TWD 50: 10-1: WWE, TNA, New Japan, Dragon Gate and more

Check out 50-41 here; Check out 40-31 here; Check out 30-21 here. Check out 20-11 here.

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Introduction

Welcome, wrestling fans, to the first ever (and the first of many) TWD 50, a list that ranks the 50 best professional wrestlers in the world.

This is something that we here at The Wrestling Daily have been working on for well over a month now.  We’ve put in countless hours of film study and spent many more arguing with each other over where to rank who and why.

Some of the rankings will shock you.  Some might make you happy.  Some might make you pensively scratch your chin and make you say “hmmm.”  Some rankings may even piss you off, and that’s okay, because we expect that.

This isn’t your standard, run of the mill kayfabe ranking system, a la Pro Wrestling Illustrated. We left no stone unturned and favored NO ONE in determining who is the best professional wrestler in the world.

Before we get started, here’s a look at the criteria for our rankings, as announced some time ago by Mike Bessler:

• Overall value to current promotion in terms of quality and quantity of ring work
• Career contributions to the pro wrestling world, including pioneering and “trailblazing” work as well as training and introducing young performers to the business
• Versatility in terms of persona and in-ring style
• Success in multiple promotions (where applicable, as this may not be a factor for younger talent)
• Drawing ability
• Fan popularity
• The ability to tell a story in the ring
• Consistency
• Work ethic
• Ability to connect to the audience and get them to react in a desired way

Special thanks goes out to my partners in crime on all of this, Mike Cranwell aka The Puro Dude, and James Triggs, who deserve large amounts of praise for helping make the TWD 50 a reality.

Let us now continue the process of ranking the top 50 professional wrestlers in the world.  When last we met, we ranked number 50-41.  Today we will be ranking 10-1.

Check out 50-41 here.

Check out 40-31 here.

Check out 30-21 here.

Check out 20-11 here.

TWD Lifetime Achievement Award

Before we begin with the Top-10, we at TWD would like to give out our first TWD Lifetime Achievement Award.

Every year before the unveiling of the Top-10, we will honor (or honor if an American is writing this next year) one wrestler whose contributions to Pro Wrestling/Puroresu are worthy of it. This year, I am ecstatic to name Mitsuharu Misawa as the first-ever recipient of the TWD Lifetime Achievement Award.

Simply put, Mitsuharu Misawa is the single-greatest wrestler in the history of the sport. If you want to go by Meltzer’s 5-star standard, sure. Of Meltzer’s 67 recognized 5-star matches, Misawa has been in 24, the most of anyone who has ever laced up the boots. And in all 24 of those matches, he was either the leader of his team, or the biggest name in the match. Never once was he a secondary character. In a 5 month span between the end of January and the end of June 1995, Misawa was in six Meltzer-recognized 5-star matches, including one that I feel is the Greatest Match of All Time (6/9/95, Misawa & Kobashi vs. Kawada & Taue).

And that’s not to mention the myriad near-5-star matches Misawa was the main player in.

If you don’t care about the caliber of matches and want to look at the business side of things and his ability to sell tickets, Misawa-led All Japan sold out every single show in Tokyo from July 1990 to March 1996 (and that you can put on the guy facing Misawa that night who was a Gaijin that couldn’t draw and wasn’t realistic vs. Misawa).

All Japan only ran the Tokyo Dome twice, in 1998 and 1999, and both times sold over 50,000 tickets for the events. This was arguably three and four years after All Japan had peaked as a promotion.

If you want to look at changing the business, Misawa was a real life Noah – the biblical one. He stood up to the woman some called “The Yoko Ono of Puroresu” and took virtually the entire All Japan roster and created his own company. Pro Wrestling NOAH started on 8/5/00, and has had arguably the best in-ring product in Japan from the moment it opened. And while the Heavyweight division isn’t what it was in All Japan, the Jr. Heavyweight division is second-to-none in the World.

I could go on and on…and on and on about Misawa, and trust me, I have. For now though, I’ll leave you with this simple thought: He was the greatest wrestler to ever perform, and considering we’re here to talk the best wrestlers of today, it’s only fitting to recognize the best ever.

Now then…on with the 50.

10. AJ Styles (Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling)

Jason Le Blanc on Styles: The most enjoyable moment in TNA Wrestling this year, for me, was watching A.J. Styles win the TNA World Heavyweight championship, but even that moment was tarnished on some level by the inept booking from the TNA creative team.

Styles winning the championship should have been a moment where he proved he was, without a doubt, a better man than defending champion Kurt Angle, but instead what we got was a typical TNA 5 man match involving Styles, Angle, Hernandez, Matt Morgan, and Sting.

TNA has some sort of irrational fear of singles matches, as the company often tries to cram as many people as they can into one match, seemingly with the logic that more is better.  In this case it isn’t, as it made Styles look like the only way he was able to win the title was because there were three other men involved (aside from Angle and Styles) in the match.  Yes, Styles did pin Angle, but only because Sting decided to make sure A.J. won the match at the end.

