in his game and he might ultimately one of the toughest names to cut when it comes to ballot D-Day due to how stacked the French contingent is. Bordes/Ben Chemoul v Tejero/Peruano (3/9/68) Bordes v Tejero (8/29/67) Bordes/Ben Chemoul v Blousons Noirs (9/6/66) Bordes/Ben Chemoul v Tejero/Viracocha (1/18/73) Bordes/Ben Chemoul v Tejero/Montoro (9/20/71) The Crusher More of a completionist pick but I'd take Crusher as an everyman beer-swilling arsekicker over lots of wrestlers already nominated. Crusher/Greg Gagne v Sheiks (3/…

HeadCheese said: He's been pretty much at the good+ and above level since since I first saw him DDT DNA proabably 11 years ago. He carries great presence and confidence. Not sure if he'll make my list but, I think hes one of current DDT more consistent wrestlers especially in main events. Match Recs vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 4/26/16) vs. Shuji Ishikawa (DDT, 9/25/16) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 1/7/17) vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 11/3/21) 37KAMIINA/ShunMAO (MAO and Shunma Katsumata) vs. Chihiro Hashimoto and Kazusada Higuchi (DDT Super Encounter! Episode 4, 2022) His DDT King Of DDT 2022 (7/3/22) and 2023 (5/21/23) vs. Konosuke…

HeadCheese said: TOKYO GO! A contender for best comedy wrestler I have ever seen. He's for sure best comedy/avant garde wrestler in DDT history. He constantly makes me smile. The Tokyo Go glasses gimmick is always so fun. He's so good at making other wrestlers look great whether that wrestler is animate or inanimate (Kazuki Hirata is best vs. Yoshihiko wrestler ever) or anyone. Toru Owashi and him have such a great dynamic. Fun when he gets serious too. He's amazing! I think he might make the 80-95 region of my list. Match Recs Kazuki Hirata, Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi vs. Makoto Oishi, MAO & Shunma Katsumata (DDT, 1/28/13) Kazu…

Ma Stump Puller said: Kinda shocking that he wasn't a official nomination earlier. Don Leo has been held in great regard for decades as one of the best giants of his time, his terrific atheticism, and capability to play a strong babyface but a especially strong gift for being a heel, being probably one of the greatest big-man bumpers ever. Was also gifted enough technically that he could wrestle 30/40 minute matches without it ever seeming boring or out of touch, especially impressive since this was a guy wrestling in a time when dropkicks were considered a novelty. 50s discoveries have also further established his case since they show him in his prime having in…

HeadCheese said: Probably going to make somewhere in my 99-100. From New Nemuro Pro Wrestling and N2W with Samson Miyamoto and various other friends as his manager Andreza Giant Panda! An great party wrestling gimmick. I have so many Andreza Giant Panda matches and moments over the past 8 years and it's still fun. It's a character. Andreza has even had matches against a parody Hulk Hogan and Stan Kobayashi. Inflatable Panda headbutts and body splashes energy. My go to wrestler when I'm showing my someone wrestling. Yuruchara Brawl (Rampage Big Brawl, 5/8/2018) https://youtu.be/xsXSzqEofaY?si=xtcoLayz2KTcMWAW vs. Batten Blabla (Kyushu Pro, 7/7/2018) https…

HeadCheese said: One of the best comedy wrestlers I have seen, there's a so much charm and enthusiasm in her work. Her work as self does follow a formula but it's still fun. Her stuff with the giant HHH champion is fun. Her impression and cosplay wrestler work is amazing. She might be the best at that kind of gimmick. She is so good at finding the manurisms and quirks of who she is portraying. She is also such a great underdog and fighter from underneath especially in GAEA. Match recs vs. Devil Masami (GAEA, 1/9/97) https://youtu.be/dSLte9W5KqY?si=OVH6HK0Lm1SDzq1D vs. Chigusa Nagayo (GAEA, 1/12/97) https://youtube.com/watch?v=xtKbs2jkMKU&pp=ygUWR…

HeadCheese said: A super bump freak. Nominated mostly from having the craziest ladder match on tape with Hellstorm from EWR in 2004. One of the most 2004 playing action figures, watching TLC, and endorphin wrestling matches ever! He has also has really good crowd connection outside of the spots and really cool other matches. vs. AJ Styles vs. El Generico (EWR, 9/4/04) https://youtu.be/WCn-QpdLZxg?si=1CTnpO1SYahur2is vs. Hellstorm (EWR, 11/6/04) https://youtu.be/jIorRNuQ1Bo?si=AJ6q2Cucno_KC5aE vs. Hellstorm, THE LADDER MATCH (EWR, 12/19/04) https://youtu.be/KNiC2VkSOHQ?si=fAMNE0m-o_kA0Rnd Here's a playlist of him https://youtube.com/playlist?lis…

HeadCheese said: A wrestler I really enjoy watching. Fun bumps, spinning wheel kicks, and looking super cool/menacing. The Big Daddy V look is an all time wrestling look. He rules so much. Very fun to watch! The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) vs. Men On A Mission (Mabel & Mo) (w/Oscar) (WWF Wrestlemania 10, 3/20/94) Mabel vs. Yokozuna (WWF Action Zone, Aired 11/6/94) https://youtu.be/rcTfq4d50_E?si=zL4wkuP8ke60loh0 Viscera vs. Kurt Angle (WWF Raw, 12/20/99) https://youtu.be/qVk_NjyQM-4?si=bln8CoPGNzSq0WHH Batista vs. Viscera (WWE Raw, 1/17/05) John Cena vs. Viscera (WWE Raw, 8/7/2006) Big Daddy V vs. Brandon Gatson, Jeff Micha…

HowtobeaMark said: I can see this nomination getting a negative response and I do understand why. But honestly, I do think he warrants consideration. I think Dick showed he could be effective in a variety of roles whether it be bar room/every man brawler (w/ Bruno vs Ernie Ladd and Baron Von Raschke), a fun comedic worker (w/ The Crusher and Little Bruiser vs The Blackjacks & Bobby Heenan), a bumping and stooging heel (w/Karl Karlsson vs Verne Gagne and Wilbur Snyder) or a vicious heel (vs Giant Baba). I think he knew how to get the best out of what he had and was incredibly over with the fans and could evoke huge reactions. Was a master of super expressive big w…

club said: I find it quite hard to put into words what I love about Brian Maxine, but here goes. We all know someone who’s an arrogant prick right? Someone who is clearly talented, but also clearly not the genius they make themselves out to be? The type you’re just waiting to fall flat on his annoying face? Brian “Gold Belt” Maxine is the best wrestling personification of this type. Everything he does just screams so well with this, from his wrestling style, to his crown and robe, to his patronising handshake. The WoS environment is perfect for this type of heel to thrive. Maxine’s generally wrestling in front of an audience that views letting success go to y…

Control21: Aoki is probably more of an outside-the-box nominee, but he has had a very solid run in the past couple of years as a former MMA guy who can work both solid shoot-style matches and entertaining comedy stuff. Like Daisuke Nakamura, he is an extremely talented grappler and his technical skills are easily translated inside a wrestling ring. He is quite consistent as well and usually avoids putting on bad matches just because his fundamentals are really good. vs Kazusada Higuchi (10/12/2022) vs Takanori Ito (12/30/2022) vs Tetsuya Izuchi (3/7/2023) vs Masakatsu Funaki (6/2/2017) vs HARASHIMA (2/17/2019) vs HARASHIMA (10/28/2018)

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