Top Ten Wrestlers

[MetalBlade]

Right I'll start the ball rolling with the first top ten of this new thread.

In reverse order:

10. BAM BAM BIGELOW - The common consensus is that Bigelow was the best "big man" in wrestling. I reckon the common consensus is right. Seeing a 400 pound plus man-mountain moonsault off the top rope is something to behold.
I can only imagine what was going through his opponent's mind as he came gracefully sailing down on top of them.
He looked great to, like a movie bad guy. He was awesome.

9. "FALLEN ANGEL" CHRISTOPHER DANIELS - The most recent of my top ten list, Daniels sparked my interest outside of The Land Of Giants that is WWE.
He is fresh and exciting and brings an element of realism to his matches with some hard-hitting technical prowess.
Daniels is only a couple of shrewd moves away from a world title reign.

8. TAZ - Before he sold out to the WWF, Taz was who I marked for most of all in the late 90s. What a shame the last seven years have sullied my great memories of The Human Suplex Machine, and the most respectable ECW champion of all time.
His promos in ECW were beyond anything WCW or WWF had to offer, apart from Steve Austin.

7. THE WARLORD - It's well documented how much I idolised The Warlord. Yes, he was dumb. Yes, he was stupid. Yes, he was THE most dominant force ever in wrestling, even though his win/loss record may not have reflected it.
As part of The Powers Of Pain he and The Barbarian were every bit what pro wrestlers should look and act like.

6. "MR. PERFECT" CURT HENNIG - The most confident, arrogant and freakishly agile wrestler I can ever remember, Hennig was the ultimate superstar. He could seemingly do anything.
Innovative moves, infectious personality, great looks, you name it, Curt really was Mr. Perfect.
If anyone says Ken Kennedy was not majorly influenced by him, then they are lying through their back teeth.

5. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN - WCW in the early 90s introduced me to who I was sure even then would be wrestling's next Hulk Hogan. Here was a guy who had the looks of a bronzed surf-bum, who bore a passing resemblance to Kurt Cobain.
But for most of 1994 and all of 1995, I watched no wrestling at all.
Then... BANG! He burst onto my screen as the shaven headed hellraiser we all love, and lo and behold he was indeed the next Hulk Hogan! I believe nobody shook up the wrestling world like Austin and he was responsible for my newfound love of the sport.

4. THE UNDERTAKER - Ever since his awesome debut at Survivor Series 1990, I marked for Mark Calloway like no other in the 90s.
The thing I love about Taker most of all is his uncanny ability to keep himself fresh. He always seems to reinvent himself at exactly the right time, just as his act is about to turn stale.
As workers go, The Undertaker is pretty faultless. After a brief period of self-worship, when he would NOT put anybody over, he's matured into a guy who I reckon would be a pleasure to wrestle.

3. RIC FLAIR - Should really be on everyone's list of top ten wrestlers, even though today he is a shadow of his former self.
I only really got to know of Flair in the late eighties - some six or seven years after his prime, depending on your perspective. I always thought of Ric Flair as the antithesis to Hulk Hogan.
He let his personality do all the talking, and didn't rely on a great physique or stunning good looks.
He was the business.

2. "RAVISHING" RICK RUDE - Like a bronzed adonis, Rude would disrobe and give all the ladies a look at what real man looks like. So said the man. A great worker, speaker and all the looks of a movie star, Rude was a man who I always say was the best wrestler never to hold a major world title.

1. MICK FOLEY - As Cactus Jack, Mick had all the ingredients of a great heel. As Mankind, he captivated and encapsulated the rebirth of the WWF back in the mid 90s.
As the hardcore icon, Foley outdid EVERYBODY in the high-risk stakes, culminating in the infamous Hell In A Cell dive against The Undertaker, and in doing so, he rocketed himself to worldwide fame and my number one spot.

[OlympicHero]

This is a tricky one!!!! I'll have to divulge my reasons later on, but here is my Top Ten (in no particular order):

Hulk Hogan
The Ultimate Warrior
Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle (My definite Number 1)
Big Van Vader
Taz
Ric Flair
Steve Austin
Bret Hart and
The Undertaker

[Knoxville]

Yes very tricky indeed, I've been racking my brains for ages, yet I still can't come up with reasons either.

