Board 8 > B8's Greatest Wrestlers Ever Ranking Top 10

(+) Yeah! (+)

The Top 100 wrestlers as voted on by 24 users. We have now hit the Top 10!

Topic 1 is here in case you want to read the write-ups or find the matches that Steiner provided: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78774080

Feel free to make your predictions!

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The List so far

11 The Rock
12 Mitsuharu Misawa
13 Manami Toyota
14 Terry Funk
15 The Undertaker
16 Rey Mysterio Jr.
17 Eddie Guerrero
18 Jushin Thunder Liger
19 Randy Savage
20 AJ Styles
21 Jumbo Tsuruta
22 CM Punk
23 Hulk Hogan
24 Edge
25 Sting
26 Mick Foley
27 Stan Hansen
28 Toshiaki Kawada
29 Andre The Giant
30 Owen Hart
31 John Cena
32 Kevin Owens
33 Giant Baba
34 Brock Lesnar
35 Jake Roberts
36 Kenny Omega
37 Antonio Inoki
38 Dusty Rhodes
38 Triple H
40 Becky Lynch
41 Aja Kong
41 Jerry Lawler
43 Bull Nakano
44 El Santo
45 Keiji Mutoh
46 Christian
47 Johnny Gargano
47 Lex Luger
49 El Generico
50 Curt Hennig / Mr. Perfect
51 Randy Orton
52 Asuka/Kana
53 Atlantis
54 Samoa Joe
54 Seth Rollins
56 Will Ospreay
57 Bruno Sammartino
57 Orange Cassidy
57 Tomohiro Ishii
60 Tetsuya Naito
61 Kota Ibushi
62 Konnan
63 Booker T
63 Ricky Steamboat
63 Scott Steiner
66 Nigel McGuinness
66 Roddy Piper
68 Kevin Nash
69 Zack Sabre Jr.
70 Katsuyori Shibata
70 Scott Hall/Razor Ramon
70 Shinsuke Nakamura
73 Matt Jackson
74 Dr Wagner Jr.
75 Minoru Suzuki
76 Drew McIntyre
76 LA Park
76 Lioness Asuka
79 Jeff Hardy
80 Claudio Castagnoli/Cesaro
80 Tommaso Ciampa
82 Goldberg
83 Tiger Mask
84 Shinya Hashimoto
85 Iron Sheik
86 Ultimo Dragon
87 Chris Benoit
87 Ronda Rousey
87 Ultimate Warrior
90 Genichiro Tenryu
91 Big Van Vader
91 Hiromu Takahashi
91 Nick Jackson
94 Harley Race
94 Keith Lee
96 David Starr
96 Great Khali
96 Riki Choshu
99 Jon Moxley
100 Lou Thesz

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And since I know some people prefer it, here is a reminder of how the bottom of the list is different if we had a 2-list minimum.

73 Matt Jackson
74. Minoru Suzuki
75. Jeff Hardy
76. Claudio Castagnoli / Cesaro
76. Tommaso Ciampa
78. Bill Goldberg
79. Ultimo Dragon
80. Genichiro Tenryu
81. Big Van Vader
81. Hiromu Takahashi
81. Nick Jackson
84. Shinya Hashimoto
85. Jon Moxley
86. Lou Thesz
87. Kane
88. Jaguar Yokota
88. Satoshi Kojima
90. Big Show
91. Chris Hero
92. Diamond Dallas Page
92. Fenix
92. Shingo Takagi
95. William Regal
96. Adam Cole
97. Meiko Satomura
98. The Miz
99. Rob Van Dam
100. Akira Taue

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PREDIX!

1. Bret Hart
2. Shawn Michaels
3. Daniel Bryan
4. Ric Flair
5. Chris Jericho
6. Tanahashi
7. Steve Austin
8. Okada
9. Angle
10. Kobashi

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Prediction:
1 Ric Flair
2 Okada
3 Daniel Bryan
4 Tanashi
5 Chris Jericho
6 Kobashi
7 Shawn Michaels
8 Bret Hart
9 Steve Austin
10. Kurt Angle


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where the wrestlers

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Waiting for match selections. I'll try and get o e up tonight.

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Oop I forgot to do matches for 10 hang on
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#10 - Kenta Kobashi
Score: 213
Lists: 11
1st place votes: 2. Voltch, Iceman

Writeup: NBIceman

One.

Thats the number of times Ive ever heard of a Japanese wrestler being told theyre training too hard. Japanese training methods are famously tough and relentless, especially so decades ago, so for Giant Baba to tell a guy that he might need to dial it back a bit, he mustve been working like an absolute lunatic. Kenta Kobashi was that guy. The first word that usually comes to mind when you think about him is heart, and he had it long before he ever even stepped in a ring. A story like that sums him up. He was always the most expressive of the Four Pillars and arguably embodied the idea of fighting spirit better than anyone else ever has.

63.

Thats the number of singles losses Kobashi took before he won his first. Not everyone could get over like that, obviously. It takes a very special kind of guy to have that sort of losing streak and not be eternally regarded as a loser. But Kobashi was special. He always worked against midcard-level wrestlers as opposed to guys of his experience level, and he always got shine, getting closer and closer every day to that first win. Fans gladly rallied behind him. They enjoyed the journey of this rookie coming within inches of beating competitors with much more renown. His fiery never-stay-down attitude gave him an underdog charisma that would follow him for at least the entirety of his AJPW run, and he was such a gifted seller and storyteller that it always worked to perfection.

21.

Thats the number of Kobashi matches rated five stars by Dave Meltzer. And yeah, thats just one mans opinion, but theres plenty of people who would happily tell you that they think he actually deserved more. Singles or tags. The other Pillars, younger guys on the come-up like Akiyama or Shiozaki, other stalwarts like Hansen and Sasaki; Kobashi could have an amazing match with any of them. Its very common for someones all-time favorite match to involve Kobashi. I myself am usually inclined to name 6/9/95 as the best ever. His unparalleled crowd connection crossed with his innovativeness and willingness to sacrifice his body guaranteed that there would always be something memorable that happened in his important bouts, whether it was his desperate, heart-wrenching attempts to crawl over and shield Misawa in the aforementioned tag match, the absolutely insane Tiger Suplex where Akiyama threw him off the entrance ramp, or the legendary five-minute-long chop exchange with Sasaki at Destiny 2005. No one will make you want to leap out of your chair and cheer, even if youre alone in your own house, the way Kobashi will.

