NintendoLogic

Around 2011, I first had the idea of making a list of ten matches that, if stranded on a desert island, I could watch and be entertained indefinitely. I soon decided that ten matches weren't sufficient to encapsulate everything I enjoy about pro wrestling, so the list eventually expanded to 50 and then 100 matches. After exposing myself to as much wrestling from as many regions and eras as I could, I now have a list of 200 matches that I can unreservedly call my favorites (as of January 1, 2020, anyway). Now that the list is solidified, I want to give the matches a fresh look so I can properly rank them. So for the next month or so (or however long it takes), this project will be my primary wrestling focus. I plan on watching each match on my list in chronological order and ranking them as I go. After I watch a match, I'll provide about a paragraph's worth of thoughts and assign it a star rating. I'll provide my ongoing rankings 50, 100, and 150 matches in with the final ranking coming after I've gone through all 200. I'm going to try to get through ten matches a day, so I should be done by the end of the month as long as no major life events get in the way and I'm not overcome by the urge to procrastinate. What should you expect if you decide to follow along? The bulk of my selections are from the 80s and 90s, but every year from 1980 to 2019 is represented along with a few matches from earlier years. My tastes tend toward heavyweight slugfests, classic-style (i.e., not ECW) brawls, David vs. Goliath matchups, and matches with strong body part psychology. Expect to see a lot of Bret Hart, Vader, and the stars of 80s/90s All Japan. While many of the selections are among the most universally acclaimed matches of all time, some will probably have several of you scratching your heads in bewilderment as to how I could possibly rate it as highly as I do. If any of the matches I describe pique your interest, most of them are available online (on YouTube/Dailymotion/WWE Network/NJPW World/Ditch's website/etc.). I don't expect anybody to significantly alter their overall outlook as a result of this, but maybe some people will discover some new matches or see old ones in a different light. If nothing else, I hope you find my thoughts somewhat interesting or provocative.

At the rate Charlotte's going, she'll outdo her father in both title reigns and marriages.

Consider how wretched a segment has to be for Joey Ryan to be able to call you out for being tasteless. The incels in the crowd may have popped for it, but most people would be embarrassed to have a family member walk in and catch them watching it. If this is what brings back the casual audience, I hope wrestling remains a niche product until the end of time.

That match will also feature the debut of Arn Anderson as Cody's personal advisor. You would think he would know better than to trust Arn after everything he's done to the Rhodes family. I guess somebody has to be the dumbest man in wrestling now that Sting is retired, and it might as well be him.

You hate to see it: A lot of the criticisms of the modern high-risk style are well taken, but it's worth remembering that Orton spends an inordinate amount of time on the shelf every year while doing nothing but headlocks, stomps, and RKOs.

It was in response to someone dubbing Yakety Sax (aka the Benny Hill music) over the clip.

For most of his career, Omega's act has combined jaw-dropping athleticism with cringe-inducing comedy. The quintessential indy geek, in other words. When he first got a push as a Bullet Club member, he was The Cleaner, a hokey undercard gimmick that wouldn't have looked out of place in the New Generation-era WWF. It took the booking of Gedo, who was heavily influenced by American territory wrestling, to channel his talents and make him a credible Tokyo Dome headliner. Now that he has creative control, he's doing everything he can to turn himself back into a geek. As for Cornette, say what you want about the guy, but when he's right, he's right. That clip looked like a game of tag between fifth graders. And that was from GCW, supposedly one of the top indies in the country.

In case you missed it: So basically a LMS/submission match hybrid. Should be pretty awesome as long as they don't do a bunch of outlaw mudshow bullshit.

In other news, Rusev is apparently bisexual now.

A taped Raw going up against Packers/Vikings. I can't imagine anyone in their right mind watching tonight.

