New Jack, Super Crazy, Hayabusa, Eddie Gilbert, Jerry Lynn and Jesse Ventura, are all of my lone vote picks. 

New Jack: Totally YOU HAD BE THERE to understand his appeal, his popularity, and what an alien he was in the wrestling landscape in the mid-90s as a personality. Find myself conflicted with him as a person, but this is a favorite wrestler countdown, half the people are going to be garbage human beings.

Super Crazy: The insane luchador. All luchadors are insane, but like he's even crazier. He's SUPER CRAZY. Part of one of the great dance partnerships of all time, as far as I'm concerned, with Tajiri, and was the one I, at first, preferred! Before Tajiri went all Great Muta, that is. When you think of the WCW Cruiserweight Division of this time, and how they basically had every famous Luchador of the past 20 years under contract, so ECW's (unofficial) cruiserweight division was basically just two guys, and they wrestled each other on pretty much every card for like a year, and NO ONE GOT TIRED OF THIS, just shows the level Super Crazy/Tajiri were operating at.

Hayabusa: An astronaut! Seeing Hayabusa for the first time was mind bending. So, like a Japanese Sabu, but maybe he's an alien, but he's bigger, has better moves, and has a more graceful aerial assault? Like imagine having the Falcon Arrow and the Phoenix Splash as your signature moves. In 1994. RIP to a real one.

Eddie Gilbert: The fact that I'm the only vote here tells me I don't know who Baker is anymore! Eddie Gilbert is cool if you're into people 10 years ahead of everyone else, I guess. Doing a cruiserweight style with Tiger Mask in the early 80s, to arguably creating the 90s heel in the mid-80s(!) which showed people like Paul Heyman and Raven the way, to name a few (also made Sting and Rick Steiner, amongst others). Then brings hardcore wrestling to Philadelphia in the early '90s in a series with Cactus Jack that both spiritually invented ECW and the extremification of American Wrestling for the rest of the decade (where Vince AND Linda McMahon would be taking table bumps like 7 years later), but also literally as Eddie would become the first booker of ECW, laying the groundwork, booking out of a bingo hall that would pretty soon become legendary. Eddie Gilbert! And I didn't even mention Memphis!

Jerry Lynn: This is almost entirely based on the RVD series, but what a series. Went from not caring remotely about Lynn to thinking, "Is he BETTER than RVD?," while RVD was the most over human I had ever seen, in the span of like three months. It was insane. 

Jesse "The Body": A pick based more on personality than wrestling, obviously, but watching Jesse AWA promo compilations is like one of my favorite things to do at 2:30 am when I should be sleeping. 

I was one of two votes for 2 Cold Scorpio, Taka Michinoku, Mike Awesome and Perry Saturn: 2 Cold, an astronaut, Taka a cruiserweight with personality(!), Mike Awesome a big man with MOVEZ, and Saturn was always a favorite as the ace of the Eliminators then ace of the Flock.

Shout out to Lance Storm and Devon Dudley, who I liked, but couldn't squeeze on. 

I should've voted for Eddie Gilbert for his booking alone, but flat out forgot. Great mind, gone far too soon.

Loving all the comments. Keep 'em coming.

Apr 7, 2020 19:08:21 GMT RT said:

I was the only vote for Matt Riddle? Do you people even watch wrestling?

Apr 7, 2020 19:19:54 GMT Big Pete said:

Apr 7, 2020 19:08:21 GMT RT said:

I was the only vote for Matt Riddle? Do you people even watch wrestling?

He's not my bro.

These two posts got a legit chuckle out of me. 

Matt Riddle's gimmick is great for an obnoxious heel. I was around a ton of Matt Riddle types in my early-mid 2000s. So I can relate to his character. The problem is the lone time I saw Riddle in action he was miscast as a babyface.....a babyface who traded finishers for like 8 minutes in a throwaway midcard tv match. Took a hard pass on Matt Riddle right then and there.
======================

Apr 7, 2020 20:01:17 GMT Kilgore said:

Eddie Gilbert: The fact that I'm the only vote here tells me I don't know who Baker is anymore! Eddie Gilbert is cool if you're into people 10 years ahead of everyone else, I guess. Doing a cruiserweight style with Tiger Mask in the early 80s, to arguably creating the 90s heel in the mid-80s(!) which showed people like Paul Heyman and Raven the way, to name a few (also made Sting and Rick Steiner, amongst others). Then brings hardcore wrestling to Philadelphia in the early '90s in a series with Cactus Jack that both spiritually invented ECW and the extremification of American Wrestling for the rest of the decade (where Vince AND Linda McMahon would be taking table bumps like 7 years later), but also literally as Eddie would become the first booker of ECW, laying the groundwork, booking out of a bingo hall that would pretty soon become legendary. Eddie Gilbert! And I didn't even mention Memphis!

