Number 21 to 100 here.
13. Todd Morton - I never got to see any of Todd Morton's matches against Bull Pain or Mitch Ryder, but I did see him matched up against Bill Dundee and Chase Stevens, which was enough to switch me on to his act. He is what modern wrestling should be about: not trying to invent a new style, but taking something timeless and making in contemporary. In Morton's case, he has the schtick and mannerisms of a old Southern heel, but with the hard bumping and speed of a junior heavyweight. I think you have to work hard to get the same schtick over with modern audiences more hip to the functioning of pro wrestling, and I don't think there's anyone in the US who will work as hard as Morton. Like all the greats of US wrestling, he gets so much mileage out of the smallest things.
14. Dr. Cerebro - As part of the trio with Black Terry and Cerebro Negro, Dr Cerebro has been in some of the best lucha matches of 2009. One of the reasons they are a great trio is that they can scale back or ramp up the degree of rudoism depending on their opponents (less vs. Oficiales, more vs. Zatura and Traumas), which gives them a wide range of roles within the promotion. I've been a big fan of his matwork in particular all year, his exchanges with Trauma II and one of the Piratas on par with that of his trio captain. He is a rock-solid hand as a brawler (check either of the two Dinastia Navarro revanchas from April) and as a bumper. I'm enjoyed his singles match with Juvi from June and I'm looking forward to 2010 Dr Cerebro flying solo more often.
15. Trauma II - There have been enough people who have already said that Trauma II is the most improved guy of the year. Plenty have pointed to his seeming need to be carried through mat sequences in the early Navarro/Terribles match, and how his abilities in this area have grown out of all proportion since that time. They point to his title match with Zatura as a truly modern lucha libre match, a blend of classic title match that works lots of other ideas (targetted limbwork, finisher stretch), as one of the most creative and satisfying matches of the year. All these things are true, and they get him this placing on my list.
16. Yoshihiro Takayama - 2009 was a year Takayama had a number of opportunities, after winning the Triple Crown, and he took them. Had possibly the only good Mutoh match of the year, where the selling of the leg gave a purpose to Mutoh's usual repetitive act. The title change with Kojima was a really good heavyweight match, probably his best match of the year, and the finish to the Suwama match was possibly the most unearthly violent thing I've seen in 2009 (review of both matches here). I'm someone who enjoys facials, and Takayama always brings great facials, as well the sort of simple yet violent moveset and match layout I prefer.
17. Great Sasuke - It's no secret to regular readers of this blog that I'm a fan of current Sasuke (my full Sasuke project match index is here). As far as 2009 goes, I recommend both his serious work (had great matches with Hayato "Jr" Fujita and a good one with TAKA) and his comedy work (his Sumo Hall match was a delightful bit of absurdist theatre). He was the best guy in an otherwise tedious tag match in Kensuke Office too. He still does impressive highspot, bumps like a guy half his age, is one of the best sellers in Japan, is highly creative and plays a great gullible mark in comedy matches. So there.
18. Arkangel De La Muerte - Arkangel usually works rudo captain in undercard trios with his Tuareg stable, which are where my favourite CMLL matches are found. Nearly on Virus' level as a rudo carrying someone through long mat sequences, he's also a great bumper and base for the bland flyers he's often paired with. The best Arkangel matches in 2009 are probably during the feud with the Angels trios, especially the one with Virus and Bronco from December.
19. Yujiro Yamamoto - I've rewatched a couple of BattlArts matches since I submitted this ballot, and think I may have underrated Yamamoto even at this position. A fantastic matworker, as shown in his matches with Otsuka and Usuda (both top 20 Japan matches for me), he's the only young BattlArts worker who look on the level with their older elites, especially when carry lesser guys on the mat. His match was Sawa was as stiff a contest as I saw anywhere else this year. He, like the best BattlArts guys, is a details wrestler, the intracies of a hold or the way he works into a dominant position are perhaps the most satisfying part of his matches. A future potential number one.
20. Valiente - As well as being a spectacular flyer (his no hands top rope quebrada is possibly the most breathtaking highspot in lucha, if not all of wrestling), Valiente has produced some of the best matwork falls in CMLL this year, and is more than up to the task of keeping up with Virus in both trios and their cool little lightning match in April. I have a bias towards rudos in rankings like this, because they do more of the things I care about in wrestling. Valiente is a technico is just as able as any rudo at holding a match together, especially as a captain, knowing when to hold off and when to let loose with something dazzling.
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