Pro Wrestling! (For Everything WWE, Impact, Indies, AEW, & Japan !) 2021

[Noodle]

lets go goto!!!!

When I first got into NJPW a few years ago, I went in completely blind. I had no idea who was considered "main event talent," what all the belts were and what feuds were going on. I just watched and got into whatever wrestlers clicked with me. Goto was one of them. he has the look and he's solid in the ring. As I've kept watching over the years and got a better handle on how the company operates, I've accepted that Goto probably won't ever get a main title run, but I'd be very happy if he did.

[BigLbo]

When I first got into NJPW a few years ago, I went in completely blind. I had no idea who was considered "main event talent," what all the belts were and what feuds were going on. I just watched and got into whatever wrestlers clicked with me. Goto was one of them. he has the look and he's solid in the ring. As I've kept watching over the years and got a better handle on how the company operates, I've accepted that Goto probably won't ever get a main title run, but I'd be very happy if he did.

i saw goto come up as a jr heavy young boy, then his transformation in mexico and return to njpw as a heavyweight. it just irks me that eviland a couple others got a chance to run with the belt yet goto still hasn't.

i like goto as a no nonsense babyface warrior as opposed to the pretty boy or eccentric types.

[Nods]

It's honestly baffling how it seems WWE let almost an entire generation of future talent slip through their fingers.

Britt Baker - WWE passed on her because of her education level
Thunder Rosa - WWE wanted her to work as a ref
Deonna Purazzo - WWE treated her like a jobber
Serena Deeb - WWE had her working as an agent/trainer
Tessa Blanchard - WWE had her and didn't give her a contract
Tay Conti - WWE cuts her because of COVID

When the PWI list comes out, I wonder how many WWE females make the top ten

[Noodle]

When the PWI list comes out, I wonder how many WWE females make the top ten

PWI partially bases their list on kayfabe so I bet some WWE talent will be in the top 10. Probably Flair, Bayley or Bianca. Maybe Io.

[Nods]

The challenge is that AEW has a LOT of top guys. As it stands, their top guys (off the top of my head)are:

1. Kenny Omega
2. Jon Moxley
3. CM Punk
4. Brian Danielson
5. Adam Cole
6. Hangman Page (?)
7. Cody Rhodes (?)

Miro could easily move up the rung given his work and the way he's been booked.

They're not really too many to manage if booked carefully.

WWE/WWF did an excellent job of managing multiple top guys at the same time (albeit a long time ago). I think ultimately it's better for a wrestling promotion to have multiple "guys" rather than a "the guy" which WWE craves so badly.

What I like out AEW is they don't fall into the trap of the WWE and run the roster with levels. They can run main events with 20 guys right now..don't believe me...

1. Kenny Omega
2. MJF
3. Chris Jericho
4. CM Punk
5. Brian Danielson
6. Orange Cassidy
7. Jungle Boy
8. Darby Allin
9. Christian
10. Jon Moxley
11. Adam Cole
12. Miro
13. Cody Rhodes
14. Malaki Black
15. PAC
16. Adam Page
17. Eddie Kingston
18. Sammy Guevarra
19. Wardlow
20. John Silver

Tony Khan is a great booker because he didn't run anything into the ground. The best stories aren't always around the belts...MJF is arguably a bigger act than Kenny Omega and doesn't even need the title. If you watch AEW DARK, 5 took on Evil Uno and the crowd was chanting "please don't fight", the crowd is begging for the Dark Order to get a main run.

[JBatmanFan05]

While I agree with Emerald that AEW sometimes seems too unplanned/directionless and hodge podge, on the other hand they just had a tremendous PPV and they have the best roster they've ever had. So AEW still have this great chance to make this all come together more perfectly and outdo WWE in every aspect. If I criticize AEW at a time like this it's because I really want them to take it to Vince McMahon and prove all of his BS wrong.

Just watched the Bucks vs Lucha match last night, and The Young Bucks reminded me again why they're the top tag team going right now. Lucha Bros are fantastic too, but they're fantastic even as singles wrestlers.

[titanfan]

Britt Baker - WWE passed on her because of her education level

Wanting her to not be a full time dentist as well as a full time wrestler is a perfectly valid reason to pass on her, imho.

I still think at one point she's probably going to have to choose her career, esp. if AEW starts doing more house shows, etc.

Tay Conti is probably a good example of someone they cut for not being good enough, when it looks like she just needed more seasoning/a way to find a style that fit her better.

[Nods]

Wanting her to not be a full time dentist as well as a full time wrestler is a perfectly valid reason to pass on her, imho.

