Nothing gets my juices running like the VP100. There is something about opening up Google Sheets, opening up my Notion full of notes (a 2024 development), and pouring through the cold hard facts that are my opinions. Just wrapped the VP2010s, definitely check that out, but doing that meant I was watching a little less during my typical binge period as well as not having as much time to build out cases for wrestlers. Even when this piece started I was thinking of writing up a case for a wrestler I’ve recently become enamored with but with less than two weeks from when lists are due by the time I’m writing this, I’m probably not going to sway hearts and minds.

I’ve decided to zig when I usually zag. Last year I wrote about “My Guys” in which I briefly covered a number of folks I was hoping to get some play on last-minute ballots. Instead, this year I’ve decided to tackle learnings coming from putting together a top 100. One of the reasons I love pouring over the Greatest Wrestler Ever forums over at Pro Wrestling Only is you get to see folks come to an understanding of what they appreciate in wrestling, in wrestlers, and how to piece the puzzle pieces together. As I’ve started binging more in the final runup some things have begun to calcify. Let’s dig in. 

YouTube Still Holds Gold

People aren’t digging through YouTube as much as they used to. With the proliferation of all indie wrestling being on a streaming platform (a not-true statement that you begin to question), people aren’t encouraged to do the work outside the walled garden. That isn’t all bad, there is a ton of stuff on IWTV, 90% of which folks are talking about and could be treated as a whole discovery. 

If you do the work though you are given gifts. Case-in-point, Mike Pain aka Michael Pain aka PAIN. The now-retired man of many names and fewer gimmicks. Punches like thunder and not as fast as lightning but faster than you think for someone that looks like your 300+ lb alcoholic uncle. WrestleMerica puts all their shows on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Without that, it is likely I wouldn’t have taken the time to work through some of their shows and discover the final act of a not-so-legendary southern indie wrestler. There are more Mike Pain’s out in the country, having carriers in their towns that can last over a decade, often in front of the same families month in and month out. Plying their trade in large part for the love of the game. I didn’t walk away from any Mike Pain match I watched from 2024 that didn’t feel like I was watching a wrestler who loved what they did.

This isn’t just about Mike Pain though (again, great year, loved him, watch him against Charlie Anarchy for a HOOT of the Year contender) but there is so much you can still get from searching “[INSERT WRESTLER NAME] vs. 2024”. It is a tried and true practice of getting something, possibly. 

Phil Scheider posted this on Twitter so not a “hidden discovery” but I haven’t been on Twitter so finding Necro Butcher versus some big-bellied cowboy named Tim Strange at a Vegas strip club hitting each other with cowbells is the best possible scenario. Social media is dying and you need to develop the skills to find this shit or life will be worse for it.

No One Is Better Than CMLL When They Use The Talent

CMLL is the greatest promotion that has ever existed. The most historic promotion in existence that is as stuck in the mud on booking as any promotion to ever exist. They have no reason to reinvent the wheel because the money machine keeps printing. A formula was crafted and by god, they will stick to it. Luckily, it is a formula that if you slot enough good workers into it not only is it hard to screw up there are few things better than it. With so many trios matches, if you can get 2-3 good wrestlers into those, it is tough to mess those up. No matter the talent level, a lucha trios match will always have a pace to it. You see in Japan and especially US wrestling they try and wedge in certain structural elements to these matches that can grind them to a halt. The talent level needed to make those matches work is higher. It can expose wrestlers where lucha trios are all about highlighting wrestlers.

You likely already know that lucha trios are superior though, you are a person of taste. This section will be a thinly veiled excuse to talk about Soberano Jr.. My #1 wrestler of 2023 didn’t get the opportunities I would have hoped for in 2024. Not only did I consider him the best wrestler last year, he had a number of my favorite matches. Checked every single box. In 2024 he gets to be the face of “Input versus output”. At the end of the day when thinking of WOTY type lists you need some high-level output to crack into the upper stratosphere. 

That said, a wrestler can crack rather darn high if they are almost always a highlight of every match they are in. Even matches that aren’t terribly good, individually they are a shining light. No one did it quite like Soberano Jr.. No wrestler understands how to bring their charisma into their work. Sometimes that aura stops once you throw on a headlock. No such the case with Soberano Jr. who was cockier than the biggest rooster in the yard every darn match. Whether that is in Arena Mexico or a small gymnasium. Every match he was in felt like a bigger deal because of him. Sure, wish he had a few more legitimately great matches that I could shout from the roofs about, I don’t think anyone did quite what Soberarno did in 2024.