This parlayed into a “retirement” angle for Sting and his accompanying match with Styles, but what would have been wrong with Styles beating Angle on his own, and having Sting come out and challenge Styles for a match to find out if he could still go with one of the best in the world?

I’m amazed that Styles was able to survive the debacle that was the Main Event Mafia angle that so many kept telling me would make stars out of the young talent on the TNA roster.  I’ve got news for you people:  THAT ANGLE WAS AN EPIC FAILURE!

A.J. Styles was an NWA World Heavyweight Champion BEFORE the Main Event Mafia came around.  The only reason Styles was in a position where he needed to be elevated in the first place is because TNA creative is that bad.  Samoa Joe’s TNA career is dangerously close to being shot after he inexplicably joined the Main Event Mafia in a non-sensical plot twist earlier in 2009.  The Motor City Machine Guns, who were involved with the storyline at the start, have been too busy being worried about whether or not they have the worst music in the history of TNA, even though they are the best tag team in wrestling today.

Styles, to his credit, managed to avoid going into a funk like Joe and the Guns have been in TNA, and his work has been stellar in the process.  Styles was excellent in his title victory at Turning Point and has produced excellent matches with Booker T., Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, and Sting.

Styles most recently turned in what some are calling a match of the year candidate working with Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels at Turning Point.  The fact that the match was booked though, is sort of an indication of the booking quality in TNA. The only reason this match was given a chance in the first place is because it was a match of the year candidate several years ago.  Daniels and Joe didn’t really benefit much from this match, and Styles didn’t defeat two men who have been booked as world title contenders of late.  It was TNA throwing out a good match for the hell of throwing out a good match without any regard for long term planning or good story telling.  How’s about evolving and booking something new for the champ?

Styles has world class talent, but he will forever be handcuffed by the fact that he is promoted by TNA.  Styles has had the labels of “up and coming talent” and “future superstar” for about seven years now, and TNA is only now starting to get serious about pushing him.  This is where Styles should have been at years ago.

9. CIMA (Dragon Gate)

Jason LeBlanc on CIMA: I would like to first begin with a correction, because when it comes to talking about the top wrestlers in the world, you should ALWAYS pronounce their ring names correctly.  Yes, his ring name is CIMA, but it is not pronounced “seema”.  His name is pronounced “shima” and CIMA is merely a stylized spelling of his name.  So many people I talk pronounce his name incorrectly, so I wanted to get this information out there now that I have a big stage.

Now then, on to why CIMA is the ninth best wrestler in the world today.

The first time I ever had the privilege of seeing CIMA work was on the DVD of a Ring of Honor show taped on March 30, 2006 in Detroit, Michigan.  On that show was a terrific six man tag team match between CIMA’s Blood Generation faction, which was composed of CIMA himself, Naruki Doi, and Masato Yoshino, against the Generation Next faction of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Jack Evans.

The best promo on the show was a short little backstage promo about a third of the way into the show that featured Blood Generation standing in, what I assume, was their locker room.  During that promo, CIMA looked into the camera and reminded us that tonight, Blood Generation and Generation Next would do battle.

CIMA then took the promo into another direction, and the expression on his face morphed into an inquisitive one.  CIMA wanted to demonstrate for everyone that Blood Generation would win the match that night.  He remarked that Generation “Next” implied that they were second best, or weren’t the best right now.  CIMA then wondered who the best generation was right now.  Blood Generation was of course.  The three men then stood before the camera and flexed their muscles and I spent about 10 minutes laughing over how AWESOME that promo was.

Point is, CIMA grabbed my attention and delivered a fantastic performance later that evening in a match that had a pace unlike anything I had seen in years.  The level of execution coupled with the sheer frenetic pacing was mind bogglingly excellent.  The match started off slow and then slowly built into what could basically be described as perfectly controlled chaos, and it was beautiful to watch.

The following night, Blood Generation took on Do Fixer (Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi and Ryo Saito) in a match that was rated as a 5 star match by Dave Meltzer.  I tend to be a bit stingy with handing out the 5 stars myself, but that match was every bit the 5 star contest that Meltzer claims it is.  I was convinced at that point that CIMA was one of the best in the world.

Three years later, CIMA continues being one of the best in the world, as he is a true master of the style the promotion prides itself on: an exciting junior heavyweight style that utilizes high flying maneuvers, flashy technical wrestling, and myriad submissions.

