Board 8 > The All-Purpose Wrestling Topic Warrior Raiding Experience Machine: Part 482

(+) Yeah! (+)

NBIceman posted...

Do you have all the rules worked out, Steiner? Do established tag teams count as one pick or do we have to draft both wrestlers separately? Are we essentially resetting champions and using the belts from whichever brand we select or do we get access to titles held by current champions we draft? Things like that. Trying to get my Big Board ready.

you should listen to this!
https://www.f4wonline.com/dr-keith/dr-keith-presents-joe-gagne-christmas-draft-227046

but tag teams are picked up individually, which is one of the big benefits of having the wrap around pick, and i'm inclined to say we just hit a reset on champions and you book the titles your promotion has. how do we want to handle the brands? i was going to suggest we have WWE, ROH, Impact, NJPW and AEW and we randomize who gets what, but there's also the possibility of throwing all the brands you can think of in a drafting pool and you can pick it as a late pick when you have an idea of the brand you ended up creating
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I'd be inclined to support the latter option for the brands. I don't really know that any of us five would particularly enjoy trying to come up with a WWE-esque card in this sort of format.
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I don't super care about brands and don't know the indies well or Japan at all so I'm a bit leery about assigning random brands (and/or I'm willing to be the sap getting stuck with WWE or Impact)

My availability is all over the place but I am uuuuusually available in the 5-7 EST range weekdays and who knows on weekends, out of the times Steiner gave, and I can keep an eye on Discord most other times even if I'm not 100% around
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I would be inclined to support that as well - there's a not insubstantial chance I might select Impact anyway given the product identity I am imagining is eclectic but that can work just as well for AEW or NWA if push came to shove.

I also MIGHT be up for the challenge of mass marketing my ideas in the WWE if I get the right mix of characters

So having that as a late draft slot can work for me too.
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I was looking at my YouTube feed and I saw that Impact Wrestling posted

Unbreakable Michael Elgin Theme Song & Entrance Video

I was so so so hoping it was a rework of the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme

It was not :-(
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I might almost like Michael Elgin if he had "HE'S ALIVE DAMMIT" in the theme.

Also, maybe we should see who wants to be what promotion ahead of time.
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That could work too. It would suck to have your whole draft thrown out the window just because you end up getting your second or third choice of brand, and we might be able to agree on it ahead of time anyway.
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Also I'm happy to pick last of the promotions because the only one I wouldn't want is ROH.
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I'd be down for ROH, AEW, or NJPW.

I could be talked into Impact but I imagine Tom or Eddv will take that anyway and I might also be the only one that actively wants ROH.
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If you get ROH are you trying to build a roster that fits 2019 ROH? <_<
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I'm not really planning on trying to fit a particular brand anyway >_> (which basically means I'm gonna wind up with WWE's roster, and hopefully a brand that won't hate that)
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https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/xfl-announces-tv-deals-espn-and-fox-sports-283126

The football league announced Monday that ESPN and Fox Sports will share in broadcast rights for the entire regular season and playoffs with games on ABC, Fox, ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1 both Saturdays and Sundays.

Kicking off in 2020, opening day will be on February 8 with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, April 26.

"The networks are not paying a rights fee, but ESPN and Fox are picking up production costs, which generally amount to around $400,000 per game, sources said. As part of the deal, the nets will sell ads around the game; the XFL will handle sponsorships at the venue. ESPN and Fox will hold streaming rights to XFL games. The two nets also will cross-promote games during game broadcasts."

At 43 games, that adds up to roughly $17.2 million.

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Jakyl25 posted...

If you get ROH are you trying to build a roster that fits 2019 ROH? <_<

Well, here's the thing.

I don't think current ROH, on a base conceptual level, is all that different from, say HDnet-era ROH. It's just that their roster is embarrassingly depleted.

If you give them AEW's roster with all of its star power and workrate I think the promotion would pretty instantly become more than watchable.
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I mean if I had to guess we would end hp stratified something like this:

Steiner: New Japan or AEW
Iceman: ROH or New Japan
Scarlet: AEW or RoH or Impact
Eddv: WWE or Impact or AEW
Tom: WWE or Impact

So like Steiner and Tom strike me as the most likely to get screwed.

So maybe we should just pick?
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Jakyl25 posted...