I deserve to be called out over dropping Gilbert from my list for stupid "before my time" reasons. Fwiw he was my 2nd to last cut. Also, Eddie Gilbert was before everybody's time (more on that in a bit).

When Edge came up the other day in the discussion thread I began to second guess my placement of him. It was like "Do I really like Edge more than Wrestler X who finished below him?" Many times the answer was "no." Including when I got to Gilbert. So, yeah, I had Edge too high and the original Eddie G too low. 

Everything Kilgore wrote is true. One of the first truly great things I ever about wrestling online was an ancient rant on a Geocites page where the writer made a convincing case for why Eddie Gilbert was the reason we were wrestling fans "today" (Attitude Era) whether we knew it or not. It was like a wrestling version of The Simpsons Already Did It episode of South Park.

Kilgore You forgot to mention Sandman. Back me up, man. This isn't the first time I've thought this countdown could have used more Nobi. Nor will it be the last...
======================
Hard Falls- The following wrestlers all plummeted from the Top 100 last time into the 200s this time.

Austin Aries (#55 to #205)
D-Von Dudley (#74 as one half of the Dudley Boyz to #238)
Road Dogg (#89 as one half of the New Age Outlaws to #211)
Kerry Von Erich (#96 to #260)
Roman Reigns (#99 to #243)

-Aries is just one of the wrestlers from ROH's critical peak to land in the 200s. That group of grapplers did not perform well in general on this countdown. I'm sure Aries did himself no favors since the last time we did this by being a malcontent in every promotion he worked for.

-It's understandable that D-Von and Road Dogg dropped off since I refused to allow tag teams this time around.

-Kerry being so low was a genuine shocker. I figured he'd get more support from old school fans. 

-I saw a pair of under performing multiple time world champions with only 2 votes when finalizing the list last night and had a theory....

Roman Reigns is the modern day Lex Luger. Discuss.

Fwiw it hurts (as always) to see Flexy Lexy finish so low. Surprised by Roman's poor performance as well.
=====================
There were only a handful of wrestlers to receive votes who I had never even heard of. Maybe 3. Madison Eagles is one of them. Another made the Top 100!
=====================
I thought RT would vote for Ryback and Emperor for Sheamus. I don't even know you people anymore. Also surprised by the low, one vote finishes for Aja Kong and Hayabusa.
=====================
The following wrestlers missed my Top 50, but did make my absolutely bonkers Top 200 list which initially inspired this countdown.  pwcom.proboards.com/thread/2292/baker-200-favorite-wrestlers-time In order from near misses to....further misses...

Eddie Gilbert
Jimmy Rave
Damien Sandow/Aron Stevens
Jimmy Jacobs
IRS
Lex Luger
New Jack
Earthquake
Hardcore Holly
D-Von Dudley
Jim Neidhart
Victoria
Austin Aries
Amazing Red
Perry Saturn
Jerry Lynn
Chris Adams
Jay Briscoe
2 Cold Scorpio
Jack Gallagher
Ryback
Hurricane Helms
(Jack Evans)
=======================
Speaking of overly long lists, Shootist that Honorable Mentions list you sent me caused all sorts of problems. I'd occasionally get a ballot with a wrestler I knew I had seen on a list before (Hayabusa from this batch comes to mind). So I would futilely go back and comb through all the ballots trying to find these people. It wasn't until the last few ballots that I finally realized all these names I knew I had seen, yet could not find, were from your damn Honorable Mentions list 

Amazing Red (#49) being one of my "onlies" shocks me. He was one of the initial X-Division guys that blew everyone away in the early days of TNA along with some other wrestlers that will no doubt appear a lot higher. Figured people who were into that early 00s scene would have ranked him.

Roman Reigns (#44) being that far down is also quite surprising. Expected him to pop up on more lists given his stature. But this is a History of Wrestling list, after all. Agreed with PB that he is incredibly underrated. I genuinely think he is one of the best WWE workers of the past decade. Trouble is his booking is bad, and sometimes he can be too one-note. Two moves of doom. Even more one-note-moves-of-doom than John Cena, who isn't really one-note-moves-of-doom but got a mean reputation for being so.

