-
-
-
-
-
- CBB Front Page
- Scores
- Teams
-
Conferences
- Players
- Stats
- Standings
- Rankings
- Schedules
- Women's Hoops
-
-
-
-
- Soccer Front Page
-
Leagues
- MLS
- England
- Champions
UEFA Cup- English Champ
Germany- Italy
Spain- France
Netherlands- Scotland
Belgium- Mexico
Copa Lib- Copa Sud
Copa Oro- Copa America
World Cup- FIFA U-20
Talk sports, pop culture and more with SI.com's Jimmy Traina.6/12/2006 09:50:00 AM Favorite Wrestlers of All Time
Flipping through the channels this weekend, I saw several promos for Jack Black's new wrestling movie, Nacho Libre. I also caught a few minutes of Hogan Knows Best on VH-1. I've seen the show many times before and quite frankly, the only thing on television that comes across as more scripted is professional wrestling. But putting that aside, there are few people from my generation who don't have a soft spot for Hulk Hogan. Not many stars were bigger in the '80s. And not many things were as big in the '80s as pro wrestling. So who were my all-time favorite wrestlers ('80s and beyond)? Read my list below and then send me your list.
1. The Rock: This list will be dominated by wrestlers from the '80s, but when wrestling had another boom in the late '90s, The Rock was at the forefront. While others before him could cut a promo just as good, no wrestler was as funny as this pie-eating, people's-elbow-dropping, jabroni-hating wrestler who always wanted to know if we could smell what he was cooking. Here's one clip of the Rock at his finest.
2. Ric Flair: The Rock was the most entertaining good guy, but nobody was a more entertaining bad guy than the Nature Boy. He could rant like a lunatic during his promos and then deliver those nasty chops that you heard come right through your television speakers.
3. Rowdy Roddy Piper: Probably the only man who could give Flair a run for his money as best bad guy. Piper's Pit was always the best part of the Saturday morning show. And who could ever forget Piper breaking a coconut over Jimmy Snuka's head? Which leads me to ...
4. Jimmy Snuka: From wrestling barefoot to flashing the "I Love You" sign as he prepared to soar in the air, the Superfly will always be best remembered for jumping from the top of a steel cage.
5. Rick Rude: Nobody, I repeat, nobody fired up the crowd better with his pre-match mic work than the Ravishing One, who would ask for quiet from the fat, sweaty, smelly crowd while he took his robe off. Take a look for yourself.
6. Hulk Hogan: The Hulkster's act got tired after a while (I mean, he ALWAYS won), but he's an icon. He's part of Americana. He got thousands of kids to say their prayers and eat their vitamins. And he had two great entrance songs. First, Eye of the Tiger, then Real American. Not to mention, he also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
7. Bobby Heenan: The best manager ever. He tried so hard to find a guy who could beat Hulk Hogan and always failed, which made the Brain even more maniacal -- and more entertaining.
8. Andre the Giant: He was a lovable giant whose hand covered everyone's face. He was 7-foot-4, 500 pounds and appropriately nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World. And he was involved in perhaps the biggest match ever, when he lost to Hulk Hogan in front of 90,000 people at the Silverdome at Wrestlemania III.
9. George "The Animal" Steele: The man's entire body was covered in hair and he ate the turnbuckles. Enough said.
10. tie: Howard Finkle/Mean Gene Okerlund/Gorilla Monsoon: They're not wrestlers, but their voices are synonymous with the WWF/WWE. When I was a kid, I'd always be on the edge of my seat when Finkle would announce the results of a match that had just ended because time ran out. It was ALWAYS a draw. ALWAYS. Yet, I'd wait for that announcment with bated breath just in case, and Finkle was a master at stringing you along with his "Ladies and gentleman, the result of this match is ... ... ... ... ... ... A DRAW!!!" Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura were simply the greatest announcing team ever, the Madden and Summerall of pro wresting. And Mean Gene was a character. His outrage over the shady actions of the bad guys was laughable.
I know a lot of great wrestlers were left off this list, but it's my top 10. Send me yours.Comments:
COME ON!!!! A Top Ten list without Stone Cold?? "Austin 3:16" is still a religous verse in some parts of the country!Two more for you, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and the tag team duo of The Road Warriors.