If you get ROH are you trying to build a roster that fits 2019 ROH? <_<

coming in and shaking up a brand and delivering a new vision for it is totally viable especially when the company is ROH and needs it so badly. like i think it would be silly to give new japan a new direction because theirs is working so well but by all means do something totally different with ROH or Impact
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this list seems ok:

tom - wwe
iceman - roh
scar - impact
eddv - aew
steiner - new japan
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I'm good with that. On reflection though, I'm also good with drafting if, say, Tom feels like he's getting shafted with WWE.
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I'm probably gonna wind up with more or less WWE anyway so I ain't complaining
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I'm fine with Impact!
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I'm assuming whoever we draft for a certain role has to have performed in that role in the last, say, calendar year?

Like I don't imagine I can have Cornette manage someone or stick Gabe Sapolsky on the commentary desk so he can scream DANGEROOOOUS at superplexes, right?
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was just discussing this in the discord but my call on it is that as long as the person was active this year, you can draft them, and once drafted you can use them how you see fit. have cornette wrestle if that is how you choose to use him - but that's the only use you get of him. you can't double up managing and wrestling or announcing for example
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Active this year?

CM Punk
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I was playing with the idea of Chucky T as a wrestler/commentator double duty so that's good to know.
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goal: stall this long enough that Double or Nothing happens because Punk is on commentary for some mma thing that night
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Tom Bombadil posted...

goal: stall this long enough that Double or Nothing happens because Punk is on commentary for some mma thing that night

Already have Punk in this as an in-ring talent!
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in 2019 I might rather have him talk than wrestle
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Live from Soldier Field in Chicago, WWE presents...Wrestlemania? I'm unsure as to the context/timeline, other than people probably aren't injured. Your announce team is Matt Striker and Good ol' JR, and your ref is Bryce Remsburg. Trish Stratus is your guest host.

Universal Title: Daniel Bryan (c) v. Chris Jericho
We will start with a bang, with two of the best professional wrestlers in the world. But who can ultimately lay claim to that title?

United States Championship: Jack Swagger (c) v. Chavo Guerrero
Two surprise returns to WWE, but only one can finally get their day in the sun here!

Intercontinental Championship: Rusev (c) v. Sheamus
This will not be a pretty match, just two big mean hosses slugging it out. Does Sheamus have one last run in him?

Unified Tag Titles: Hawkins and Ryder (c) v. Slater and Cabana
Hawkins and Ryder have let their title win get to their heads. Can Slater get back to the top of the tag mountain with his new cult favorite friend?

AJ Styles v. The Miz
A classic battle of the indy darling against the WWE lifer. Both men want to prove themselves as the must-see attractions of the WWE!

Hell in a Cell: Dolph Ziggler v. Triple H
Ziggler has had ENOUGH of his treatment in WWE, and he has one last chance to vent his frustrations against The Game! Ziggler's future is uncertain, but what we do know is both men are going to leave everything they have in that ring!

Unified Women's Title: Becky Lynch (c) v. Bayley
Becky has defended her two belts long enough that we've just made them one belt. Bayley is just about the last contender left on the roster....will she be the one to unseat The Man?

Ultimate Deletion: The Broken Hardyz v. The New Day (Xavier/Big E) v. The Wyatts (Bray/Harper)
None know what twisted horrors will come from the strange minds of the Hardyz and the Wyatts (or the pancake-y minds of the New Day), but we will be in for a wild ride when the BATTLEGROUND IS PREPARED at the Hardy Compound.

Women's Tag Titles: Alexa Bliss and Mickie James (c) v. Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani
East meets west in the ultimate battle for superiority. Will the former Kairi Sane going back to her joshi roots be enough to uproot the established team? Will MWC run in from the crowd? Does anybody in the crowd even know who Mayu Iwatani is?

WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) v. Brock Lesnar
The last time these two met, it went remarkably poorly for Kofi. However, he's come a very long way in a very short time, overcoming countless obstacles. ....Can he overcome one more?
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So usually I watch Raw and SmackDown until I've eaten dinner and such and then do something more entertaining.

They announced Roman will be on Raw in order to defy the McMahons, and in this act of defiance it's announced he's opening the show.

I think I'm skipping Raw entirely.
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PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

So usually I watch Raw and SmackDown until I've eaten dinner and such and then do something more entertaining.

They announced Roman will be on Raw in order to defy the McMahons, and in this act of defiance it's announced he's opening the show.

I think I'm skipping Raw entirely.

Hey dont worry, they fired a writer

https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/exclusives/exclusive-lead-wwe-raw-writer-fired-why-it-happened

Apparently he took it too personally when Vince would change his work all the time?
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So how many writers have left or gotten fired lately?