Seven.

Thats the number of times Kobashi broke out the Burning Hammer, maybe the most infamous move in history among hardcore wrestling fans. There was something poetic about the man who could hardly ever be kept down having the most effective finisher ever created. It was the cherry on top of his almost mythical status to have a super move that was never kicked out of, and it speaks to his deep understanding of wrestling that he protected it so well, only utilizing it at the most important and perfect of times.

735.

Thats the number of days Kobashis only reign as NOAHs GHC Heavyweight Champion lasted. It took him nearly two years to win it, and then he spent a whole two years holding onto it, during which he defended against such names as Jun Akiyama (phenomenal match), Yuji Nagata, Yoshihiro Takayama, Masahiro Chono (on an NJPW card, no less), Minoru Suzuki, Akira Taue, and even Mike Awesome. The reign was as much a success at the box office as it was in the ring - Kobashi was even more popular than Misawa during this period. That Akiyama match took place at NOAHs first Tokyo Dome show, and they filled the building.
Three.

Thats the number of matches Kobashi had on American soil. One of them, bizarrely, came for Harley Races World League Wrestling promotion against some guy named Wade Chism, and of all the matches in pro wrestling that never made tape, Id have a tough time coming up with one Id be more excited to watch. The others were a little more high profile, both coming on a single weekend in Ring of Honor, both times standing across the ring from Samoa Joe. The tag match on the second day is awesome in its own right, but the singles is the real legendary show. Humble, friendly Kobashi expected no one in the crowd to know who he was and had it in his mind to play a Mr. Fuji-style heel to Joes face, up to and including throwing salt in his eyes. Joe reportedly smiled and just told him No, man, trust me, they know who you are. Ill never get tired of watching Kobashis bemused face as he comes out of the entryway and hears an absolutely thunderous roar of cheers before he decides to just go with it and excitedly throws his hands up. The match that follows is unforgettable, boasting what is for my money the greatest overall atmosphere ever in a wrestling match. Japanese stars, especially in this era, didnt often go all out when they came to the USA, but Kobashi only ever knew one speed; the idea of giving less than 100% wouldve been incomprehensible to him.

17,000.

Thats the number of fans that packed into Budokan Hall to see Kobashis 8-man tag retirement match at NOAHs Final Burning. Well, sort of. Budokan Hall doesnt really hold quite that capacity. Worked attendance numbers are fun. Regardless, though, the number isnt that far off. The building was packed, people wedged in shoulder to shoulder, and for every man, woman, or child that was there chanting the mans name and showering him in a massive pile of streamers and maybe even shedding a few tears, there were a thousand more wishing they got that chance. Its not uncommon to see even steadfast lovers of wrestling making the claim that its ultimately an inherently stupid form of entertainment, but when you look at a star the level of Kobashi and see the effect he had on his fans, the amount of joy he brought to the people that watched him and continue to watch him to this day, and hell, even the number of future wrestlers that he inspired to follow their passion, its hard not to see it as something far greater.

There was nothing you could ever desire in a pro wrestler that Kobashi lacked. Potentially the greatest in-ring worker and babyface ever. A fantastic look. A huge drawing success in multiple companies. An entrance theme that is guaranteed to get you motivated any time you really need to get something done. A lasting legacy. Influence that continues to this day. Even cancer only barely managed a 1-count on him. Add all of that up and youll come to the final number that matters.

Zero.

Thats the number of wrestlers better than Kenta Kobashi.
[Maniac: Or 9 according to Board 8...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qng13D2kKBo; Kenta Kobashi & Tusyoshi Kikuchi vs. Dan Kroffat & Phil LaFon (May 25, 1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsapUcvA6M; Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (Jan 20, 1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAIWOBVL2AE; Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki (July 18, 2005)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av54588273/; Burning (Akihiko Ito, Atsushi Aoki, KENTA & Kenta Kobashi) vs. Kensuke Office (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kensuke Sasaki, Kento Miyahara & Takashi Okita) (August 17, 2008)

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.... Two. That's the number of people who ranked Kobashi as the Greatest Wrestler Ever

10. Kenta Kobashi
voltch - 1 (25 points)
Iceman - 1 (25 points)
icon - 2 (24 points)
CPU - 2 (24 points)
Eddv - 4 (22 points)
illuminatusbubu - 5 (21 points)
Jakyl - 5 (21 points)
Steiner - 6 (20 points)
malyg - 11 (15 points)
Semi - 17 (9 points)
WarThaNemesis - 19 (7 points)

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Oh hey I got a predix right

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This is another of my frequent pleas for everyone to watch Joe vs Kobashi if you havent ever seen it. And if you have, watch it again. I know it was posted for Joe earlier in the list too, but it merits mentioning again.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7n1q2q

I always say if I could go back in time and see just one wrestling match live, itd be that one. Its not my all-time favorite match (although its not far off), but its incredibly historical and the crowd is just indescribably phenomenal. They live and die on every small movement, every chop, every kickout, and they end the night by chanting a heartfelt Arigato!

The only thing not completely perfect about it is that we never got the rematch Joe teased in his post-match promo. Well, that and the fact that Green Lantern Fan got to be in the front row for it.

Also, my sincere apologies for the gimmicky style of that writeup. It was the only way I could figure to capture all of Kobashi in a relatively small amount of words.

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#9 - Hiroshi Tanahashi
Score: 221
Lists: 12
Highest vote: 2nd place, Scarlet

Writeup: Bidoof

Without Hiroshi Tanahashi, there would not be a New Japan Pro Wrestling. At least, not the same New Japan that is currently loved by wrestling fans across the globe. Its difficult to imagine what the current state of wrestling would be without the rise of NJPW in 2016 and Tanahashis part in that cannot be overstated. Beyond his importance to the current landscape, Tanahashi is undisputedly one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation and has an argument for being among the greatest of all time. In the ring, his ability is near unmatched with many critically acclaimed matches over the last few years (and a number more from the time when people werent following NJPW) and, even now with all the wear on his body, he is still considered one of the best wrestlers on NJPWs roster.

