Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 (edited) I saw this topic trending on Twitter today and figured I'd bring it here for discussion. For those who ever followed, or continue to follow, professional wrestling, the question is simple: who are your top five professional wrestlers of all time, and why? It could go deeper, as far as "best promo guy", "best work rate", etc, but to keep things simple, we'll just say a general "top five" for now. I'll start. For frame of reference, my time as a wrestling fan came between about 1988 and 1998. I haven't watched "new" wrestling in 20+ years, other than some NJPW here and there. Lately, I've been re-watching a ton of it on WWE Network, though. I started with Starrcade '85 and have been watching both NWA/WCW and WWF/WWE chronologically in order since then. I'm up to 1995 now. 1.) Bret "Hitman" Hart - My favorite wrestler of all time. For my money, the absolute best technical wrestler of all time. Truly the Excellence of Execution. His ability to perform the moves correctly and safely, to sell the opponent's moves very well, to tell a great story in the ring and display good ring psychology, and to have good matches with all sorts of different opponents led to this selection. He was a high quality tag team AND singles wrestler. He was good in the mid-card, he was great in the main event scene. The only thing keeping him from the top spot in my book is that he was never a truly great promo guy. He could hold his own, no doubt, especially by about '97, when he became "heel in the U.S., face in Canada" Bret. Still, never a strong point for him. 2.) Ric Flair - not my personal FAVORITE wrestler of all time, but I just couldn't bring myself to list the Nature Boy any lower than #2. His in-ring ability, his ability to cut a great promo, his ability as a top heel and ability to always get heat from the crowd no matter where he went were all factors. His enduring impact is another. Pro athletes, musicians, and people in all walks of life still quote Ric Flair or imitate his strut. Also, the amount of different people he worked with over the course of his career, the fact that he traveled to territories all over the country, always putting over their top stars and making them look like a million bucks...Flair was, quite simply, the gold standard. Classic feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, and on and on. 3.) Shawn Michaels - The best combination of in-ring work and promo/persona/crowd work ability. Incredibly athletic, an exciting move set, and was ahead of his time in terms of how high flying he was in an era where not many U.S. wrestlers could be labeled as such. Was an exciting tag team wrestler, then a great mid-card heel and one of the all time best Intercontinental champions, then a too-short reign as a main eventer, cut short by his back injury. Then, by some major grace, he was able to come back and wrestle for another decade or so, putting on more great matches and solidifying his spot as an all-time great. The sheer excitement of his wrestling style, combined with his charisma, his ability to tell a great story, etc, etc, led to his spot on this list for me. 4.) "Macho Man" Randy Savage - This dude was TNT in a bottle. His promos were just insane. He, more so than any other guy that I can ever think of, was an improvisational genius when it came to promo work. He'd just come up with everything completely spur of the moment, off the cuff, without prior rehearsal. Or other wrestlers would give him some weird prop right before his promo to see if he could find a way to work it into his promo, and he always did! Aside from his legendary promo work, he was incredibly talented in the ring. His Wrestlemania III match against Ricky Steamboat is still one of the greatest of all time. He held all the major belts in both the WWF and WCW, his popularity transcended wrestling, and he is surely on pro wrestling's Mt Rushmore. 5.) Chris Benoit - I know, I know. Look, this guy was just an incredibly great wrestler. His move set, style, execution, the stiffness with which he worked, his ability to work with all shapes and sizes of different opponents...he was a great one. He could wrestle cruiserweight style matches, he could wrestle technical masterpieces, he could even wrestle knock-down, drag-out brawls with tables and ladders and chairs. His promo skills were basically non-existent, but his in-ring work is so excellent that I don't miss his lack of mic skills. Besides, it wasn't as if he didn't have a clear persona. He was the Rabid Wolverine. Too badass to even have to say anything at all. I greatly respect the art of wrestling itself, and Benoit was one of it's all time greatest artists. I realize there is much controversy in making such a pick, but I find it akin to saying that OJ Simpson was one of the greatest running backs ever which, despite what came later, is still true. Well, who ya got? Edited May 2, 2020 by Logic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 I'm not going into all the detail, but here's my top 5 in no particular order off the cuff. Tomorrow could be a different list. 1. George "The Animal" Steel 2. Stone Cold Steve Austin 3. Hulk Hogan 4. Rick Flair 5. The Undertaker Honorable mentions Iron Sheik One man Gang Abdullah the Butcher Rowdy Roddy Piper Macho Man .....the list goes on and on 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 1. The Undertaker and it isn't even close. 