Bret Hart -
One of the greatest wrestlers the world will ever have. Always kept me intrested in the sport up until he left WWF then I went off of it until 2002. Shame he had his career cut short by crapberg.

Brock Lesnar -
The Buisness missed him, that's all I can say. He was a proper big man wrestler. He could do it all and wasn't scared to do the complete opposite of what the fans wanted him to do. His heel work was ten times better than anything he ever did as a face, no one has bought to the ring what he did ever since.

Christian -
One Hell of a charismatic guy, WWE dropped the ball on him and TNA picked it up. Abeit a bit late in my opinion, but Cage is great.

Taker -
Another great big man worker. How many wrestlers in the WWE can say they haven't wrestled him? He's a real company guy and it'll be a shame when he retires. He's another guy that kept me glued to the screen. His fued with Lesnar in late 2002 was one of the better I can remember in WWE.

Kane -
Another star WWE have dropped the ball on. Why hasn't he been champion more times than this now? Once and that was for 24 hours just doesn't cut it. Kane is a great performer but to me he needs his mask back.

AJ Styles -
A great all round performer. Infact he is the reason I started to watch TNA when TWC launched back in 2004. I was so suprised by what this guy could do. Infact I wish TNA would go back to the kind of programming where they had their own stars at the top, not WWE's releases.

Randy Orton -
I loved Orton as a performer since he came to the WWE in 2002 and had those awful blue and yellow shorts. The minute he stepped in the ring, you knew he was different to everything else the WWE was churning out then. Safe to say, he's a heel performer. Orton as a face just doesn't work, but this guy should be at the top alot more often than he has been.

Paul Burchill -
I had to have him in my top 3. Burchill is a cut above the rest, anyone who saw his pre WWE work knows that. Given the right oppourtunity this guy is awesome. His gimmick in OVW is working really well, WWE need to bring him back onto the Smackdown roster as a monster heel. Who know's we could then be looking at a british main eventer!

Roderick Strong - Metal, I don't know what it is about this guy but he appeals to me. I always think he is superb. A few of my mates who are into wrestling see it too. I think someone has missed the ball on Strong, he's a great performer.

Eddie Guerrero - What needs to be said about Eddie? Really? He was great. I still miss him everytime I turn on the TV to watch WWE. He had that connection with the fans that WWE had been missing since The Rock. Shame he died when he did. I think he would of been great in the main event scene for a long time coming.

[OlympicHero]

I'd actually like to change mine after a little a bit of thought:

Replace Bret Hart with Shawn Michaels...

[Angel]

My list:

10. Shawn Michaels - HBK is a future hall of famer. He is a star, when he wrestles he captivates you. When I watch his matches, I'm actually into them. I don't feel like changing the channel, he's a true entertainer. He makes you feel like you know he loves the business.

9. Kurt Angle - No one can pull off a Olympic upset like he can. When he returned to TNA, I couldn't believe it. He's an entertainer, but he also has some freestyle moves now and then which are pretty cool. He can talk on the mic, but I always worry if he will break his neck.

8. Rey Mysterio - Now this is a name that may or may not be on some people's lists, but he's on mine. Simply because of the fact he pulled off some amazing lucha libre during his time in wcw, his mic skills need work but he is one of the best smaller wrestlers I've ever seen.

7. Randy Orton - Well, Orton has rubbed off on me. I simply love what he's become as of late. I love how WWE calls him the Legend killer. He's one of the best 2nd generation stars right now, and he makes one bad ass heel. People still applaud him, even when he is bad. He's got so much potential, and they're letting him shine now. I can't wait to see him WWE champ again.

6. Ric Flair - A man of class and style. Still to this day he gets dressed with the rest of the boys. Doesn't even have his own locker room. Ric Flair is one of the founding fathers of the business, dating back to NWA. I remember his days with the Four Horsemen, and luckily I saw the dvd. You have to see it, if you haven't. I can't wait to see him in the Hall of Fame. It's way overdue. He's earned my respect, Flair is a legend. Plain and simple.