From the start of his career in 1999, Tanahashi was identified along with Katsuyori Shibata and Shinsuke Nakamura as being the future of the company. Gaining a huge upset against an established star like Kensuke Sasaki in the 2002 G1 Climax helped establish him as a star on the rise but it was an incident outside of the ring that helped to get the public behind him. In late 2002, Tanahashi was stabbed by his then-girlfriend when he broke up with her. Due to her being a reporter for TV Asahi, the story got widespread coverage in Japan and a lot interest in Tanahashis recovery. When he finally made his return to the ring in late 2003, Tanahashi was experiencing a wave of support that few other wrestlers in the country had at the time.

While he went on to hold the U-30 (a belt specifically for younger wrestlers at the time in NJPW) and tag titles on multiple occasions, it would take until 2006 for Tanahashi to finally capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after winning a tournament for the belt when Brock Lesnar refused to return. By this time, NJPW was in a state of turbulence after the departure of founder Antonio Inoki. The company was desperately trying to find its place and a following with the current generation of wrestling fans in the country. They had already lost Shibata, a potential top guy, to the rising MMA scene and the last few years of Inokis out of touch booking had damaged the people who should have been carrying the company like Yuji Nagata. Essentially, the company was forced to choose between having a traditional strong style guy in Nakamura or the flashy, nontraditional Tanahashi to be their future. While Tanahashi was ultimately the decision the company made, it was one they took some time to commit to and I believe its his feud with Keiji Mutoh in 2007 where it became very clear that Tanahashi and his vision of wrestling would be the future of New Japan. I mention specifically his vision of wrestling because one of the big moves Tanahashi made once he was firmly established as the ace of the company was to add more Western wrestling influences to the NJPW dojo. This break from tradition has, in my opinion, been whats helped produce the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Kazuchika Okada, and other beloved stars of the current NJPW era.

Of course, it wouldnt be until around 2012 that people really began to notice Tanahashi and NJPW thanks to their shows being available on UStream. This, coupled with highly rated reviews from wrestling media like The Observer, grew the popularity of NJPW on the international stage and Tanahashis name began to be discussed among the best in the world. But it would be his magnificent rivalry with the rising star Kazuchika Okada that sold people to the idea that Tanahashi was truly a once in a century talent as he liked to claim. This rivalry is often compared to Flair/Steamboat in terms of ringwork and storytelling but I feel Tanahashi/Okada is better. The matches are all parts of this grand epic where, for a time, you couldnt wait to see the next match because everything could change with it. Its with the Okada rivalry that I believe you see the best of both men over the course of their many matches and you can see how Tanahashi goes from being the top guy of the company to the point where Okada has surpassed him if you follow it through to their last major match. This is a level of storytelling and work that you do not get from anyone else today and its not just because of the company they work for. Its because the other workers cannot do it.

Like with the write-up I did for Liger, I went back and rewatched just about every important Tanahashi match in the last decade. Doing so has left me believing that Hiroshi Tanahashi may be the greatest in-ring storyteller in professional wrestling. As mentioned previously with Okada, each match was another part to a greater storyline that you can see played out over every one of their matches. It makes each one a different but just as great experience. However, its not just with Okada that you get this level of storytelling from Tanahashi. Take his more long-term rivalry with Shinsuka Nakamura that was built on Tanahashi looking for one thing for Nakamura to acknowledge him as his rival. Or his feud with Tetsuya Naito that told the story of Naito looking to escape the perception of him being Tanahashi-lite. Or the more recent story with Ibushi where Tanahashi is challenging Kota to succeed him as an ace. Perhaps the most emotional one and maybe my favorite is the series with Katsuyori Shibata, a man that Tanahashi described in his book as feeling mixed about. Shibatas full embrace of the strong style mentality is somewhat the ideological opposite of Tanahashi and, coupled with the very real animosity between the two stemming from Shibatas departure, you had a dynamic where it felt like you were watching two men grow to respect one another culminating to Shibatas promo where they finally make amends. I cannot tell you how many times I rewrote this part or how much I cut out for the sake of actually being able to finish it, how much I really wanted to explore the things that were at play with Tanahashis past feuds with Makabe, Goto, AJ Styles, Nagata, Mutoh, and even Giant Bernard but Steiner has already gotten on me several times about dragging this thing out (and its already long enough as is). Ill just implore all of you with NJPW World subscriptions to have a look back for yourself. If you dont have a subscription, get one. Youre really missing out.

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[part 2 cause Bidoof's writeup was too long...]

This was a challenging write-up to do because I feel like theres so much to say about Hiroshi Tanahashi and, despite a 1000+ word count, I know Im only scratching the surface of what makes him the Ace of the Universe. So, instead of attempting to cobble together another thousand words to explain something that it seems a lot of you already feel, Ill close on a more personal note. 2012 was not a great year for me personally and that certainly bled over into my wrestling fandom. The Summer of Punk had fizzled out the year prior, nothing felt like it was connecting to me in WWE, and I had no faith in the company being able to produce any long-term success with the indie favorites they had begun aggressively pursuing. But there was always one thing I could look forward to and that was whatever NJPW was doing that year and Tanahashi was a huge part of that for me. Whether it was his remarkable performances, his positive demeanor, or the personal manner his show-closing promos were, something about him resonated with me in a way that no one else was at the time and I couldnt wait to see his next performance. Part of what keeps me watching NJPW to this day is that I can see Tanahashis vision being continued on through the likes of Okada and Naito. As he continues to be phased down the card, its disappointing that I dont believe Ill get too many more of his closing promos, I know that Ill get to see the future of NJPW get shaped by him as well. He rose to the top of an ailing, directionless company and, as hes leaving the top of the card now, the company has become an international force with a bright future ahead of it. To quote Shibata, thank you for saving New Japan Pro Wrestling, Tanahashi, and thank you for saving wrestling for me.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x78pb3n; Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki (October 8, 2012)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7kqbbf; Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (August 2, 2013)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7s8a8f; Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Suwama (April 9, 2008)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av12545829/; Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata (September 21, 2014)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av22455555/; Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada (December 23, 2013)

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Maniac64 posted...

I believe its his feud with Keiji Mutoh in 2007 where it became very clear that Tanahashi and his vision of wrestling would be the future of New Japan.

And hey, Gedo got the book in 2007

Maybe he knows what hes doing
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https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qc985

This is my favorite wrestling highlight ever. It was popular on YouTube in the early days of streaming, and it took me a while to find this backup a couple years ago. I'm sure most of those few dozen views are me.

