LU's Top 50 Wrestlers - The Countdown

[RHCP]

Legend Killer was an awesome gimmick.

 

[Hoggmaster]

Just went away and checked out Archibald Peck. Easy to see how he nudged out 8 time World Champion Harley Race (combined title reign of 1799 days) with some of these gems. :sarcasm:

[youtube]zZ5i5_-peCY[/youtube]
[youtube]X_YIfVzko5k[/youtube]

 

[Misanthrope]

I went and watched a bunch of Harley Race promos on your recommendation, Hogg. I can't say he impressed me overmuch.

The intensity is great, but he speaks like a guy you don't want giving speeches at your wedding. And that's not a compliment. He's got a vocabulary of eleven words and he struggles anunciating five of them.

 

[DB]

Archie is the best....

[youtube]wdSTPU6nX3I[/youtube]

 

[Hoggmaster]

I went and watched a bunch of Harley Race promos on your recommendation, Hogg. I can't say he impressed me overmuch.

The intensity is great, but he speaks like a guy you don't want giving speeches at your wedding. And that's not a compliment. He's got a vocabulary of eleven words and he struggles anunciating five of them.

Yeah he was never the most eloquent of men, but that was never what he was about. In the old territory days Promos were all you had to sell tickets. Harley, as world champ (the NWA belt was the most prestigious championship when he held it), would only be seen once a year in a territory. He needed to convince you in 2 minutes that he was the toughest man on the planet. He then needed to convince you that he was the best wrestler on the planet, but that your local hero (Jerry Lawler etc.), the guy you saw every week, was good enough to beat him, and but only for a small package/interference he would have won the title.
Whenever Harley speaks there is no doubt that he could kick the ass of everyone i know combined. He could wrestle a broom to a 5 star match and, at one point, you'd swear the broom was good enough to be world champ. The NWA were a vicious bunch of mobsters who made you work 300+ nights a year and if you didnt perform theyd get rid of you in a heart beat. Harley held the title for nearly 5 years and was feuding for it the same amount of time.
Now i agree tastes have changed and its now all about 'sports entertainment', but when I think about legitimate tough guys today I look at UFC and they dont woo or hulk up. They just convince you they are tough and thats what wrestling used to be about. The 2 toughest guys fighting to see which was tougher.

 

[Misanthrope]

Now i agree tastes have changed and its now all about 'sports entertainment', but when I think about legitimate tough guys today I look at UFC and they dont woo or hulk up. They just convince you they are tough and thats what wrestling used to be about. The 2 toughest guys fighting to see which was tougher.

I feel like UFC started that way, but it's definitely got its fair share of showboats now. Check out some of Chael Sonnen's shit.

 

[Bulldog Force]

I feel like UFC started that way, but it's definitely got its fair share of showboats now. Check out some of Chael Sonnen's shit.

Was I the only one who voted for Shamrock?

 

[Hoggmaster]

I voted for Ryan Shamrock

 

[Bulldog Force]

Amy Webb you mean.

 

[Misanthrope]

Was I the only one who voted for Shamrock?

Given I have specifically stated the number of voters if there was more than one, I think the answer should be obvious.

 

[Misanthrope]

#40 - Mark Henry - 20 points from 1 vote (afinalsin666)

Promotions: WWE.
Finisher: World's Strongest Slam.
Titles: ECW Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, and European Champion.

Our first first-place winner is The World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry. It's hard to believe that the WWE (then the WWF) signed him to a lucrative, multiple year contract way back in 1996, but the man really only found his footing and came of age in the last half decade.

Shaking of the generic World's Strongest Man tag and the abomination that was Sexual Chocolate, the wig-splittin', no-nonsense monster push for Mark Henry was a joy to behold after so many years of being a midcarder too expensive to fire.

While it looks like Mark Henry's days in the ring are coming to a close, he's been a staple of WWE audiences for almost twenty years now, and it seems fitting that he finally got some accolades towards its end.

#39 - John Cena - 21 points from 3 voters

Promotions: WWE.
Finisher: FU (Attitude Adjustment)/STF
Titles: 11x WWE Champion, 3x World Heavyweight Champion, 3x United States Champion, 2x WWE Tag Team Champion (with The Miz and David Otunga), 2x World Tag Team Champion (with Batista and Shawn Michaels), 2012 Money in the Bank Winner, and 2008 and 2013 Royal Rumble winner.

A modern day Hulk Hogan, John Cena's rise from plucky undercarder to edgy rapper to genuine global superstar has been the wrestling story of the past 15 years.

It's hard to imagine a time when 'Super Cena' wasn't at the top of the pile in the WWE, and even when he's not holding or fighting for the title, he's a prominent part of WWE promotions both in and out of the ring.