5. Hulk Hogan - The man who was the 80's franchise for WWF at the time. No one made me jump up and chant a wrestler's name like Hogan more than he did. Even when he played a heel in WCW, he still was beloved by his fans. He was brillant, he was the truely unstoppable. He was what Cena is today. Hogan was my idol growing up, I won't deny that.

4. The Rock - No one made me laugh more than The Rock did. He did some of the most brillant promos I ever heard and saw. He knew how to work a mic, and he could wrestle. Rock was a genius, and even if his wrestling skills weren't that great, his mic skills shined which was enough to cover him. He was a true entertainer, I never changed the channel when Rock was on tv.

3. Samoa Joe - One of the very few big men I've seen that can fly like he can. I had the pleasure to meet him, and he was so quiet when I asked to take a photo with him. Hehe. Anyways, they're letting him talk on the mic more and more now, and it turns out he's not so bad mic wise. He's got talent, and he shows guys why he was the longest running X Division champ. I don't usually care for TNA these days, but when he's on I love his matches. He's a star. Even his ROH stuff, he's amazing. One of the best big men flyers I've watched.

2. Bret Hart - Where to start. Bret Hart is a walking, talking, breathing legend. He was one of the best technical wrestlers of his day. I've watched his dvd, I've seen Wrestling with Shadows. Bret was the People's champion of his day. He exemplifed everything the business stood for. He is a man of class, and he could entertain you with one of his matches and keep you so into it you wouldn't even realize the match was over, till his hand was raised. At least that's what happened to me sometimes.. lol. Anyways, I love Bret. I wish he could return to the ring, I would give anything to see HBK/Hitman one last time.. but I know it won't happen. But he has my respect.

1. And of course, who else to round up my list, other than.......

Triple H. I abouselty love Trips, he is the game through and through for a reason. He has talent, and he can work a mic. People love him as a heel, and as a face. He was one half of the greatest faction of all time.. DX. Even though some say he has a power trip in the backstage area, it doesn't matter to me. When the music hits and I hear "It's time to play the game" I immeditately pay attention. Triple H undoubtedly has wrestled in some of the greatest matches of all time, and even though he's suspectible to injury, when he makes his return no doubt people are gonna cheer, and blow the roof off at Summerslam. He truely is the Game.

[MetalBlade]

That's a good top ten, Angel.
I am a bit concerned with the lack of The Warlord, but it seems Rey Mysterio occupies your novelty spot, so I'm at peace with that.

OH and Knoxville, you should post the reasons for your choices. That will be interesting.
I need to know if Taz is there for the same reasons I gave. And I'll bet nobody else in the world would name Roderick Strong in their top ten wrestlers of all time.
Pray tell, Knoxville.

[Knoxville]

There you go MB, I modifed my post for you

[MetalBlade]

Very good. I agree with Lesnar, hence my post in the other forum.
I remember seeing Burchill in FWA, and thought he was pretty awesome, but I strangely marked for him most as The Poirate.
I like Strong as well, but could not imagine him ever making my top ten. He would have to take a pretty intense bump, and I would have to see it IN PERSON for him to make that kind of leap.
Having said that, he remains one of the few workers who make it look like hard work in there. Bryan Danielson being another.

[OlympicHero]

OK, my reasons for my top 10.......and the actual order I'd put them in.....

10. SAMOA JOE: In a profession where the top spots are usually earmarked for wrestlers who can both work and have the right look (ie. Hollywood face, million dollar body), Joe has shattered the glass ceiling with his unbelieveable ability and agility. Everytime I've watched him wrestle he always makes it look so....real, as corny as that may sound. His endless array of classics with wrestlers from totally different ends of the spectrum (CM Punk to Abyss, AJ Styles to Kenta Kobashi etc...) proves that Joe is one of those rare talents that doesn't nessacarily have "the look" but will ALWAYS deliver 110% in every match he competes in.

9. BIG VAN VADER: Quite simply put, I believe that between 1991 and 1994, Vader was the most brutal and realistic big man in pro-wrestling. His feuds with Sting and Cactus Jack back in the day were incredible. He was nicknamed "The Rocky Mountain Monster"....and for good reason! Anybody who has seen his matches with Cactus and, to a slightly lesser extent, his matches with Sting can see just how physical he can be. He was the perfect definition of a wrestling monster......plus not many 450 pounders can execute a near perfect moonsault either!!!