I almost never followed wrestling outside the States and have only watched a handful of Kobashi's matches, but he's still near the top of my list. There's just... something about him, the champion of champions. I think @NBIceman 's writeup captures his incredible je ne se qua quite well, but if I had to compare him, I think he's the only wrestler in that Muhammad Ali class of myth where a part of me still has a hard part believing someone like Kenta Kobashi actually exists.

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CaptainOfCrush posted...

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qc985

This is my favorite wrestling highlight ever. It was popular on YouTube in the early days of streaming, and it took me a while to find this backup a couple years ago. I'm sure most of those few dozen views are me.

I almost never followed wrestling outside the States and have only watched a handful of Kobashi's matches, but he's still near the top of my list. There's just... something about him, the champion of champions. I think @NBIceman 's writeup captures his incredible je ne se qua quite well, but if I had to compare him, I think he's the only wrestler in that Muhammad Ali class of myth where a part of me still has a hard part believing someone like Kenta Kobashi actually exists.

that rules! a point that iceman made to me when I mused about how I find it easier to write about the 90s All Japan guys than anywhere else (despite me being relatively new to the promotion) that it's very easy to get swept up in the grandiose majesty of that world, and i'd say this is another example of that - without even diving in too deep, you already get a feeling for the lore and his standing as an all time great just by seeing something like this


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Sorry, I somehow just completely forgot to post yesterday.

#8 - Stone Cold Steve Austin
Score: 226
Lists: 17
First Place Votes: 2, scarlet, Tennis

Writeup: scarletspeed7
Wrestling, to be sure, is an athletic spectacle. But there is a level of engagement in wrestling beyond the display of physical prowess. There's an emotional connection between a worker and his audience. Wrestling has always been one part technique and one part presentation. And, because of that, no worker has ever defined the entirety of the sport in the way that Steve Austin did.

I could spend time talking about the character of Stunning Steve and his work in WCW, but that was just the preface. That was training for the lead role; the body of work Austin accrued in WCW featured memorable bouts, undeniable chemistry in one of the greatest WCW tag teams of all time (the Hollywood Blondes) and a few of the best matches to come out of WCW in the mid-90s. But it was Austin's rise to prominence, a prelude to the coming Attitude Era, which redefined wrestling forever. Austin's down-home no-nonsense demeanor enraptured audiences searching for the sort of anti-establishment hero figure that was desperately wanted in the 90s. What Austin did was combine his own unique style of wrestling with a brand of personality, ultimately melding the two together to redefine the brand of WWF.

What is often glossed over with fans is that Austin was a phenomenal worker; one need only look at the epitome of storytelling told in his feud with Bret Hart. Hart played Superman from Kingdom Come, an aging hero that had grown disillusioned with the shifting goalposts of morality embodied in restless fans. Instead of altering his own attitude, he berated the fans, turned his back on them, and demanded they climb to his level, rather than letting himself sink to theirs. And in response, Austin became the Kingdom Come Magog, a more violent, more aggressive hero. One that didn't rest on platitudes but pragmatism. Together, the two created sparks both on the mic and in the ring, resulting in some of the greatest work WWF had ever seen.
From here, Austin was a top draw, and within a short period of time, he had main evented Wrestlemania, tapped into the cultural mainstream, and turned the entire roster on its head. Gone were the cartoonish notions of yesterday. Here to stay was the male soap opera, a world of car crash insanity anchored in one central notion - the greatest characters were you, dialed to 11.

When you look at the Hogan era, you can see that the workrate is defined by its top star. Slower, simpler matches, plodding with a deliberate cadence designed to adhere to a strict power-up formula. There was little variety in the Hogan Era. But in the Austin Era, you could visually watch the evolution of the roster around Steve as he set a new style of workrate. Austin matches so rarely had long dead spots between every move. Instead, pauses in a match had dramatic connotations. The general workrate had increased significantly. Filling time for the sake of selling wasn't something Austin enjoyed - instead, Austin (likely taking some direction from Hart) wanted to make sure every moment had a reason in a match. A display of frustration after a kick-out. Cockiness in success. Focus in tense moments of tactical give-and-take. Austin retrained the roster during his time there to have fast-paced, action-heavy matches on television and more methodical matches on PPV.

At the same time, Austin retrained audiences. The bubblegum pop babyface was out, and the anti-hero was in. Austin's weaknesses as a character were his strengths with the audience. He was relatable. He had an undeniable realism about himself. In fact, his unscripted promos ensorcelled any audience in any arena. He made simple sentences musical in his rhythmic and sometimes repetitive delivery. Many tried to copy him; few succeeded.

Austin's influence led to the greatest period of growth in WWE history. A publicly traded company, WWE's stock as a valuable commodity would not exist without Austin. His ability to help shape the Rock, give him credibility and get out of the Rock's way helped push both of them further together over time. And even though he was one of the most winningest workers of his era, very rarely did it feel as if he was burying talent. He enhanced every worker he spent time with.

On top of this, consider how little time he spent in the ring. For the years he was active, only one franchise in the WORLD was a bigger merchandise mover: South Park. #2 was Steve Austin, a man who spent only about 5 total active years in the ring with WWE, and yet in that time period turned an antiquated brand into a trendsetter. Austin redefined the pace of a WWE match; he redefined a promo, and for a period of time, he made the case that he was a man never duplicated. Lightning in a bottle. The greatest wrestler of all time.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz7btc; Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, Larry Zbyszko, Rick Rude & Steve Austin vs. Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat & Sting (May 17, 1992)
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=335832377161447; Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (March 23, 1997)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4uktbt; Steve Austin vs. Triple H (February 25, 2001)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5s3zgi; Steve Austin vs. The Rock (March 30, 2003)

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And I forgot these!

9. Hiroshi Tanahashi
scarlet - 2 (24 points)
icon - 3 (23 points)
paulg - 4 (22 points)
Iceman - 4 (22 points)
Eddv - 5 (21 points)
Extha - 6 (20 points)
CPU - 7 (19 points)
illuminatusbubu - 7 (19 points)
Jakyl - 7 (19 points)
Steiner - 8 (18 points)
WarThaNemesis - 14 (12 points)
voltch - 24 (2 points)

8. Steve Austin
scarlet - 1 (25 points)
Tennis - 1 (25 points)
paulg - 3 (23 points)
junk_funk - 4 (22 points)
Sultan - 4 (22 points)
Extha - 8 (18 points)
ZeroSignal - 8 (18 points)
CPU - 14 (12 points)
voltch - 15 (11 points)
Semi - 16 (10 points)
malyg - 17 (9 points)
Steiner - 19 (7 points)
Jakyl - 20 (6 points)
Maniac - 20 (6 points)
MarkS2 - 21 (5 points)
illuminatusbubu - 22 (4 points)
Iceman - 23 (3 points)

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Surprised to see Stone Cold near the back end of the top 10, though I suppose everyone's a killer this far up the list.