Good List though, nice to see Piper up there.I like your list.... Lot of solid choices couple more for your consideration... Steinbrothers: Back in the day they were the only ones doing lots of out of the box moves, later became hated rivals. The Ultimate Warrior: Short shelf life, but wrestling life was like Jimmy Hendrix... Getting more appealing the further from him I get.Scott Hall, enough said!WOW, clearly you were a WWF/WWE kid, but you DID leave out some obvious choices-The Ulitmate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Sting, Shawn Michales--and what no Macho Man, are you seriousStone Cold Steve Austin is a favorite of mine. And lets not forget the ladies of wrestling - where do I begin??1) The Rock
2) Ric Flair
3) Stone Cold Steve Austin
4) Roddy Piper
5) The Road Warriors
6) Sting
7) Hulk Hogan
8) Dusty Rhodes
9) Mick Foley
10)George "The Animal" SteeleCertainly not deserving of the list, but my favorite wrestler was Paul "Mr. Wonderfull" Orndorf. When I was a kid, and still optimistic about Hogan loosing his title, Ordorf seemed like the guy who could do it. Remember when he turned on Hogan at the end of a tag team mach? And the classic steel cage match that followed?I was a big fan of WWF in the 80's, but its revival in the 90's had a lot to do with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I just don't know who I would take off your list to fit him.Is this a joke? The fact that you left Stone Cold Steve Austin off of this list proves that you don't know what you are talking about. When wrestling became stagnant, he was the catalyst for the turnaround. He modernized wrestling by taking it from a black and white...good guy and bad guy...set up to the shades of gray that exists today.There are so many out there left unnamed. Here are a few of my favorites
1. The Ultimate Warrior
2. The Legion of Doom
3. The Bushwackers - Need them today for the Dubya.
4. The British Bulldog
5. Ted Debiase "the Million dollare man"
6. Jake "the Snake"
7. Sting
8. Stone Cold Steve Austin
9. Junkyard Dog
10. Doctor DeathCome on. Where is Sting? He was to WCW what Hulk Hogan was to WWF. I am glad you put Ric Flair above Hulk Hogan. How is Bobby "The Brain" Heenan above Andre The Giant. Also, how could you leave Vince McMahon off. Do a little more homeworkPerhaps not the best wrestler of all time, but definitely the best name was “The One Man Gang.” Colorful, ambiguously descriptive, and with just a touch of arrogance, the name remains a classic.Nice list! You left quite a few off but its hard to pick a list of only ten. I think I'd add Junkyard Dog, the Bushwackers, and Goldberg in there somewhere.First off, no Sting, Macho Man, Triple H or Vince McMahon? I do give you credit for putting Ric Flair above the overrated Hulk Hogan.How about "Iron" Mike Sharpe? He had that "wrist" injury for seemingly forever? When I was growing up in SOuth Philly, I used to stand in front of a supermarket and ask old ladies if they needed help with their bags for tips so I could buy tickets to go to the Spectrum to see wrestling. I'll never forget being there when Andre the Giant body slammed Big John Studd in the steel cage match in August 1983. Then I turned 12, starting noticin girls, and haven't watched wrestling since.How in the heck is the fan favorite, and one of my personal favorites as well, Mick Foley (aka: Mankind, Cactus Jack, and...darn, I forget the other name he briefly used)!!! If you list George the Animal Steele for eating turnbuckles...Mick wrested in a ring of barbed wire, lost an ear, a lot of teeth, caught on fire when C-4 exploded to close to him, fell 30 feet and knocked himself unconscious (how many times???), etc... The list of outstanding accomplishments goes on and on and on and... Besides all that, he was funny, likeable, and has a smokin’ hot wife.
Just my $0.02.I agree with most of our list. I would have to add Junkyard Dog. He was my absolute favorite. I remember hearing "Another One Bites the Dust" on the radio when I was older and realizing it was a real song. I thought that was written for him. RIP JYD.1. Chief Jay Strongbow
2. Haystacks Calhoun
3. Mr. Fuji
4. Captain Lou Albano
5. Classy Freddie Blassie
6. Stone Cold Steve Austin
7. The Rock
8. Johnny Rodz
9. The Ultimate Warrior
10. Nikkoli VolkoffI guess I'm a few years older, but I had lost interest in wrestling by the 80s. But one of my first heros as a kid was a bad guy named Tojo Yamamoto. I also liked all of the other Memphis wrestlers that were popular then, like Jerry Lawler, Dutch Mantel, Bill Dundee, King Kong Bundy, and of course all of the great tag teams, especially those that were masked.You admitted that your personal cultural frame of reference highly influenced your selections, for this I applaud you. And also for your thoughtful inclusion of George "The Animal" Steele ( a real life school administrator as I recall). Two wrestlers that carried the sport in bygone days, whose names deserve mention are Chief Jay Strongbow and Bruno Samartino.1. Mr. Perfect - Gotta love a guy who claimed to be perfect and could spit out his chewing gum and whack into the fans with his hand
2. Ultimate Warrior - No description needed - why wasn't he on your list?!
3. The first version of the Undertaker - When he was first introduced, nobody was badder than him. Ever.
4. Hogan
5. Piper
6. Snuka
7. Bruno Samaratino - The guy was a legend.
8. The Bushwackers - two undersized, crazy guys that were pure entertainment
9. Stone Cold Steve Austin - He was right up there w/ the Rock in the late 90s. Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold!
