overbooked

I'm a complete joshi novice, but Dump has been the perfect entry point into 80s AJW. I love when wrestling feels chaotic and out of control, giving you that adrenaline rush from not knowing what is going to come next. Dump is just brilliant at that.

I really value wrestlers who have charisma and a rapport with the fans, and Porky absolutely has that going for him more than most. Just so much fun to watch, a truly joyful wrestler. It's easy to forget he could really work too. Definitely on my list.

I've watched a lot of mid-80s All Japan over the last year or two and Yatsu has been an absolute revelation. I think he was the most consistently entertaining wrestler on the roster during that period, which is high praise in my book considering who else was there at that time. I'm looking forward to properly watching how his career progressed, but he's already on my list one way or another, just from that peak.

This is a great point. It is one thing being one of the best wrestlers in the world when you're surrounded by other world-beaters, it is quite another thing to achieve that in an environment like mid-90s WWF that didn't have the depth of workers or the general booking mindset to support great wrestling. I'm not sure many other wrestlers could have thrived in that environment.

I feel like with the Patterson, Sheik, Backlund matches and the Final Conflict, you could make a pretty good case for Sarge being one of the best Big Match workers in North America, if not the world, in the early 80s. So much fun to watch, made his opponents look superhuman and definitely in my 100.

This is probably a pretty nebulous answer, and an odd answer considering how scuzzy the business can be, but my favourite wrestling has "soul". At its best it both takes me out of my day-to-day struggles and reflects them back like some kind of morality play. It is the wrestling that gives me goosebumps, that makes me laugh, cry, shout out, that makes me *feel*. It is absurd, knows its absurd, but presents itself seriously. It's the primal nature of a lucha brawl, the hidden gems on a WCW undercard, Tenryu's looks of disdain, baying crowds in Puerto Rico, Lance Russell's exasperation at Jimmy Hart, it's when all life is there before us and something that we know doesn't really matter appears to matter like nothing else in the world at that moment in time.

Yep, recent years haven't helped his cause. But while he doesn't have Lucha Longevity, he was still outstanding for over a decade which I think puts him the mix. It does pose an interesting question though - would we look more favourably on him if he just retired 20 years ago?

I'm pretty high on Pirata Morgan. An all-time great brawler, who makes everything so visceral and grimy and real. Super fun bumper. One of the best for making nondescript trios matches fun. Probably the best bleeder. That run of hair matches from around 1988 to 1993 - El Dandy, El Faraon, MS-1, Masakre, Satanico. I'd love more footage of him to crop up to solidify his case, but could easily see him in my top 10.

I really like this idea, although I appreciate it favours consistent workers and those who got to work in places that let them do their best work. At a basic level, it makes projects like these far more accessible to those who either don't have access to all the footage or simply don't have the time to "deep dive". Ten matches feels like a good sample size. If someone doesn't look good after 10 random matches then they probably aren't a realistic candidate.

A serious Top Ten contender for me. All-time great brawler, amazing with schtick, the kind of rudo you can hate so much you wind up loving him, wonderful matches with the likes of Dandy and Morgan, incredible longevity from the first early 80s footage to that early 2000s run where he was one of the best workers in the world, and most importantly the absolute master of low blow psychology.

I don't mean to sound perverse, but I don't think that's a bad thing! It's like he's the fulcrum in tag matches, keeping it simple so everyone else can get the more complex stuff in. And his mannerisms and aura takes those tags beyond just great "work" to something more special. I don't things the crowd goes so nuts in those matches without him.

Over the last year I've watched a lot of his All Japan stuff and agree the singles matches are virtually all skippable, bar the Killer Khan match, and Terry Funk match in October 1986. However, I do think the tag matches are great and while Choshu is rarely the MVP, I do think his charisma helps hold it all together - having super workers like Tenryu and Yatsu bounce off a Proper Star like Choshu just makes everything that more special.

Sangre Chicana/Villano III back in 1983 was shaping up in the first two falls to be something close to Chicana's match with MS1, but then the third fall is incredibly short and a bit screwy and it all falls short of its potential. I think 2/3 falls matches have more scope to disappoint, as there is a built-in expectation that there is going to be a great third act.

All of this! Going back and watching old wrestling I've been surprised how much underwhelming in-ring work I can tolerate if the angles and feuds are good. And how good matches become great matches when there are clear stakes, consequences and a crowd (or viewer) emotionally invested in the outcome. But I think this is a shift in perspective that comes with age. To generalise wildly, I think there is often a "collector" impulse in younger hardcore fans - to watch the most promotions and rate the most matches. However, as I've got older I've needed wrestling more as both a form of escapism and as a mirror of the trials and tribulations of everyday life - and that comes through compelling storytelling with relatable characters. The actual "wrestling" is still important, but only part of the picture, and ideally is in service to the story, rather than vice versa.

Without wishing to stumble into a "Is wrestling a sport or is it art?" argument, I wonder if the challenge is that it is too much a TV show rather than a live event you want to see in the moment? I don't think the sheer volume of product helps with this - it makes wrestling feel like an eternal boxset, rather than something you want to catch as it happens. I suppose to add to that, wrestling should be careful trying to shoehorn itself into modern disposable/meme spaces, as it just won't be the right fit. It should be in the shared moment, not in the individual share. I think wrestling works best as an episodic yet communal form that is sport-ajacent. But then I am an aging fan, so I guess I would say that.