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2018 WON Hall of Fame Ballot


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Even as a long-time fan/apologist, I'm not sure Akiyama belongs in; but I'm even more unsure what the case for Nagata (whom I also like way more than most) over him would be. Even if you call their top-end matches/peak drawing power a push (and I wouldn't), Akiyama spent a lot longer at that level, produced more, and has tenure as (for better and worse) NOAH and All Japan's booker to consider. Neither guy, ultimately, was able to excel as a company leading ace; but Nagata benefits in hindsight from handing the ball to Tanahashi, whereas Akiyama didn't have anyone like that to save business trends.  

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I almost spat out my coffee seeing that Steph would be on the ballot next year.  I'm sure if she got in there WWE would do an immediate 180 and sing the Observer's praises.  I could however see a case for the Hardys but not fully sold on them being first ballot HOFers.  They certainly make more sense than Steph being on the ballot.  As for the current class I'm glad to see Finkel and Apter in and I'm happy with the rest going in.

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If Akiyama drops off while nagata is in I will unsubscribe. Fuck that shit. Even my phone recognizes the importance of one over the other with autocorrect fixing capitalization on one and not the other. If ever there were a case... 

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I reckon what might have given Nagata the nod was the fact that current NJPW has an international prominence that current AJPW doesn't, and Nagata is on those shows, in the 'Legend who can still go' spot. So people who didn't see how the promotion was when he was the ace, assume he was great back then, because he's booked as a former great now.

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Directly from the WON regarding Nagata

Quote

Nagata’s voting was unique. He made the Hall of Fame due to finishing first among current wrestlers, who voted him in almost unanimously. He was only 24th among reporters, 17th among historians, and didn’t place among former wrestlers. It’s a notable induction, because even though he had a long career as a top star, he was never really a legendary star. But he was so well respected as a worker, Bryan Danielson, in fact, called Nagata the best wrestler he’s ever been in the ring with, that it put him just over the threshold, with 101 votes, the exact number needed to hit 60 percent from Japan.

 

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1 hour ago, Beech27 said:
 
Maybe he's a great trainer, and a nice guy to work with/be around? (And I know you were all wondering what Jimmy Rave thought about this. Well. Now you know.)

I did want to know how Jimmy Rave felt. Long live the crown jewel of The Embassy.

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Hasn't it been the case for awhile now that Nagata is the most respected active wrestler in Japan?He is pretty much friends with people across multiple promotions and the reason he is the guy to go representing NJ to win titles in other promotions is thatr he is seen as legit credible to those he works with but the fans as well?

James

 

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17 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Well, I don't think anyone can question Nagata on the basis of his ring work. You can question his drawing power, legacy, importance, etc. But just bell to bell?

He's not exactly the smartest worker. He went through about a dozen finishers during his peak and this wasn't exactly a time of huge move escalation in NJPW like it was with latter day Oudou/NOAH through its golden days. He's really good but I was rarely drawn into his matches on an emotional level like I was most wrestlers I'd consider Hall of Famers. Granted, I stopped watching around 2006, so I missed a chunk of his prime during the dark years of NJPW. I did watch the bloodbath in Korakuen against Makabe and while fun I was expecting more.

If Nagata is a HOFer then Omega is an easy choice unless you're one of those people who are completely turned off by his theatrics or whatever it is (plz don't boast about your Omega hatred, that smugness is my least favourite DVDVR trope). Omega's a draw in Japan, the UK, and the States, has a plethora of highest of high end matches, and is helping New Japan expand into the States.

What are people's thoughts on Blue Panther dropping off the ballot? Longevity, great matches, one of the pillars of technical lucha libre at a time when high flying was taking over, but was he a significant draw?

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I like Omega a lot. I just don't think he's a Hall of Fame guy yet. 

A few more years of being a top guy with good matches? Yeah, put him in. But the way the WON HOF works, guys are eligible way before you can see the scope of their careers.

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Nagata won MOTY on the old puro board once, against Tanahashi*, and I think he had two better matches that year. His title runs did have some real high points like that, and he may have been better still as the surly cross promotional antagonist GHC tag champ. Of course he’s stayed solid, and his G1 sendoff last year showed how connected the fans remained. (And it makes a certain kind of sense to defer to Japanese wrestlers about Japanese wrestling things.) I sill don’t think, having thought more about it, that his overall match quality compares well to Akiyama’s; but I guess you could argue Nagata had stormier seas to sail: no four corners, worse business when he was given the ball, the whole shoot fight debacle. I feel like this is a Harold Baines induction, of sorts: surprising, and so we focus on the reasons someone with a very, very good career didn’t have a historically great one. Which is the point, I know. But I’m trying to be positive. (The white-eyes armbar is impossibly lame, though.)

*Maybe the feeling in Japan is that he helped make Tanahashi, whereas Akiyama never—unless we count booking Miyahara—minted the next star.

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I look at it as Nagata more consistently got good results with lesser opponents (or older/aging opponents) thus elevating those guys in the process. Not to say Akiyama didn't do that as well but I'd rather watch Nagata do it. Might just be preference thing with me though

James

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16 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

I like Omega a lot. I just don't think he's a Hall of Fame guy yet. 

A few more years of being a top guy with good matches? Yeah, put him in. But the way the WON HOF works, guys are eligible way before you can see the scope of their careers.

Yeah, this is the problem.

Kenny Omega getting in right now would be something like, for instance, when Shinsuke Nakamura getting in for 2015.

In 2015, any New Japan fan would have said "yes, Nakamura absolutely deserves to go in first-ballot". Then, Nakamura went to the WWE, and slowly but surely, a lot of the people who thought Nakamura was a first-ballot Hall of Famer were starting to see Nakamura's weaknesses, starting to see some of the problems there...and soon, there's a few people saying "I kind of regret this decision." 

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On 12/22/2018 at 10:26 PM, odessasteps said:

Like a couple other lucha candidates, I dont know why Panther was not included in the inaugural class. He was likely already worthy by that point and probably met the age requirements. 

As with everything - I assume that Konnan hates Blue Panther thus Dave hates Blue Panther

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