Naruki Doi might be the Open the Dream Gate champion, and Dragon Gate will likely continue to build the company around the likes of Doi, Yoshino, Shingo, YAMATO, Yokosuka, Dragon Kid, BxB Hulk, Saito, and a whole host of others, but make no mistake:  CIMA is the ace of Dragon Gate and has mastered the art of wrestling more so than any other talent on the Dragon Gate roster.  The only difference between now and the time frame between 2006 and the summer of 2008 is that CIMA is using his talents to help make stars out of the other talent roster, like he did this past summer when CIMA, who was the Open the Brave Gate (what DG calls their “junior heavyweight” title) champion, lost to Open the Dream Gate (what DG calls their “heavyweight” title) Naruki Doi in a title unification match.  A rub like that can only be beneficial for Doi, who is fast on his way to becoming one of the top 10 wrestlers in the world.

Thank you CIMA.

8. Prince Devitt (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

Mike Cranwell on Devitt: *Announcer* “Devitt whips Sabin into the ropes, HUGE dropsault! Sabin knocked to the outside – Fergal off the ropes, SUICIDE PLANCHA! Devitt just launched himself half off of Sabin’s prone body, and half off the guardrail! That was insane!”

I mean, it’s all in Japanese, but you get the idea.

I’m not gonna lie, as a writer, I am far more into writing about people and situations that interest me. So I take great joy in being able to write about Fergal “Prince” Devitt, at just 28 years of age, sitting in the 8 spot in the TWD 50.

For anyone who hasn’t seen Devitt (who for the record, goes by Prince Devitt – no idea, maybe he likes 1999 or something), the easiest person I can compare him to is the aforementioned AJ Styles.

Devitt flies both around, and outside of the ring with complete reckless abandon and disregard for his body. The scenario I illustrated to open this is a typical Devitt big match occurrence. And let me tell you, the Japanese fans loooove him for it. “DE-VIT-TO!” chants rain down on him as he lays seemingly half-conscious on the floor, and they continue as he back gets into the ring.” But that’s not all Devitt brings to the ring.

He can tell an excellent story, as witnessed by the robbery of a match that was the Best of the Super Jr.’s Finals this year between Devitt and Koji Kanemoto (gee who would get more out of winning the biggest annual Jr.’s tournament in Japan: Devitt, seen as one of the future stars of the company – if not a star already, or Kanemoto, a 43 year old who had already won the tournament twice prior, and should be passing the proverbial torch?), as well as several of the round-robin matches.

Devitt’s best work over the past two years has come in big time tag team feuds over the Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. In 2008, Devitt and his tag team partner Minoru, had several very good-to-great bouts with the team of Jushin “Thunder” Liger and AKIRA. Every last one of these matches felt like you were watching something special, a lost feeling in the vast majority of wrestling nowadays.

This past year, Devitt and his new partner Ryusuke Taguchi (imagine a quasi-attractive guy who obviously works out, but doesn’t eat perfectly, doing a “Ravishing” Rick Rude gimmick, and you have the “Funky Weapon” himself) have been embroiled in two feuds. The Apollo 55 vs MCMG feud that was touched upon during the Alex Shelley profile, and a home-based feud with Milano Collection AT and Taichi Ishimori (not to be confused with NOAH’s Taiji Ishimori, who should be on the 50 soon enough).

The Apollo 55 vs. Unione II feud has delivered time and time again for New Japan this year (though not in the same way that the 2008 feud Devitt was in delivered, but there you had two legends, a probable future legend, and a movie star who happens to have had a very good career as a very good wrestler), and quite frankly, every time Devitt is in the ring, he delivers big time. While it’s frustrating to see him not given more of a chance to be a breakout star by New Japan, the BOSJ showing was NJ’s way of getting the ball rolling for him. Hopefully the next stop will be a 1/4 IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match vs. the most annoying wrestler in Japan, Tiger Mask IV. Somebody’s got to end the madness that is TM IV on top of New Japan’s Jr. Division, and I can’t think of anyone better than the Prince to save us all.

7. Shawn Michaels (World Wrestling Entertainment)

Jason Le Blanc on Michaels: When I found out that I would have the opportunity to write about Shawn Michaels for the TWD50, I was ecstatic, as I’m sure many would be.  Then I actually sat down to write about Michaels, and I realized that I have absolutely no clue of what I could say that hasn’t already been said by thousands of others.  Michaels is one of those few talents that, no matter how hard you try, you can never really find the words to adequately describe just how good he is.

Nevertheless, I will try, even if it might be futile.

If a man walked into my office right now with a loaded gun, pressed it to my temple, cocked the gun, and promised to blow my brains out unless I booked a 5 star wrestling singles wrestling match, one of the men I would put in such a match would easily be Shawn Michaels.

Michaels has mastered the art of in ring storytelling, a skill that has really been displayed in the past several years in matches against the likes of Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, and most recently The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25, a match that some are calling the greatest in WrestleMania history.

Want a ridiculous Sportscenter type of fact?  Shawn Michaels has won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated award for match of the year an absurd NINE TIMES, and when this year is over, it very well could be ten.  Even more staggering is that Michaels has won the award five years running, starting in 2004.  Michaels also won the award four consecutive times between 1993 and 1996.