Damien Sandow (#50). My token fifty. Found him thoroughly entertaining as the robe-wearing snobby intellectual when he first appeared on the scene in WWE. Fantastic orator, and very eloquent, as befits his character. Shame he's kinda lousy in the ring, and doesn't have much star quality. It was a nice surprise to see him pop up in NWA Powerrr as Aron Stevens, but after the nostalgia pop, I realised that his act had worn thin on me. Still, there's no better place than NWA to self-parody yourself.

Very surprised that one of my #40s made it past the first dump. I'm guessing Baker must have ranked him highly, because I can't imagine who else would have placed him at all. Yes, he's Japanese.

Apr 7, 2020 21:44:34 GMT Baker said:

Kilgore You forgot to mention Sandman. Back me up, man. This isn't the first time I've thought this countdown could have used more Nobi. Nor will it be the last...

How dare I forget The Sandman. Such an odd wrestler to even praise because he couldn't wrestle and couldn't really cut a promo, so like what do you say? How do you explain The Sandman? He was just The Sandman, the most PHILLY dude to ever wrestle, thus a local hero in ECW that (accidentally?) was a huge influence. When you think about Monday Night War Era wrestling, Sandman DNA is all over it. The kendo stick, the Stone Cold beer drinking, The Giant smoking on his way to the ring, soap opera angles revolving around his real life family. Even the return of "real music" theme music, which was of course everywhere in ECW, but none meant more to a wrestler than Sandman with Enter Sandman. The first ECW episode I ever saw had a tag team cagematch that involved The Sandman, and Sandman coming out to Metallica, then climbing up the cage to take a seat up top to smoke a cig and enjoy a beer was total "WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING? WHO IS THIS GUY?" This was just after summer of 1995. WWF was doing Dudes with Attitudes and WCW was doing Dungeon of Doom skits, Sandman simply existing as like a normal dude who drinks beers and then fights people with weapons was like the most modern thing I had ever seen to that point. Something charming about Sandman too, just like A GUY'S GUY, so he of course became a beloved face and ultimate mascot for ECW as a whole. His return in 1999 is one of my favorite wrestling moments ever, a triumphant return to the place that made him, the only place that would ever truly get him.

EDIT

I would post about all my choices but I'd be here most of the day.

Favourite thing from the first release is Damien Sandow getting three different votes but still not cracking the top 200. Very appropriate as a third degree champion!

Apr 7, 2020 23:58:54 GMT @admin said:

I would post about all my choices but I'd be here most of the day.

Favourite thing from the first release is Damien Sandow getting three different votes but still not cracking the top 200. Very appropriate as a third degree champion!

Ehh, he still beat Ronda. I’ll take that as a win. Definitive bragging rights.

I probably voted him highest. Very eloquent and intelligent heel. If you disagree, you are a member of the unwashed masses.

Wow I thought Baker and PI would have been the other two voters for him but apparently not. Imagine how high he could have been if the Powerrr crew hadn't turned their back on SHOOTER.

Apr 8, 2020 1:28:49 GMT @admin said:

Wow I thought Baker and PI would have been the other two voters for him but apparently not. Imagine how high he could have been if the Powerrr crew hadn't turned their back on SHOOTER.

Damn. I'm having a rough day. First Kilgore justifiably calls me out for leaving Eddie Gilbert off my list. Now The Boss does the same for neglecting the equally awesome Shootah Stevens.

In a last ditch effort to retain some modicum of credibility I will let you know I had Stevens at *goes to check* #56. So he didn't miss by much.

Yet once again a wrestler who didn't make my list passes The Edge Test. I must have been REALLY high on Edge & Christian memories when comprising my list.

Stevens had not one, not two, but THREE highly entertaining runs. First in mid 2000s OVW as a Rick Rude style character. Then as Damien Sandow in WWE. Now as an actor turned Mongrovian Karate Master in NWA Powerrr. Much like one of his influences, the listworthy "Genius" Lanny Poffo, Stevens is a getter of the professional wrestling. Sure, he's mediocre in the ring, but I can't hold that against him when my list includes the likes of Lana Star and Honkytonk Man.

Aha! I have found a much better excuse for leaving Stevens off. He was a part of the boring and bad Teacher's Pets tag team. That run was the only time he did not excel at sports entertaining.

Fwiw sandwiched in between Gilbert & Stevens was another guy you voted for in the Embassy's "Crown Jewel" Jimmy Rave at #55.

This covers most of the modern wrestlers that show up on this list for me. I'm not quite to the level of Jim Cornette but I'm pretty damn close.