Also, adding to that changing the mind all the time thing, on WWE's social media they have made 237 booking-related announcements in the past year. Only 95 of them actually happened. That is less than half.

The hell.
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All Elite Pro Wrestling presents their Anniversary card!

Emanating from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro - WARGAMES

Commentary team is Paul Heyman and Excalibur

Ric Flair serves as Emcee

Senior Official is Jimmy Korderas

Opening Bout: Johnny Mundo w/Taya vs Dalton Castle

Expect fireworks in this clash of two personalities so big they could not coexist for even a single match as a Tag Team!

Sasha Banks vs Shayna Baszler

There can be no doubt that Sasha is ELITE AS A BOSS but can the debuting new star do anything against the dominant Baszler?

Intergender Exhibition Bout: Asuka vs Jon Gresham
Gresham and Asuka are two of the finest ring technicians in the world and seek to claim bragging rights and a check for 25,000 dollars.

Grudge Match: Rey Wagner vs Velveteen Dream
This match is pure sex appeal. Rey Wagner is the sexiest Dad on the planet and Velveteen Dreams mysterious nature upsets and offputs him for reasons he can't quite pin down.

#1 Contenders Bout for AEW Mens World title: Tommaso Ciampa vs Zack Sabre Jr
The unstoppable, unprincipled blackheart meets a newly turned baby face Sabre in what promises to be a workmate classic

US Title Match: Nick Aldis (c) vs Psycho Clown This is simple. One of the best Mexico has to Offer against America's finest Nick Aldis. Psycho Clown has everything to gain and Aldis has everything to lose in what promises to be a brutal slugfest.

---- Intermission-----

AEW Tag Titles on the line in Fullmetal Mayhem: Rock and Roll Express vs LAX (c)
In the final Stop on their reunion tour, Morton and Gibson want to add one last set of titles to their storied resumes before riding off into the sunset but to do so they will have to overcome Ortiz and Santana in their signature match style - FULL METAL MAYHEM (TLC for those who don't follow Impact)

AEW Mens World Title Match: Braun Strowman (c) vs Rey Fenix
Braun has been an unstoppable force - Undefeated in AEW but the plucky and resourceful Rey Fenix wants whats his - in this classic styles mismatch can Fenix overcome the overwhelming power of Strowman?

AEW Women's Title Match: Ronda Rousey(c) vs Jordynne Grace
Armbar vs Bearhug. The baddest bitch on the Planet Ronda Rousey takes on powerhouse fan favorite Jordynne Grace with everything on the line.

WARGAMES: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Naito, La Sombra, EVIL, SANADA) vs "The Elite" (Cody Rhodes, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Jay White)

The grand daddy of them all. Two powerful elite factions lay it all on the line - this is going to be brutal but only one faction can survive!
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okay, took me a while to finalize this but I guess this will do:

coming to you live from the Tokyo Dome, your hosts are Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis, and your referee for the evening is Marty Asami

Opening Match
Moustache Mountain vs. Roppongi 3K
Tyler Bate and Trent Seven came to New Japan seeking the hottest tag competition, SHO and YOH look to prove themselves as fellow b i g s t r o n g b o i s

Second Match - IWGP United States Championship
Roderick Strong vs. Marty Scurll
Roderick and Marty are my wave of midcard gaijins who the US title will be focused around, and they're gonna have a nice little european style bout to get that started

Third Match
Yuji Nagata vs. Aleister Black
They're just gonna kick and slap each other a lot it's gonna rule

Fourth Match - Junior Heavyweight Flips and Costumes Extravaganza
Jushin Liger and Prince Devitt vs. Rey Mysterio and Will Ospreay
this is going to be a spectacle from the beginning of Devitt's entrance to the last insane moment of the match, i'm not sure which part is flashiest but it's going to be a sight to behold

Fifth Match - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The Revival vs. The Briscoes
if anything in New Japan needs a new direction, it's the tag team division, and here are my crown jewels - four masters of the tag team match, either one will be a fitting crown jewel of a new top tag division

Sixth Match - IWGP Intercontinental Championshp
Roman Reigns vs. Minoru Suzuki
this originally started as a plan for a shield vs suzuki gun match but PLANS CHANGE! suzuki is going to go in there and beat the piss out of roman even if he is a cancer survivor minoru suzuki doesn't give a fuck