2. Kurt Angle 3. Bret Hart 4. Stone Cold 5. Shawn Michaels 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 37 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said: I'm not going into all the detail, but here's my top 5 in no particular order off the cuff. Tomorrow could be a different list. 1. George "The Animal" Steel 2. Stone Cold Steve Austin 3. Hulk Hogan 4. Rick Flair 5. The Undertaker Honorable mentions Iron Sheik One man Gang Abdullah the Butcher Rowdy Roddy Piper Macho Man .....the list goes on and on Not many people mention George Steel. He was certainly...something else. After wrestling, he was a high school teacher. How would you like to have THAT dude as a teacher?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Logic said: Not many people mention George Steel. He was certainly...something else. After wrestling, he was a high school teacher. How would you like to have THAT dude as a teacher?! If I remember correctly he was a physics or chemistry teacher. Also, staying in the wrestling genre, I watched and episode of Dark Side of The Ring on Vice, which was pretty good. It was the Jimmy "Supafly" Snuka episode. It looks like there are a lot of others including Chris Benoit that look to be worth a watch. Edited May 2, 2020 by RaoulDuke79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 1. Ric Flair 2. Chris Benoit 3. Bret Hart 4. Chris Jericho 5. Arn Anderson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Ivan Koloff (The Russian Bear) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 1 hour ago, RaoulDuke79 said: If I remember correctly he was a physics or chemistry teacher. Also, staying in the wrestling genre, I watched and episode of Dark Side of The Ring on Vice, which was pretty good. It was the Jimmy "Supafly" Snuka episode. It looks like there are a lot of others including Chris Benoit that look to be worth a watch. I’be watched the Benoit two parter, the Montreal Screwjob, and The Killing of Bruiser Brodie episodes. The Benoit and Bruiser Brodie episodes are well worth your time. 1 hour ago, Mark Vader said: 1. Ric Flair 2. Chris Benoit 3. Bret Hart 4. Chris Jericho 5. Arn Anderson 3/5 from Canada. Those Canucks sure can wrestle. Almost put Jericho on my list. side note: if you’re a Bret Hart and an Arn Anderson fan, check out the Hart Foundation vs Brain Busters (Arn and Tully) match if you’ve never seen it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 No. 1 for me was Jimmy Superfly Snuka. was a big fan of Junkyard Dog too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Logic said: I’be watched the Benoit two parter, the Montreal Screwjob, and The Killing of Bruiser Brodie episodes. The Benoit and Bruiser Brodie episodes are well worth your time. 3/5 from Canada. Those Canucks sure can wrestle. Almost put Jericho on my list. side note: if you’re a Bret Hart and an Arn Anderson fan, check out the Hart Foundation vs Brain Busters (Arn and Tully) match if you’ve never seen it. I remember that match. Summer Slam, correct? That was a very good match. I got into professional wrestling by watching the NWA in the late 80's. To me that was the best that pro wrestling had to offer. Not the cartoon superhero characters of the WWF. I'm from California, where the WWF was very popular and most fans had never heard of the NWA. I love the heels way more than the baby faces, so of course I am a big time fan of The Four Horsemen. Ric, Arn, Tully & Barry was when they were at their best. Some other wrestlers that did not make my list that I have to mention are Kurt Angle, Dean Malenko, Mike Rotondo, and the most underrated wrestler ever, Bobby Eaton. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Jerk Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Bret Hart Dynamite Kid\Benoit Rob Van Dam Hogan Curt Henning 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherpa Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Bruno Sammartino. Once he threw 600 pound Haystacks Calhoun out of the ring his legend was sealed. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Toll Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 1. Bret Hart 2. Shawn Michaels Shawn is probably my personal favorite, but everyone else is far below these 2 for me. These guys could deliver the absolute classic matches, which to me, is the ultimate pay-off and purpose of wrestling. Others were better for hyping a match, but were not in these guys’ class. Bret was the greatest storyteller in the history of the business. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niagara Bill Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Any list must include Hulk Hogan Rick Flair And filled with many greats Piper, Macho Man Bruno Samartino Sweet Daddy Andre Hit Man Hart Whipper Billy Watson Superfly Snuka Steve Austin George "the animal" Steel JYD And from WNY area The Miller's Billy Red Lyons Ivan K The Iron Sheik We could ask Chuck Healy but I think he left us a while back 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons1992 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 1)Dominic Denucci 2) Bob Backland 3) Ivan Putski 4) Steamboat 5)George the Animal 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Iron Sheikh Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat Junkyard Dog Hulk Hogan Hacksaw Jim Duggan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 George The Animal Steel Hulk Hogan The Iron Sheikh Hacksaw Jim Duggan Andre the Giant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niagara Bill Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 OMG..Just heard from Chuck Healy....channel 4 sports and famed wrestling broadcaster pre Mean Gene.. Forgot Ilio diPaolo, Georgeous George and Fritz von Erich ( master of the CLAW) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 9 hours ago, Mark Vader said: Some other wrestlers that did not make my list that I have to mention are Kurt Angle, Dean Malenko, Mike Rotondo, and the most underrated wrestler ever, Bobby Eaton. I loved Mike Rotondo during his Varsity Club days. I came up during 90s WWF, mostly, so I knew him as “I.R.S.”, who was less than impressive. In recent years, I watched his late 80s NWA run against Rick Steiner, and he was awesome. Barry Windham is another guy that I irrationally liked a whole lot. Big, mean, tough son of a B word. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 I'll give you my Mt. Rushmore list since to me there's 4 guys that stand out on a whole other level that there was nobody else I could list with them at #5. To me the all around best I've ever seen that had the total package of in ring ability, on the mic and promo ability and natural charisma were: Ric Flair Macho Man Randy Savage Shawn Michaels Stone Cold Steve Austin It's hard for me give the number 5 spot to somebody because if I based it off in ring ability I would give it to the Hitman Brett Hart but if I based it off of personality and Charisma I would give the nod to Hogan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, njbuff said: 1. The Undertaker and it isn't even close. This x 10. Mr. Perfect / Curt Henning makes my Top 5. Incredible mic work, great technique and my all-time favorite finisher. A.J. Styles likely will be up there, too, after he calls it a career. Edited May 2, 2020 by Golden Goat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Lets go old school (In no particular order) Andre the Giant Ernie the Cat Ladd BoBo Brazil Hans Schmidt The Mighty Igor The Sheik (camel clutch) Lord Athol ,Layton George Steele Gorilla Monsoon. These entertainers filled the Aud back in the day 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bermuda Triangle Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 1. Ricky Steamboat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 14 hours ago, Logic said: I saw this topic trending on Twitter today and figured I'd bring it here for discussion. We need to do one on "worst gimmicks" next. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 7 minutes ago, Golden Goat said: We need to do one on "worst gimmicks" next. WWF circa 1993-1995 will give us plenty of material to work with 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Golden Goat said: We need to do one on "worst gimmicks" next. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills4everNY Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Roddy Piper Hulk Hogan Mr. Perfect Randy Savage Million Dollar Man 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Goat Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 (edited) On 5/2/2020 at 11:49 AM, Logic said: Edited May 7, 2020 by Golden Goat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 This is tough to do because there's really 2 categories, in ring/technical ability and Mike skills/character. For me, someone like Hogan would be at the top of the 2nd category but not very high in the first one. Benoit would fit in the opposite to me, near the top of the first but much lower in the second. I would put someone like Jericho in a balance between the 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 What does top 5 mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 HHH Kurt Angle Michaels Dudleyz Rowdy Roddy Flair Macho Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Greybeard said: What does top 5 mean? Wait just a minute....do you mean to tell me that wrestling is...is....FAKE?! Say it ain’t so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 4 hours ago, Greybeard said: What does top 5 mean? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons1992 Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 On 5/2/2020 at 11:00 AM, Bermuda Triangle said: 1. Ricky Steamboat Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat if you're nasty. I remember when someone smashed the ring bell directly into his throat. He was gone for a long time after that.....wonder if it was an accident. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 On 5/2/2020 at 4:45 PM, Greybeard said: What does top 5 mean? Unlike that reality show Seinfeld. Shocked that none of them noticed the cameras just hanging around their day to day life all that time........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Andre the giant rick rude these two were real life scary dudes when they wanted to be and nobody messed with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Jerk Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, John from Riverside said: Andre the giant rick rude these two were real life scary dudes when they wanted to be and nobody messed with them Supposedly Bad News Brown called Andre off a bus to fight and Andre didn't move. Not only was Bad News big and tough, he won a bronze medal in Judo at the Olympics. That was a bad dude. Edited May 4, 2020 by The Jerk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 It'll always be Hogan for me. I was right in the age range that his whole act was targeted at and I ate it up as a kid. After that, I'd probably go with Kurt Angle. He wasn't the same once they tried to make him more serious, but the goofy character he played at the start was absolutely amazing. Now that I mention it, I think I'm going to have to go dig up some of his old interactions with Edge and Christian. That stuff was comedy gold. I guess I'd list them as my favorite tag team because I'm quickly realizing that the stuff I enjoyed the most was the characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 2 hours ago, The Jerk said: Supposedly Bad News Brown called Andre off a bus to fight and Andre didn't move. Not only was Bad News big and tough, he won a bronze medal in Judo at the Olympics. That was a bad dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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