This is all a large part of why this past decade of wrestling has been clearly my least favourite. Plus, the entire feel of wrestling is so knowingly a performance at this point. I don't buy into the characters and the style isn't for me (elaborate sequences that are so overly choreographed, featuring moves that are clearly intended to miss). Basically old man yells at cloud from me. What you grew up with is typically what you will accept and when it goes too far beyond that, it can be a struggle. Like the guys of the 60s thinking Flair/Steamboat were doing too much.

Sorry Baker, I try and not do HM's when I send lists now but couldn't resist with this topic. I hoped the spoiler tag would have made it less of a distraction.

Ok, let's start from the bottom.

50. Masa Chono

One of the most bad ass looking wrestlers in history, the Fu-Manchu the trench coat, the glasses. Pair that up with the Mafia Kick and STF and he appears even more lethal. Had he been working more in the States around the time the Matrix was out he could have been over huge.

49. Jimmy Snuka

Neck and neck with Hogan for popularity with me when we got the WWF in the fall of 1984. He had me jumping off almost any kind of furniture in the house perfecting his Superfly leap onto pillows and stuffed toys. Like Kilgore with New Jack I'm just going with what I saw on television, one of the most captivating performers of my early fandom. Discovering his stuff in Japan and the odd Mid Atlantic footage only made me a bigger fan.

48. Bruiser Brody

I don't get the flack he gets from some people on other forums. I guess the legend was built up too much for some and he didn't live up to the hype. One of the all time great looks and the guy was athletic as hell. He got crazy air on his knee and leg drops and he's my pick for GOAT big boot. I just rewatched his Darkside Of The Ring episode, he seemed like a genuinely kind and very intelligent man, what a tragic loss.

Plus GOAT tribute video? 


46. Magnum TA

Let the tragedy continue. I vaguely remember his stuff in real time due to spotty viewing in the mid 80's at my grandparent's house. Going back to his footage over the last 2 decades or so and his stuff still holds up. One of the great squashers in wrestling history he could also go 20-25 minutes in thrilling matches with the likes of Flair and Blanchard as well. He had great babyface fire in ring and could cut solid promos. Crockett lost a huge piece of it's identity when he had the auto wreck. One of the biggest cases of what if?

47. Lex Luger

I still have a bit of a soft spot for Lex. His 1987-1991 work is real solid and he was truly a great heel. Too bad WCW was in the toilet in 1991, his feud with Ron Simmons got very controversial for 1991 standards touching the racial nerve. Luger pulled off the smugness so well you just wanted to punch him, more people need to see that era of his career. His Narcissist gimmick in the WWF was great too, wish it would have ran longer even though he had lost a step by then due to the motorcycle accident. Proved his versatility by being the second most over face next to Sting in the first half of 1997. That pop in Detroit when he beat Hogan on Nitro was electric and even got local coverage on the news. In later years I bought his book and he became a sort of inspirational figure after digging himself out of the depths while overcoming devastating illness.

42. Paul Orndorff

Paul Orndorff was the first massive babyface turn I ever experienced. Post Wrestlemania he flew past the likes of Snuka and JYD to become my second favorite wrestler in the fed. Not long after, his near GOAT LJN figure came out and it was nearly Orndorffmania in my house. I wished he teamed with Hogan more often during that time but it was mostly used just to facilitate his heel turn in mid' 86. Naturally I went back to hating him again and his match with Hogan in Toronto was also the first massive match I experienced. This was like Hogan/Andre or Hogan/Warrior levels of anticipation for me. As seems to be the theme of this batch he got injured in early '87 and was never quite the same. His atrophy didn't help matters but still he gutted out some great matches especially in WCW. His feuds with Cactus Jack, Ricky Steamboat and teaming with Paul Roma were solid mid card fare.

45. 2 Cold Scorpio

Ah yes, if there was ever a one year wonder it's 2 Cold. He was near Bret/Sting levels of popularity in 1993, especially with my crew. His high flying was otherworldly, and this was just after seeing Jushin Liger's talents for the first time. In later years his ECW stuff was also standout, at least when he was on. His match with Sabu at Cyberslam '96 more than lived up to the hype along with his work with Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. He was a bit of a chore to watch at times though when he wasn't pushed by his opposition. I think this is why his WWF run fell flat. 

Now for the also-rans:

Jesse Ventura- Rarely got to see him wrestle in real time. Actually rarely saw him wrestle when researching all the old territory stuff as well. I still rate him as the GOAT color commentator though. Outside of his AWA matches with Hogan and teaming with Savage in the WWF his in ring career is a bit of a gap.