Seventh Match - Special Challenge - Ringkampf vs. Strong BJ
WALTER and Timothy Thatcher vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi
okay this is where we get to the matches i'm super excited for - these are two of the most hard hitting, no nonsense tag teams in the world and this would be a prime slice of violence ending with everyone chopping and screaming at each other and dropping bombs, god this would fucking rule

Eighth Match - NEVER Openweight Championship
Hirooki Goto vs. Samoa Joe
why else do you want to book New Japan in one of these things if it's not to bring in Joe to fight in the NEVER division? Joe exchanging headbutts and forearms with the rest of the NEVER dudes is all i want, hook it to my veins

Ninth Match - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Generico
With Hiromu back as my champion, I needed a really special singles match for him. I scoured all the world of high flyers who he had never faced and found a major name who more than fits the style and has a legendary repertoire of great matches to stack up... two of the most charismatic junior heavyweights of all time going at it in what could be the best match on this show

Tenth Match - NJPW vs. NOAH Special Challenge
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA
Two legendary pairs of rivals, this time teaming up against each other. When Marufuji and KENTA came from NOAH looking for a challenge, there were only two names that made sense to defend New Japan

MAIN EVENT - IWGP Heavyweight Championship
John Cena vs. Kazuchika Okada
The two greatest big match wrestlers of a generation. The biggest a match can be. Tokyo Dome. You Can See Him - January 4th on PPV.
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The next Takeover is called Takeover XXV

Theyre too ashamed to call it Takeover Bridgeport, CT
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Allow me to take you back in time a bit.

To an era of dimly lit arenas, where the lines for the DVD table put Bullet Club meet-and-greets to shame, where pre-match handshakes were often as tense as nearfalls, where fans greeted each other by name and crowded around each other to slap the ringside barricade and politely inform Bryan Danielson's opponents what he was going to do to their heads.

That era couldn't last, and perhaps was never meant to. To some, it's an ideal that can never be replicated. To others, a complete unknown.

But the spirit never left. That spirit leaves... a legacy.

So please join us, for a night that's as much about celebrating what was as it is about looking forward to what will be.

Live from Madison Square Garden, ROH presents Legacy of Honor.
Your commentary team tonight will be Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak (because Nigel McGuinness missed his flight), assisted by ring announcer Angelo Trinidad, with a special National Anthem performance by Kesha (I let a friend of mine decide that one and I think he wanted to screw with me.)

Match #1 - Ladder Match for the vacant ROH TV Title
AR Fox vs "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs Paul London vs Jack Evans
In what is unofficially and affectionately being called a "Please Don't Die" match, two high flyers from the very early days of Ring of Honor will return to the company and take on not only each other, but two total newcomers who rival them in both athletic prowess and lack of regard for their own well-being.

Match #2 - Number One Contender's Match for the Women of Honor Title
Madison Eagles vs Kylie Rae
Before Ronda Rousey or Becky Lynch, and before Stephanie McMahon pretended to care, the women's revolution (as far as North America was concerned) was centered in a little promotion called SHIMMER, led by Aussie specimen Madison Eagles. It's never been a better time to be a woman in wrestling, and Kylie Rae will have to go through one of the modern stalwarts to prove she isreally special.

Match #3
Tyler Black vs Johnny Gargano
The artist (or architect?) formerly known as Seth Rollins returns to the place that made him who he is today to take on one of the best wrestlers in the world, who somehow never made it here before.

Match #4 - ROH Tag Team Titles
Matt and Nick Jackson (C) vs Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly
Though they debuted in ROH as Future Shock, Cole and O'Reilly are much more the present now, and there's nothing shocking about how quickly they rose up the ranks in pro wrestling. Across the ring from them is the team many consider the best of the last decade, a couple of Bucks who may not be as young as they once were, but you wouldn't know it by the way they work. How about a classic ROH tag match for the middle of the card here, huh?

Match #5
Kota Ibushi vs Ricochet
https://imgur.com/tMIumEV

Match #6 - 6-Man Tag
CIMA, Masato Yoshino, and Naruki Doi vs Shun Skywalker, Takehiro Yamamura, and Kaito Ishida
13 years ago at Supercard of Honor, 6 men from Dragon Gate came to ROH and put on a match unlike anything that had ever been seen in America before. Speed. Innovation. Flow. It's a match forever in the history books as one of ROH's best ever. Tonight, the three men on the losing end of that match reunite to Open the Nostalgic Gate and avenge that ill-fated contest, and on the other side stand three of the fastest rising stars not just in the Dragon Gate system, but in all of Japan. Hope you've caught your breath from the last match, because there won't be a moment of rest in this one.
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Match #7 - Women of Honor Title
Io Shirai (C) vs Meiko Satomura
These two, some of the best wrestlers, male or female, in the world, have had their share of wars (and yes, I mean wars), but this is their first on American soil. Who said ROH doesn't care about the women?

