My Favorite Wrestler (This Week): Trent, Paddy Morrow, Ibushi

This week in wrestling, the 2017 G1 Climax lineup was announced, SmackDown had its Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Mauro Ranallo announced that he’s the new voice of NXT, and sadly, Tetsuo “Mr. Pogo” Sekigawa passed away. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —

Trent?/Beretta/Trent Barreta/Greg/Craig

By Zach Dominello

I don’t think anyone disagrees that Trent? is a super talented pro wrestler, whether as a singles or in a tag team with Rocky Romero or Chuck Taylor, and if you do disagree, well, stop that now.

But the reason Beretta is my favorite wrestler this week is for his unfailingly entertaining Twitter account. Oh, you want examples? Perhaps you’ll enjoy his rivalry with some gym dude:

Me and some dude at gym both hate each other I can just feel it

— TRENT? (@trentylocks) June 19, 2017

Or, you may enjoy his detailed and accurate PWG reports:

Dustin did great. Greg did great. Everyone did really great. https://t.co/nWV9bK2ub0

— TRENT? (@trentylocks) June 17, 2017

Or his advice to fellow CHAOS members:

Hey @WillOspreay@rainmakerXokada. Please stop crying when you lose. It’s embarrassing to me and to Gedo.

— TRENT? (@trentylocks) June 4, 2017

And my personal favorite, an exchange with Okada that resulted in a new name:

Ok. I will call you Craig. https://t.co/X73vXtYF0U

— オカダ・カズチカ (@rainmakerXokada) June 14, 2017

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, really. Trent Barreta, making Twitter fun again.

Paddy Morrow

By Alan 4L

Having just re-watched OTT’s huge ScrapperMania show from April on their new OnDemand service, I was in awe of the most unheralded Irish wrestler of all time as he put on one of the best single match performances of any wrestler this year.

Paddy “Suicide Machine” Morrow (or simply Paddy M as he’s now known as part of the popular Lads From The Flats) was a man on a mission in the big LFTF vs. Kings of the North trios match. His selling, his fire, his execution, and his timing were all so impressive.

Paddy may not be the most eye-catching in appearance, but he’s a wrestler’s wrestler. He’ll make anyone look good and he’ll always get the crowd invested. Nobody ever watches a Paddy Morrow match and winds up disappointed. He was a key part of the NWA Ireland promotion ran by Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) and Paul Tracey in the mid 2000s, and is one of the many great wrestlers that have come from and continue to come from that gym in Bray, Co. Wicklow (now moving premises into the City Centre of Dublin).

Paddy is one of the most over acts in OTT and I hope some big matches await him throughout the rest of 2017, at home and maybe even abroad.

Kota Ibushi

By Joseph Currier

I’m incredibly excited that Kota Ibushi is in this summer’s G1 Climax.

NJPW confirmed last week that Ibushi (as himself and not the Tiger Mask W character that he’s been playing) would be in this year’s tournament. The company still has to announce the blocks for the G1, but Ibushi’s inclusion brings so many possibilities.

Will we finally get Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega in NJPW? Will we get Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. after it wasn’t meant to happen at the Cruiserweight Classic? Which other top guys will be in his block? Will he make the finals (or even win the whole thing and go on to main event the Tokyo Dome in January)?

While some of those things probably won’t happen, we’ll still be getting at least nine Kota Ibushi singles matches in NJPW this summer. There will be plenty more opportunities for him to be chosen as my favorite wrestler of the week again in July and August.