Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500

[SuperClerk]

Well, the annual PWI 500 is out. Here is this years top 30-

1-Rob Van Dam
2-Undertaker (?)
3-Keiji Muto
4-Chris Jericho
5-Eddie Guerrero
6-Kurt Angle
7-Edge
8-Yuji Nagata
9-The Rock
10-Triple H
11-Black Tiger
12-Minoru Tanaka
13-Steve Austin
14-Booker T
15-Genichiro Tenyru
16-Shocker
17-Brock Lesnar
18-Mitsuharu Misawa
19-Hulk Hogan
20-William Regal
21-El Hijo Del Santo
22-Kendo Ka Shin
23-Tajiri
24-Jeff Jarrett
25-Matt Hardy
26-The Hurricane
27-Yoshihiro Takayama
28-Batista
29-Hector Garza
30-Buh Buh Ray Dudley

Not too bad overall. At least PWI finally changed a little bit over the years as the business changed.

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Thanks to Toddevf for sig pic

This message was edited by SuperClerk on 9-25-02 @ 7:52 PM

[MHasegawa]

The PWI 500 is so out of whack. There are very heated arguments over which wrestlers should have been higher/lower. Sometimes I can see their respective points. I personally wouldn't ahve put Kendo KaShin in 23 or put him past Yoshihiro Takayama, It's good to see Minoru Tanaka up in #12.

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[SuperClerk]

How the hell can they put the Undertaker at #2? Over Muto?? I think not. Glad to see Yuji Nagata get some credit.

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Thanks to Toddevf for sig pic

[Se7en]

There's been some heated debate over this list over on the O&A board. <P>
Let's have a look at it here, though. <P>
1-Rob Van Dam Way too high. <P>
2-Undertaker (?) This is a sad joke. This is why mags like PWI have no credibility - they put fat old fucks like Undertaker this high. <P>
3-Keiji Muto I'm a Muto fan, but way too high. <P>
4-Chris Jericho Glad to see he gets some recognition, but too high. <P>
5-Eddie Guerrero Top five I can live with. He should probably be top three, though. <P>
6-Kurt Angle Angle should be #1 on this list, bottom line. <P>
7-Edge Oh no. Look, you can't tease us by sticking Nagata here in the top ten, only to have him staring up at Edge. This is way too high for Edge. Maybe in a year or two he'll earn this. <P>
8-Yuji Nagata One of the best heavyweights in the world, should probably be top three. I'd stick him at two behind Angle. <P>
9-The Rock This is a joke. <P>
10-Triple H This is a joke, and an insult to everyone beneath him on the list. <P>
11-Black Tiger This is where I officially get gleefully shocked that they're recognizing the awesome workers from Japan. <P>
12-Minoru Tanaka Should be top ten. Fuck HHH, Tanaka is That Damn Good. <P>
13-Steve Austin I got no problem with this. <P>
14-Booker T I got no problem with this either. Booker T's very underrated among WWE marks. <P>
15-Genichiro Tenyru Tenryu is an old bastard, but he can still go. He should be rated higher than Mutoh, that's for sure. <P>
16-Shocker YES! Bow before the awesomeness of Shocker!!! <P>
17-Brock Lesnar WOW, is this every wrong. <P>
18-Mitsuharu Misawa Misawa is one of the greatest ever, and I enjoy watching him still, but he doesn't deserve to be this high. <P>
19-Hulk Hogan Unlike Rock / HHH, I really do think this literally is a joke that the PWI staff threw in here. <P>
20-William Regal Take THAT, sportz entertainment! Regal in the top 20! <P>
21-El Hijo Del Santo No problem here... <P>
22-Kendo Ka Shin WTF?! Ka Shin is one of the worst juniors on the planet. <P>
23-Tajiri Maybe this would have been justified before they WWEed his offense. <P>
24-Jeff Jarrett I got no problem with this. <P>
25-Matt Hardy At least 100 spots too high. <P>
26-The Hurricane At least 20 spots too high. Make that 30 or 40. <P>
27-Yoshihiro Takayama Should be higher. For that matter, so should Hiroyoshi Tenzan or Satoshi Kojima. <P>
28-Batista This high ranking is based on what exactly? Him standing around while D-Von lumbers through a match? <P>
29-Hector Garza Good to see the luchadors represent. <P>
30-Buh Buh Ray Dudley Fucking retarded. This is about 400 spots too high. <P>
<P>

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WWFallon - livin' la vida lucha.

