The Ballot: Ryan Struggles with his WON HOF Ballot - Part 2

·1 hr 18 min·5 clips

Ryan argues that without Koichi Yoshizawa, our entire knowledge of Japanese wrestling history would be overwhelmingly incomplete.

This episode is the second part of host Ryan's solo monologue detailing his final decisions for the 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballot. He begins by noting his physical struggles with a misaligned neck but is determined to finish before the ballot deadline. Ryan recaps his previous picks from part one: Modern US/Canada (CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, The Briscoe Brothers, John Moxley, Becky Lynch, Sabu), an abstention from Mexico, and Japan (Hayabusa, Zack Sabre Jr., Masaki Mochizuki). He then delves into three remaining categories: Non-Wrestlers, Historical US/Canada, and Rest of the World. For Non-Wrestlers, he explains a self-imposed rule to not vote for historical figures in that category to maintain fairness, limiting himself to four votes. His Non-Wrestler picks are Bobby Bruns (for his role in bringing Rikidōzan to Japan), Ted Turner (for sustaining WCW and recognizing wrestling's value), Koichi Yoshizawa (for single-handedly shaping Western knowledge of Japanese wrestling through media), and Jim Johnston (for revolutionizing entrance music). He abstains from Historical US/Canada entirely, briefly mentioning candidates like Junkyard Dog and The Von Erichs but feeling unprepared. For Rest of the World, he selects José Tarres, Espiritu Santo, George Gordienko, and Ted Boy Marino, the latter highlighted for his massive popularity in Brazil where his show was once the top program on television. The episode concludes with Ryan summarizing his full ballot, teasing future episodes on ballot results, and signing off while dealing with arm numbness from his neck issue.

As heard by us

A grounded Hall of Fame ballot discussion finds the host sharpening his rules around Yoshizawa and a tough historical-category pick.

Count Out!'s second part on the 2025 Wrestling Observer newsletter Hall of Fame ballot catches the host in a more settled place, though still working through the rules he wants his vote to follow.

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Why you'd press play

You can hear the host move from ballot rules into slam-dunk confidence on Koichi Yoshizawa and Morris Siegel, with the deadline pressing quietly behind him.

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