Match #8 - ROH World Title
Shingo Takagi (C) vs Claudio Castagnoli
Castagnoli has returned to Ring of Honor, and having reclaimed his name (two of them, in fact!), now looks to his next goal: the ROH World Championship, one of the few titles that has eluded him in his long career. He'll have to go through a man who recently made his own return and promptly steamrolled over everyone in his path to claim the top prize in the company. If you want to see big strong guys throwing bombs at each other, look no further than this match. And would you believe it's a first time meeting?

Match #9 - Special Attraction Match
Kenny Omega vs Kento Miyahara
When All Japan's ace Kento Miyahara announced he was coming to Ring of Honor for a one-time match, Omega, as he often does, jumped at the chance. He's come a long way from his younger days in ROH, and he's had legendary encounters with a certain other ace, but Kenny is always looking for that next incredible moment, and he has it here. Will he sneak in an Alexa Bliss cameo to his Undertale entrance this time and make MWC's head actually explode? Will Miyahara break the record for longest hold of a straitjacket German Suplex? Will their two infamous Bicycle Knees collide and create a singularity in the center of MSG, wiping out all known human life? Will this be the greatest match in ROH history? I know a couple of guys for sure who will do their damnedest to make it so.
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By my judgment, Ring of Honor is the winner!

Top 5 most anticipated matches:

1.) Tanahashi/Nakamura vs KENTA/Marufuji
2.) Takagi vs Castagnoli
3.) Blanchard vs Flair
4.) Wyatts vs New Day vs Broken Hardys
5.) Strong vs Scurll
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okay that show rules

i've got ROH > NJPW > Impact > WWE > AEW

top 5 matches outside of my own:

Ishii vs. Riddle
Pentagon vs. Owens
Omega vs. Miyahara
Bryan vs. Jericho
Shingo vs. Claudio
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I am really kind of turned off by Pentagon vs Owens

Like it doesnt appeal to me at all for some reason
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Taking my show out of it

NJPW>AEW>ROH>WWE

Ibushi/Ricochet is my favorite match on here even though it's a repeat.

The problem with being the WWE booker is that you have such an uphill battle. I think it's an interesting card, but I think at this point WWE has a tough time creating hype with matches. I commend the job Tom did, however. The placement really betrays the quality of the card.
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Jakyl25 posted...

I am really kind of turned off by Pentagon vs Owens

Like it doesnt appeal to me at all for some reason

Awwww. I think it's such a natural match-up. They have a great superficial similarity, but both guys have deep wells of match style and psychology to draw upon, and I think it would create multiple truly captivating stories.
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Yeah I just have to frame it as both at their most violent
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I'm torn on Penta/Owens.

Like on one hand I don't really like Penta very much. I know that's sacrilege in the wrestling community but it's the truth.

On the other hand if anyone was gonna get a really fun match out of him it'd be Owens.
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Top 5 outside my own is tough but it's probably something like (in no order)

Ultimate X
New Japan vs NOAH
Strong BJ vs Ring Kampf
Ciampa vs ZSJ
Bryan vs Jericho

I'd say Lynch vs Bayley but in the context of it being on a WWE main roster show I don't have faith it'd reach the heights it was capable of.

And as far as ranking the shows, NJPW > Impact > WWE > AEW.
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So WWEs solution is just to continue the Superstar Shakeup forever
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My own ranking would be:

Impact>New Japan>WWE>RoH

All objectively good shows it just boils down to taste (and some of the downcard matches feeling sort of duddy to me like the Tag Titles match)

Top 5 most Anticipated for me would be

Cena/Okada
Kofi/Lesnar
Blanchard/Flair
Revival/Briscoes
Omega/Miyahara
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Definitely down to do more of these in the future. I agree with whoever was saying on Discord that it may need to be a little more restrictive though. And different eras, obviously.
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I think the eras themselves will be restrictive, in a lot of ways. Right now we have way more great talent than any other time in history.

Plus if we keep it loose now, we can go back to those eras but be restrictive later.
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I badly need to do a New Gen one of these.
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Like... 1995?
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