"Being a bastard WORKS."
--Spider Jerusalem

[SuperClerk]

I was a long time PWI reader from 1985 until about 1995. The only issues I still buy are the awards issue and the 500 issue. I never took either one too seriously, especially when I found out that the awards were all rigged. But the 500 always fascinated me. I learned a lot about Japanese and independent wrestlers. The 500 lists are still interesting.

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Thanks to Toddevf for sig pic

[El Mudo]

7-Edge


Thats the one i have the most problem with. Christian is a MILLION times better than Edge.
Also what about the omissions?
No Chris Benoit? No Rhyno? if HHH could be out almost a year and still make the list what about these guys?

And why is Angle not number 1?
Kane is not top 30 material?
Flair?

ah...ahh...ahhh...HAKUSHI!!
Washington Caps and Oakland Raiders fan since Day 1!!
"This ain't the summer of Brock...this is all year Angle!"

[SuperClerk]

What the hell, here's 31-60

31-Satoshi Kojima
32-Jeff Hardy
33-Randy Orton
34-Ric Flair
35-Dr. Wagner Jr.
36-Bradshaw
37-Chuck Palumbo
38-Kojo Kanemoto
39-Rikishi
40-Test
41-Jushin Liger
42-Jamie Knoble
43-Billy Gunn
44-La Parka
45-Jerry Lynn
46-John Cena
47-Christian
48-Jun Akiyama
49-Big Show
50-Nicho El Millionario
51-Taiyo Kea
52-Shinya Hashimoto
53-Billy Kidman
54-Vader
55-Kane
56-Lance Storm
57-Christopher Daniels
58-Rey Misterio Jr.
59-Scott Hall
60-Masa Chono



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Thanks to Toddevf for sig pic

[McNabbShouldDie]

1-Rob Van Dam 2-Undertaker (?) 3-Keiji Muto <P>
JOKE! <P>
Top 3 goes like this: (I haven't seen anything Japanese in a while so if Muto or someone should be in the top 3 and they're not, you know why.) <P>
1-Kurt Angle 2-Eddy Guerrero 3-Chris Benoit(I'm putting him even though he missed the whole last year, screw PWI's rules) <P>
18-Mitsuharu Misawa <P>
WHAT THE HELL?? I really havent watched puro in a while. What happened to Misawa, he's the man. <P>
2-Undertaker <P>
I feel like blowing up PWI offices after that decision. The frickin Undertaker at #2? Gawd... <P>

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<FONT COLOR="006600">ROCK ON
TODD EVF!!<font>

[TheKnicks23]

WHERE THE FUCK IS BENOIT!?!?!?!?

this would be my top 5 wwe

1. Kurt Angle
2. Chris Benoit
3. Eddie Guerrero
4. RVD
5. Chris Jericho

that is how it should be, i think most would agree that those are the top guys just maybe in a different order

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<font face="comic sans ms" color="#3300ff">SmackDown! Fan Since Day 1</font>
<font face="comic sans ms" color="#ff0000">Mario Fan Since Day 1</font>

[DarkHippie]

25-Matt Hardy
Finally matt hardy's gettin some respect! i've been markin out for this guy for a long ass time. He's alot more talented than Jeff (he did the moves for one of the console games a couple years back, his technique was so good), its just that he hasn't found his niche yet. i think he should go for a shoot style now that he's up to 230.

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<i>LABELS ARE FOR PRODUCTS, NOT PEOPLE!
</i><a href=http://www.freeopendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=A537085>Transcendental Blues: a journal</a>

[PrivatePyle]

What about Battlecat?

Remember Sammy Jankis

Hey, who stepped on the duck?

[AnotherIntervention]

Chris Callahan got robbed, and so did Mike Jeckel.

<img src=http://members.aol.com/toddevflsp/images/anotherintervention.gif>

[ToddEVF]

Intervention what about up and coming star, Dynamite Kabuki?