10. Kurt Angle - The switch he made from good guy Olympic Champion to bad guy was historic.
6.You can't forget the likes of Captain Lou Albano from the manager's realm or other famous grapplers such as Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhoades or Sting.1. The Ultimate Warrior
2.The Modern Warrior Kerry Von Erich
3. Slick Rick Flair
4. Sting
5. Rick Rude
6. Lex Luger
7. Kevin Von Erich
8. Road Warriors
9. Rock n Roll Express
10. Paul Orndorffas for mean gene, i liked it when he'd wave a wrestler in for an interview, and the wrestler had to glance down at the cue card to make sure he had the right city to mention and promote for an upcoming card.
wasn't mean gene's son an all american hockey player somewhere, like minnesota or wisconsin?
anyway, my favorite wrestler/team was the missing link. once, when managed by heenan, link was prowling in the corner near heenan in a match against hogan. heenan yelled, "get him" at link. then, link looked at heenan, raised his arms to choke him and heenan yells, "NO! get HIM!" and points to hogan.
link looks over his shoulder, sees hogan, acts surprised that another person is in the ring (think curly howard), and then attacks hogan.
priceless drama/acting!
i was also very fond of "kamala, the ugandan beast." he would be led to the ring in chains by a bunch of handlers like he was a hungry lion or something.
just hilarious.1. Bret Hart
2. Bret Hart
3. Bret Hart
4. Bret Hart
5. Bret Hart
6. Bret Hart
7. HHH
8. Ultimate Warrior
9,10. The Rockers1. The Ultimate Warrior
2.The Modern Warrior Kerry Von Erich
3. Slick Rick Flair
4. Sting
5. Rick Rude
6. Lex Luger
7. Kevin Von Erich
8. Road Warriors
9. Rock n Roll Express
10. Paul OrndorffWow, I find it really hard to believe that Stone Cold Steve Austin failed to make your list. Back in the day, could you go anywhere and not see atleast one Austin 3:16 T-Shirt? The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin led the comeback of wrestling in the mid to late 90s and man they were fun to watch......And that's the bottom line, cause Stone Cold says so!1. Ric Flair "whoooooo". nuf said.
2. The Rock - best combo of promos and moves.
3. Mick Foley - more characters and general disreguard for his well being than anyone.
4. The Hulkster.
5. Rowdy Roddy Piper -made a man in a skirt cool
6. Dusty Rhodes - The american dream made up words and phrases only James Brown could understand.
7. The Fabulous Freebirds - just for their entrance music and robes alone.
8. Stone Cold Steve Austin - beer drinking and hatred of authority king of the red necks.
9. Ted Dibiasse - best maniacal laugh ever.
10. Jesse the Body - told it like it was.what, no Stone Cold Steve Austin???My Top 10-
1.) The Crusher - I'm from Milwaukee and he was the first wrestler I thought was cool. He proclaimed that his training regimen included carrying quarter barrels of Pabst up hills.
2.) Sting
3.) Superstar Billy Graham - a larger than life caricature.
4.) Hogan/Thunderlips
5.& 6) The Road Warriors - they where better in the WCW than in the WWF.
7.) Rick Steiner - I've always wanted the dog-faced gremlin tattoo.
8.) Baron Von Rashke - You have to love the Clawmaster!
9.) Ric Flair - Woooooo! A jet-flyin, limo riding son of a gun!
10.) Harley Race - Ugly, but a great bad guy.My top ten in no particular order.
1. Bret Hart
2. Shawn Michales
3. The Undertaker
4. The Rock
5. Hogan
6. Stone Cold Steve Austin
7. Randy Savage
8. Rick Rude
9. Mr. Perfect
10. StingThis is the worst top 10 of anything I have ever seen. How could Jimmy Snuka be ranked above Hulk Hogan, and where is Stone Cold Steve Austin? You obviously only watched wrestling in the 80s. The late 90s revival was due to Hulk Hogan turning into Hollywood Hogan and Steve Austin's lewd mic work.In no particular order-
The Rock
Abdullah the Butcher
Ric Flair
Tony Atlas
Tommy "Wildfire" Rich
Dusty Rhodes
Ivan Koloff
The Iron Sheik
Randy Savage
StingI can't actually believe I'm responding to this but... here are some other notables: Mil Mascaras, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Ivan Kolov, Tommy Rich, Giant Baba just to name a fewULTIMATE WARRIOR needs to be on that list
and maybe not as famous but Mr Perfect, but that perfect plex was nasty
and i hated him but Brett Hart
Ted Dibiasi tooFavorite 80's Wrestlers of All Time
1. Hulk Hogan
2. Ultimate Warrior
3. Macho Man Randy Savage
4. Andre the Giant
5. King Kong Bundy
6. Roddy Piper
7. Brutus Beefcake
8. Jake the Snake
9. Junk Yard Dog
10. Ricky the Dragon SteamboatHow about the American Dream Dusty Rhodes? Nobody could cut a promo like Dusty.Here is an obscure guy, that wont make manys list.
