World's Worst Man

Yea, I meant the head dropping in the middle of a match that isn't sold all that well and doesn't lead anywhere.

I will preface this by saying that not all wrestling sequences are bad and that they can have a place in a wrestling match. However, the majority of sequences that I have seen have served no other purpose other than showing how many reversals a wrestler can do and don't really build towards anything else other than that solitary, somewhat cheap, pop. I think the very fact that you used the words "sequence" should help shed light on why one can be considered bad. In my view, wrestling should be more organic than that. Sequences are obvious and self-containing for the most part, their very nature takes one "out" of the match. The applause is for the wrestlers effort, and its for both of them. It's a "wow, you guys are working really hard, here's some cheers as a reward" kinda heat, and is that really the kind of heat wrestlers should be working for? Like I said, it does have a place and heat is better than no heat, but there is no real "working" of the crowd being done here, it is anti-work, really. The fans are seeing the mechanics of wrestling, they are seeing Lance Evers and Chris Irvine doing a series of moves rather than Lance Storm and Chris Jericho in a heated battle. There is a disconnect after these sequences, and I am not sure that's where wrestlers really should be. Doing something for no other reason to pop the crowd is doing something for no other reason to pop the crowd though. If one praises Kobashi and Misawa for popping the crowd with brutal head dropping ad nauseum, I don't see why 2 indy shmoes doing the same thing don't get praised. In both cases, the work serves no purpose other than to pop the crowd. The crowd pops because they think "Holy cow, what a brutal move!" or "Holy cow, what great mat wrestling!". Meaning, it doesn't have to do with being worked, it has to do with enjoying the physical wrestling. If "popping the crowd" is a good enough reason for the indvidual, than fine. But I think it needs to be consistent. I personally do not give credit to guys who just go out there and do a bunch of irrelevant sequences, even if it popped the crowd. To me, that's not "good wrestling". If it was good wrestling, it would have some sort of purpose, either by telling a story or leading to something later. So if "popping the crowd" isn't a good enough reason for Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit's contrived matwork or german suplex reverals, it's not a good enough reason for Misawa and Kobashi killing each other, or for any other match. It's consistent. So yea, I think "sequences" are fine if they serve some greater purpose past popping the crowd. Otherwise they kind of lead to a "disconnect", as you said.

There's really no need to be sarcastic, as there was never any mention of someone needing to see an overwhelming quantity of a guy's work to judge him. Surely you would concede that there's a rather large difference between someone who runs their mouth off after having seen 10-15 matches of a given wrestler (and none of his very best stuff), compared to someone who's seen many more matches, including his very best stuff. It's really just about having a relevant sample to judge a guy by (quantity + quality) rather than simply having to see 95-100% of the guy's work. I would argue Joe wasn't all that good until 2004 or so. In 2002 he was kind of just there, in 2003 he was getting better and in 2004 he really came into his own.

TNA bought the rights to the NWA title from the NWA, so they can claim its lineage. The NWA might be rather small-time at this point, but they still have legitimate hold on their title lineage.

I've actually been looking to sell off my 1997 WM Box, if anyone decides thats the version they want.

Off topic, but I really hate comments like these. Has this guy actually seen a puro match not involving juniors? 'Cause that's the only time I ever hear polite applause. Not to mention the fact that US audiences in the early 90's/late 80's (and probably well before then) applauded at the end of good wrestling sequences too, so it's not necessarily a by-product of watching Japanese wrestling. I really don't understand what's so bad about cheering/applauding/whatever at the end of a good wrestling sequence.

In general, I wouldn't say AJ's matches are contrived anymore. He certainly uses a couple of contrived spots but it's not like contrived spots are necessarily the only way for a match to look contrived. If an otherwise fine spot isn't setup well, the whole sequence comes off as very contrived. For example, a wrestler walking up to his unhurt opponent, grabbing him and suplexing him is completely laughable. Even if the suplex itself isn't "fake looking", that someone would let his opponent walk right up and suplex him is certainly ridiculous.