Perhaps the most polarizing figure in modern wrestling, very few fans would question Cena's quality as worker or his dedication, and his lowly spot on this list has more to do with his booking and somewhat stale babyface persona than it does his genuine qualities.

#38 - Seth Rollins - 24 points from 2 voters

Promotions: ROH and WWE.
Finisher: Avada Kedavra/Curb Stomp
Titles: NXT Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion (with Roman Reigns), ROH World Champion, 2x ROH Tag Team Champion (with Jimmy Jacobs), and 2009 Survival of the Fittest winner.

A relative newcomer to WWE screens, fans of Ring of Honor have been aware of Seth Rollins' (then known as Tyler Black) huge talent for a while now. An accomplished high flier and tag team worker, Rollins burst onto the scene alongside Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as part of the Shield and has enjoyed the same meteoric rise of his now former stable mates.

What comes next for Rollins is anybody's guess, but he's certainly made an impact in the short amount of time since he's debuted, and his upcoming feud with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose is sure to only elevate him further up the card.

#37 - Kevin Nash - 30 points from 2 voters

Promotions: WWE, WCW, and TNA.
Finisher: Jacknife Powerbomb.
Titles: 2x TNA Legends Champion, 1x TNA Tag Team Champion (with Eric Young and Scott Hall), 2009 Feast or Fired Winner, 5x WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 9x WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Scott Hall - 6, Diamond Dallas Page - 2, and Sting), 1998 World War 3 Winner, WWF Champion, WWF Intercontinental Champion, and 2x WWF Tag Team Champion (with Shawn Michaels).

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Perhaps only Hulk Hogan can claim to have played a big a part in both the rise and fall of World Championship Wrestling as 'Big Sexy' Kevin Nash, whose explosive debut kicked off the Monday Night War as we know it.

One of the most well known big men to step into the ring during the Attitude Era, charismatic Nash and his NWO stablemates turned WCW into a huge success and brought an end to the days of kayfabe in professional wrestling. Indirectly, their actions ushered in the Attitude Era that ultimately saw WWE triumph, and behind the scenes it has been argued by industry insiders that Nash's selfish booking and politicking had a part to play in WCW's stagnation as well.

Whatever his role behind the scenes, few could deny the big man's presence and natural charisma.

#36 - Sabu - 39 votes from 3 voters

Promotions: ECW, WCW, TNA, and WWE.
Finisher: Arabian Facebuster/Arabian Clutch.
Titles: 2x ECW Champion, 3x ECW Tag Team Champion (with Rob Van Dam (2) and Taz), ECW Television Champion, and 2nd ECW Triple Crown Champion.

Alongside Rob Van Dam, Taz, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, and Raven - Sabu epitomized what made Extreme Championship Wrestler such a phenomenon in the mid to late nineties. Wrestling with little regard for his safety or that of his opponent, the high flying madman's self destructive style made him immensely popular with fans both within ECW and within the big two.

His runs in both WCW and the WWE were never much to write home about: his style didn't really mesh well with the more by the numbers, safety first standards required by the more professional big ones.
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[Parra Pride]

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[Misanthrope]

:lol: I f**king loved that promo.

 

[Parra Pride]

It was so f**king good. Sucked everyone in well and good, and the bam! Heel turn.

 

[afinalsin666]

He still got a lot left in the tank!

Devastated he was turned into a villain of the week for Cena last year. f**king stupid, especially how good that program was up until mr riseabove rose above. And he places above Henry here too. Boooo.

 

[Parra Pride]

If it's any consolation, Henry probably would have been higher than Cena if I remembered to put him on my list.

 

[afinalsin666]

 

[Misanthrope]

#35 - The British Bulldog - 40 points from two voters

Promotions: WWE and WCW.
Finisher: Running Powerslam.
Titles: 2x WWF European Champion, 2x WWF Hardcore Champion, WWF Intercontinental Champion, and 2x WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Dynamite Kid and Owen Hart).

Gone before his time, Davey Boy Smith was an accomplished tag team wrestler who many believe never got the push as a singles worker that his talents and look deserved.

Known for both his affiliation with the Hart Foundation and his role in one of the most memorable Royal Rumble finishes of all time, Smith's personal demons were a part of his inability to ever really reach the top of the pile - despite being treated as a main eventer during his brief WCW stints. Of course, being paralyzed for six months didn't help either.

His sudden death in 2002 at the age of forty left wrestling fans around the world saddened, especially given he'd recently begun to make his way back into the business with hopes of one last run alongside his son, Harry Smith.