The 1-2-3 Kid. Heh.
Who was the guy that always wrestled Sting and spit stuff from his mouth? I think he was Chinese or Japanese?I would add Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Brutus the Barber Beefcake and Jake the Snake Roberts.1.Bruno Samartino
2.Killer Kawoski
3.Andre The Giant
4.Dusty Rhodes
5.Chief Wahoo McDaniel
6.Ric Flair.."WOOOOOOO!"
7.Hulk Hogan
8.Rowdy Roddy Piper
9.Th Steiner Brothers
10.tie.. The Rock,Lex Lugar,Sting
Worst All Time "El' Gigante"Here are some guys that should be on the list. Let's reminisce together:
1. 747 One Man Gang
2. Old School Undertaker
3. King Kong Bundy!
4. Big Bossman
5. Jake the Snake Roberts
6. Papa Shango
7. Demolition
8. Macho Man
9. Virgil
10. Earthquake - rest in peace.
I wish it was 1988 again.I have watched Wrestling, almost to the point of religiously, for almost 20 years now. The problem I have with this list is that wrestling is very generational. There were wrestlers like Harley Race, Bruno Sammartino, Captain Lou Albano, Buddy Rogers, Bobo Brazil who were huge during their time, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jimmy Snuka, who were big in the 80's, and guys like Stone Cold, the Rock, Bret Hart, just to name a few who were big in the 90's.
In my opinion, you need to make multiple lists for the different decades of wrestling.To not give the Hulkster the top spot is a travesty. Sure you can talk about his act, but he pushed wrestling to the forfront WORLDWIDE more than anybody else!
That said, great list, was just thinking about rick rude and snuka, and glad to see they made it.How can anyone not put The Hit Man Bret Hart. I know he is from canada but he was stil one of the best, and who could forget how he was bretrayed. Definitly top three. Mancho Man and Sting top five forsure and how about the Undertaker and Jake the Snake top ten respectfullyI agree with the other comments - Stone Cold should be on it - as for the Rock - other than giving a good interview his wrestling matches are lame and boring and the "people's elbow" has to be the lamest finishing maneuver ever - but he does give a great interview - i do miss those pipers pits though - too bad we all gotta grow oldHow could you possibly forget Bret Hart? Sad, very sad...1. Hulk Hogan
2. Sting
3. The Rock
4. Brett Hart
5. Goldberg
6. Stone Cold Steve Austin
7. Brutis the Barber
8. Rickt The Dragon Steamboat
9. Ric Flair
10. The Steiner BrothersThe rebirth of wrestling wasn't the Rock, as great as he was. It was before him with a man named Stone Cold Steve Austin. The beer drinking, management dissing who gives a **** attitude is what fans went nuts for. He has to be #1. You also left off the Mach Man which really shows you have little credibilty! ANd where's the "Show Stopper" Heres your list. Next time just ask for help!
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
2. The Rock
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Macho Man Randy Savage
5. Rowdy Roddy Piper
6. Ric Flair
7. The Undertaker
8. Bret Hart
9. Kane
10. HHHTHE ULTIMATE WARRIOR!!!
He was a nut job, but he was the only guy I saw beat Hulk in his prime.You guys are doing a great job. I appreciate all the suggestions. Keep 'em coming. Keep in my mind, I only wanted to list 10 wrestlers, so it was tough squeezing them all in. Guys who just missed the cut were Dusty Rhodes, Shawn Michaels, the Road Warriors and Mick Foley.
As for Stone Cold, I understand his role in the wrestling rebirth and would never deny the fact that he's right there with Hogan and the Rock in terms of popularity. But for me, his act got old fast. And his feud with McMahon became extremely stale.Give Jimmy a break! He said that his top ten are HIS FAVORITE wrestlers NOT the "10 Best Wrestlers" ever. Here is my Top 10 List Based on popularity, entertainment, skill, merchandise sales, and worldwide appeal:
1. Bret "Hitman" Hart
2. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Randy "Macho Man" Savage
5. Duane "The Rock" Johnson
6. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
7. Sting
8. Kurt Angle
9. The Undertaker
10. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Over-rated: Triple H, Lex Luger, Randy Orton, Ultimate WarriorAm I the only one who remembers "Mr. Boogie Woogie Man" from the 80's? Come on, he helped define the "good guy" character....