I still think at one point she's probably going to have to choose her career, esp. if AEW starts doing more house shows, etc.

Tay Conti is probably a good example of someone they cut for not being good enough, when it looks like she just needed more seasoning/a way to find a style that fit her better.

She wasn't going to be a full-time dentist they cut her for being in dental school

At the very end of the camp, Canyon Ceman pulled me aside (Senior Director of Talent Development for WWE and helps oversee NXT) and if you’re an independent wrestler, Canyon Ceman is like the gatekeeper. You shall not pass or come on in to the WWE. He told me, you really did impress a lot of people at this tryout but as a father, I have a really hard time pulling someone from a professional degree for this business. And my heart just sank. A couple weeks later, I received an email from him saying you have a lot of the qualities we look for, however, we don’t have an opportunity for us at this time, but if you have the passion to succeed in this, you will find a way to make this work throughout dental school. And I never forgot that. It didn’t work out with WWE but it worked to my advantage even better because I am able to do both both careers.

Very curious to see if Baker ends up PWI's #1 female this year as Kenny Omega just was announced at #1 for men.

[BeastieRunner]

What I like out AEW is they don't fall into the trap of the WWE and run the roster with levels. They can run main events with 20 guys right now..don't believe me...

1. Kenny Omega
2. MJF
3. Chris Jericho
4. CM Punk
5. Brian Danielson
6. Orange Cassidy
7. Jungle Boy
8. Darby Allin
9. Christian
10. Jon Moxley
11. Adam Cole
12. Miro
13. Cody Rhodes
14. Malaki Black
15. PAC
16. Adam Page
17. Eddie Kingston
18. Sammy Guevarra
19. Wardlow
20. John Silver

Tony Khan is a great booker because he didn't run anything into the ground. The best stories aren't always around the belts...MJF is arguably a bigger act than Kenny Omega and doesn't even need the title. If you watch AEW DARK, 5 took on Evil Uno and the crowd was chanting "please don't fight", the crowd is begging for the Dark Order to get a main run.

I was unaware he was booking. I thought he was just operating as line-item veto and ring-studio-network liaison.

Kenny books the women's division, Cody books the men's singles division, the Young Bucks book the tag team division, & Tony Khan has final approval on all booking decisions.

Jericho was added as a producer and booker for title feuds/non-wrestling segments and Brandi/Kahn/Cody oversee Dark/Elevation promos (not ring stuff) now.

[Noodle]

The full PWI 500 top 10 has been released. Considering PWI still goes off kayfabe, the list makes sense. Hard to really argue with it.

1. Kenny Omega
2. Roman Reigns
3. Bobby Lashley
4. Drew McIntyre
5. Kota Ibushi
6. Jon Moxley
7. Will Ospreay
8. Finn Balor
9. Shingo Takagi
10. Rich Swann

[BeastieRunner]

Has Ibushi or Finn really done anything to warrant the top 10?

I mean ... I love them dearly but ... have they really done enough this year?

[Immortal Weapon]

Has Ibushi or Finn really done anything to warrant the top 10?

I mean ... I love them dearly but ... have they really done enough this year?

The strength of Wrestle Kingdom and uniting the belts alone would put Ibushi in top 10. Balor was NXT champ for the first quarter of the year where had that awesome series with Kyle O Riley.

[Noodle]

Has Ibushi or Finn really done anything to warrant the top 10?

I mean ... I love them dearly but ... have they really done enough this year?

The PWI grading period isn't January-December. Most of their grading period would have been when Finn was NXT champion, and Ibushi's would include his G1 win as well as his title run.

[BeastieRunner]

The strength of Wrestle Kingdom and uniting the belts alone would put Ibushi in top 10. Balor was NXT champ for the first quarter of the year where had that awesome series with Kyle O Riley.

I forgot about the belt uniting, lol!

On Finn ... kayfabe ... is NXT really considered a primary belt? There are full promotions in the past that weren't counted as a primary. That is where I am coming from.

The PWI grading period isn't January-December. Most of their grading period would have been when Finn was NXT champion, and Ibushi's would include his G1 win as well as his title run.

The period isn't new to me, but as stated above, I forgot about the title unification!

Too much good wrestling this year.

[Noodle]

On Finn ... kayfabe ... is NXT really considered a primary belt? There are full promotions in the past that weren't counted as a primary. That is where I am coming from.

PWI considers it one. Last year they had Adam Cole at #2 and listed his NXT title run as a factor in it. They had Gargano in the top 10 the year prior to that as well.