Blog: Mike Quackenbush (8.2.16)
Over the weekend, it came to my attention that Sports Illustrated had published what they consider to be the definitive listing of the 101 best professional wrestlers of all time. And I was genuinely stunned to learn that I was included on this list. I felt flattered…for about three minutes. As someone who wrote for Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Kappa Publishing family of magazines for the better part of 10 years I can tell you with some authority, that these kinds of lists are sometimes laughable, and always subjective. What’s the exact criteria being used to rank? Popularity? Skill? Influence? Based on the wrestler synopses Sports Illustrated published, it’s impossible to tell what criteria informed the making of their list.
And for a moment here, please allow me to just be Mike, and not the Director of Fun or anything else. The longer I stared at this Sports Illustrated list, the more certain I feel about this: this is not a list my name should be on. I’m saying this because as a lover of the artform, there are so many obvious acts that need to be included in lists of this type. Wrestlers with far-reaching popularity, indelible influence and far greater skill, among all other kinds of important qualities. And all day today, I’ve just had one after the other after the other pop into my head. The best acts in the history of pro-wrestling. I’m not sure what else to do with this information…but download forthcoming.
Here's a listing of 101 more deserving professional wrestling acts than I to be included on such a list. Just right off the top of my head here:
1) Tiger Mask
2) Manami Toyota
3) Los Misioneros de la Muerte (Texano/El Signo/Negro Navarro)
4) Johnny Saint
5) Kenta Kobashi
6) Mildred Burke
7) Gori Guerrero
8) Billy Robinson
9) Atlantis
10) Martin Karadagian
11) Gran Hamada
12) Mick McManus
13) Great Sasuke
14) Mistico
15) Chigusa Nagayo
16) Dos Caras
17) Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson/Ricky Morton)
18) Riki Choshu
19) Los Villanos (III/IV/V)
20) Lioness Asuka
21) Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton/Stan Lane)
22) Carlos Colon
23) Jumbo Tsuruta
24) Sabu
25) Mascarita Sagrada
26) Freebirds (Michael Hayes/Buddy Roberts/Terry Gordy)
27) Atsushi Onita
28) Kendo Nagasaki (the one from the UK!)
29) Giant Baba
30) Road Warriors (Hawk/Animal)
31) Ultimo Guerrero
32) Jerry Lawler
33) Cesaro
34) Paul Orndorff
35) Kerry Von Erich
36) Bull Nakano
37) El Canek
38) Jackie Pallo
39) Hiroshi Tanahashi
40) Eduoard Carpentier
41) Dynamite Kid
42) Perro Aguayo, Sr.
43) Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard/Jimmy Del Ray)
44) Colt Cabana
45) Meiko Satomura
46) Big Daddy
47) Negro Casas
48) The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers/Bobby Fulton)
49) The 1-2-3 Kid
50) Shinya Hashimoto
51) Alundra Blayze
52) Killer Kowalski
53) Super Delfin
54) The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello/Roy Heffernan)
55) Tommy Dreamer
56) Johnny Kidd
57) Magnum TA
58) Los Brazos (Brazo/Brazo de Oro/Brazo de Plata)
59) Masa Chono
60) Tully Blanchard
61) Jim Breaks
62) Genichiro Tenryu
63) Akira Hokuto
64) Jackie Fargo
65) Sgt. Slaughter
66) Psicosis
67) Steve Williams
68) Yokozuna
69) Nikita Koloff
70) Dr. Wagner Jr.
71) Octagoncito
72) Hayabusa
73) The Crusher
74) Demolition (Ax/Smash)
75) Masakatsu Funaki
76) Antonina Rocca
77) Kyoko Inoue
78) “Stomper" Archie Gouldie
79) Marty Jannetty
80) Taz
81) Ricky Starr
82) Mascarita Dorada
83) Nobuhiko Takada
84) June Byers
85) Blue Panther
86) George Kidd
87) Aja Kong
88) Honky Tonk Man
89) Wahoo McDaniel
90) Los Cadetes del Espacio (Solar/Ultraman/Super Astro)
91) Hikari Fukuoka
92) Los Infernales (Satanico/MS-1/Pirata Morgan)
93) Will Ospreay
94) El Solitario
95) Wendi Richter
96) Pat O'Connor
97) Eddie Gilbert
98) La Parka
99) Rick Martel
100) Sara Del Rey
101) Espectrito
...alright. Glad to get that off my chest.
-MQ
Blog: Race Jaxon (7.20.16)
300 DAYS! 300 Days that N_R_G has been the reigning and defending Campeones de Parejas! Defending! Defending? Defending...? Nope! Not! Nuh uh! There has been nothing defensive about our reign! Our reign has been all OFFENSIVE! We have sought the best tag teams out, and we have fought and we have scrapped and we have used the power of Electric Monkey to show everyone of them what N_R_G was all about! Since defeating The Devastation Corporation almost a year ago, challengers from around the world have believed they could take us out, get those three points and take our titles! Didn't happen! It never happened! It won't happen!
We've been international ambassadors to our beautiful NRGetic fans in Europe! Showing off our skills to the masses, seeking out all challengers! Sometimes even with the benefit of our trios partner Heidi! Heidi and Hype! All about that H! While Hype flew us across the ol' pond I stumbled across an exciting radio station on the plane...a lone saxophone purring at midnight kept me ready to show the world the excitement that is N_R_G... a cat tickled some ivory keys as I contemplated superkicking a member or The Batiri... I left that plane playing the air clarinet while I contemplated catching some air! I would have never thought of myself as a Kenny G (no relation) fan before that flight, but the smooth jazz channel won me over.
Anyway. Back on track, and Back in the Habit! CHIKARA ventures up north to Canada with Hype at the wheel and ready to topple the Moustache Mountain! I've been scouting out Trent Seven and Tyler Bate since their awesome showing at last years King of Trios tournament. They took AJ Styles and the Young Bucks to the limit. Moustache Mountain are impressive in every way. Heck, I struggle to grow facial hair but, Hype's follicles could certainly give either one of the Brits a major struggle in a mustache-growing contest! In keeping with tradition, N_R_G wants to go on the offensive and show Moustache Mountain! Canada! The U.K.! CHIKARA! Who the reigning.... and offending...Campeones de Parejas are, N_R_G! N_R_G! N_R_G! Whew. I gotta chill out. I hope the car can pick up some of those unobtrusive, whispery, lazy notes for our trip to Ontario...
-RJ
Blog: Mike Quackenbush (7.14.16)
Recently, I've watched as members of The Colony, specifically Worker Ant, and then Silver Ant, poke at each other. And I know what it's like to have a tag team partner that you come to think of as a brother. A partner that knows just what to say to make you forget about a tough loss, is probably the exact same partner that knows just what to say to get under your skin, or light a fire underneath you. At King of Trios, three's company and four's a crowd, and I get that it must not sit well with a quartet, but that's the lay of the land. Trios are trios, guys.
Still, I hate to see this sort of thing fester. And I know that the strongest bonds between tag team partners are forged in the heat of battle. A common goal is sometimes the precise thing two differing points of view need, to get back on the same page.
So.
Allow me to assist: Worker Ant, Silver Ant, get ready to bring some new focus. You'll need it, if you want to get past Obariyon and Kodama next Saturday. They are more savage, more barbarous than ever before. Someone needs to stop these guys dead in their tracks. I don't like what's emerging amidst our ranks, with this Nazmaldun business. It seems like their power grows by the day. Are you up to the challenge?
-MQ