Just like with every year for CMLL, more than just a few wrestlers benefit from getting a lot of trios work with a a ton of different folks. You know I love Templario and Averno, folks that will do well on my list, but I’m talking about the wrestler we all love, Flip Gordan. Talk about a system fitting a wrestler like a glove. Don’t confuse things here, Flip isn’t going to rank incredibly high for me, higher than most, sure, but I’m not talking top 25 Flip Gordan here. I thought the guy mostly stunk before but again, CMLL is great about showing the strengths, especially with someone who can fly around. It felt like on the indies/ROH he was meant to be a bigger deal than he was or at least on that track. No such pretense in Mexico. Here he turns into a solid cog in the CMLL trios machine. With so much wrestling each week they need folks who can play third fiddle. If they can add a couple of fun spots to each match, even better. You could tell me you could throw in a dozen US indie wrestlers right now who could fill that role without missing a beat. First off, I would say “I think you are vastly overestimating the number of even decent fliers on the indies” followed up by “Well then they should also go to CMLL”.

Now, if only CMLL wasn’t one of the most vile companies in terms of footage right now. Well, unless you want to spend $40/month. What the hell are you doing? Deeply evil.

I Spent So Much Time On Bad Wrestling

Is it safe to say how much IWTV and MLW have led to me having a worse wrestling diet than in years past? I talked myself into the idea that “Yes, this is good, I’m going off the beaten path to find more wrestling”. A road less traveled isn’t automatically a better one. That is obvious, right?

New discoveries are what get me off in wrestling though. I’m out here vibrating over Mike Pain. Seeing and talking about things everyone has already more or less decided is good doesn’t particularly interest me. My brain is broken and the idea of either falling in line with conventional wisdom or being disappointed by not liking such things is wildly unappealing.

For some reason, I thought Major League Wrestling, a promotion with good production and bad people would scratch the itch. Seems to check a lot of boxes. Folks I enjoyed 8-10 years ago, random luchadores, and Krule. What more could you want? So much more.

Then I tried making the most of the IWTV subscription…and I don’t know why. Deep down I knew that 2024 Beyond Wrestling would only bring me pain. And sure, Lucha Memes is good and ACTION can spark joy from time to time, the consistent production quality of live-streamed indie wrestling that populates the platform should come with a barf bag. Nothing looks good, most of it looking bad in the same way but occasionally you get a Southern Honor Wrestling. There is something miraculous about the production of SHW where if you were to look quickly you would think “Wow, didn’t know indie wrestling could look like this”. For one, the video is crisp. The bar is in hell folks. But the lighting…it is clearly professional and yet it washes away the feeling that you are watching a wrestling show. Call me stupid but I like my wrestling shows to feel like wrestling shows. Instead, you have a well-lighted, if not with a bit of a sickly blue hue, ring and a crowd that disappears after the first couple of rows. It is clearly a large room so it simply might be that empty but I don’t think so.

I feel bad, I do think Southern Honor Wrestling is worth your time. They book Sal Rinarou and Kyle Matthews. You don’t get that anywhere else on a show-by-show basis. Frankly, I need to get back into the IWTV weeds. I have an illness. The only cure is finding the gems hidden in the sludge. 

Making The List is Always Worth It

Weird year for my watching. We got a second dog in January of last year and he was shockingly a ton of work. His name is Howie, he’s incredibly cute, but across all my hobbies I “did less” in 2024. Great year to start a wrestling website in general.

Between binging since the end of 2024, having a more well-behaved dog, and generally watching things that bring me more joy regularly, the making of this VP100 list has felt real, real good. Moving folks on the Big Board, seeing how to arrange the CMLL and AEW contingents, still doing the digging to see who to get on from US and Mexico indies, the list-making itself is still as gratifying as ever. You need to vote! You need to figure out what you value! Assign a numeral ranking that you have to stand by until the end of time!

I can’t wait to see how it turns out when all the lists come together to make an unrecognizable monster of a thing.

If you made it this far you likely already voted or don’t need extra encouragement but go fill out your ballot here