And flip side being, the "Iron Sheik".....CLASSICS!!!I can't believe you would leave the Von Erich's off the list... they started the whole wrestling can appeal to women scenario!!!Here comes the Axe, here comes the Smasher, the Demolition, walking destruction.Here comes the Axe, here comes the Smasher, the DEMOLITION, walking destruction.Bob Backlund
Kurt Angle
Ken Patera
The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika)
Bruno Sammartino
The Valiant Brothers
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Ric Flair
Pat Patterson
Harley RaceYou left off The Road Warriors. They have to be there. Plus, you need to add Macho Man Randy Savage.I wasn't going to respond, but after reading the list, I would have thought someone would have mentioned Ivan Putski. The "Polish Hammer" was around forever, morphing from a pot-bellied pole, to a buff pile of muscles. And in the manager category, don't forget The Grand Wizard.When Vince McMahon "screwed" Bret Hart and emerged as the uber-heel, he revitalized the WWF. He was, and is, possibly the greatest heel of all time.great list!
I wouldn't have gone with the brain. I would have gone with the ultimate warrior instead. Although his career was pretty short in comparison to most.1. The New Age Outlaws
2. Tommy "Wildfire" Rich
3. Ric Flair
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin
5. The Rock
6. Rowdy Roddy Piper
7. The Undertaker
8. Dusty Rhodes
9. Terry Funk
10. Kevin SullivanI agree with the other comments - Stone Cold should be on it - as for the Rock - other than giving a good interview his wrestling matches are lame and boring and the "people's elbow" has to be the lamest finishing maneuver ever - but he does give a great interview - i do miss those pipers pits though - too bad we all gotta grow oldHow about Tito Santana?HONKYTONK MAN!seriously you all might be a little out of your gourd how is it that know one is going to even mention Triple H there was time in the late 90s and early 2000s where he completely carried the WWE when injuries and boring story lines were eating up the company, he confrontations with some of the best wrestling has to offer are priceless, we fought all the big names in wrestlings recent past and present, I am not a big fan of his but his abilities cannot be over looked,No one could ever top the ROAD WARRIORS. They were indestructable. Not only were they great wrestlers, but they were great entertainers and they were feared. They destroyed everthing they came across.
Another to mention, is MICK FOLEY. No matter what character he was, he put in 110%.
Oh yeah, The Rock should be on the all-time WORST list. He can't wrestle to save his life. Awful.Slow down folks. Jimmy said that those wrestlers were HIS favorite. How can you tell him that HIS favorites are wrong? If he had said that those wrestlers were THE BEST of all time, then send you scathing remarks in.....until then, let the man say who HIS favorite wrestlers are, you can either disagree or agree with his selection. But he is NOT WRONG! Wayne Smith1. Hulk Hogan (The only reason a lot of people know who any wrestlers are)
2. Bret Hart (Best there is, best there was, best there ever will be.)
3. Shawn Michaels (Yeah, I follow Hart with the guy who helped Vince screw him over. But is one of the most exciting performers ever.
4. Triple H (Probably a bit higher than he should be, due to my love of Motorhead. But, he has more influence on the company in the 2000's than anyone else.)
5. Sting (I prefered his spiked, bleached hair gimmick, rather than the "Crow" Sting. But, along with Hogan, the reason WCW was huge in the mid 90's.)
6. Randy Savage (Just an absolute Icon).
7. The Rock (Explaination already given)
8. Chris Benoit (most underrated wrestler of the last 15 years. Not a better technical wrestler alive.)
9. Eddie Guerrero (RIP. Amazing character, amazing energy. Lie, Cheat and Steal.)
10. The Undertaker (Pre-biker. Had awesome agility for a man who is 6'10", 300+ lbs.)
Forgive me for leaving out some of the older guys, I am only 19. LOL. As for leaving Ric Flair off, I never saw him in his prime. And when I have seen him, I didn't care for him.Missing a few
Sgt Slaughter - the man had his own GI Joe action figure
Rock and Roll Express
Tito Santana
Honky Tonk Man
Bob BacklundMY TOP 10 FACTIONS
1. D-X
2. FOUR HORSEMEN
3. ROAD WARRIORS
4. THE HART FOUNDATION
5. N.O.D.(NATION OF DOMINATION)
6. THE NWO
7. EVOLUTION
8. THE BRITISH BULLDOGS
9. THE DUDLEYS
10.THE NWO WOLFPACKI cannot disagree with your list at all. As a fan of wrestling since the age of 8 or 9 here is my list in no particular order:
Ric Flair
Kurt Angle
Ricky Steamboat
Arn Anderson
Bobby Eaton
RVD
Bret Hart
Steve Austin
Brock Lesnar
Chris Jericho
I am a wrestling fan, one that enjoys the actual wrestling that is involved that goes beyond the flash and personalities. My list consist of those wrestlers that could wrestle. Any opponent at anytime in any match. Four fingers held high!i'm having great flashbacks looking at these comments... the piper bashing snuka one is a classic ("you wanna ba-na-na - have a ba-na-na" is a classic piper line!!)