Candice LeRae- Still need to see more but she is easily a contender for my massive honorable mention list in the future. Fun all around talent to watch, charisma to spare.

Ahmed Johnson- One of the must watch guys in a mostly barren landscape of 1996 WWF. Vince had good reason not to pull the trigger though as he was a man of glass. Awesome look and a shall we say a "unique" promo talent (see S. Steiner and Sid.)

Jim Neidhart- He gave the Hart Foundation that spark in the early years. One of the more recognizable figures of the time with the goatee and barrel chested look. A part of me wishes he was let loose as a solo heel in later years.

Lanny Poffo- Didn't like his "Leaping' persona but came into his own as the Genius. Perhaps the finest cadence and tone of any promo, I could listen to him read the phonebook and be interested. Even a part of me felt a bit giddy when he beat Hogan. Lanny parlayed his promo talents into being one of the greats at the shoot interview. Listening to him document his more famous brother's career is can't miss stuff.

Kerry Von Erich- A near miss for me, his Texas Tornado run in 1990/91 made him an instant favorite. Going back and seeing his WCCW stuff made me realize just how over the Von Erichs were and he wasn't totally out of place in his title matches with Flair. His bloodbath with Lawler in the AWA is also a favorite moment of his career, too bad he couldn't escape the vices of being so popular.

Jerry Lynn- Like Kilgore basically for the RVD feud. More guys today should watch his stuff. He was flashy but still made it look like a struggle and a fight which is sorely lacking today.

Mike Awesome- On the surface he couldn't be more out of place in ECW. His yoked physique, zany name and super-mullet should have made him easy fodder for the mutants. Then he got in the ring and showed what he could do. The legend of Tom Magee has nothing on Mike Awesome. His matches with Masato Tanaka were true spectacles, a painful final cut for my list.

Yokozuna- I was fortunate enough to see his WWF debut live in the fall of 1992 (same card as the Bret/Flair title switch). To say his appearance was awe inspiring was an understatement. Then I saw him work in the ring. He was light on his feet but still worked "heavy", a truly gifted talent. Baker described his Bonzai Drop perfectly. I thought Hacksaw was done for when he started coughing up blood after multiple Bonzai Drops on Superstars. Crushing Hogan and partaking in sending Undertaker to heaven made him the best monster heel the WWF had in the 90's.

Jun Akiyama- Kenta Kobashi's explosive sidekick was just a great all around performer. Typical for the All Japan style he was stiff as hell and should have had a mention in the great suplexer discussion from a few days back. Another guy that should be watched by today's talents to remind them they it goes beyond just "performance art." 

Since all the other old heads are commenting I just haven't seen enough Eddie Gilbert in-ring to rate him. I've mostly seen promos and read all about his booking exploits like in the excellent Forever Hardcore ECW bio. From what I've read he was a great booker but very aloof. If he would have focused on one promotion he could have been one of the greats. One of those who flew too close to the sun and got burned.

Victoria- She was a big part of the first renaissance of women's workers in the early 2000's. She was a great heel and her Widow's Peak finisher was money. She also seems really cool irl with her restaurant ventures and interest in motorcycles.

Earthquake- Much in the vein of Yoko. Great look and his stuff looked legit while not being hard on his opponents. Even though they pretty much did the same formula as the Bundy feud he still ranks as one of Hogan's great nemesis'. They had great in-ring chemistry and the Brother Love angle is still burned in my memory. His matches with Sting and Bossman are underrated as well and should get a look.

Sandman- The anti-Mike Awesome, a true reflection of the audience. Seeing him for the first time in 1996 before I really got into any of the Stone Cold WWF stuff was an eye opener. I echo Baker's sentiments that he doesn't deserve the crap he gets for the in-ring work. He sacrificed himself night after night for that crowd and became a folk hero for it.

New Jack- Another bit of a mindfuck when seeing this guy along with Mustafa come out with weapons and have matches with their music blaring. Not since the Road Warriors a decade earlier had a team had an intimidating approach like this. Also in the vein of Sandman laid it all out and then some and got massively over for it. Just seeing his name sets off alarm bells, he took what Abby did to an unheard of level. In retrospect no doubt for the best his style of wrestling fell by the wayside. His recent Darkside of The Ring was also underwhelming, typical New Jack shtick with a rehash of all the stories we know. As time goes on I feel his legend will actually diminish, much the opposite of what Bruiser Brody's did.

Last thought on Riddle before we move on...