From the 8/12/19 Observer (emphasis added): "There have been complaints from some fans which has gotten to NXT management over the actions of a very few but local other fans based on chants and actions of those fans. The complaints have been about too many racist, sexist, homophobic and xenophobic actions from fans at the Florida shows. Because they run such small buildings, one fan being obnoxious can really hurt the show. It’s essentially something I’ve seen at other shows and have written about, which is the clash between new fans who see wrestling as an art form and artists, and old fans who think wrestling is a night out to yell and scream and being able to say what ever you want based on what was okay 15 or 20 years ago, when those kind of remarks were commonplace at every show and the product encouraged them. One fan wrote to the company and said they and a friend avoid going to Daytona shows for that reason. Another noted that crowd was chanting “kick him out” at one fan who was doing a Nazi salute to back Marcel Barthel, who broke character and basically said that was not acceptable. But his not being kicked out was a common complaint. Another fan complained that on 7/18 in Lakeland a fan yelled the N word at black referee D.A. Brewer and was not kicked out. There were complaints that on 8/2 in Melbourne some guys were yelling out profanity around children and were very disrespectful in making remarks at Tegan Nox. There was also complaints about fans chanting “build a wall” during an Humberto Carrillo match in Daytona in May. Daniel Vidot, a rookie wrestler, also complained about racial slurs by fans saying there is no humor in any type of racial stereotyping or immature displays of racial gesturing and said that they should kick fans out of venues when they try to disrupt shows with those kind of remarks. A group of fans suggested an NXT Fan Code of Conduct be implemented at the shows similar to that of Major League Soccer. The flip side is the generation that grew up with the idea wrestling was a place where you could yell anything you want at the heels, or because of freedom of speech, at the faces because of the idea wrestlers strive to get heat and thus that’s a good thing" Seriously, there's no reason for Florida to continue to exist. Just nuke it or sell it back to Spain or something.

Some NXT fans chanted "happy ending" and "Pearl Harbor" at Kairi Sane last year. And one caused Marcel Barthel to break character by giving him a Nazi salute a few months ago. They really need to get the hell out of Florida.

Interesting. In the past, he's categorically refused to put groups on the ballot if they had members who were already in as solo acts. Maybe seeing all the multiple inductees in the WWE HOF has changed his thinking. If so, we can actually have the Four Horsemen on the ballot rather than the cheap substitute of "Arn and Tully with JJ Dillon."

A big problem with AEW is that they seem to think the Elite are much bigger stars then they really are. So instead of trying to get Omega and the Bucks over to a larger audience, they're using them to try to get other acts over. This is a case where I think the promotion would benefit from the top stars being more selfish.

Kross signing with WWE would pretty well confirm that calling out Batista at Bloodsport was just a lame attempt at booking his own angle and GCW did not, in fact, have the match worked out.

Austin and Regal actually had a really dope strap match on Smackdown in 2001. For @Mrzfn, Austin vs. Marc Mero at KOTR 1996 and Austin vs. Helmsley at IYH: Buried Alive are a couple of other under-the-radar selections worth checking out.

Some good and bad from the spoilers for next week's Raw:

So a gauntlet match to determine the #1 contender for the US title ended without a finish and led to the title shot going to someone who wasn't even in the match. And the OC beat the Viking Raiders clean in a non-title match the night after they had a title match that went to a double countout. Raw in 2019 is the worst show in the history of television.

I'm sure Kairi will tweet something about how nobody needs to worry because she's totally fine right before taking a lengthy absence that is never explained or even acknowledged on TV.

If the way Kairi crumpled after taking the spear didn't clue Charlotte in that something was wrong, being unable to get up for the powerbomb should have. Pulling a Low Ki on a likely concussed opponent means that either she has to get her shit in no matter what or she has no idea how to deviate from the script. As is usually the case, though, WWE is the real villain here. There's no excuse for nobody at ringside or backstage calling an audible when it was clear that Kairi had gotten her bell rung. Not to mention the inherent irresponsibility of putting a 100-pound woman with a history of concussion issues in a TLC match in the first place.

Based on the gifs I've seen, the main event was a total trainwreck and Charlotte is an unprofessional shithead who should be blackballed from the industry.

Huehuehue @ KawadaSmile breaking the board yet again with his wacky Portuguese orthography. Anyway, I can't name a single match on this card and won't be watching so much as a millisecond, but the rest of you knock yourselves out.

It's official. I have a new #1 for 2019.

I just watched LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu, and I'm pretty sure it's my MOTY.

I've always been skeptical of Don Owen's candidacy, but he seems to me to be a stronger candidate than Crockett Sr. If Crockett is in, Owen should be as well. Also, the HOF issue contains the following paragraph (emphasis added): "Wrestlers are supposed to be judged on four major criteria, positive historical influence on the business, drawing power, in-ring ability as it pertains to having outstanding matches, and longevity. A Hall of Famer should be strong in all four of those categories, but if they were one of the dominant standouts of their era in the ring, or as a draw, they should be voted regardless of the other categories. Longevity without having any major positive historical impact, significant drawing power or a career filled with great matches, should be viewed as meaningless." So there you go. Meltzer officially endorses Great Match Theory.