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<Marquee>Toddevf just rocks that much he gets two appriciation threads, but whatever - DCReed/dint mean to come down on him earlier. . . I like Todd - Doogie76/And he supports my nicotine-fits - DynamiteK/But it's great to see the end result with Todd!!/Todd Rocks and has a HUGE cock. . . so I heard!!!! - Green Lantern/your the bestest, greatest, coolest todd! - Lulu/TODD EVF RULZ THE SCHOOL - NJDMMoe/I appreciate my Mini-Me! - RonFez Mark/I admire todd's ability to slyly and skillfully turn any and every thread into one about HIM - TheMojoPin</Marquee>

[CYYYFYYY]

I am not mentioning the guys
who fight in Japan because I
never hear about them and I
never see them.....

1. Undertaker yea I don;t like
him either that much but he
had a great title run and a
great year in general. This
listing is not about who you
like to wrestle the most but
who had the best year.
2. K. Angle
3. Van Dam
4.Jerricho
5. Austin

For those of you saying Beniot
and Rhyno come on they were
injured a


David the Franchize
Everyone Loves CYYYFYYY
Party Harty!!!!!!!

[Se7en]

For those who are wondering, as McNabb pointed out, Benoit was left off this list because he missed essentially an entire year with his injury, thus could not be considered for the PWI 500.

Numbers 31-60 are just insane. They list Test above Lyger, Christian and Jerry Lynn??? John Cena before Shinya Hashimoto & Taiyo Kea? MotherFUCKING Big Show above Kidman, Lance Storm, Christopher Daniels & Rey Jr.??? That's crap. I mean, I know people go crazy when the DVD boys put out their 500 list, cause it's all Japanese / indy / lucha guys, but c'mon. I don't think ANYONE on this board could successfully argue that Big Show is better than Rey Jr., even if you hate the cruizers.

WHAT THE HELL?? I really havent watched puro in a while. What happened to Misawa, he's the man.

I'm still a Misawa fan, but I still think 18 is too high for him. He's winding down his career. Takayama should have been placed hire than Misawa, although I am happy to see the NOAH crew representing well.

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WWFallon - livin' la vida lucha.

"Being a bastard WORKS."
--Spider Jerusalem

[MHasegawa]

Intervention what about up and coming star, Dynamite Kabuki?, Chris Callahan got robbed and so did Mike Jeckel

Kayfabe you assholes. We are professionals and we do not need your rediculous comments. Don't let it happen again.

<img src=http://members.aol.com/vikorynotvengnce/images/montoya.gif>

[CYYYFYYY]

Did anyone notice Rey was not
in a major federation for a
large part of the year. A big
part of the rankings is the
quality of wrestling. Paul
white has had some nice
wins.... i do have some issues
like...... Matt hardy being
ranked higher than Jeff
Ahrder... I don't see this
humanly possible. I like
kidman but lets face it in the
WWE he has done not much of
antyhing but lose of course
Paul white should be ranked
higher than kidman. I am sure
Myseterio will be rnaked
higher than the Big Show next
year even though he is
beginning to start winning
again. last Raw he did kick
the crap out of Jeff Hardy.
Kidman was pinned bt Crash for
goodness sake!!!!!!!!!! This
is not who is better it is who
had


David the Franchize
Everyone Loves CYYYFYYY
Party Harty!!!!!!!

[SuperClerk]

Big Slob shouldn't even be in the top 200. He is horrible. And why is Rey-Rey listed if Benoit is not? Rey didn't really wreslte that much either.

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Thanks to Toddevf for sig pic

[Se7en]

Did anyone notice Rey was not in a major federation for a
large part of the year.

No, but he did work the indies, which is good enough. Remember - the WWE only represents a fraction of the actual wrestling out there. It's just the most visible representative of wrestling. And furthermore, Rey is listed, and Benoit is not, because again - Benoit was out a YEAR. Rey was not.

i do have some issues
like...... Matt hardy being
ranked higher than Jeff
Ahrder... I don't see this
humanly possible.

Oh, I do. Here's why:

A big
part of the rankings is the
quality of wrestling.

That's somewhat debatable with this list, but that's the basic idea. So Matt Hardy SHOULD be higher than Jeff Hardy.

I don't get the popularity of Jeff. I mean, I can see why people like RVD; I like RVD too. But Jeff? He's an INCREDIBLY poor worker. Really. As a wrestler, he's pretty damn bad. Do not mistake a ambiguously gay, substance-abusing spot-fester like Jeff with something resembling a good worker. Jeff has a job for two reasons: the chicks dig him, and he's slowly killing himself before our eyes, in that ring.

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WWFallon - livin' la vida lucha.

"Being a bastard WORKS."
--Spider Jerusalem