I truly believe that we’re going to see a more serious side of him when Pete Dunne eventually turns on him. It’s coming, and it’s going to be amazing. I think Riddle will tap into that part of himself that doesn’t take opponents seriously, and realize that he’s got to smarten up. His attitude cost him a friend and has created a fucking powerful enemy.

Him and Dunne are going to blow the roof off a building (if crowds exist by that point).

Then I will welcome you all to the Bro side....Broutside....come Brover....

Never heard of NWA Powerrr (seriously, that many R’s?)

Sounds amazing since I read Sandow is there now. I should check it out.

Apr 8, 2020 2:37:49 GMT Lionheart said:

Never heard of NWA Powerrr (seriously, that many R’s?)

Sounds amazing since I read Sandow is there now. I should check it out.

I think you'd either love it or hate it. Nothing in between.

Apr 8, 2020 2:37:49 GMT Lionheart said:

Never heard of NWA Powerrr (seriously, that many R’s?)

Sounds amazing since I read Sandow is there now. I should check it out.

You will fucking love it.

Apr 8, 2020 1:54:03 GMT Baker said:

Fwiw sandwiched in between Gilbert & Stevens was another guy you voted for in the Embassy's "Crown Jewel" Jimmy Rave at #55.

Did Eddie Gilbert have any shady African connections like the other two?

Amazing Red (#49) being one of my "onlies" shocks me. He was one of the initial X-Division guys that blew everyone away in the early days of TNA along with some other wrestlers that will no doubt appear a lot higher. Figured people who were into that early 00s scene would have ranked him.

Red was the first guy to draw me to NWA TNA. They would play these ads on Fox 8 all the time to promote TNA PPVs and they would just show Red performing all these mind blowing stunts. Then by the time TNA eventually made it's way onto Australian television he was long gone. Then in I want to say 2011, Red resurfaces but just as a supporting character for this big hoss they were pushing called Crimson. I was vaguely interested in Red's return, but before I knew it he was off again and his name would only pop up every now and then on some obscure show. The only real highlight of his when I got to see him was a Super J match he had with Ospreay, and that match kind of just bled into all these other spectacles Ospreay was having at the time

Apr 8, 2020 2:37:49 GMT Lionheart said:

Never heard of NWA Powerrr (seriously, that many R’s?)

Sounds amazing since I read Sandow is there now. I should check it out.

Yes. There are that many R's in Powerrr. Even the most diehard NWA enthusiasts *raises hand* make fun of the spelling. Can't believe it took me this long to put 2 and 2 together to realize they need to bring in WOW's Jungle Grrrl. Go all in on that brrranding, folks.

I'm not as convinced as RT that you will love it though. It's completely different than the New Japan style you are into. I don't know if you're a WWE fan, but it's completely different than that too. The beauty of Powerrr is it's like nothing else in wrestling today.

Watch the first episode and learn to love The Real World Champ...The Resplendent One...Slick Nick Aldis. Acquaint yourself with Tim Storm. I noticed James Storm and Eli Drake on your Honorable Mentions list. They’re there too! So are Colt Cabana & Scott Steiner....sometimes.

All 20 episodes are available for free on Youtube. Damien Sandow debuts at the beginning of the 2nd episode. But don't make eye contact with him! He doesn't like that. Watch the first episode and post your thoughts in the NWA Powerrr thread. You can find it in the Other Wrestling section.

Apr 8, 2020 3:00:44 GMT @admin said:

Apr 8, 2020 1:54:03 GMT Baker said:

Fwiw sandwiched in between Gilbert & Stevens was another guy you voted for in the Embassy's "Crown Jewel" Jimmy Rave at #55.

Did Eddie Gilbert have any shady African connections like the other two?

Actually, yes. Albeit in a roundabout sort of way.

Eddie Gilbert was the booker for the early 90s Texas-based Global Wrestling Federation (GWF). GWF founder Joe Pedicino fell for the ol' Nigerian fraud long before it became a well known thing. babyfacevheel.substack.com/p/decoding-the-gwf-olu-oliami-and-nigerian

#165-#200

165. Becky Lynch: 1-39
166. Chyna: 2-38
167. Ricky Morton: 2-38
168. Sara Del Rey: 2-38
169. Awesome Kong: 2-37
170. Toru Yano: 2-37

171. Shane Douglas: 2-36
172. Rusev: 2-36
173. Larry Zbyszko: 1-36
173. Ayako Hamada: 1-36
175. Melina: 1-35
176. Kamala: 1-34
177. Naomi: 1-33
178. Tommy Dreamer: 2-32
179. Zicky Dice: 1-32
180. Orange Cassidy: 1-31