Let’s take a look at those matches shall we?:

• 1993 May 17 Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty
• 1994 March 20 Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
• 1995 April 2 Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels
• 1996 March 31 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
• 2004 March 14 Triple H vs. Chris Benoit
  vs. Shawn Michaels
• 2005 April 3 Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
• 2006 April 2 Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon
• 2007 April 23 John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
• 2008 March 30 Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

So what happened between 1996 and 2004?  Michaels was injured-retired for a good chunk of that. In 1997, Shawn’s Hell in a Cell match with the Undertaker finished 3^rd in the voting.  In 1998, Shawn’s match with Steven Austin finished as the runner up.  In 2002, Shawn’s match with Triple H finished as the runner up.  In 2003, Shawn’s match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania finished 4th in the voting.

All of this means Michaels will go down as one of the greatest in the history of the business, but has he been the greatest this year?  Not quite.

Shawn’s one gem this year is obviously his match with ‘Taker at WrestleMania.  He also has ha great matches with the likes of John Cena and Chris Jericho this year, and was a key cog in some pretty good tag team matches featuring DX taking on the likes of Legacy and Jerishow.

Michaels has also been apart of an absurdly stale DX routine that has not managed to make RAW a better show and, in fact, the DX return has made RAW a show that is as far from the cutting edge as one could be before approaching WCW levels.

Michaels has not really done anything this year, aside from working a fantastic program with Chris Jericho (at the very beginning of our grading period) that I can honestly say is going to set the WWE up for future success.  Michaels is 44 years old and he won’t be one of the greatest performers in the world for very much longer.  Why would the WWE waste time having Michaels and Triple H rehash DX to tickle the fancies of fans that can’t get over the fact that the Attitude era is over?

Are we ready?  Hell yeah we’re ready….to move on.

It’s time to start making use of Shawn Michaels’ elite talent while he still has it.  It’s time for the WWE to start building for the future instead of living in the past and the best way to do that is to have the up and coming stars take on guys like Shawn Michaels when they are legitimately ready to raise their games to the next level.  It’s more productive than having Shawn shill merchandise and relive the glories of yesteryear.

6. Yuji Nagata (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

Mike Cranwell on Nagata: Recently, I made the following statement: “Yuji Nagata (former WCW US Champion) is probably the most undervalued and underrated amazing worker in the last 20 years.” The key word there: amazing.

I invite Jeff Hardy fans to watch the Nagata vs. Tanahashi series from 2007, the Nagata vs. Takayama Tokyo Dome matches from 2002 and 2003, and this year’s Nagata matches where he tries his best to teach Hirooki Goto how to SELL THE LEG. After watching these matches, come back and try to make an argument of how Jeff, or for that matter Matt, or jeez just frigging pick a guy, is better than Nagata. When you’re 1/3 of the way through said argument, and you’re stuck…stop. Just stop, and accept the facts.

New Japan, you do the same.

If New Japan is smart, they’ll either have Nagata defeat Nakamura in a couple weeks in their IWGP Heavyweight Title match, or have some sort of crazy finish where the belt gets held up, so that Nakamura can challenge Nagata for a rematch in the Tokyo Dome on 1/4/10. This is the only homegrown bout that NJ can put on that show that will draw any crowd whatsoever.

How lucky is New Japan that, at any given time, they have a main event – level wrestler sitting on their roster, who one minute they can pair with Tanahashi and bring him up to the next level (2007),  the next they can pair with Goto, who finally looks like he learned the lessons Nagata kicked into him this year, and now, can bring up to be a more than credible challenger to Nakamura, who has decimated the Heavyweight division for almost a year now.

Nagata mixes in devastating roundhouse kicks and backdrop drivers with tremendous timing, selling, and the rare ability to make a vicious, brutal attacking style into an art form. Nagata’s work transcends simply working a good bout, as every single match he’s in is better for his mere presence and the tools that he brings to the table. That’s why he’s ahead of Tanahashi on this list, not to mention a WWE wrestler or two.

I’ll give New Japan some credit, as they recognize what they have in him enough that they will protect him. In this past year’s G1 Climax Tournament, he only lost one bout to pinfall – to Nakamura – and still didn’t make the semi-finals, where he’d have had to lose again. That’s good booking, and it keeps a guy strong in the fans’ eyes while still not putting him in a spot that you want younger guys.

Now though, with the Tokyo Dome and Japan’s WrestleMania coming up in six short weeks, it’s time to break the main eventer out of cobwebs, and let Nagata and Nakamura put on an early candidate for 2010 MOTY.

Yuji Nagata’s anything but undervalued on the TWD 50, as he roundhouse-kicks his way to the 6 spot, ninja-style.