How is the Iron Sheik not mentioned yet?? that guy cut the best promos... it was always the same "iran #1 , russia #1 - usa HACH PHEW" and he'd spit on the ground..
also kamala was great - slap belly , jump 2 times , slap belly again - growl... easy routine to remember...
ahh the good ol days of rasslin...Does anyone remember such characters as the "Missing Link" who pulled his hair and spewed green mist everywhere.
I would take the British Bulldogs as the greatest tag team.
Greatest manager = Classy Freddie Blassie and his cane.No list would be complete without including Randy "Macho Man" Savage and his beautiful ringside accomplice, Miss Elizabeth!!!Thank you for thie vid of the Rock. I had forgottenn just how great the "GREAT ONE" was.I think you could put wrestlers into so many categories(in ring, interview, fan base, bad guy) but since you said "favorites" and since im a bad guy fan here is mine
1. Ric Flair "the dirtiest player in the game
2. Roddy Piper (the pit is classic)
3. Mr. Perfect (the gum thing still gives me cold chills)
4. Ted Dibiase (everybody has a price)
5. Jim Cornette (tennis racket and all)
6. The Rock (during the nation days)
7. Bobby Heenan (bad guy days)
8. Arn Anderson (those broke 4 fingers scared the hell outta me
9. Brett Hart "excellence of execution"
10. VINCE
9.Let's remember this is the "favorite" wrestlers, not the best or most popular. Its completely based on the individual. I personally didn't care very much for the goody-too-shoes good guys, so Hogan was never high on my list. His matches were also predictable to a fault. Here's my ten, in no particular order:
-"Nature Boy" Ric Flair
-"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson
-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
-Andre the Giant
-Road Warriors/Legion of Doom
-"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hening
-Superstar Billy Graham
-The Rock
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage
-Michael PS Hayes
There are a lot more I could add, but wanted to keep it at ten.1. Ric Flair
2. The Rock
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Dusty Rhodes
5. Macho Man
6. Stone Cold
7. Jake The Snake Roberts
8. The Road Warriors
9. Sean Michaels
10. The Four HorsemanMy Top 10:
1. Rowdy Roddy Piper
2. The Rock
3. Ric Flair
4. Bret Hart
5. Shawn Michaels
6. Hulk Hogan
7. Sting
8. The Road Warriors
9. Oooohhhh yeahhhhh! Macho Man Randy Savage
10. Chris BenoitHow can you forget the man with the parrot, Coco B WareNo one could get the crowd as pumped up as the Ultimate Warrior. Just the mention of his name would get your adrenaline pumping, watching him running into the ring would get me so hyped up I would start kickin the crap out of my little brother!! BEST OF ALL TIME!!
A close second is Hogan. Old Hogan, not new Hogan. Old Hogan was the man. When he was almost beat, and he would do his little hand twitching, to come back, and turn things around and beat his opponent, that was my favorite move against my brother. He would run out of the room screaming!
1. Ultimate Warrior
2. Hulk Holgan
3. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
4. Rick The Dragon Steamboat
5. Mick Foley
6. British Bulldogs
7. Steve Austin
8. Randy Savage
9. King Kong Bundy
10. The RockA few of my favorites (in no particular order)...
*The Rock
*Animal and Hawk - The Road *Warriors
*Hacksaw Jim Dugan
*The Ultimate Warrior
*Koko B Ware
*Superfly Jimmy Snuka
*Bret Hart - The Excellence of Execution
*Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
and I know this one will be flamed, but the Road Dogg Jessie James...I like his his whole early personaI.R.S.-Irwin R. ScheisterAlthough he didn't wrestle, no list is complete without reference to Brother Love. "I love yoouuu!"
Personal favoites of mine include Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake and Greg "the Hammer" valentine.Like you, I grew up a WWF guy, but the first time I saw the Midnight Express & Jim Cornette punking out babyfaces, I became a better wrestling fan. It's hard to find a better-working tag team.
And I'd also like to list Joel Gertner among the managers, for providing the funniest, raunchiest promos ever. You can find at least one good montage of his work on YouTube.All worthy picks and they make me think back to those early Saturday mornings. What about the names, Sting, Wild Samoans, The Iron Shiek, the Tonga Kid (Superfly's nephew) and before big names fought big names on TV, there were the weekly punching bags:
Jose Luis Rivera
SD JonesAkeem The African Dream and the Honkytonk Man. 'Nuff said.I haven't heard anyone say Yokuzuna. not that he's my favorite. Ultimate Warrior isn't there. Bret Hart isn't there. and where in god's name is the UNDERTAKER?!10 favourites.
