I've been plowing through the incredible Lucha set for the past several weeks. Its the first 80s set I've watched and will participate in the voting. I want to say first off that the Lucha set is absolutely incredible and I will have matches in the low 90s that I really liked a lot and everyone should buy it. But this post isn't about the lucha set.

 

 

I wanted to see how people here have gone about setting their rankings for these 80s sets? I figure there a variety of different ways to go about it: multiple complete viewings, ranking as you go on instinct, giving star ratings that you adhere too when making the final list, or even making a top 20-30 and then just kind of throwing the rest out there etc etc etc. I'm interested to see the different ways people go about it and what works for them.

I make an excel sheet with headings of "Elite", "Great", "Very Good" and "Good" (I don't really consider anything to be outright "bad" on these sets).

 

I just slot matches in as I go. Elite is something I feel can compete for the top spot. Great is the matches I love, but are just below that level. Very Good is something I enjoyed, but don't see ranking too high. Good is really the bottom-rung stuff.

 

It ain't scientific, but it works for me.

I make (very) rough MOTY lists for each year. Other than the top and the bottom matches those rankings usually get moved around pretty extensively when I combine those lists into one. When the lists are combined I divide it into tiers kind of like what Log was saying before I go over the list and move things around.

Going on instinct. I have an excel sheet, and just slotting matches in as I watch them. It's far from perfect, but I find ranking matches really hard anyway, so I think no matter which way I go about it I would never be completely satisfied. I plan on rewatching my top 10 or maybe top 20 when I'm done with the set so at least I can get that into an order I'm somewhat willing to stand by.

With the AWA set, I wrote a metric ton of words (now lost for all eternity) after each match, then used those to rank each disc after I finished. At the end, I look at the disc ratings and sync it all up.

 

With the lucha set, I have no idea what I'm going to do. Obviously, it's slow moving for when it comes to voting and what not, but I'd have to go through almost everything again. It took me three discs to figure out how to watch this stuff, basically, and I've been able to mow through things less quickly. I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy going through everything again. I'm just not sure I'll be able to.

I try to rank each disc, then go back at the end and rewatch matches on which I still have questions. I might rewatch a series of matches from the same rivalry, for example, to see how they compare (think Rockers vs. Buddy/Somers from AWA). And I try to rewatch stuff on which my first impression differed greatly from those of posters I trust.

I couldn't rank a large volume of matches without using some sort of numerical system. Whilst rating wrestling it a highly subjective thing to do, numbers are more accurate than words. Is one 'good' match better than another 'good' match you watched 3 months ago? If you have one rated at *** and the other at **3/4 then you immediately know the answer. Which isn't to say you should just come up with a rating and leave it. Notes are pretty much an essential unless you have a really good memory. They don't have to be detailed.

I've used the star rating system for a long time, so it's second nature to me to come up with a rating whenever I watch a match. This is something that increases my enjoyment and appreciation of wrestling. For others it has the opposite effect. It's not something worth doing just to come up with a better ballot.

But even using a ***** scale has the problem that most matches on these sets will fall within the same range. I know some people use a % system, but that's a little too detailed imo. So I modified the star rating system so that each 1/4* is split into high, medium and low. The result is halfway between the traditional star rating system and the percentage scale. So at the end instead of having say 18 matches rated at ***, you have 6 at ***L, 6 at ***M and 6 at ***H for example. This makes ranking so much easier, as you know nothing is going to be more than a few places away from where it should be.

 

After I've finished everything then I'll look at other peoples opinions to see if I might be way off on anything. I can usually identify the reasons why I liked matches more or less than other people. If not then I'll rewatch selected matches.

Having done 4 sets I would say the most important thing is to not let the entire ranking process build up until towards the end. Keeping a working ballot of some sort, whether it be an excel sheet, different tiers of matches, or by year as you go, whatever it may be, will make a huge difference when you're fine tuning your final ballot. I always try to make a note for matches that I don't feel like I got the full experience from the first time around and would benefit from a rewatch as I go as well. And as others have said, trust your instincts. On the earlier sets I feel like I was a bit too concerned with what the general consensus was, and less likely to be an outlier for a personal favorite. But the divergent opinions are what make the end results so much fun, so if you happen to love a match that most people think should be towards the bottom, hell, put that sucker #5 if you want. To thine own self be true.