5. Takashi Sugiura (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

Mike Cranwell on Sugiura: When you are the best tag team wrestler in the world today, you make the Top-5 in the TWD 50, it’s as simple as that.

If you’re a regular of my columns on TWD, you’ve heard me reference the 1/4/09 Misawa & Sugiura vs. Nakamura & Goto epic that will likely win the MOTY award in Japan (and on DVDVR as well). Misawa brought his best performance, for my money, since the Samoa Joe title defense in 2007, but what brought the match to the level that it got to was the work of Sugiura and Nakamura, especially when they faced one another. For my money, it was Sugiura who brought the most to the match (barely), as his performance was one for the ages, and one that quite frankly, made his career.

To name but a few of his other tremendous showings this year: 3/1, the second NOAH vs NJ tag that saw Milano Collection AT revive his career in the span of 20 minutes while Big Boss Sugi showed that the Tokyo Dome tag wasn’t a fluke; 5/5, the Okada match, where Sugiura dominated and decimated; Kobashi & Taniguchi vs. Sugiura & Shoizaki on 7/12, the match that showed the world that Kobashi was back…and Sugi would still whip his ass just the same (those three and the 1/4 tag are currently in my Top-13 for 2009).

Sugiura, who this year became a full-time heavyweight wrestler, has had to adjust to the heavyweight style to some degree, so his singles matches have been a bit uneven. His 7/20 IWGP Title match vs Hiroshi Tanahashi left some to be desired in how it was paced, but still ended up being a damn good match, that some people have greatly sung the praises of. NOAH was also smart enough to get him booked in New Japan’s G1 Climax Tournament this year, where Sugi basically got a week straight of on-the-job singles match training. I personally loved his 8/8 clash with Nakamura, and the difference between when he started the week, and when he carried Hirooki Goto to Goto’s best singles match of the year on 8/15 was very noticeable. The latter two matches are 22nd  and 23rd on my 2009 MOTY list (and that’s a long list).

In tag matches, Sugiura has consistently high-tempo rage that ends up doubling as charisma, even though he’s not trying to make it so. It’s just there, which is what helps make the great ones great after all. He has these two-three minute bursts of sublime intensity in which he decimates whoever is in the ring with him, and lights the crowd on fire in the process. And of course, he does it within the context of the story being told, and he makes the story better by adding those elements that very few other wrestlers do.

As a singles competitor, in the past he has been guilty of trying to work too slowly, thinking that’s what the heavyweight style was about, as well as not knowing when to show the intensity, and actually (shockingly) coming across as bland. What he demonstrated in the Goto match was better pacing skills, as well as more consistency with his rage. Hopefully these skills will be out in full force during NOAH’s December tour, when Sugiura has to guide GHC Heavyweight Champion Go Shoizaki to a great match, and unfortunately look up at the lights at the same time.

Sugiura got a late start on his wrestling career, debuting at age 29 on December 23, 2000. From that match on, you could (honestly) see the potential for greatness. So while he may be 39 years old, in wrestling terms, it’s a young 39, with not a lot of mileage on his body. Hopefully NOAH will recognize this, and continue to build Sugi up next year, before giving him a second shot at the GHC, and more importantly, a chance to carry NOAH into the next decade, and lead the next generation of stars that Misawa strived to build.

Pro Wrestling NOAH’s number one heavyweight owns the 5 spot in the TWD 50, and for Takashi Sugiura, the 2010 elevator is headed up.

4. Bryan Danielson (World Wrestling Entertainment)

Jason Le Blanc on Danielson: I’ve heard a lot of people over the past few years chide those who claim that Bryan Danielson is the best wrestler in the world by pointing out Danielson’s look and musculature.  What the hell that has to do with actual wrestling, I will never know.

I would call Jim Ross a foremost expert in analyzing professional wrestling talent, seeing as how he has worked as the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for the WWE in the past, not to mention the fact that he’s been calling the matches of a number of high caliber wrestlers for many years now.

Ross, in his own blog, had this to say about Danielson once:

“I watched ROH’s Bryan Danielson wrestle in Oakland and I told any one who would listen that the young man is a keeper. Great work ethic, unique skills, lots of character, and he wrestles like he is a “star” which is not something all wrestlers can do. I wished Bryan good luck as I left the arena in Oakland Monday and he went back to speaking with Shawn Michaels, which can’t be a bad thing for Bryan.”

Wrestles like a star, you say?  This is the same Jim Ross who has spent years calling the matches of stars like Ric Flair, Sting, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock,and Shawn Michaels.  I’d say Ross knows a thing or to about wrestling like a star.

Since Danielson dropped the Ring of Honor world championship to Homicide back in December of 2006, Danielson has probably done more losing than winning in terms of big matches.  On his way out the door, Danielson worked with most of best in Ring of Honor and made them all look like a million dollars, including Davey Richards who just might be the future of singles wrestling in Ring of Honor.