1. Mr. Wonderful
2. The Natural Butch Reed
3. Ravishing Rick Rude
4. Hercules Hernandez
5. The original Rock, The Rock Don Morrocco.
6. Stunning Steve Austin ( the "What" of stone Cold Ruined him for me)
7. Flying Brian Pillman
8. The Honkey Tonk Man
9. The Macho Man Randy
10. Killer KhanWhat about the most versatile wrestler ever:
Steve Lombardi - A.K.A the Brooklyn Brawler, the MVP, Knuckleball SchwartzI don't think SI should be writing about wrestling. It lacks gravitas.Stacy Keibler
LOD
Ric Flair
Roddy Piper
Bret Hart
Randy Savage
Steiner Brothers
HHH
Sabu
The Franchise Shane DouglasDang, I read through this whole list and only saw one single mention of The Rockers (that was Sean Michaels and some other guy, Marty Janeti or something right)?
Only watched wrestling back in the Ultimate Warrior/Rockers days, but here's some:
1) The Rockers - most acrobatic and exciting combo ever
2) Ultimate Warrior - I dunno, when I was little he was my wrestling hero
3) Legion of Doom (I never knew them as the Road Warrios)
4) Bushwhackers - just plain crazySD Jones - nice work. His 9 second loss to King Kong Bundy might still be the record.Hmmm, I think a top-ten list would almost have to include the name Von Eric somewhere (maybe instead of George "The Animal" Steel).
But this seems like a good WWF list.
PS Monsoon actually WAS a wrestler...there are some more obscure guys that are being forgotten about.
As absurd as The Animal Steele was how about Abdullah the Butcher.
And who was more annoying on a Mic that Leaping Lenny Poffo.There is one way to get people to disagree with you.. talk about the best bands or wrestlers. I thought it said your favourites... I guess you must have forgotten your favourite wrestler is the Ultimate warrior judging by the comments. Entertaining story with great comments.IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU THINK THE BEST IS!!!!!!!!
1) The Rock
2) The Rock
3) The Rock
4) The Rock
5) The Rock
6) The Rock
7) The Rock
8) The Rock
9) Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake
10) Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine + the Figure 4 Leg LockArturo in San Diego reminded me of how much I loved Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express. The rasslers were better than okay, but Cornette is up there in the all-time interview list with Flair, Hogen, Foley and the Road Warriors.
Met a fan once -- said one of the highlights of his life was seeing the WCW in the TBS studios and getting his face and his poster (an anti-Midnight Express sign) on TV.
Cornette didn't miss a beat by replying, "now that guy has bad-mouthin us for years and that's the first time he's spelled our name right!"
Don't get much better than that.The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkov as the America-hating tag team duo, no better "bad" guys than them.Jerry Lawler, for his wrestling in the 80's, not his commentaries since. Oh yeah, and RVD from his ECW days, never saw crazier stuff in my life.The hell with Stone Cold. What about the greatest jobber of them all???? Great list, I agree with most of it.
1. "The Duke of Dorchester" Pete Doherty
2. The Rock
3. Ric Flair
4. Roddy Piper
5. Rick Rude
6. Razor Ramon
7. Mr Perfect
8. Jake The Snake Roberts
9. The Million Dollar Man--Those early promos when he'd kick the kids out of the pool and make people kiss his feet...Classic.
10. Hulk HoganThe Brooklyn Brawler... that guy was a shining beacon of sportsman ship...
And the Million Dollar Man... Every body's got a price...I was starting to think I'd dreamed all the wrestling I've ever watched, like that horrible episode of Dallas when an entire season was revealed to be someone's dream. Then finally I saw a list that included Bret the Hit Man Hart. The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.
Also, it was good to see folks mention Davey Boy Smith and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat. Steamboat's matches against Randy Savage were legendary.
I give you kudos, though, for leaving out Steve Austin. He wasn't a good wrestler, plain and simple. For the same reason, I would actually have left the Hulkster out completely. He was an icon, but he really couldn't wrestle well.
One more who I haven't seen mentioned, but an absolute favourite of mine: the Canadian Crippler, Chris Benoit.
Thanks for putting together an entertaining list.Great stuff....brought me back to some great memories:
other notables:
.Paul Orndorf "Mr. Wonderful"
.Sgt. Slaughter
.Rocky Johnson (Father of The Rock)
.the tag team of Mike Ritando & Barry Windham.
To name but a few......No no no no no, this is way off. I see no Rusty Brooks, no S.D. (Special Delivery) Jones, no Tony Garea, no Goldie Rogers, no Mario Mancini and no Terry Gibbs.
A list such as this needs personalities like Bruiser Brody, The Sheik, Abdullah The Butcher, "Iron" Mike Sharpe, Johnny K-9 and last but most certainly not least Kamala The Ugandan Giant (and his "Man Friday" Kim Chee).The Legion of Doom: The Road Warriors, Hawk & Animal w/Precious Paul as manager.
The Von Erich Bros vs. The Fabulous Freebirds,
Mil Mascaras, El Santo, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, The British Bulldogs, Ric Flair, Ole & Arn Anderson, Abdullah the Butcher (I always expected to see blood when he wrestled)How about SD "Special Delivery" Jones & The Mulkey Brothers?
