VP2010s: 100-91

Welcome to the VP2010s where voters submitted ballots of the best in-ring wrestlers of the 2010s. To learn more about the scoring and how the list came together go to the intro-post. If you would like to review the honorable mentions click the category. Without further ado, the list continues. Also want to thank Chris G for the recommended matches on this post

100. Mike Quackenbush (7 ballots, 257 points, Average Rank 64.29)

High Voter: Dan Rice (42)

Previous Rankings: 98 (2011)

Recommended Matches:
vs. Hallowicked (CHIKARA, 5/21/11)
w/ Johnny Saint vs. Colt Cabana & Johnny Kidd (CHIKARA, 7/31/11)
vs. Eddie Kingston (CHIKARA, 11/13/11)
vs. Green Ant (CHIKARA, 1/28/12)
vs. Johnny Kidd (CHIKARA, 5/28/16)
vs. Drew Gulak (CHIKARA, 12/3/16)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (CHIKARA, 4/1/17)
vs. Johnny Kidd (CHIKARA, 9/2/17)
vs. Jonathan Gresham (Beyond, 1/27/18)
vs. Madison Eagles (CHIKARA, 9/2/18)

The Eddie match will stand the test of time. Plenty of other matches where Quack maybe showed the perfection of the CHIKARA style throughout the early parts of the decade but nothing that captured the spirit quite like that. – Sam

Both Mike Quackenbush and CHIKARA as a whole are criminally overlooked. Even before his cancellation, Quack was at best an arrogant goof, but the man can wrestle. His home promotion gave him a deep catalog of stellar tag and six-man matches, but he also shone whenever he ventured out to places like WXW or DGUSA. He is the lesser half in the famous High Noon match, but it takes two to tango. He also had standout single matches with Drew Gulak and ZSJ this decade. – Dan Rice

He should suffer for all eternity for the crimes of CHIKARA, but the man could work a hold. – chris gibbons

99. Hideki Suzuki (6 ballots, 263 points, Average Rank 57.17)

High Voter: Squill (31)

Previous Rankings: 82 (2016), 47 (2017), 71 (2018)

Recommended Matches:
vs. Josh Barnett (IGF, 12/3/11)
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 9/22/16)
vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW, 3/30/17)
vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 5/5/17)
vs. Fuminori Abe (BASARA, 12/28/17)
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (BJW, 5/13/18)
vs. Takuya Nomura (BJW, 6/20/18)
vs. Kazumi Kikuta (BJW, 11/27/18)
vs. Timothy Thatcher (GCW, 4/4/19)
vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 7/27/19)

Wrestled in the best title match of the decade against Yuji Okabayashi and for that alone he would rank. More broadly though, as a wrestler out of time in some ways walked into BJPW and fit like a glove. – Sam

The BJW Strong division tired me out by the end of the decade, but Hideki’s matches were always a treat. Helped make The Astronauts into the wrestlers they are today, helped cement Sekimoto and Okabayashi’s legacies, and was just flat-out one of the most consistent and unique workers in Japan for years. – chris gibbons

98. Christian (7 ballots, 264 points, Average Rank 56.14)

High Voter: Dan Rice (26)

Previous Rankings: 14 (2010), 26 (2011), 84 (2013), 64 (2014)

Recommended Matches:
vs. William Regal (WWE, 1/19/10)
vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE, 8/17/10)
vs. Alberto Del Rio (WWE, 5/1/11)
vs. Randy Orton (WWE, 7/17/11)
vs. Randy Oton (WWE, 8/14/11)
vs. CM Punk (WWE, 10/25/11)
vs. Cody Rhodes (WWE, 6/17/12)
vs. Alberto Del Rio (WWE, 8/8/13)
w/ Daniel Bryan & Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (WWE, 2/11/14)
vs. Sheamus (WWE, 3/10/14)

Christian might just be WWE’s all-time TV MVP. He delivered good-to-great matches with just about everyone, from elite talents like Bryan Danielson and Rey Mysterio to the Zach Ryders and Ezekiel Jacksons of the world. He even tricked people into thinking Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler were interesting. He only worked until 2014, but it was more than enough to place highly for me. Everything people pretend about Sheamus is true for Christian. – Dan Rice

97. Jonathan Gresham (7 ballots, 271 points, Average Rank 48.14)

High Voter: Timothy Robert Buechner (8)

Previous Rankings: 22 (2016), 55 (2017), 28 (2018), 23 (2019)

Recommended Matches:
vs. AR Fox (CZW, 5/8/10)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Beyond, 6/26/16)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Beyond, 7/31/16)
vs. Tracy Williams (Beyond, 8/28/16)
vs. Lio Rush (ROH, 9/24/16)
vs. Tom Lawlor (BLP, 1/14/18)
vs. Mike Quackenbush (Beyond, 1/27/18)
vs. Jeremy Wyatt (St. Louis Anarchy, 11/16/18)
vs. Masashi Takeda (GCW, 4/4/19)
vs. Shinjiro Otani (GCW, 4/6/19)

Sadly it seems Gresham will be lost in the discussion of the great technical wrestlers of the 2010s. Likely in no small part because his lack of extensive EVOLVE GrappleFucking but that doesn’t seem fair. Sure, he didn’t wrestle in the promotion de jour at likely the peak of his own powers, he did my preferred bit which was wrestling around the world plying his trade. He didn’t get to wrestle Gulak, Zack Sabre Jr., Hero, or Thatcher every weekend, but every time he did get his chance against one of them, you fully knew he belonged in that tier of worker. – Sam

The best American mini of all time? -Dan Rice

96. Katsuhiko Nakajima (6 ballots, 272 points, Average Rank 55.67)

High Voter: flae (25)

Previous Rankings: 81 (2016), 62 (2018)

Recommended Matches:
vs. Kotaro Suzuki (NOAH, 3/5/11)
vs. Ricky Marvin (NOAH, 11/27/11)
vs. KENTA (NOAH, 10/5/13)
vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 10/18/14)
vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW, 7/24/16)
vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH, 10/23/16)
vs. Minoru Suzuki (NOAH, 12/2/16)
vs. Brian Cage (NOAH, 7/27/17)
w/ Manabu Soya vs. Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH, 5/29/18)
vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH, 7/27/19)

A phenomenal run in NOAH from his junior work to his graduation to a heavyweight main eventer. Nakajima was one of the can’t-miss performers in the company whether they were in a boom or bust period. Not many people could bring the likes of Brian Cage, Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin to great matches in any continent. – chris gibbons

95. Trauma I (4 ballots, 274 points, Average Rank 21.00)

High Voter: Dan Rice (6)

Previous Rankings: 8 (2010), 6 (2011), 20 (2012), 41 (2013), 86 (2016)

Recommended Matches:
w/ Hijo del Pirata & Trauma II vs. Angel, Chico Che & Hijo del Pantera (IWRG, 2/11/10)
w/ Mike Segura & Trauma II vs. Avisman, Gringo Loco & Hijo del Diablo (IWRG, 6/17/10)
w/ Trauma II vs. Guerrero Maya Jr. & Hechicero (Sanchez, 11/15/14)
w/ Trauma II vs. Black Terry & Negro Navarro (IWRG, 12/14/14)
w/ Negro Navarro & Trauma II vs. Magnifico, Rey Hechicero & Ultimo Guerrero, Cara Lucha, 1/31/15)
w/ Negro Navarro & Trauma II vs. Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. & The Panther (Elite, 11/8/15)
w/ Trauma II vs. Black Terry & Negro Navarro (Lucha Memes, 12/25/15)
vs. Canis Lupus (IWRG, 9/4/16)
w/ Trauma II vs. Black Terry & Diablo Jr. (IWRG, 4/23/17)
w/ Sharly Rockstar & Trauma II vs. Rokambole Jr., Villano IV & Villano V Jr. (IWRG 12/3/17)

Trauma I and his brother Trauma II, are still a staple of the Mexican indie scene. While Trauma II was initially viewed as the better singles competitor, it’s clear now that Trauma I has surpassed him. The evidence? His breathtaking, brutal Match of the Decade contender against Canis Lupus, which is as beautiful as it is stomach-churning. Add to that his incredible tag team work in IWRG with and against the likes of his brother, his father Negro Navarro, and Black Terry and he should be at the top of everyone’s lists. – Dan Rice

Deserves a spot in the top 100 from the Canis Lupus match alone. All his work as one of the best tag/trios workers in the world with his brother and father are just icing on the cake. – chris gibbons

94. David Starr (5 ballots, 275 points, Average Rank 46.00)

High Voter: Sam (17)

Previous Rankings: 68 (2016), 21 (2017), 22 (2018), 14 (2019)

