Monday, February 3, 2020

The 2019 TWB 100 Slow Release: 100-81

Photo Credit: WWE.com
Welcome to the first revelation of the 2019 TWB 100. Today, I will list the first 20 entrants in the list, starting backwards from 100. Without further ado, the time has come to start listin' rasslers:

100. Scott Dawson
Points: 464
Ballots: 8
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Jarred Giles)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: NJPW1972.com
99. Bandido
Points: 475
Ballots: 7
Highest Vote: 11th Place (Don Becker)
Last Year's Ranking: 60th Place

Photo Credit: @Grenwail
98. Jungle Boy
Points: 482
Ballots: 11
Highest Vote: 14th Place (Adam Blount)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

TH: It's a shame that most of the attention he got this year was Jim Ross and only Jim Ross calling him "Jack Perry" on Dynamite, because he's had a swell year. He found a niche between the low-power absurdity of Marko Stunt and the freakish agility of big man Luchasaurus to prove he might be the best overall worker not just in the group, but in All Elite Wrestling.

Adam Blount: What a year for Jungle Boy. Innovative, exciting, and what beautiful hair!

Photo Credit: WWE.com
97. Montez Ford
Points: 483
Ballots: 10
Highest Vote: 16th Place (Chris McDonald, Andrew Hewitt)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: @Grenwail
96. Joey Janela
Points: 494
Ballots: 10
Highest Vote: 7th Place (Blu Rey Mysterio)
Last Year's Ranking: 93rd Place

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein













95. Eddie Kingston
Points: 494 (won tiebreaker over Joey Janela with the higher high vote)
Ballots: 6
Highest Vote: 5th Place (Francis Adu)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

TH: Few people get grimy brawling like Kingston, who was one of the best workers on NWA Powerrrrrrrrr at the end of the year. As long as he's around, that kind of knock-out, drag-out fighting will never die.

Photo Credit: @Grenwail
94. Dustin Rhodes
Points: 496
Ballots: 11
Highest Vote: 14th Place (Matt T.)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

TH: A lot of guys embrace getting older by retreating more into their brawling and slowing down, but Rhodes decided he'd add more modern aspects to his game. While outside of his match with Cody at Double or Nothing he was mostly reduced to supporting roles, he still reminded everyone how he's perhaps the greatest in-ring worker in wrestling history.

Photo Credit: NJPW1972.com
93. EVIL
Points: 501
Ballots: 10
Highest Vote: 11th Place (Emily Newsom)
Last Year's Ranking: 96th Place

TH: EVERYTHING IS EVIL! While SANADA got the call for a bigger spotlight, EVIL kept pace with a solid G1 and body of work for the year. Even if he was in the midcard most of the year, he was able to be the lubrication to keep cards going before the marquee matches started.

Photo Credit: WWE.com
92. Candice LeRae
Points: 508
Ballots: 9
Highest Vote: 25th Place (Joey O.)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: WWE.com
91. Bobby Fish
Points: 521
Ballots: 13
Highest Vote: 27th Place (Andrew Hewitt)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: @Grenwail
90. Chuck Taylor
Points: 528
Ballots: 12
Highest Vote: 10th Place (Bobby Godfrey)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: WWE.com
89. Shinsuke Nakamura
Points: 529
Ballots: 9
Highest Vote: 18th Place (Rizz)
Last Year's Ranking: 92nd Place

Photo Credit: NJPW1972.com
88. Juice Robinson
Points: 544
Ballots: 9
Highest Vote: 12th Place (Chris Striegel)
Last Year's Ranking: 85th Place

TH: Robinson has been New Japan's elemental babyface, but this year, he added some much-appreciated edge. You can thank Jon Moxley for bringing it out of him. Either way, it helped round out his game and hold his own in a stacked B-block of this year's G1.

Photo Credit: @Grenwail
87. Ophidian
Points: 548
Ballots: 9
Highest Vote: 5th Place (Mat Morgan)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

TH: The Master of Snake Style enjoyed the perks of being the main villain in Chikara this season, and he handled the role as well in the ring as he did in story. He was a dominant force when he needed to be, especially in his systematic dismantling of Mike Quackenbush in Chicago. He showed versatility in his bookings outside Chikara, never letting the Crucible story dominate his in-ring when a fun match was needed.

Photo Credit: WWE.com
86. Brock Lesnar
Points: 560
Ballots: 9
Highest Vote: 16th Place (Adam Blount, John Bills)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Adam Blount: Somehow, someway, I’m still a sucker for Brock Lesnar matches. Put old boy Brock up against just about anybody, and I’ll watch it, but against smaller dudes, holy shit, I’m all about it! Versus Finn, Rey and Seth multiple times, he killed it. And sure he actually did kill Kofi’s title run in just a few seconds but nobody's perfect. I’m probably way in the minority here but I loved the match against Cain Velasquez as well. Felt like a fight, way different than other stuff. Brock wrestles like a monster cause he is one, but his selling is fantastic too.

Photo Credit: WWE.com
85. Seth Rollins
Points: 582
Ballots: 12
Highest Vote: 3rd Place (Jarred Giles)
Last Year's Ranking: 9th Place

Photo Credit: WWE.com
84. Sasha Banks
Points: 594
Ballots: 12
Highest Vote: 31st Place (Joshua Browns)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: WWE.com
83. Bianca Belair
Points: 614
Ballots: 11
Highest Vote: 19th Place (Bryan Heaton)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Screengrab via AEW YouTube
82. Trent?
Points: 615
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 11th Place (Bobby Godfrey)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Photo Credit: WWE.com
81. Domink Dijakovic
Points: 648
Ballots: 12
Highest Vote: 12th Place (Joshua Browns)
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

Tomorrow, the TWB 100 charges 20 spots further.