180. Naomichi Marufuji: 1-31
182. Sheamus: 4-30
183. Luke Harper: 1-30
183. SANADA: 1-30
185. MVP: 1-29
185. EVIL: 1-29
185. Sarah Stock: 1-29
188. PCO/Quebecer Pierre/Jean-Pierre Lafitte: 1-28
188. Tiger Mask: 1-28
188. Meiko Satomura: 1-28

191. Teddy Hart: 1-27
191. WALTER: 1-27
191. Nick Bockwinkel: 1-27
191. Shinya Hashimoto: 1-27
195. Roderick Strong: 2-26
196. Sgt. Slaughter: 2-26
197. Chris Sabin: 2-26
198. Ludvig Borga: 1-26
198. Shayna Baszler: 1-26
200. Lacey Evans: 2-25

Made the executive decision to shorten today’s reveal for selfish reasons.

The big shocker here is Becky Lynch being a one vote wonder.

Will be back later to discuss the rest.

200. Lacey Evans: 2-25

Looooordddddddddd

The lady of the WWE won my heart with her sterling debut at the 2019 Royal Rumble. Lacey entered the Rumble at #1 and was a stand-out from her opening performance lasting 29 minutes and showcasing her array of high-flying and power-based wrestling. Lacey refused to wrestle until the McMahon family granted her a match befitting a megastar. The McMahon recognised Lacey's star power and didn't hesitate in pitting her against Becky Lynch. In a valient effort Lacey took the Women's Champion to the limit before falling prey to the disarmher.

Most WWE superstars would let that setback get the best of them, but not Lacey. Lacey took to social media to educate the WWE Universe and make them acceptable members of society. She constantly gave out tips, shamed any fans who exhibited 'nasty' traits and constantly told the critics to kiss her peach.

Lacey gained international headlines when she told a Canadian Mountie off for living under a rock. The interaction blew up so big Lacey had to break character to remind fans it was just a show. This didn't stop Canadian Heart-throb Natalya from calling Lacey Evans out and the two created history when they worked the first ever female Pro Wrestling match in Saudi Arabia.

In recent months, Lacey has proven to be an excellent mother when her daughter, Summer Evans, stood up to the wicked and vile Sasha Banks. Despite her relative inexperience, Lacey once again took both Sasha and Bayley to the limit but still championship gold eludes her.

She is the real life Liberty Bell, a larger than life personality in a world that's almost paralyzed to be themselves and she should be a lot higher.

Apr 8, 2020 13:56:18 GMT Big Pete said:

200. Lacey Evans: 2-25

Looooordddddddddd

The lady of the WWE won my heart with her sterling debut at the 2019 Royal Rumble. Lacey entered the Rumble at #1 and was a stand-out from her opening performance lasting 29 minutes and showcasing her array of high-flying and power-based wrestling. Lacey refused to wrestle until the McMahon family granted her a match befitting a megastar. The McMahon recognised Lacey's star power and didn't hesitate in pitting her against Becky Lynch. In a valient effort Lacey took the Women's Champion to the limit before falling prey to the disarmher.

Most WWE superstars would let that setback get the best of them, but not Lacey. Lacey took to social media to educate the WWE Universe and make them acceptable members of society. She constantly gave out tips, shamed any fans who exhibited 'nasty' traits and constantly told the critics to kiss her peach.

Lacey gained international headlines when she told a Canadian Mountie off for living under a rock. The interaction blew up so big Lacey had to break character to remind fans it was just a show. This didn't stop Canadian Heart-throb Natalya from calling Lacey Evans out and the two created history when they worked the first ever female Pro Wrestling match in Saudi Arabia.

In recent months, Lacey has proven to be an excellent mother when her daughter, Summer Evans, stood up to the wicked and vile Sasha Banks. Despite her relative inexperience, Lacey once again took both Sasha and Bayley to the limit but still championship gold eludes her.

She is the real life Liberty Bell, a larger than life personality in a world that's almost paralyzed to be themselves and she should be a lot higher.

From Mine:
169. Awesome Kong: 2-37 (20)
From Jazz to Bull to Shayna to Chyna to Beth Phoenix to Nia Jax to Kharma... if I'm not watching women's wrestling for the T&A and wardrobe malfunctions, then I want the ladies to seem as mean and nasty and scary as possible while also still being able to go in the ring as well as the best of the boys. And very few women in my viewing experience combined all the various X factors as well as Awesome Kong did. She had size, an incredible look, could go in the ring, and oozed this terrifying aura that made me as a fan/viewer go "fuck ever messing with her". She immediately and always struck me as the female version of Vader. Her matches with Gail Kim (female version of Sting then, I guess?) in TNA were some of my favorite outputs from that promotion, and were so good I was able to overlook the fucking six-sided ring that I hated so much.

