Or one of your favorites, since I couldn’t pick out just one. And the range can be pretty wide for me too. I’d put chronic loser ‘The Unpredictable’ Johnny Rodz on my list. He was pretty damn, predictable, I only saw him win 2 matches ever. Other times I’d have to qualify it, the Steiner Bros. were a great act early on, until Scott started using a 55 gallon drum of steroids daily. Dusty Rhodes in the mid 70s had a great act as he transitioned from 1/2 of the Texas Outlaws into the American Dream, then latered transitioned into a buffoon. Currently I’m finding Shamus to be extremely entertaining, and a refreshing break from ‘One Note’ Randy Orton (I used to watch his dad, and his granddad wrestle in FCW). And way up on the all time list has to be that golden god of wrestling, Mick Foley.
So tell me about yours. I’m sure Dopers are glued to their TVs on Monday nights and must love wrestling like I do.
Special note to the mods, if you think this belongs in the Game Room, you have no idea what’s going on.
I watched off and on from the early 80s to the early 2000s.
My favourites were Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Rock.
I preferred Rock as a face - the Nation gimmick was pretty weak (but Rock was a high point, and they did do a pretty good job of making DX look interesting), and the whole Corporation storyline which he turned heel again in was weak in general, but, again, Rocky was Rocky, so he managed to rise above the lousy storyline (although it did drag him down some).
Piper, though, was a pretty awesome heel.
I was also pretty fond of the Ultimate Warrior (too bad he’s apparently a total loony toon in real life) and Macho Man back in the 80s, and Mick Foley’s various personae in the 90s/2000s.
My all time favorite was Brian Pillman, known as Flyin’ Brian. He had arial manuvers like I have never seen before or since. And oh yeah… he was a hottie.
Brian died in 1997 at the age of 32 of a heart attack. He never knew his wife Melanie was pregnant. The last wrestling I watched was when they did a memorial tribute to him on the Saturday morning WWF. I can’t bring myself to watch again.
I have, on VHS, his first professional match at Halloween Havoc in the WCW and that memorial.
I’ve heard of him, but never got to see him wrestle live or on TV. From your link I see teamed with, and competed with some of my favorites.
The Rock’s transition from heel to face was largely based on Dusty Rhodes own transition, including the People’s Champion and People’s Elbow gimmicks. Like Rhodes, he combined great mike work with outlandish wrestling, and a sixth sense for what the crowd was looking for.
Execellent answer. I loved him as Cactus Jack, and the contradictory claims of his nature. He was supposed to be at the same time a man who loved pain, and a man who felt no pain.
I used to pick up the Von Erich show on a UHF channel sporadically. The real life story is a great tragedy. I had no idea Kerry was missing a foot until it was reported after his death. It did explain why he was the only one of the second generation Von Erichs to wear boots in the ring. Too bad he didn’t realize what an inspiration he could have been for others.
When I was a lad, my favorites were Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and Rowdy Roddy Piper. George “The Animal” Steele was always good for getting y’all pumped up and whatnot. I think he was the first guy I ever saw “bleed.”
Then in college (90s), my favorites were the Rock and the various incarnations of Mick Foley. Haven’t watched in probably 12+ years, but I hear Rocky’s back in the ring. Is he playing the same character he did back in the day (with all the great lines: “do ya smellllll…?” and “ya like pie?” et al)?
Eric Pillman was another tragedy. He was the prime example of the dangers of the old wrestling lifestyle. Always on the road, dependent on pain killers for injuries (he had some bad injuries from an accident on top of the wrestling injuries), drinking himself to sleep every night, popping stimulants to wake up every morning, plus who knows what else he was taking. His wasn’t the first tragic death, but it seemed to be the one that finally woke up the wrestling world. It would still take years before they cleaned up their act, at least in the WWE.
I love George!!! I went to the Spectrum in Philly in the 70s to see him in a Death Match with Bruno Sammartino. He had that fearsome subhuman look in the ring. Then I saw him backstage after the match. In street clothes in smiling he looked like someones fun uncle. I still liked him when he turned face in the Rock and Wrestling era. And I’m so glad he had success in music videos and movies.
The Rock’s character is now a little more assholish. But that’s okay, he’s going after Cena, and everybody older than 12 knows that Cena sucks.
Gotta go with Rowdy Roddy Piper, partly because of the awesomeness that is They Live. I’ve only been to one live match, but the final round was Rowdy and Hulk Hogan. That’s my cool wrestling story.
The SDMB is… Jericho. Chris Jericho was one of my favorites. I liked HHH, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Mick Foley. I really liked Chris Benoit in the ring before he went insane and killed himself and his family. Eddie Guerrero is another late, great wrestler. As a kid, I loved to hate The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase.
I’m an old school fan. Mid-70s through the early 90s in particular. I quit watching the modern product after the infamous Katie Vick simulated necrophilia incident.
That said, my all time favorite performer was Cowboy Bill Watts.
That was always cool to see. Jerry wasn’t that big by present day standards, but in his time he was awesome.
Roddy was one of the best. I saw They Live pretty recently. He really was a half-decent actor, he just couldn’t pick up good roles. I could do a whole thread on links between movies, TV shows, and wresting.
Feel free to leave the thread.
You liked it when they stuck to the code, huh? I like the modern stuff too. And Bill Watts was a great wrestler. Apparently not well liked by some as a booker and promoter though. He was a guy who tried to maintain the old school traditions. Progress you know. Do you get ESPN Classic? The show the last couple of years of the AWA shows.
Yeah, I did. I liked wrestling presented as it was in the Kayfabe Era…as actual competition. Physical melodrama.
As a booker/promoter, Watts is often knocked for failing to change with the times…and also for certain personal traits including his religious and political views. A number of guys that worked for him didn’t like his backstage rules–fines for being late, babyfaces and heels not to travel together, etc. Still, his Mid-South/UWF promotion is about as good as pro wrestling gets. Stiff hard hitting ring work, compelling storylines, logical booking.
As a wrestler, he had it all. Size, legitimate athletic background in football and wrestling, charisma, mic skills, the ability to work as either babyface or heel. Even the great Lou Thesz said Watts was a pretty good legitimate wrestler, and Lou did not pass out compliments like that lightly. Watts was considered for the NWA Title at one point, perhaps even offered the belt, but says he declined because he didn’t want to work the typical 60-minute draw often expected of the champ in that era.
The absolute greatest of all time has to be Shawn Michaels. Nobody could touch his work in the ring. He even had a match of the year with Vince McMahon of all people. I’m convinced he could entertain a crowd by wrestling just a broom stick.
Other favorites were Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Goldust, RVD, Tajiri, Super Crazy, Undertaker, and Mike Awesome. Of the current crop, I see huge things for Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler.