http://placetobenation.com/makin-a-case-for-jumbo-tsuruta-as-the-greatest-wrestler-ever/

 

Parv, from Where the Big Boys Play podcast, is here to make his case for Jumbo Tsuruta as the greatest wrestler ever.

Parv gives his main argument for Jumbo, looks at his criticisms and compares him to Mitsuharu Misawa and Ric Flair. Parv also let’s you know what the essential viewing of Jumbo is.

Listening through and I would throw up Jumbo's match vs. Mil in 1982 as him carrying a subpar worker. Also, Dick Slator is someone I would classify as serviceable but the Carny 80 match is by far my favorite match of his that I have been in.

I didn't think that Mil match was particularly memorable Chad. I've seen Mil have much better matches with The Destroyer and Harley Race (see 9/12/80) and even though I wasn't crazy on it, thought the Tenryu match where he bleeds from the mask stood out more than Jumbo's 82 match with him. Even though he's annoying and selfish, it seems weird calling Mil "subpar" when so much of what makes him suck is his refusal to give. I get the impression he could be having better matches but chooses not to.

 

Slater I probably see as being much better than "serviceable" and think he was probably a top 30 level work in the late 70s and early 80s. But you're right, off-hand I can't think of a better singles match from him. In a tag he has this:

 

Terry Funk and Dick Slater vs. Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Toguchi (4/12/80)

 

I gave that 4.5

 

To my thinking, Slater is on par with guys like Bob Orton Jr, and Adrian Adonis, who to me feel like they should be top 100 level workers but we have severe footage gaps which hampers making a serious case.

I disagree on Adonis. We have enough prime Adonis from Portland, Japan, WWF, AWA to accurately evaluate his career for good or bad.

Based on all the stuff I've seen of his, Adonis is a guy who'll probably make my hundred.

The 1977 match is *the* Mil vs Jumbo match. It's also far from a carry job.

I still need to see that one, don't exactly go out of my way to watch Mil matches. I might do a "Jumbo: odds and ends" thread soon.

Parv calling Steven "naughty" during this podcast was a total mark out moment. Easily a contender of 2015 PTBN-PWO podcast moment of the year.