Posted July 7, 20214 yr comment_5956735 These two finished #3 (Hansen) and #4 (Misawa) in 2016. I expect they'll be battling for the top 5 in the end. Who you got?
July 7, 20214 yr comment_5956748 Misawa is the greatest company ace of all time in my opinion. Literally the only reason I wouldn't rate him #1 is that I don't think we saw enough variety out of his career in opponents or working styles or settings, and that's probably even unfair. Hansen is a top-tier pick in his own way, but being The Guy counts for a lot with me, which Hansen never quite was.
July 7, 20214 yr comment_5956751 Both are in my top 5 and liable to still be there by 2026. I have Misawa ahead because on his absolute best day, he was quite possibly the best wrestler in the world. But Hansen has a bit more variety of opponents in great matches, so this could eventually change.
July 7, 20214 yr comment_5956753 Also, I've always found the matches between these two underrated. I know they have a notorious stinker, but the '90, '92, and '93 TC matches and the '92 and '93 CC matches are very good.
July 7, 20214 yr comment_5956757 Hansen wins this one somewhat comfortably for me. I suppose the variety is a big part of it. They both have crazy high highs. I think both could swing and miss from time to time. However, Hansen's style and approach to wrestling is generally more compelling to me and provides a touch more rewatch value. Misawa is a lock for my list and will do quite well, but Hansen is a contender for #1.
July 8, 20214 yr comment_5956796 These two are neck-to-neck to me too. Misawa's case is definitely peak based, as he wasn't as good or outstanding as a Jr and didn't aged as well as other GWE top picks, but he happens to have one of the longest and highest peaks ever. Hansen is kinda different, because he was awesome since he was very young and retired while still being awesome. He can be hit or miss with some opponents (and some great opponents), but his consistency overall is quite remarkable. You could argue Hansen didn't had a singular, elite level run that we could easily identify as his peak, but he had mini-runs at that level throughout different parts of his career. Both are two of the absolute best offensive guys ever, and also two underrated great sellers imho. I will rewatch some of their classic singles matches to appreciate who did it better, but right now I would say Hansen is a lock for my top 10, while Misawa might be right outside of it.
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