Boss Rock

You are absolutely right. JVK mentioned Ted, and I agree. Might also have the nicest sounding voice in pro-wrestling history, too. Magnum TA in his prime was quite a looker - not so sure how the 'stache stands out in a more modern setting. Also, no one mentioned Ibushi yet? I agree that Tana is this weird, fabulous mix of handsomeness with gorgeous hair, but Ibushi is also himself really cute. But to me, the best looking guy in professional wrestling today is Dr. Wagner Jr. Just breathtaking. Forgot all about Wagner. He's handsome as hell. Minoru Suzuki in his younger days was pretty good-looking as well.

Tough one as there's loads I haven't watched. I think when it comes to a pure in-ring standpoint, AJPW and it isn't even close in my book. Angles and characters? WWE.

I think Roman Reigns comes into consideration as well. Doesn't really have anything until end of 2013, but lots of great Shield tags from then till 2014, two great singles matches in 2015, and tons of bangers in 2016 and 2017.

Definitely curious what other prominent work he's had that I'm missing. It may be pure envy, but Tanahashi certainly has some terrific hair. I'd put that on my head any day even if I could never pull it off I think Daniel Bryan was pretty good and normal looking pre-beard. Tanahashi is absolutely one of the most handsome men in all of wrestling. Rush is also incredibly handsome and Naito definitely has that roguish charm about him. Those are probably my top 3.

In no order and the first ones that come to mind: A.J. Styles Daniel Bryan Tomohiro Ishii Tetsuya Naito Hiroshi Tanahashi Kazuchika Okada Chris Hero Kota Ibushi

While I haven't watched everything, I have to say this was a really good tournament. Some really fun match-ups with some four star-caliber affairs sprinkled here and there leading to a fantastic stretch of final matches (Shingo-Shuji, Marufuji-Jun, Kento-Hino, Kento-Marufuji). Definitely a step-up from last year.

I usually prefer a great and ambitious match even if it has some fat around the edges in favor of a "good" or "fun" match. Good, fun matches happen all the time, but an ambitious epic, if pulled off correctly and doesn't drift towards self-conscious territory, is usually something special. But variety is also the spice of life and I like a series of really enjoyable, shorter matches that build up to that main event spectacle.

A fitting final match for a great tournament. It was almost as if the more battle-hardened Marufuji was looking at a younger version of himself. The two are rather similar with their fast-paced offense and reliance on knee strikes. Some really great offensive sequences and inspiring comebacks from Kento, who's as good a babyface as he is a cocky dick. Experience won out for Marufuji, but Kento made him earn it as he survived multiple kicks, knee strikes, an apron piledriver, and even a Shiranui before Marufuji had to resort to the Fisherman Flowsion. Am interested to see the direction this goes in as Marufuji is not quite ready to challenge for the Triple Crown (he has a GHC match with Sugiura coming up) but offered to face Kento on his turf. Either way, a fantastic match to wrap up the tournament. ****1/2.

Great match and perfect way to close out the B Block. It's been a while since both guys have faced each other, so there's a bit of a feeling out process until Marufuji attempts to step up and even disrespect the veteran. Bad idea, as Jun spends the majority of this match punishing Marufuji with vicious knees, suplexes, and a devastating curb stomp. A spot in the finals isn't the only thing on line: it's pride. Marufuji's pride is too much for Jun to put him away, leading to a callback to Jun-Kento where Marufuji blasts him with knee after knee and Jun does all he can to stay with it. In the end, Marufuji is victorious and the two bump fists as a sign of respect and perhaps an end to hostilities between Noah and AJPW. ****1/4.

Good Lord this was awesome. In my opinion, the best match of the entire tournament. Simple yet effective story of the bigger Ishikawa trying to bully and overpower the smaller yet resilient Takagi. Loved the long-term story of Takagi working over the arm and Ishikawa's frustration at his inability to put him away. The fighting spirit spots, kick-outs, and comebacks were executed to perfection and I really believed that Takagi was putting every ounce of energy he had (and then some) to hold on just a little bit longer and land a few more shots on Ishikawa. Legitimate MOTYC. ****3/4.

Definitely agree with Flair in regards to his charm and charisma. I wouldn't say he was the most handsome dude, but he certainly carried himself well.

Was there a particular time it started to go downhill? It always seemed like holding off on Kawada hurt them. Then again, Kobashi finally beat Misawa in '03 and became a huge draw.

I wonder if they're gonna let freelancers work both. Because unless that is the case or AJPW and Noah are partnering up, no way Marufuji beats Kento.

I do think guys like Okada and Trevor Lee are good at having those kinds of matches even if they drag or take a little while to get going. There are tons of folks who couldn't make a 30+ minute match engaging in any way.

90's AJPW, but I've also seen so little of ROH. Was really hoping they could get the classic stuff up for their streaming service but I've heard that they've lost a lot of it over the years.

90's AJPW and '10's NJPW are the only promotions I've really followed/viewed closely (although I think your point about 00's ROH is certainly applicable to later workers like Richards). I do think NJPW has the great long-term storytelling that AJPW had, but as Loss mentioned above the slow-burn over multiple years can get incredibly frustrating. Also, I agree that the 90's AJPW workers were better at building up the finishing stretch and bigger moments of the match whereas a lot of NJPW main events could lose the first 10 minutes and not be affected too much.

I think the indy workers trying to recreate 90s AJPW is kind of like rappers in the late 90s tying a bandanna around their head and expecting to become 2pac. Sure, they were fans and liked that style, but they kind of cherry picked the aesthetic parts, but not the deeper parts that made those style work. AJPW was a lot of flashy moves, but those moves were built upon years of character development, story-telling, and psychology. That's not something you can really recreate in a high school gym with a cast of characters that is fluid by nature. You can do a bunch of flashy moves and drop people on their heads, but without the foundational psychology of AJPW you're putting solar panels on the roof of a dog house. That's generally how view I a lot of the excess problems with indie wrestling today. Although I think it's certainly fair to say AJPW got more and more excessive in later years (and by extension so did Noah), but they also had the storytelling, psychology, and sense of escalation a lot of the imitators did not.

Great match to close out the A Block. Kento can be a dick in his matches, but he was in full babyface mode here (even letting go of the post choke without the ref having to grab his hair!). Kento started off strong and would get in some short bursts of offense before Hino would turn the tide with a huge strike or suplex. Kento would get overpowered for several minutes but as soon as he mounted his comeback, he would be drawn right back into Hino's game whether it be a striking battle or fight on the outside. Hino was incredibly dominant for the entire finishing stretch and looked like he would put Kento away, only for the champ to literally snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Great ending to a great match. ****1/4.

Davey is still wanted for questioning it seems.

Saw that attendance was way up this year from last.

Not that I've heard.

Yeah, that makes much more sense.

This one also.

That was awful. It just sounded like a bad imitation of a Rock line that would sound ridiculous but he would get over regardless because of his charisma.

I'd say "Suffering succotash" and "Donkey dung for brains" were the ones that did irreparable damage to his promo reputation. The tea party thing was just a cute PSA on fatherhood.