The funny thing about that Danielson putting over others is that Danielson was more over right before he left Ring of Honor in August than he was back when he was champion.  Danielson is one of a handful of wrestlers I’ve ever seen that could lose a hundred matches in a row and still be massively over, and not just any kind of massively over; we’re talking massively over with the fans chanting “best in the world,” even after losing a match.

Why?  Because Danielson wrestles like a star and….well….he is a star.

During the past calendar year, Danielson has wrestled an excellent series of matches with Tyler Black, and a whole host of other great matches with the likes of Davey Richards, Austin Aries, Nigel McGuinness, Roderick Strong, Jerry Lynn, Chris Hero, and Johnny Gargano.

It was time for Danielson to leave Ring of Honor and move on to other things, as Danielson accomplished everything he possibly could with the company.  The question now is will Danielson get a legitimate chance of being the star that he wrestles like.  WWE would be foolish to not try and recapture the same energy that Danielson generated while he was in Ring of Honor.  I’ve come to expect foolish things out of WWE though, so I’m rather concerned that the higher ups in Stamford will have problems with his “look.”

Danielson is armed with the sort of knowledge and skill (thanks to his training with the likes of Shawn Michaels and William Regal) that will put him in real position to succeed in the WWE.  It’s not a question of Danielson; it’s a question of Vince McMahon.

3. KENTA (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

Mike Cranwell on KENTA: As you will likely see soon enough, there is a great deal of debate on the wrestler TWD feels is both NOAH’s best, and the best Jr. Heavyweight wrestler in the World today.

It’s easy enough to hate on KENTA: He’s a good-looking badass who doesn’t do things the traditional way, at least in terms of selling. He will sh*t-kick you as soon as you say hello, he will fly, he will do any-damn-thing he wants to do, and there’s just not a whole helluva lot you can do about it. So ya, it’s easy to hate on KENTA.

So here’s why you shouldn’t:

He’s a good-looking badass who doesn’t do things the traditional way, at least in terms of selling. He will sh*t-kick you as soon as say hello, he will fly, he will do any-damn-thing he wants to do, and there’s just not a whole helluva lot you can do about it.

It’s real easy: KENTA is the Jr, Heavyweight of his generation, the same way that Jushin “Thunder” Liger was of his. Some people may say that a healthy Marufuji is better, but he’s done a lot of work in the Heavyweight division the last few years, and there are times that that work has messed with his ability to put on a good show.

And to top it all off, as you will see discussed soon enough, KENTA is leading the way in the evolution of the art of selling in Pro Wrestling NOAH…if not all of Japan.

NOAH is the breakaway company of the King’s Road Era – All Japan, so KENTA has had the distinct advantage of learning from three of the Four Corners of Heaven (Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue) as well as Jun Akiyama, about how to do everything in the ring. And while KENTA has certainly followed a lot of that style, he has also added to it.

This year, KENTA has had no less than two classic matches with Katsuhiko Nakajima, on 2/11 and 3/1. Hell just last night I had another writer on the site e-mail me to ask for some Puro links and say that the first match he’s watching as he gets into it is 2/11, and how amazing it was. So why were those matches amazing, beyond the talents of those involved?

Simple: The Evolution of the Art of Selling.

I’ve said it twice now, so I may as well explain it. Traditional selling involves making it completely obvious that the body part your opponent has targeted is hurting. Your opponent can see this, and will continue to target the body part, upon which time the story becomes about trying to stop them from doing that, while executing your own game plan.

What KENTA and Nakajima do is only show pain in the targeted area when their opponent is downed at their hands, and cannot see the damage being done. It adds another layer to the concept of a big-match “Battle of Attrition” (I refuse to use the word “War,” it’s an insult to the troops fighting real Wars all over the World). This added layer, which is not no-selling, becomes all-the-more important as the match gets into its finishing stretch. The finishing stretch then becomes more heated, as KENTA and Naja throw every last bomb they have at one another, and the end result? No matter who wins, both guys are elevated.

In the process, you have two matches in my Top-20, including the match that’s tied for second (3/1) of 2009. How did this come about? I have my theories, and you’ll have to tune in soon enough to hear them. For now though, TWD is pleased to recognize KENTA as the best Jr. Heavyweight wrestler in the World today, and of his generation. It takes a special wrestler to be named to the 3 spot on the TWD 50…it takes a legend to evolve a sport, and modernize it.

So go ahead and hate. Eventually, you’ll be cheering along, just like the rest of us have been all along.

2. Shinsuke Nakamura (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

Jason Le Blanc on Nakamura: CHAOS reigns supreme in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and if you don’t like it, prepare to have your septum deviated by the man at the epicenter of the revolution and the second greatest wrestler in the world today, Shinsuke Nakamura.