I was a big Paul Orndorff fan back then and The Road Warriors when they were bad guys out there kickin' butt.
Modern day, I'd have to throw in:
Triple - H (deserves to be ranked as one of the best EVER)
Rob Van Dam
Edge
Chris JerichoAnyone remember Bob Backland?
He went undefeated for years (or seems like it) when WWF was just getting started.how di u leave off the von erichs. if it wasnt for TEXAS you would not have wrestling. go mavs!!!!well..i was glad to see "ravishing" rick rude on there...he was hilarious..plus he made out with hot chicks...but im agreeing with everyone else....how did you leave off stone cold?...i was also a fan of bret hart..and demolition...they were scary as hell when i was a kid...how about shawn michels, akeem (with the great hand dance), earthquake, yokozuna, lex luger..oh..and of course the undertaker!!!!dusty rhodes, gordon solie the ol' announcer (spelling?), gotta have hacksaw, ivan kolof hehe, lou albano, jake the snake, van eriks???, remember the great kabuki and his green poweder/dust...also how can you leave off the macho man?J. start swinging a chair. 1. the rock 2. the von erichs 3. wahoo mcdaniels 4. stone cold steve austin 5. rick flair 6. ultimate warrior. 7. eddie guerrerro 8. Legion of Doom and Precious Paul Ellerging 9. Mil Mascaras 10. SABUGreat list ... some honorable mentions that got left off ...The Ulitmate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors (already mentioned), but what about The British BullDog and Dr. Claw ... all great old school wrestlers .... some memories will never be forgotten!How can we forget, Tony Atlas, Ivan Putski (Polish Hammer). Chief Jay Strongbow....I'm probably a little younger than you but this is my list from my time....
1. Ultimate Warrior
2. The Rock
3. The Rockers
4. The Hart Foundation
5. LOD
6. Hulkster
7. Stone Cold
8. Razor Ramone/Scott Hall
9. Macho Man
10. The Godfather (obviously not a legend, but com'on a straight up Pimp on TV everyday, with the Hooooo train, not to mention the Papa Shengo and Comma characters.How can anyone make a list and leave the Honkey Tonk man off and Gregg "the hammer" Valentine. The haammer had the absolute best face first fall of any wrestler to this day.Jimmy "The Mouth of the South" Hart was way more entertaining than Heenan. All Heenan did was whine. Jimmy got you so pissed you wanted to shove that bullhorn... well, you get the idea.
Hillbilly Jim! He's gotta be one of my favorites. When I was little I used to think he was Santa's cousin or something. How much more do you want than a big bearded dude in overalls? Classic!
OOh! How can you forget Barry Horowitz? Who the hell is Barry Horowitz? He was the guy on Saturdays & Sundays week in & week out would get his ass beat by any of the big name guys. He was a pawn, but a good pawn. He'd start his pre-game match with a pat on his own back. No personality or fancy name needed, just a nice Jewish boy who got spanked on a weekly basis by everyone he ever faced.1. Hulk Hogan
2. Ric Flair
These two dominated their respective TV lands, one with Ted Turner, and one with Vince Mcmahon.
3. The Rock
4. Sting
5. Roddy Piper, only because in one of the old video games he used to hit people in the "nether-regions", and it would make this cool "DING" sound.
6. Andre the Giant... C'mon, the guy was a freakin' giant
7. Lex Luger, what a cool finishing move "The Rack" was, put people on his shoulders and broke their back
8. Dusty Rhodes, no one bled like Dusty
9-tie- The Ultimate Warrior, and Goldberg, I once saw the Warrior shake the ropes when I was about 8, and it was the coolest thing I ever saw. Goldberg also was a short timer, but he sure put a hurtin' on his share while he was in.
10. Bret the Hitman HartWhat about Big Cat Ernie Ladd and Hacksaw Jim Duggan? MidSouth Wrestling was the greatest. How about when Junkyard Dog was Stagger Lee and let's not forget Mr. Wrestling #1 and #2.My All Time Favorites(Not by talent)
1.Chris Jericho
2.Hulk Hogan
3.Steve Austin
4.The Rock
5.Bret Hart
6.Shawn Michaels
7.Samoa Joe
8.Sting
9.Ric Flair
10.Randy SavageI'd have to add Doink the Clown... pretty sure he was more costumed than anyone else before and the Bushwhackers... best tag team by far.
Got something to say?
Jimmy wants to hear from you. If there's a story you think he might find interesting or if there's a topic you want him to cover, let him know about it. If you just have a question or comment for him, send it along, too. You can email him here.
(One note on the blogger comments: The only rule is to keep it clean. No curse words or curse words disguised with dashes)Recent Posts
Copyright © 2008 Time Inc.A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.Terms under which this service is provided to you.Read our privacy guidelines.
