I’m not a fan but ALL my friends in highschool were, plus I watched those Biography shows on several of them and I really can’t believe no one mentioned Andre the Giant yet.
My vote also goes for Foley. The guy took more poundings, beatings, bleedings, breakings, crushings, pokings, rantings, and crackings than anyone else that I can think of. And he kept coming. One night he’d fall 20 feet, and he’d be right back up the next minute, continuing the match. And he’d be back the next night, too, doing the same crazy shit.
If he was tired and sore, that didn’t matter: He still gave one hell of a match. Some of the “big guys” today - Stone Cold, the Rock, Triple H - would REALLY slow down in the ring when they got tired. Not Foley. If he was exhausted, he just did even crazier things. That extra girth in his gut must have been one gigantic adrenaline gland.
His mic skills are right up there with the best of the best. He had dozens of moves down pat, and he was never afraid to try new things. And he never had an ego that got in the way of a match… he could sell a move with the best of 'em. But what I loved best about him is that, no matter how painful his match was, he was ALWAYS in character. I’ve seen the Rock or Austin break so many times it’s painful.
So, yeah, Foley gets my vote. Although he’s right up there with so many other great ones.
I’m new to the scene of wrestlin pretty much so I am not all that familor with the old guys. I did watch a little in the mid to late 80’s, but very casually and I was just a kid. So I’m only going off the last 2 or 3 years. The “best” current wrestler is the one that sells the most shit. It has little to do with his in ring abilities. The Rock is neither as bad or as good as everybody says he is. The man is THE best on the mic (currently) and he isn’t horrible in the ring, there is MUCH worse (think current Undertaker). The “best” in ring is probably Benoit or Angle. Foley is good (hehe) but he isnt the best in ring or on the mic. He stays in charachter because THAT IS HIM. Well Dude Love, Catcus Jack and Mankind aint him but you know what I’m saying. He is a goofy guy in real life that loves (sorta) pain. I highly recommend you read his books if you haven’t yet. Very easy to read, funny as hell and quiet insightful.
Dead0man
Surprisingly, I’m not going to say Jeff Hardy.
All time? I’d have to go with Flair or Foley.
I’m very impressed lately with Rob Van Dam.Some may say he’s just a spot machine but he pulls off some amazing shit. I had told a friend when RVD debuted (for the second time) with the Alliance, he’d be the break out star. I was right.
Ok, I’ll play.
I’m going to have to qualify these by saying that these are my CURRENT favorites. No, not the biggest names, but the ones I like watching best.
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Chris Benoit. The MAN. No one does it better in the ring. NO ONE. He sells like a mofo and dammit if he doesn’t make his shit look the most convincing. (Anyone wanna really take one of his chest chops? I thought not). Psychology, technical ability, submission knowledge and intensity make all his matches good. He can carry anyone to a watchable match. Don’t believe me? Have the WWF rehire Viscera. He could do it.
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Kurt Angle. Angle is great on the stick and has that funny/geek persona down to a T. Angle is as solid as anyone in the ring today and he’s only been professional for about 2 years. It’s also pretty amazing when you think about what he can do when he has another 3 years of experience under his belt, assuminbg he stays healthy.
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HHH – This guy went from boring midcarder to heel # 1 in the busienss. He has to thank Foley for really putting him over when Foley was on his way out for (cough) retirement. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he returns from his leg injury, there’s a lot of changes since he left. I predfict a fued with RVD. But with Nash and Hall returning in the next couple months, he will very likely have something to do with them as well. Anyway, I’m on a tangent here, but HHH definately earned his spot. He’s a stud. He has put on some amazing matches and gutted it out through some nasty spots.
There’s a lot of others I like, So honorable mentions go to:
Stone Cold – the drunken, bird-flipping, “DTA” redneck was as stale as month old bread but his new paranoid shtick (WHAT?) cracks me up. Plus he can get it done in the ring.
Tajiri – Don’t care if he ever learns English. One of the freshest, most interesting workers today. When will he debut the BLUE mist?
RVD – They’re playing their cards right with him. He and Angle are the future of the WWF.
Chris Jericho – I’m glad they seem to be turning him heel again, he is so much better that way. One of the best interviews (when he’s a heel), and decent ringwork. He’s still got a long career ahead of him.