It's most likely their biggest drawing match at this point, and they're not running the Tokyo Dome anymore. So it's not like it's some stupid booking decision. Match quality will obviously be the shits. Akebono is Akebono and Lesnar has been brutal in his matches since the comeback.

Well in my defense, I have a pretty long leash in general, but certain things I really have no patience for

Translation - I'm unable to respond to any of your points, but j00r a fanboy, so I'm done!!!! Congrats, you're the 3rd person on my ignore list.

Not to mention a guy like Homicide or Danielson don't exactly wrestle like "smaller guys". Even Punk doesn't wrestle like the guy's Joe has been facing in TNA, although Punk does bump around a bit. But OH NOES! Joe can't work with a guy who wouldn't bump much!!!! If a guy can't bump much, what must the matches have a lot of? Strikes. Who has some of the best striking offense in the business? If Joe is facing a bigger guy and needs to play the underdog, what does that require? Selling. Who knows when and how to sell? Does this make logic? But shit, Joe's only had one excellent match against a big heavyweight. That's only one match!! He clearly needs a small bump machine to have a good match, despite the fact that he's shown in many matches that he has tools that are useful against any opponent.

Because he doesn't and you'd be hard-pressed to present a feasible argument that would suggest otherwise?

I would suggest seeing his best work before you get frustrated with Joe being highly rated. The Kobashi match was excellent, but I wouldn't call it one of his 3 best matches. But Joe's ability is there. He knows how to get a story across, he knows when to sell, he knows how to layout a match. I guess it's just a matter of whether one cares about any of that. Joe's offensive variety is certainly there, which is something a lot of people seem to care about. Comparing his offense to someone like Angle (who many people think highly of) is a complete mismatch, considering execution and variety. Actually Joe outclasses him in every possible area I can think of, as it pertains to in-ring work. I can definitely see why some people might think that Joe's matches are fairly similar, based on his TNA work. I've been wondering through his whole run why he wasn't using even close to his full moveset. But his TNA work is like 10% of his overall career, and is hardly a relevant sample to judge him by. It'd be like judging Benoit based only on his WWE work.

How much Joe have you seen? Just curious, because anyone's who seen a lot of his non-TNA work would never, ever claim his offense is that limited. Not for any reason other than it's factually incorrect.

Hogan beat Inoki in the first IWGP League in 1983. The IWGP Heavyweight Title didn't come into existence until 1987, when the winner of that year's IWGP League (Inoki) was awarded the title.

Hogan wasn't the first IWGP Champ, Inoki was. Hogan never held the IWGP Title either. Baba wasn't the first Triple Crown Champ, Jumbo Tsuruta was. Baba was the first PWF Champ, which is one part of the Triple Crown.

Well whatever. Punk and Danielson not withstanding (which are good examples of matches where bumping wasn't a big deal, the size of the opponents being completely irrelevant), the Kobashi match clearly shows he's able to work with a bigger~! opponent. Not everyone has an excellent match with Kobashi. It was clearly not a carry job, and Joe is likely a better worker than him in general. That makes the "it's only one match against a great opponent" argument completely moot. But more importantly, intelligent match lay out (building logically, having a story) and selling (putting over the damage the opponent is dishing out) are not qualities that require an opponent to bump around. Joe has those qualities, as demonstrated in the Kobashi match and demonstrated in pretty much everyone other good match he's ever had. So based on the Kobashi match, based on Joe's main strengths not being depedant on the wrestler he's working against, I come to the conlusion that the size of the opponent is irrelevant.