Also, I think my list would have probably looked something like this:

Bret Hart
Kenta Kobashi
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Bruiser Brody
The Undertaker
Eddie Guerrero
Macho Man Randy Savage
Owen Hart
Sabu
Ric Flair
Sting
Mitsuharu Misawa
Rey Mysterio
El Santo
Kurt Angle
Mr. Perfect
Andre the Giant
Terry Funk
Booker T
Rob Van Dam
Scott Hall
Arn Anderson
Dean Malenko
Ultimo Dragon
Chris Jericho

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no love for HBK or just forgot him?

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Austin never did much for me, to be honest. I was a huge Rock mark from the NoD days so I always rooted for him over Austin while they were feuding for the IC title.

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KommunistKoala posted...

no love for HBK or just forgot him?

I can't deny his talent, but I just dislike him too much to put him anywhere near a favorites list. I may have forgotten Punk and Daniel Bryan though.

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TheRock1525 posted...

Austin never did much for me, to be honest. I was a huge Rock mark from the NoD days so I always rooted for him over Austin while they were feuding for the IC title.

I adored heel rock. My first Ocarina of Time file back in Decemeber 1998 was named THEROCK. I was soured when he turned face - I just loved him too much as a heel.

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CaptainOfCrush posted...

I can't deny his talent, but I just dislike him too much to put him anywhere near a favorites list. I may have forgotten Punk and Daniel Bryan though.

I mean this wasnt really meant to be a favorites list though obviously that will play a part in most people's lists.

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I didn't put austin because plainly put I can't think of him as being a better wrestler than a ton of people and I wasnt there for his promo heydey

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Maniac64 posted...

CaptainOfCrush posted...

I can't deny his talent, but I just dislike him too much to put him anywhere near a favorites list. I may have forgotten Punk and Daniel Bryan though.

I mean this wasnt really meant to be a favorites list though obviously that will play a part in most people's lists.

My list wasn't my favourites but you won't catch me voting for my least favourites
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#6 (tie): Kurt Angle
Total Score:233
# of lists: 15
Highest Ranking: 2nd, Mega Mana

Writeup: Eddv

It is somewhat ironic that the first thing that often comes to mind with Kurt Angle is the moniker that he is an Olympic Gold Medalist. The very phrase gives an incorrect impression about the man. It risks lumping him in with other legitimate athletes who attempted to make the jump to wrestling with varying degrees of success. It makes him sound like Ken Patera or Mongo McMichaels or Jack Swagger. Someone who is simply going to coast on their legitimate reputation to collect a paycheck. It's a staple of wrestling and really does a disservice to Kurt Angle who, aside from a period in 2006 on ECW where he leaned heavy into the 'Wrestling Machine' gimmick Angle did not lean as heavily into his legitimate background as you might expect.

Sure, he used a few amateur looking moves and repped out as a submissions specialist, he also from the beginning used a suplex as his big move. He from the beginning leaned into his charm and wit to claim a spot in the main event tier during the freaking attitude era, opposite a wrestling blue blood like The Rock, a veteran who had earned his stripes like Austin and did so while being able to go blow for blow with some of the very best technicians and masters of the craft in Benoit and Jericho immediately. He was a freak of nature, looking and sounding natural in the ring, on the microphone, in front of a camera from the very beginning. And in a bizarre way, it feels weird to even remember that this is notable or unusual. He's an Olympic gold medalist. Of course he is an amazing professional wrestler. A thought that only makes sense if you don't mull it over at all and yet... it worked on all of us at the time. He was goofy and wholesome and funny...and was instantly one of the best workers in the entire world. A fact that would stand out more if not for the existence of fellow freak of nature Brock Lesnar doing something similar in his wake....but aside from those two and arguably Ronda Rousey the ceiling on this sort of project is
Well.....Mongo.

What is remarkable to me is that his skill outside the ring was so exemplary that he was able to be thrust into a GM role while injured and lose....NOTHING. He was able to be presented with up and coming acts like Edge and Cena and help them turn into bonafide stars while losing NOTHING. He had that rare gold in wrestling where nothing he ever did hurt him in the eyes of the fans. He was Teflon. He was beloved. He could take an angle with Eugene that was offensive and terrible and create gold. The rare talent that can make WWE booking feel...fun even as they tried to insult your intelligence or suck the joy out of it. If not for his injuries and resultant substance abuse problems he likely would have been the anchor around which WWE built in the back half of the 00s and early 10s alongside Cena and to the betterment of both.

Instead....WHATS KURT ANGLE DOING IN THE IMPACT ZONE. He put the B promotion onto the map. He did what no wrestler had done since Flair and Hogan and anchored a show that fans saw as a legitimate alternative. And while TNA would find a way to squander their embarrassment of young talent and all the eyes Angle drew to their show, the fact is Angle thrived in his role as THE Guy and drew, legitimately drew. You can only imagine what a TNA that properly leveraged having him and Joe and AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy could have done.

His twilight years didn't go well. He was allowed to deteriorate physically quite badly with TNA and WWE did their typical vengeance thing of trying to tarnish the legacy of Kurt Angle once he returned. His retirement match was with fucking Baron Corbin for Christ's sake. Compare and contrast with other legends and sob. But Angle is truly special, a once in a lifetime talent and the further we get from his retirement the more I feel we are going to talk about him the way we talk about people like Bret Hart...except that Angle is better in every way.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqon6o; Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon (June 24, 2001)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4t3cvk; Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (January 19, 2003)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xy3r5c; Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (April 3, 2005)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzbz70; Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe (April 13, 2008)

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What happens when you add him to the mix?

gasp a tie

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Kyubit_Foxstar posted...

What happens when you add him to the mix?

The other guy's chances of getting sixth place all to himself drastic go down

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KommunistKoala posted...

gasp a tie

Yeah with no real way to separate them. It's pretty crazy.

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That makes me assume the next person also didn't top any lists... but that doesn't help me in guessing who it may be. Okada or Jericho?