Recommended Matches:
w/ Jurn Simmons vs. Axel Dieter Jr. & WALTER (wXw, 2/24/17)
vs. WALTER (wXw, 10/28/17)
vs. Joey Janela (Beyond, 12/31/17)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (wXw, 4/22/18)
w/ Jordan Devlin vs. Low KI & WALTER (OTT, 6/2/18)
vs. Joey Janela (Beyond, 7/29/18)
w/ Ilja Dragunov vs. Timothy Thatcher & WALTER (wXw, 11/10/18)
vs. Orange Cassidy (Beyond, 11/25/18)
vs. WALTER (OTT, 6/23/19)
vs. Leyla Hirsch (Beyond, 1/219/19)

Don’t wanna say much given who he is but unfortunately he has an incredibly high peak as one of the most thoughtful wrestlers on the indies in the back half of the decade and delivers some incredible work against WALTER and Jordan Devlin in the UK along with the hellacious barbed wire match against Joey Janela in Beyond. I don’t like it either but once again this is not the Good Person 100 2010s. – Cole

Starr and WALTER put on the best rivalry of the decade. Then Starr can probably claim another of the best with Joey Janela. Maybe one of the last indie wrestlers who could get me to buy into these feuds. Where the animosity flowed free and every drop of blood felt earned. This all being part of maybe the peak of the decade from ‘17-’18 where he was on a heater every night it seemed. – Sam

If Sam would let me, I’d post one of his post-cancellation bodybuilding pictures here instead of a blurb. Starr was the heart of multiple promotions during this decade, Beyond, OTT, and others, and his contributions to those scenes were undeniable. For a while, he even managed to trick fans into believing pro wrestlers weren’t universally garbage people, which alone deserves a spot on this list. – Dan Rice

93. Hirooki Goto (6 ballots, 278 points, Average Rank 54.67)

High Voter: A. BASTARD (40)

Previous Rankings: 46 (2018), 69 (2019)

Recommended Matches:
vs. Takashi Sugiura (NJPW, 1/4/10)
vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW, 6/22/13)
vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 2/11/14)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 11/8/14)
vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW, 7/5/15)
vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW, 9/27/15)
vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW, 8/14/16)
w/ Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHi-HASHI (NJPW, 11/26/16)
vs. Katsuyori Shiabta (NJPW, 1/4/17)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 7/21/18)

The NEVER Openweight style might be considered formulaic in today’s New Japan scene, but it felt revolutionary when Goto, Ishii and Shibata were beating the piss out of each other in the middle of the decade. Goto’s legacy may ultimately lie with his failure to capture the top title in NJPW, but he always made you believe. Goto may have never been the top dog, but he might have been the best midcarder on the planet for years. For a website like Violent People, that’s worthy and it should be celebrated. – chris gibbons

92. Finn Balor (9 ballots, 279 points, Average Rank 58.89)

High Voter: KungFu Grip (14)

Previous Rankings: 75 (2017), 69 (2018)

Recommended Matches:
vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NJPW, 1/30/10)
w/ Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 10/11/10)
vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 1/4/11)
vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Low Ki (NJPW, 1/4/13)
vs. Gedo (NJPW, 7/5/13)
vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 7/20/13)
vs. Kevin Owens (WWE, 7/4/15)
vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE, 6/24/16)
vs. AJ Styles (WWE, 10/22/17)
vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE, 1/27/19)

Between founding the Bullet Club, helping to start the british wrestling boom and contributing to NXT’s shift towards indie stars, Prince Devitt unfortunately was the J. Robert Oppenheimer of 2010s wrestling – EAMONN

91. Dolph Ziggler (6 ballots, 284 points, Average Rank 45.33)

High Voter: flae (24)

Previous Rankings: 32 (2010), 27 (2011), 32 (2012), 67 (2013), 55 (2014)

Crowds eventually became weary of Dolph’s WWE run, but at his best he was an electric and memorable TV and PPV worker during some of the company’s worst years. He bumped his ass off. He did, in fact, steal the show every now and then. He had good matches with The goddamn Miz. Dolph may have very well been grown in a lab to be a WWE midcard champion, but he filled the role well. There are much worse disciples of Shawn out there. – chris gibbons

Sam DiMascio
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Co-Founder of Violent People, Host of Talking Tourneys, We Don't Know Wrestling, Desert Island Comp.