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Best North American in ring performers of last 20 years


Best American in ring performers of last 20 years  

73 members have voted

  1. 1. Who is a better in ring performer?

    • Bryan Danielson
    • Shawn Michaels
    • It's a draw. They are both as good in the same way.
  2. 2. Who is a better in ring performer?

    • Kurt Angle
    • Chris Benoit
    • It's a draw. They are both as good in the same way.
  3. 3. Who is a better in ring performer?

    • Bryan Danielson
    • AJ Styles
    • It's a draw. They are both as good in the same way.
  4. 4. Who is a better in ring performer?

    • Kurt Angle
    • Shawn Michaels
    • It's a draw. They are both as good in the same way.
  5. 5. Who is a better in ring performer?

    • Bryan Danielson
    • Kurt Angle
    • It's a draw. They are both as good in the same way.


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Hi. I am a new member of the forum. OSJ invited me to join this forum. To start I would like to ask you about the best in ring performers of last 20 years.

I opened a poll with multiple questions in which I compare Styles, Danielson, HBK, Angle and Benoit among them. 

Obiouvsly I don't talk only about WWE, but the general landscape of pro wrestling.

Thank you very much

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If you mean North American... there are about 25-30 luchadores that I would take over everyone but Danielson and maybe AJ on that list

Rey Misterio Jr, El Hijo del Santo and Negro Casas just to name three (and Rey should be there anyway since he is American so it didn't need the qualifier)

I would also take Chris Hero over virtually the entire list

And Samoa Joe is another one that some people will say needs to be on the list

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Welcome to the board.   If we are just focusing on HBK post-2002 comeback then I don't think he's in the discussion.  He had some great matches with Undertaker and a few with Jericho among others that nobody can take away from him but he also went to the school of "longer is better" and that becomes a problem when you revisit HBK from this time period.  There were way too many "this needs to be an EPIC" style matches that bore me to death.  

That said,  when he was on he was still great.  The stuff with Taker is probably the best storytelling WWE has done in a long time as was the stuff with Jericho.  He also had matches like the 2003 Survivor Series where the crowd is just EATING UP every bit of his comeback..   

I think Kurt was an all-timer but post-2005 or so he wasn't the same Kurt.  A lot of the matches devolve into ankle lock,  reversal,  back to the ankle lock,  repeat.  

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Oh on AJ Styles.. he was very good in TNA and had some matches with Danielson and Joe that are treasures but too often he was stuck in the muck that was TNA for much of the time he was there.  That hurts AJ's overall resume when you look at his career as a whole.  

But then he goes to NJPW and is all-world.  Arguably the best performer in the world while he was there.  Then comes to WWE and has maybe the best 2-year stretch in WWE history.  So if he keeps going at the rate he is then maybe he will eventually rise to the top of various lists..  I just think it's too early.   He hasn't missed a beat though.  He doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. 

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10 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

If you mean North American... there are about 25-30 luchadores that I would take over everyone but Danielson and maybe AJ on that list

Rey Misterio Jr, El Hijo del Santo and Negro Casas just to name three (and Rey should be there anyway since he is American so it didn't need the qualifier)

I would also take Chris Hero over virtually the entire list

And Samoa Joe is another one that some people will say needs to be on the list

About Joe I didn't put in the comparison because of the longevity, in fact he was probably the best in the world for 2 years, his TNA years hurt him.

About the comparisons of the poll, for who would you vote for?

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Just now, RIPPA said:

Eddie died in 2005

It is very tough for me to say he was the best when he only worked 7 of the 20 eligible years

Counterpoint: He was motherfucking Eduardo Gory Guerrero!

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Just now, Brian Fowler said:

If you can separate work from person, Benoit is right there as well.

What I said about Eddie applies to Benoit too (same with Michaels though I wouldn't put Michaels in the conversation to start with anyway)

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35 minutes ago, francescofuoco1998 said:

I like that in this forum Bryan Danielson is so appreciated. 

Bryan won our March Madness tournament 3 years in a row (and got screwed out of a 4th by a mod heel turn).  We are great appreciators of him here.

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If Bryan isn't the best technician of the past couple of decades, he's on the list and it's short. He figured WWE out incredibly quickly and got himself over until they couldn't deny him, which just about no one saw coming. He was the harbinger for everything that's followed as far as scouting and talent development for WWE, with Punk being the only other major influence (and Bryan's much, much better than Punk.) 

The biggest knock against him I can think of is that he was too laser focused to change his style when his injuries piled up. 

Rey belongs in the conversation. There aren't a ton of guys that were ever as influential as Rey has been in America, and even fewer who grew by leaps and bounds long after they were major stars like he did. 

I'm higher on Shawn and Kurt than a lot of people on the board may be, but I still think they both had weaknesses and penchants for self-indulgence. 

Benoit was really, really good, and I had a ton of respect for him at the time, but I never looked at him as a serious all-timer. I don't really have any interest in changing my own mind by watching more tape of him. 

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