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well hopefully their writeup will be done today!

in the meantime;

6. Kurt Angle
Mega Mana - 2 (24 points)
Rock - 5 (21 points)
junk_funk - 6 (20 points)
ZeroSignal - 6 (20 points)
Maniac - 6 (20 points)
malyg - 7 (19 points)
icon - 8 (18 points)
paulg - 9 (17 points)
CPU - 9 (17 points)
scarlet - 13 (13 points)
illuminatusbubu - 13 (13 points)
Whiskey_Nick - 16 (10 points)
sephsblade - 17 (9 points)
Eddv - 19 (7 points)
Tennis - 21 (5 points)

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Maniac is having internet issues and considering how long it's taken to get here I figured I'd post this one

#6 (tie): Ric Flair
Total Score:233
# of lists: 15
Highest Ranking: 2nd, Jakyl

Writeup: Bidoof

The hardest part about doing a write-up for Ric Flair is to find something about the man and his 40 year career that hasnt been said by everyone else. Every wrestling fan knows that he is officially a 16-time world champion (Flair maintains that his actual count is 21), every fan knows about his lengthy tenure as the top guy of the NWA, many can quote his promos word for word, and many still consider his matches with other greats like Ricky Steamboat to still be among the greatest matches in wrestling despite the bar for greatness having only gone up since. If you were to ask your average wrestling fan (and even people who work in the industry) who is the greatest wrestler of all-time, people still answer Ric Flair without hesitation. The fact that this still continues to be the answer to many (including myself) years after Flairs retirement and decades removed from his peak speaks to how much Ric continues to influence the industry. Ric Flair is still the standard that everyone measures greatness against in this sport and I dont see that changing.
Trained by Verne Gagne and starting out in the AWA, Ric worked with a wide variety of the territorial greats early in his career but Ric himself was rather unremarkable. If you can hunt down these early matches of Rics on the Internet, youll be surprised that this doughy, near-300 lb. brunette would go on to become the lean, platinum blonde multi-time champion. It actually wasnt until the infamous plane crash in 1976 where Ric began his transformation into The Man. With his back broken in three places, doctors didnt believe that Ric would ever wrestle again. But Ric was determined to find a way to keep his wrestling career alive and, in just eight months, he returned to the ring with a very different style of work. Over time, he began to adopt the looks and mannerisms of Buddy Rogers and, by the end of the 70s, Ric was in full Nature Boy mode. Its fascinating to think that an incident that very well should have ended his career as a professional wrestler is what led to him eventually becoming one of the greatest in history.
On September 17, 1981, Ric became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion for the first time and he would go on to hold this title for a total of 2,687 days throughout the decade. Thats roughly 75% of a decade where Ric Flair is the world champion. What makes this even more remarkable than the reigns of Bruno Sammartino or even Hulk Hogan is that Flair was a world champion for more than just a promotion. He traveled throughout the territories, even going international at times, to be THE world champion of every promotion that worked within the NWA system. Flairs world title reigns were a vital part to that system as he was counted on to make the stars of individual territories look good and he did that in spades. Whether it was giving some regional guy the greatest match of his career or making new national stars in Ricky Steamboat or Sting (who was made player in the NWA world title scene in one night), Ric had the ability to make anyone look like they could be a contender without ever sacrificing his credibility. It speaks even more to how impressive Ric Flair was as world champion when one considers all the talent that was out there. Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ted DiBiase, Terry Funk, Junkyard Dog, the Von Erichs Flair was such a tremendous world champion that not only was he chosen above these men but a couple of them would serve as transitional champs to the next great Flair reign.
Admittedly, from the 90s on, Flairs career is something of a mixed bag. While he still had classic matches with the likes of Sting, Vader, and Randy Savage, Flair found himself on the losing side of many internal political struggles. In the early 90s, he had to contend with WCWs poor management believing Flair was done as a main event attraction (despite fans rabidly chanting WE WANT FLAIR at every WCW event once he left to WWF). In the mid-90s to the death of WCW, he had to struggle with Bischoff and Hogan using him as a set-up guy for themselves and their friends. Despite the efforts to devalue Flair and Flairs own loss of confidence, he still had his incredible promo skills. Flairs microphone skills are on another level from just about every wrestler ever and, through that, he remained one of the few wrestlers in WCW people cared about. Like with just about every other facet of his career, what is there to even say about Ric Flairs promos that you dont already know? Just go watch any of the hundreds of compilations on YouTube or, hell, go watch his performance on the last episode of Raw where he was one of the only people who felt genuine in the most stifling, over-produced environment ever. No matter what he says or does, Flair has the important ability to make you care about him.
I have to be honest, this is Ric Flair were talking about. Hes in every professional wrestling Hall of Fame of any repute. He has more quotable promos than any other wrestler in the business. He was the centerpiece of wrestlings greatest stable ever in the Four Horsemen. He was considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time before I was even born and hes still winning over new fans who see his work almost a decade after his retirement. If this write-up is a rambling mess, its because this task is near-impossible without writing an actual novel. Ric Flair is so ingrained as perhaps the greatest wrestler of all time that Dave Meltzers Wrestler of the Year award, the award that goes to the wrestler that excels in every quality that makes a great wrestler, is still called the Ric Flair Award. What Im desperately trying to get at it something I said from the beginning its impossible to say anything new or meaningful about how Ric Flair is one of the greatest of all-time. If I had submitted a list for this, I would have started with him and worked from there. Ric is still the gold standard of what it means to be The Man and, to me, maybe he still is. While I believe hes been equaled, I struggle to say that hes ever been surpassed.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2nmd6j; Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, 2 Out of 3 Falls (AJPW Grand Champion Carnival II, June 8 1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnF8XNLYTa8; Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (NWA Clash of the Champions, April 2 1989)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5hx3ab; The 1992 Royal Rumble
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av15050412/; Ric Flair vs. Vader (WCW Starrcade '93, December 27 1993)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17zeqq; Ric Flair vs. Edge, TLC (WWE Raw, January 16 2006)

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7. Ric Flair
Jakyl - 2 (24 points)
Steiner - 3 (23 points)
Eddv - 6 (20 points)
sephsblade - 8 (18 points)
Sultan - 8 (18 points)
Iceman - 8 (18 points)
paulg - 10 (16 points)
ZeroSignal - 10 (16 points)
Mega Mana - 11 (15 points)
MarkS2 - 13 (13 points)
junk_funk - 14 (12 points)
Extha - 15 (11 points)
WarThaNemesis - 15 (11 points)
Tennis - 15 (11 points)
voltch - 19 (7 points)

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yeah the spreadsheet will always say he's 7 sorry

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so our top 5 wrestlers, before we get to them:

bret hart
bryan danielson
chris jericho
kazuchika okada
shawn michaels

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The fact that neither Flair or Austin made the Top 5 makes me think that Michaels probably isn't going to finish #1, anymore. I predict Jericho wins.