8. TAZ: As MB said, I was a mark for this man back in 1998. His style was so different from anybody in ECW or anywhere else at the time. His endless array of suplexes were phenomenal and had the legit look of die hard killer. He was a true "Wrestling Machine" in the late 90's.

7. THE UNDERTAKER: Some will agree, some won't, but I feel Mark Callaway's eerie dead man gimmick is the best in the history of pro-wrestling. The fact that he's managed to keep it relatively fresh for close to 17 years(!) is amazing. Not only a great gimmick but a fantastic in ring performer. His submission skills are remarkable and anytime I see him fly over the top rope, my jaw still drops in amazement. The fan reactions he was receiving before he was injured showed that he has definitely reached the status that he's being described as. The word "Legend" gets thrown around alot in this, and many other sports, but there's no doubt that The Undertaker has earned that status.

6. BRET HART: Everything "The Hitman" did in the ring was as smooth as silk. He showed that he could have a fantastic outing with almost everyone he had a match with and helped bridge the gap between the big men and the smaller , more gifted, athletes when it comes to being a Main Eventer. As he liked to say, perhaps a little too much sometimes, he was "The Excellence of Execution".

5. HULK HOGAN: The man responsible for bringing wrestling into the mainstream. The first ever match I watched was Hogan vs Warrior from Wrestlemania VI....and because of Hogan, I've been a fan ever since. His ability to work a crowd is second to none and, in turning heel in 96, proved that he was/is far more than just the crowd pleasing, red and yellow wearin' brotha! As Hollywood, he breathed new life into an already legendary career and ensured his status as one of the greatest of all time.

4. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN: While Hogan was responsible for bringing wrestling into the mainstream, Austin was perhaps the main reason for wrestling coming into the 21st Century. the "Stone Cold" character came at the perfect time and was instrumental in providing the biggest boom period in wrestling history thanks to the Monday Night Wars. Like Hogan, Austin was smart enough to re-develop his character and has entertained this fan ever since his immortal making interview at King of the Ring '96. A future Hall of Famer for sure.

3. SHAWN MICHAELS: Many people consider HBK to be the greatest in-ring performer of all time......it's certainly an arguable point. Dating back to his Rocker days, HBK always showed why he would be a future World Champion......fantastic aerial ability, great catch as catch can style and, over time, a damn good promo. Even after a 4 year absence, he returned as good, if not better, than before and continues to prove to any critics that he still has "it".

2. RIC FLAIR: A true, bona fide World Champion. His charisma, promos, ability and all round aura has made him a true great. His Horsemen days are some of my favourite moments as a wrestling fan and his numerous classics with Steamboat, Windham, Harley Race and others will be forever etched into my memory.

1. KURT ANGLE: I consider Angle to be the greatest all rounder of all time, plus the fact that he's managed to achieve such an accolade in such a short amount of time is incredible. His promos are both intense and hillarious when they need to be and his in-ring skills are unbelieveable. The transaction of amateur to pro is by no means easy, but watching Angle you'd think it was the most simplest thing in the world! Continues to defy the critics by performing at the very best of his abilities.......nobody knows Angle's body better than the man himself, but let's hope he is in the right frame of mind to call it a day when he think's it's right. In my opinion, if he were to retire tomorrow, he'd still have written his name in wrestling history as the best of all time.

[Woo]

Well if you had asked me this 2 months ago then Chris Benoit would have been number 6th on my list, but I can't bring myself to include him now.

People just outside my top 10: Stone Cold, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam, British Bulldog, Samoa Joe, Edge, Alex Shelly, Christian Cage.

10. AJ STYLES:
the greatest wrestler in the world, imo anyway. Everything he does is perfect and he can tell a great story in the ring. Some knock his lack of character, but his heel turn and promos with Christian's Coalition have been hilarious and showed what a great all-rounder he is.

9. THE ROCK
The perfect all-round wrestler. Amazing wrestler but of course he is at his best when he has a microphone in his hand and was so funny. Hopefully he will return one day.