Punk and Danielson both wrestle a fair bit differently than most X-Division guys. Joe had great matches with both. He's had great matches where he dominated, great matches where he had to sell and eventually lose, great matches where he got dominated. Regardless, the implication that Joe needs a good bumper and smaller opponent to have a good match just completely misses the point of why he's good. Spots don't make a wrestler good, neither does stiffness. Anyone can throw out spots, anyone can work stiff. Not everyone can lay a match out, not everyone knows when and how to sell. So yea, I don't see any reason for the argument about whether Joe can work bigger opponents (who won't pinball or take stiff strikes), unless one thinks spots and stiffness is the only thing that matters.

A plancha is a standing dive to the outside from the top rope. A running dive over the top is a tope, sometimes referred to as a "no-touch tope". If a flip is done, it's a tope con hilo.

Clearly, one excellent match against an opponent his own size is completely meaningless. Of course. Ok, then how about the 3 matches against the taller CM Punk?

I'd like to see how he does against guys his size... Yea that Kobashi is such a small guy. Terrible match too.

Since this is in the other folder, I assume the usual WWE suspects don't count. I'll throw my hat in for Jay Lethal. Really isn't much of a worker, and his mannerisms/selling is goofy and overdone. That mockery of a finisher he used to employ really bugs me too. If you're doing to use a dragon suplex, use a dragon suplex. Although I've been told his heel stuff is better and that he starts using a real dragon suplex later on in the year, and I'm only into September for my ROH viewing. So my opinion could change I suppose.

1)Ravishing Rick Rude vs Mr. Perfect - Rude seems to be overrated lately. He wasn't terrible in the ring and was a decent heel, but Henning was damn good in the ring and was a great heel. 3)Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior - Both terrible, but Hogan at least had stretches where he was competent. 4)Dusty Rhodes vs Sting - Sting's stuff with Vader is probably my favourite US feud ever. He had a rather interesting movset for early 90's US wrestling too. 6)Rip Rogers vs. Haku aka Meng - Just for the road stories. 7)Macho Man vs. Ricky Steamboat - One was really good, one was great. 8)Honkey Tonk Man vs. Jerry Lawler - Totally different levels. Honky had a good run, but Lawler had a good career. 9)Midnight Express vs. Kawada/Taue - Midnight Express are legendary, but Kawada and Taue are the best working tag-team of all time. 10)Benoit vs. Dynamite Kid - Dynamite was as good, if not better than Benoit, and he was doing the stuff 10 years earlier. 13)Brian Pillman vs 2 Cold Scorpio - Probably fairly even on in-ring work, but Pillman had huge charisma. 14)Mayumi Ozaki vs. Akira Hokuto - Christ, it's Akira friggen Hokuto. 17)Andre the Giant vs the Big Show - By a mile. 18)Eddy Guerrero vs. Misawa - Misawa's the better worker and had more high-quality matches. 19)Tiger Mask vs RVD - Not even close. 20)Volk Han vs. Mariko Yoshida - <3 Mariko 21)Barry Whindam vs. Terry Funk - Terry did everything and did it well. 22)Kurt Angle vs. Dean Malenko - Deano knows how to work smart 23)Rey Mysterio Jr. vs The Cobra - Takano was more impressive to me after the gimmick. Rey is Rey though, and Takano isn't in his league. 24)Bret Hart vs The Rock - Good wrestling is my main source of entertainment in pro-wrestling. Bret by 1000 AUs. 25)Brock Lesnar vs. Kenta Kobashi - See above. 26)Low Ki vs American Dragon - I love the hell out of Danielson, especially since I just saw his GBH IV match against Gibson. 27)Scott Steiner vs. JBL - Steiner was pretty bad, even in his prime. Imagine a worse version of Kurt Angle. 28)Dynamite Kansai vs. Jaguar Yokota - Stiffness~! Splash mountain! Hurrah. 29)Jun Akyima vs KENTA - Akiyama's dickery wins many internets.

Joe and Aries, fairly easily I'd say.

Shinsuke Nakamura is supposedly the guy. Which is funny, since he isn't one that would really fit into that division, and I doubt New Japan would let him job to anyone in the company.