Given the way 2009 started in New Japan Pro Wrestling, I would have been surprised back in January if someone told me that Mr. Nakamura would finish the year ranked this high on the TWD 50.  I would have figured that honor to have gone to Nakamura’s generational rival, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

New Japan kicked off the year with their big annual Tokyo Dome show (Wrestle Kingdom III) on January 4.  The main event featured Tanahashi, the charismatic face of New Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating his mentor Keiji Mutoh for IWGP Heavyweight championship.

The next month, Tanahashi successfully defended the championship against Nakamura in a result that seemed to indicate that Nakamura would be playing second banana to Tanahashi in 2009.  Key word in that sentence being “seemed”.

The following month, Nakamura began using a more physical and aggressive style in the ring, incorporating a series of strikes into his offence, including nasty kicks, a straight punch to the face, and of course the Boma Ye, a vicious looking knee to the face or the back of the head, which ever area of the skull Nakamura feels like shattering on the evening.  On one night he might target the occipital lobe; on the other night we might see the temporal lobe get kneecapped.

The new found aggressiveness beautifully transitioned into a compelling storyline that featured Toru Yano turning on his tag team partner and GBH stable mate Togi Makabe in the midst of a match between Nakamura and Makabe.  Yano wrapped a steel chair around Makabe’s cranium and helped Nakamura decimate not only Makabe but Tomoaki Honma, who ran down to break up the fight.  From there, Nakamura left his former faction (RISE.) in the dust and formed a new faction called CHAOS out of just about everyone that associated with Makabe.  What a burn.

Tanahashi may have been the champion during the first half, but Nakamura’s storylines were more compelling.  Slowly but surely Nakamura began to rise up the totem poll until all of the sudden, Tanahashi dropped his championship to Manabu Nakanishi, and Tanahashi’s grip on the top spot in New Japan didn’t seem so firm.

Then came the G1 Climax, a tournament that Nakamura nearly ran the table in.  Nakamura’s work rate during the tournament was phenomenal and it sent his stock through the roof, as the G1 Climax often does for the talent that performs well on New Japan’s grandest stage.

During the tournament, Tanahashi suffered a facial fracture that was attributed to a Boma Ye given to him be Nakamura in their G1 semifinal contest, a match won by Nakamura.  The injury was a freak accident and actually occurred in the middle of a match, but New Japan made the most of a seemingly bad situation by using it to promote Nakamura’s new style.

Tanahashi’s injury forced him to vacate the title, which lead to New Japan announcing a match to determine a new IWGP champion:  Nakamura vs. Makabe.  Nakamura decisively defeated the 2009 G1 Climax champion to capture his third IWGP championship for a third time, elevating Nakamura’s stock to an all time high.

Doubt still remained in the minds of a few, considering Nakamura’s previous two reigns were laughably short.  With Tanahashi’s return impending, some felt that Nakamura’s reign would be brief yet again.  Nakamura quickly erased all doubt on November 8 by flattening Tanahashi once again in a successful IWGP championship defense.

Nakamura’s strong style revolution is the lead story in New Japan right now, as Nakamura is using CHAOS to return New Japan to its strong style roots.  New Japan rightfully belongs to Nakamura right now, and his quest to find Inoki’s IWGP belt has drawn the ire of those in Inoki’s IGF promotion.  We could be on the verge of an interpromotional war that could make Nakamura a HUGE star in Japan.  Nakamura’s first chance to show the world if he can bring back strong style?  December 5, when he steps into the ring with a man who is MORE than capable of helping make him a star…Yuji Nagata.

1. Chris Jericho (World Wrestling Entertainment)

Jason Le Blanc on Jericho: Over the past year and a half, there has not been a more effective performer in professional wrestling than Chris Jericho.  There isn’t a weakness anywhere in Jericho’s game and he manages to turn just about everything he touches into solid gold.  His wrestling is world class, his promos are world class and his value to the WWE is immeasurable.

Jericho, simply put, is the WWE’s most reliable performer right now as he delivers beyond expectations just about every time out.  Of all the people the WWE could have put in the ring with Steamboat in his brief wrestling comeback, they put him in the ring with Jericho, who made Steamboat look fantastic at Backlash.

McMahon called upon Jericho to work with Cena in December of last year when Cena returned from neck surgery.  Jericho made Cena look like a million dollars that night, giving Cena immediate momentum upon his return.  Jericho has a habit of giving everyone he faces a great deal of momentum.

Jericho also has a habit of turning even the worst segments into watchable ones.  The image of Jericho strolling out to the stage with a nametag stuck directly to his bare chest provided us with one reason to bother watching the Bob Barker hosted episode of RAW.  Jericho’s exchange with Barker during the show was priceless.

Jericho was also the best thing about the Ben Roethlisberger episode of RAW.  The promo that he cut on the Steelers offensive line was absolutely fantastic.