8. BRET HART
Technical master. Bret was involved in some of the greatest matches ever- vs Austin at Mania 13, vs HBK at Mania 12, vs Owen at Mania X and Summerslam 94. The only downside to Bret is that he was a little dull...

7. SHAWN MICHAELS
The Showstopper. All you have to do is look at his amazing matches with Bret, Austin, Angle, Razor Ramon, Undertaker, Foley, Diesel, Jannetty in ladder matches, hell in a cell matches, ironman matches, triple threats and street fights to understand why he is in my top 10.

6. RANDY SAVAGE
Forgotten legend. Hogan, Taker, Flair, Austin. Bret, HBK. Those names get thrown around a lot when people talk about the best of all time, but people forget the Machoman and I can't understand why. Hogan vs Andrew at Wrestlemania III is the most famous match ever, but it was Savage vs Steamboat that fans were raving about after watching that PPV and even today it tops 'Best match' lists. Randy though was also involved in the best matches at Mania IV, V, VII and VIII. Also look how over Jay Lethal is now by copying him to see how good he is. Ooooh yeah.

5. KURT ANGLE.
Mr. Consistent. Kurt is just an amazing wrestler and has been in so many classics. In fact almost every match he is in is great from cage matches with Benoit to forgotten Smackdown encounters with the likes of Hardcore Holly. I went off Angle recently but now he is a heel in TNA he is so much better....if only he would lose that stupid gum shield...

4. CHRIS JERICHO
King of the world. I am surprised that I am the only person to have Y2J in their lists. When I first started watching wrestling Y2J was my favorite and I quickly became a Jericoholic. He was an amazing in-ring worker, occasionally a little inconsistent perhaps, and amazing on the mic. True he never really made it as a constant main eventer or great world champion but I put that down to the WWE's fault, not his own.

3. EDDIE GURERRO.
Latino Heat. A mate of mine recently said that Eddie was one of his worst 10 wrestlers ever. I was shocked and asked why to which he replied "I hated his mullet...and his wife" which made me laugh and concede "good point". But despite that Eddie is my one of my favorites, more so for his character than his excellent wrestling ability. My favorite wrestling moment is when he teamed up with Angle and Benoit to face Rikishi, Edge and Taker. Eddie started screaming at Kurt and Chris as they started infighting, when to his horror he saw Rikishi standing behind him, before Latino Heat rested his arm on the phat man's shoulder and started acting all chummy with him. I was in stitches. Eddie's death is tragic but it was so great that he managed to get himself drug free and win a world title before he passed away. R.I.P

2. OWEN HART
Slammy award winner. I love Owen, like Eddie, for his character. The Rocket/King of Hearts/The Black Heart/The Nugget/The Blue Blazer/The Two-Time Slammy Award Winning Owen Hart was the goofiest guy ever and I loved it. The way he used to cheer after performing a move, walked to the ring talking to the camera, got his opponents in the sharpshooter and then looked for the camera to talk trash to it again make his laugh all the time. Also he was a genuine nice guy and in a business for of arseholes and politics that's a very good thing and the more I read about Owen (especially the ribs that him and Bulldog did to Lex Luger) the more I love him.

1. MCK FOLEY
Hardcore legend. IMO Mick Foley is the best promo guy ever, just look at the Cane Dewey and Anti-hardcore promos that he did in ECW on his greatest hits DVD to see him at his best. The promos were intense, funny, powerful and disturbing in equal measure and you can tell that he has wrestled (no pun intended) with every single word in his head before he utters them. Of course if you can't wrestle it doesn't matter how good your promos are and Foley was far better than the "Human Stuntman" that Flair dubbed him as. Every single thing Mick does in the ring has a reason to it and has been carefully planned out before, not just thrown together like most people's matches. But the main reason I like Foley is not for the promos, the barbwire, the thumbtacks, the tables, the chairs, or even THAT hell in a cell match- it's his autobiographies. It's in this books, that he wrote without a ghost writer, where you can truly understand what is going on in the head of Foley when he steps foot into the ring and makes his matches have more meaning and makes his promos that little bit more heartfelt.

Okay that's my top 10. Have a nice day.