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That writeup simply wasnt fair to Flair

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Steiner posted...

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5hx3ab; The 1992 Royal Rumble

Gimmick match aside (or perhaps because of it), this might be my favorite pro wrestling match of all time. I showed it to my gf a few years ago (careful not to oversell the Flair angle or else I'd risk spoiling the end), and she was laughing and enjoying herself through the whole thing. Look at all the talent in this one match - Hogan, Savage, Taker, Piper, Jake the Snake, DiBiase - and it's Flair who carries the whole thing and overpowers them all. He and Bobby Heenan - who gave arguably the greatest color commentary ever this night - deserve a special award for this match alone.

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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Gimmick match aside (or perhaps because of it), this might be my favorite pro wrestling match of all time. I showed it to my gf a few years ago (careful not to oversell the Flair angle or else I'd risk spoiling the end), and she was laughing and enjoying herself through the whole thing. Look at all the talent in this one match - Hogan, Savage, Taker, Piper, Jake the Snake, DiBiase - and it's Flair who carries the whole thing and overpowers them all. He and Bobby Heenan - who gave arguably the greatest color commentary ever this night - deserve a special award for this match alone.

i agree, this was an excellent choice

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#5: Bryan Danielson / Daniel Bryan
Total Score:235
# of lists: 15
1st place votes: 2, Mega Mana, Steiner

Bryan Danielson
What did we even mean, when we said, Greatest Wrestler Ever? Maybe this is too late in this project to just begin to ask this now or, maybe its even too early, and its a thought to save for the conclusion. One thing thats patently obvious, is that it means different things to different people. Wrestling isnt a sport, its art and as a result, theres very few objective measures of greatness that apply. Of course, the easiest, most logical way to boil it down, is to say the goal of a Pro Wrestler is to make money, and thus the Pro Wrestler who makes the most money is the Greatest. QED.

If all of us thought that was the defining criteria for Greatest Wrestler Ever, itd be a fucking boring list. It would be a boring process, even. As boring as it would be to talk about the Greatest Band Ever and conclude its The Beatles, you know? Besides that, regardless of the goal of a Wrestler, the amount of money they make doesnt make much difference to me as a fan. What makes a difference to me as a fan, and Id wager what matters the most to most of us, is when wrestling makes me feel something.

I dont have graphs and charts and links and evidence for this, so youll have to take my word for it Bryan Danielson has made me feel more than any other wrestler. But here I will take a minute to talk objectively hes made WWE fans feel more than any other wrestler in decades. Id argue he was the last wrestler people cared about in WWE, and despite all of WWEs best efforts, people cared so much about Daniel Bryan that they abjectly rejected WWEs last attempt at making a star in Roman Reigns.

Of course, as I typed all that I remembered one more occasion where people cared about a story WWE told more recently Kofi Kingstons championship win at Wrestlemania, in one of the greatest Wrestlemania title matches of all time a match where, as Bryan has done countless times through his career, he made the guy across the ring from him look the best he ever has. Bryans combination of talent and selflessness is basically unique in pro wrestling, and its part of the reason hes involved in so many peoples career best match from Nigel McGuinness, Takeshi Morishima and KENTA in his Ring Of Honor days to Kofi, Bray Wyatt and Sheamus in WWE, Bryan can bring out the best in all sorts of talents which brings me to the biggest factor, to me, in Bryans argument diversity.

I dont think theres any worker in history with such a diverse array of top tier work. From more technical wrestling matches like he had with James Gibson, Nigel McGuinness or Zack Sabre Jr, to WWE epic style matches with Triple H, John Cena and AJ Styles, shoot style matches with Drew Gulak and Roderick Strong, wild brawls with Morishima and Sheamus, plunder matches with The Fiend and Morishima and in his one and only ever meeting with Kenny Omega, even comedy matches. While you could argue that someone like Mitsuharu Misawa, Kazuchika Okada or Bret Hart had higher in ring peaks, none of them had quite the diverse array of great matches as Bryan.

And theres a reason he was able to be successful in all these different styles because he understands pro wrestling, at its core. He understands how to connect with the crowd and draw them into his matches with basic work a talent which few today, especially those coming up on the independent scene possess, or at least have the confidence in themselves to get over that way. Its testament to his abilities that he was the star of the independents in the 00s while so many around him were so much flashier and had more traditional charisma.

Theres a myth that Bryan isnt charismatic, which was obviously disproven most loudly by his run as the hottest act in the industry in 2013-14, but its clear to see even before he signed with WWE this couldnt have been further from the truth you dont become the hottest wrestler on the independent scene the way he did just from doing good wrestling. Especially by the time he was Ring Of Honor World Champion in 05-06, Bryan had a command of the room and connection with the audience which few could match and which has never gone away.

Theres so much more to Bryans career than Ive touched on his feud with The Miz, his appearances round the world in his brief release window in 2010 where he selflessly gave back to the independent scene after being featured on National TV, everything that was great about the Team Hell No run that really got him ready for that hot run later in the year and I dont think Id scratch the surface.

Bryan Danielson is so great that his Ring Of Honor title run will never be topped. Bryan Danielson is so great that EVOLVE was formed with the idea he could make every name Gabe brought in a star. Bryan Danielson is so great that he made the careers of everyone he got in the ring with better. Bryan Danielson is so great that he helped change the game of who WWE will hire. Bryan Danielson is so great that he headlined a Wrestlemania that WWE never had any intention of him main eventing. Bryan Danielson is so great that 6 years later, WWE hasnt recovered from him not being the guy. Bryan Danielson is so great, that I have enjoyed two of his matches with Bray Wyatt. Bryan Danielson is so, so fucking great.