Also, to all of you talking of Ric Flair’s career in past tense, I’d bite your tongue. He should be back in the WWF within 6 months.
The above post is mine.
Yeah brudder!! Another wrestling thread!!
My all-time favorite rassler- Andre the Giant, size and strength, just awesome.
Larry the Axe Henning, and son Kurt, Verne Gagne are some of the best to come out of Venturasota.
The Guererro’s, Hector, Mando and Chavo Sr, were a great high flying tag team, in the L.A. area in the 70’s.
Other great tag teams, Steiners, The Road Warriors and Harlem Heat, Stevie Ray and Booker T,10 time WCW champions.
Just thought I’d pass that along.
Cuz, SUCKA’s gotta know!!
I liked Owen Hart back when he was on Stampede Wrestling (I’m from Calgary). After he left that, the other federations didn’t do him justice. The British Bulldog also used to be on Stampede Wrestling here… that guy seemed to be way stronger than you though he was. Saw him pick up Vader (what… in around 400+lbs?) and stroll around no problem with the guy on one shoulder like he was a kid… couldn’t beleive his back didn’t crumple up like an accordian. But then he started getting a little rowdy in real life and I haven’t seen much him for a while. Andre as far back as I can remember always seemed to be the bad guy, though I only caught the last few years of his career. OTOH, he was such a good guy in real life that he’s probably remembered as one of the best “men who were pro-wrestlers”.
Randy Savage vs Rick Steamboat…all time best match.
Bruno Sammartino vs Rick Flair (Both at their primes)…
that would’ve been the best all time match.
Greg Valentine’s Fig. 4 leg-lock…best wrestling move.
Randy Savage vs Rick Steamboat…all time best match.
Bruno Sammartino vs Rick Flair (Both at their primes)…
that would’ve been the best all time match.
Greg Valentine’s Fig. 4 leg-lock…best wrestling move.
Andre in his prime (and even past it) could toast anyone else even in their prime if it was a real match. He made everyone else look like Pee Wee Herman.
How can a debate over the best wrestler be had without at least one person mentioning THE greatest wrestler of all time…Shawn Michaels. Like him or hate him, HBK busted his ass every match and no one could take a bump like he could. Even with all the talent currently in the WWF, Michaels would still be the man.
Ok, this is a tough one to follow. As a diehard hardcore wrestling fan for about 20 years now (since I was 4-5 years old), and also speaking as a current pro wrestler myself, I tend to answer this question from a different point of view than a normal spectator. The simple reasoning for that is because when I was only a fan/spectator, I was watching to see my favorite good-guy wrestlers beat up my favorite bad-guy wrestlers and win belts. But now, I’m not doing that. What I do now is I watch great babyface workers run a program with great heel workers, as the promoters put titles on them.
What makes a wrestler great is not how perfect he performs his moves, or how mean he sounds when cutting a promo. What makes a worker great is how his opponent looks during any match. The job of a professional worker is to make his opponent look as absolutely excellent as possible. The only person I can think of who has done that in every match I’ve ever seen of his in the past 20 years is of course, Ric Flair. Granted, right now, I would say the best wrestler of this “new generation” of guys would be a tie between Chris Benoit, and Rob Van Dam. But of all time, I would have to sya Flair.
Some of the names that others brought up are definitely greats, but Flair always had “it”. To the person who said The Rock, I can only say that the topic is “greatest wrestler of all time”, not “who is your favorite wrestler right now”. The Rock barely does more than 3-5 wrestling moves per match now. Basically all he does is a DDT, belly-to-belly suplex, Samoan Drop, an elbow drop, and a spinebuster. He punches too, but I wouldn’t classify a punch as a “wrestling move”. And his “People’s Elbow” is horrible. It is simply an elbow drop, from the mat, not even from the top rope or from anywhere unique. No, just a simple elbow drop, from standing right on the canvas.
I, too, expected a debate on Stone Cold vs The Rock, neither of which are candidates for a “Best Wrestler of All Time” Award. But in reality, Flair could work the Gobbeldy Gooker and make him look like a million bucks.
-Joey Image
How about your top 3-5 personal favorite angles of modern pro wrestling, within the past 10-15 years?
Mine will take a while to type, and I dont have the time right now, but I’d like to hear all of your opinions.
-Joey Image,
NJ Indie Wrestler Extraordinare