If the WWE ever saw it fit to rebuild their tag team division, they would easily be able to do so if they built the division around Jericho and Big Show.  The two have excellent chemistry and have been the best tag team the WWE has seen since the dissolution of The Miz and John Morrison.

Jericho is one of the handful of performers in the business right now that can make any crowd (including the notoriously free spirited fans in Canada and New York) react anyway he wants to at any given moment.  Jericho has a firm grasp on the psychology of a promo, and there are never divided audiences involved with Chris Jericho matches as there are in John Cena matches.  Jericho even got the crowd to hate him during his feud with John Cena at the tail end of 2008, a feat that illustrates just how great of a talent he is.

Jericho is so good at what does that fans actually stormed his car just outside of a live event when his car was stopped at a red light.  Jericho politely asked fans to move so he could drive through, but two fans physically attacked Jericho, which lead to Jericho fighting back before cops arrived to diffuse the conflict.  That kind of heat and marking out is RARE in the business these days.

Jericho’s feud with Mysterio this past year was gold, as was his program with Shawn Michaels, which concluded with an outstanding ladder match at the start of our grading period.  Jericho’s program with Michaels was one of the best programs in wrestling this decade.  The program, as Pro Wrestling Illustrated recently point out, displayed the best “creativity, believability, passion, and athleticism” the business has seen in seen in quite some time.

There is no better all around performer in professional wrestling right now than Chris Jericho. If given the choice to only watch one wrestler’s matches, there is no wrestler who I would rather watch more than Chris Jericho.  Jericho adds something to every television program he is a part of, which is something that cannot be said of many of his main event counter parts.

When it comes to Jericho, we’re not left banging our head against the wall as we suffer through yet another DX skit that lives in the past, or wondering why it is that the WWE has to have him win son convincingly at the expense of others just to keep him over.  Jericho is a performer who doesn’t need to win or lost to get over.  Jericho gets it and has gotten it for quite sometime.

Here’s a look at the final rankings:

1. Chris Jericho (World Wrestling Entertainment)

2. Shinsuke Nakamura (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

3. KENTA (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

4. Bryan Danielson (World Wrestling Entertainment)

5. Takashi Sugiura (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

6. Yuji Nagata (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

7. Shawn Michaels (World Wrestling Entertainment)

8. Prince Devitt (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

9. CIMA (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

10. A.J. Styles (Total Non Stop Action Wrestling)

11. Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

12. The Undertaker (World Wrestling Entertainment)

13. Katsuhiko Nakajima (Kensuke Office Freelancer)

14. Masato Tanaka (Pro Wrestling ZERO-1)

15. Alex Shelley (Total Non Stop Action Wrestling)

16. Naruki Doi (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

17. C.M. Punk (World Wrestling Entertainment)

18. Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling NOAH, All Japan Pro Wrestling)

19. Minoru (All Japan Pro Wrestling)

20. Desmond Wolfe/Nigel McGuinness (Total Non Stop Action Wrestling)

21. Shingo Takagi (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

22. Edge (World Wrestling Entertainment)

23. Rey Mysterio (World Wrestling Entertainment)

24. Davey Richards (Ring of Honor, FIP, Dragon Gate)

25. Masato Yoshino (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

26. Susumu Yokosuka (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

27. Jerry Lynn (Ring of Honor)

28. Samoa Joe (Total Non Stop Action Wrestling)

29. Chris Hero (Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Pro Wrestling NOAH)

30. Kota Ibushi (Dramatic Dream Team, Pro Wrestling NOAH

31. Christian (World Wrestling Entertainment)

32. Keiji Mutoh (All Japan Pro Wrestling)

33. John Morrison (World Wrestling Entertainment)

34. Magnum TOKYO (HUSTLE)

35. YAMATO (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

36. Kenta Kobashi (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

37. Kensuke Sasaki (Kensuke Office Freelancer)

38. Kofi Kingston (World Wrestling Entertainment)

39. BxB Hulk (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

40. Milano Collection A.T. (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

41. Takeshi Morishima (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

42. Doug Williams (Total Non Stop Action Wrestling)

43. Tyler Black (Ring of Honor)

44. MEN’s Teioh (Big Japan Wrestling)

45. Suwama (All Japan Pro Wrestling)

46. Toshiaki Kawada (Pro Wrestling ZERO1)

47. Dragon Kid (Dragon Gate Wrestling)

48. Negro Casas (CMLL)

49. Minoru Suzuki (Freelancer)

50. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

Promotions represented on the TWD 50

World Wrestling Entertainment: 10

Dragon Gate Wrestling: 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling: 6

Total Non Stop Action Wrestling: 5

Pro Wrestling NOAH: 5

Ring of Honor: 4

All Japan Pro Wrestling: 3

Kensuke Office: 2

Pro Wrestling ZERO1: 2

CMLL: 1

Hustle: 1

DDT: 1

Big Japan: 1

Freelancer: 1

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