Bryan Danielson is the greatest wrestler ever.

https://youtu.be/7-tcrmjagG0?t=3594; Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (August 12, 2006)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av19683188/; Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA (September 16, 2006)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHy6swAxsYA; Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima (August 25, 2007)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOgdB2qlG6o; Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (March 2, 2008)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2aom6x; Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena (August 18, 2013)

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god I would kill to see peak Bryan vs peak Bret and peak HBK

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BD/DB has to be the only guy whose popularity peaked in the past decade (along with Punk, though DB's peak is even more recent) that I'd put on my list. He's just so fucking good, had an unbreakable connection with the audience, and always seemed willing to kill himself for his craft. He's the American, bearded, cruiserweight Kobashi.

Speaking of American - looks like the top 4 is 75% un-American, with three countries represented. B8 with the diverse take!

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Canada with the double rep.

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Is 4/5 North Americans that diverse? <_<
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I guess not when you put it that way... although 3/5 gained much of their popularity outside the WWE, which I'd say is pretty diverse.

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I didn't submit anything here because I haven't followed wrestling in over 15 years and I never really followed anything outside of WWF and WCW, but I've been kind of lurking without too much to say.

Bret Hart and Stone Cold are probably my top two favorites ever, and their Survivor Series '96 matchup has always been one of my all-time favorite matches. People remember the I Quit match the most, but I liked that one better.

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#4: Kazuchika Okada
Total Score:237
# of lists: 12
1st place votes: 2, War, Jakyl

Writeup: NBIceman

If you happened to flip the channel to Spike TV in 2010 or 2011, you might have seen a brief appearance on TNA Impact! by a handsome young Japanese fellow known simply as Okada, on excursion from his home promotion of NJPW following the completion of his time as a Young Lion. If you were particularly, er, lucky, you might have even seen him during the short time he was called Okato, sporting a look inspired by Kato from the wildly unpopular Green Hornet movie that had just come out. He worked sporadically, lost almost all of his matches, and never did anything the least bit important.

Fast forward to February 2012, where in his second match following his return to Japan, Kazuchika Okada ended what was at the time the IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign with the most defenses in history in front of a (worked) 6200 fans. Fast forward again to 2019, where he broke that record himself in front of a (real) 6300 fans on a comparatively much smaller show after long since having cemented himself as the best wrestler in the world.

Every so often, youll run into someone who will tell you that Okada has really never been as popular as his success would imply. Most of these people are diehard fans of a certain Okada contemporary, and some of these people even post on this board from time to time. ALL of these people either have no idea what theyre talking about or are arguing in bad faith or both. Hiroshi Tanahashi was the one who kept NJPW afloat when the company really needed him, and he deserves every bit of the credit he gets (high placement on this list included) for that, but the man who succeeded him as the ace is the man who truly catapulted it into its most prosperous, profitable, and prominent era ever. Not only is he beloved in his homeland, there are many, many Western fans that would not be watching New Japan (or really any Japanese wrestling at all) were it not for Okada; hes second only to Omega in terms of instrumentality to NJPWs forays into the USA.

But twenty years from now, I think the first thing most fans will think of when Okadas name is mentioned are the matches, specifically in that aforementioned record-breaking reign. Beginning in June of 2016 and ending almost two years to the day later, it includes no less than 4 defenses (counting the one where he lost it) that would each be named by a pretty significant amount of people as their personal pick for the all-time best wrestling match if you did a poll of all wrestling fans, plus 10 other matches (counting the one where he won it) that rarely dropped below the level of legitimate MOTYC. Oh yeah, and every single one of those matches did great business. Id have no hesitancy whatsoever in calling it the greatest title reign in wrestling history.

Add that to his other runs with the title and yearly output in the G1 and youve got a truly incredible lineup of work. Put Okada in a big spot and he will deliver every single time. Hell, the guy even bucks the normal trend of top NJPW guys taking it easy in tag matches most of the time. Hell have great matches with bad wrestlers, incredible matches with good wrestlers, and transcendent matches with great wrestlers. Hes smooth in the ring and athletically gifted to the point where it almost doesnt even look like hes trying sometimes. He always knows exactly where to place a high spot in a match to make it memorable and ensure a huge reaction from the crowd, and he constantly makes tiny modifications to his moveset that keep him from ever being truly predictable or figured out. Perhaps most importantly, he has a rare (almost completely unique) gift for bringing out the best in his opponents and guaranteeing that they come out of their match looking more impressive than they did before, even in defeat. He knows exactly how to play to others strengths, exactly how to sell and how much to sell, and exactly what role to play in any given situation based on fan response. Hell have high-paced sprints, technical showcases, all-out slugfests, long epics, and everything in between without ever looking like hes outclassed or doesnt belong. Okada is in a class all his own when it comes to in-ring storytelling; no one in history can take something ultimately simple and turn it into something magnificent in such a variety of styles the way the Rainmaker can. He never does anything too complicated - were talking about a man whose two most well-known moves are a dropkick (even if it is the best one ever in wrestling) and a lariat - but he does everything as close to perfectly as weve ever seen.

Modern hardcore fans like us may sometimes forget how lucky we are. We look back with reverence on eras like that of AJPWs Four Pillars and the height of the NWA or the territories in general, and though tape trading and sites like YouTube make it possible for us to still appreciate those days to an extent, the experience of following them day in and day out or being at shows live cant be replicated, especially considering theres plenty of matches only available in poor quality and plenty more that have been lost to time entirely. And even the most fortunate of diehards couldnt see every show to begin with.

We have the incredible fortune of having EVERY performance of a singular talent like Okada just a few clicks away from us at any given time, including as theyre happening. And yeah, those will be preserved for future generations, but we get to see it all in real time, and theyll still envy us for that.

Oh, and by the way, hes only 32 years old. So, yknow, theres an argument to be made, considering when wrestling peaks often come, that we havent even seen him at his best yet. He may already be a legend, but the legend is far from over. As his former manager used to remind everyone, Kazuchika Okada is simply on another level.

https://vimeo.com/107076466 - Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (April 7, 2013)

https://www.facebook.com/njpwworld1972/videos/1433531383393253/ - Kazuchika Okada vs AJ Styles (July 5, 2015) (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x63hll5 - Japanese Commentary)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4su5k7 - Kazuchika Okada vs Tomohiro Ishii (August 6, 2016)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x58fxo5 - Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega (January 4, 2017) (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x631r9p - Japanese Commentary)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5kc9k6 - Kazuchika Okada vs Katsuyori Shibata (April 9, 2017) (https://vimeo.com/248582752 - Japanese Commentary)

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