I was excited as fuck when she made the jump to WWE. I thought she'd be at least one act I could invest in. And then they kinda did nothing with her, she got pregnant (and lost the baby... my heart breaks for her), and everything kinda fell apart. No idea what she did afterward, but sounds like she at least found some success with a role on GLOW. For whatever it's worth, I would've totally bought her as the first-ever female winner of the men's Royal Rumble.

179. Zicky Dice: 1-32 (19)
Recency bias be damned, I'm fucking loving Sick Zick on #NWAPowerrr. Did I rank him way too high in the grand scheme of my lifetime pro wrestling fandom? Probably absolutely. But has he been one of the few highlights keeping me engaged in any sort of real-time wrestling over the past year? Yes. His character is solid, his ring work is more than passable, and his fucking fanny pack... epic. I wanted to show at least SOME restraint by limiting how much of the #NWAPowerrr roster I included on my list, but Sick Zick was an absolute no-brainer given how I instantly latched on and how much I've enjoyed him since his debut.

198. Shayna Baszler: 1-26 (25)
Fuck all y'all haters. This bitch is BAD ASS. Becky Lynch can suck a fart and thank Coronavirus for getting to hang onto her title. Seriously though, I still don't get the hate on Shayna. She can go, has a scary as fuck look, and a solid character. Maybe my viewing has just been too limited? But whatever. I'd rather have great tastes of things in small doses than taste something good so often that good tasting things become normalized I guess. Similar to how I'd buy Awesome Kong winning the men's Royal Rumble, I'd totally buy Shayna going toe-to-toe with Brock.

* * * * *

Considered and/or Regret Forgetting:
172. Rusev: 2-36
180. Orange Cassidy: 1-31
182. Sheamus: 4-30
188. Tiger Mask: 1-28
191. WALTER: 1-27
191. Nick Bockwinkel: 1-27

She isn’t very good at wrestling and stole all of Orton’s moves to do them more boringly.

I haven't followed or even really seen much of Lacey Evans, but that gif is making me regret not at least considering her. That heart-shaped dairyaire, my goodness!

Apr 8, 2020 14:52:45 GMT Lionheart said:

She isn’t very good at wrestling and stole all of Orton’s moves to do them more boringly.

Stop being a nasty. Randy Orton never did a moonsault in his life.

Is Lionheart talking about Okada?

Can't possibly be talking about the Sassy Southern Belle. Randy wishes he could throw a right as well as Lacey.

Pow! Right in the kisser.

Apr 8, 2020 15:23:46 GMT Big Pete said:

Is Lionheart talking about Okada?

Can't possibly be talking about the Sassy Southern Belle. Randy wishes he could throw a right as well as Lacey.

Hey! It's not Randy's fault he's a southpaw!

Apr 8, 2020 14:04:08 GMT 🤯 said:

198. Shayna Baszler: 1-26 (25)
Fuck all y'all haters. This bitch is BAD ASS. Becky Lynch can suck a fart and thank Coronavirus for getting to hang onto her title. Seriously though, I still don't get the hate on Shayna. She can go, has a scary as fuck look, and a solid character. Maybe my viewing has just been too limited? But whatever. I'd rather have great tastes of things in small doses than taste something good so often that good tasting things become normalized I guess. Similar to how I'd buy Awesome Kong winning the men's Royal Rumble, I'd totally buy Shayna going toe-to-toe with Brock.

Limited viewing is exactly what it is. I loved Shayna for the first six months of her NXT run but she got really old really fast when every match became more or less the same. That's ok if it's exciting and explosive like Brock, but when it's so methodical, it's excruciating. It's especially frustrating given the amount of more exciting talents who didn't get to do very much because Shayna was so dominant. I think she's very talented and has a huge upside, but they need to be more creative with her booking otherwise it's just overkill. Her run from debuting to beating Ember Moon to losing to Kairi Sane was incredible. Then they randomly had her win the title back and do nothing interesting in her second reign.

Apr 8, 2020 13:55:44 GMT Baker said:

Made the executive decision to shorten today’s reveal for selfish reasons.

The big shocker here is Becky Lynch being a one vote wonder.

Will be back later to discuss the rest.

And it was me.

I’m stunned. What is wrong with you people?