#34 - Austin Aries - 44 points from two voters

Promotions: ROH and TNA.
Finisher: 450 Splash/Brainbuster.
Titles: 2x ROH World Champion, ROH Tag Team Champion (with Roderick Strong), TNA World Heavyweight Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion (with Bobby Roode), 5x TNA X-Division Champion, and 5th TNA Triple Crown Champion.

The self proclaimed Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, the world was very nearly robbed of the opportunity to see Aries blossom into a world class wrestler when he had announced his intention to retire prior to TNA taking a gamble on him.

His rise from cocky X-Division worker to champion is one of the few well executed storylines in TNA's history (and I was there to see it go down at Destination X 2012), although his booking has since gone off the rails as he's hovered in the awkward space between X-Division Champion (in a near non-existent X-Division) and the top of the card.

Charismatic, agile, and able to work a good match with just about anybody - Aries may yet transition into the big leagues, but continues to be a vital part of the TNA card in the meantime.

#33 - Randy Savage - 48 points from 2 voters including 1 first place vote from Hoggmaster

Promotions: WWE, WCW, and TNA.
Finisher: Diving Elbow Drop.
Titles: 4x WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 1995 World War 3 Winner, 2x WWF World Champion, WWF Intercontinental Champion, and 1987 King of the Ring winner.

Appearing at what many people would call a criminally low spot at #33, 'The Macho Man' Randy Savage is, like several other legends of old, perhaps a victim of the relative young audience we've got here on LU.

For those growing up in the 80s, Randy Savage was one of the best in ring workers there was - putting on ***** matches with the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair, while also carrying less accomplished workers like the Ultimate Warrior to career best performances.

What exactly earned him a rare black mark that prevented him from returning to the WWF remains a source of much debate and gossip, but Savage's long career spanned two decades in the professional arena - spanning memorable WWF storylines, a key role in the NWO storyline, and even a small role in the early TNA main event scene before health issues lead to him retiring.

Each year his name is among the first put forward for a place in the WWE Hall of Fame, and it seems only a matter of time before The Macho Man is more than just CM Punk's elbow drop inspiration to casual fans.

#32 - Christian - 50 points from two voters

Promotions: WWE and TNA.
Finisher: Unprettier (Killswitch)/Frog Splash.
Titles: 2x TNA World Heavyweight Champion, 2x WWE World Heavyweight Champion, 2x ECW Champion, 4x Intercontinental Champion, 1x Light Heavyweight Champion, 1x Hardcore Champion, 1x European Champion, 9x World Tag Team Champion (with Edge (7), Lance Storm, and Chris Jericho), 23rd Triple Crown Champion, and 11th Grand Slam Champion.

While Vince McMahon is rumoured to find Christian's face so off putting as to not want it to be shown on WWE television, Christian has still managed to carve out a sizable championship resume for himself since his humble beginnings as Edge's 'brother' in The Brood.

Blossoming from part of one of the most successful tag teams of all time into a genuine singles star, Christian's real big break was when he jumped to TNA as Christian Cage and became a feature of their early main event scene as they graduated from weekly pay-per-view indy show to something resembling a major player.

One of those guys who is both talented in the ring and genuinely charismatic, Christian has not ever really had a genuine push in the WWE with much behind it, but remains a fan favourite in spite of this.

#31 - Samoa Joe - 50 points from two voters including 1 first place vote from Manurewa Marlins

Promotions: ROH and TNA.
Finisher: Coquina Clutch/Muscle Buster.
Titles: ROH Pure Champion, ROH World Heavyweight Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, TNA Television Champion, 2x TNA World Tag Team Champion (with Magnus and himself), 4x TNA X-Division Champion, 2008 King of the Mountain, 2005 Super X Cup winner, 2009 Feast or Fired winner, 3rd TNA Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion.

Alongside AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe's role in building TNA's X-Division put the promotion on the map, and like these others - his early loyalty has often not been rewarded as it should have, with stop/start booking and aborted pushes marring the big man's career.

Arguably one of the best big men in the business when it comes to sheer quality of in ring performance, Joe's size and weight have never stopped him from doing things usually reserved for much smaller men. Rumoured to have been the inspiration for the late Umaga, Samoa Joe is one of the few TNA guys who would not look out of place mixing it with the big boys in the WWE.

His career has been littered with **** and ***** matches, and while he's not the most charismatic guy there is, it's hard not to buy into his role as an unflinching bad-ass.
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[redvscotty]

Ahhhhhh, spewing I missed this. Would have had Mankind at 1 and Cactus Jack at 2. Then as long as Edge and Kurt Angle were top 5 I would be happy.

 

[Bulldog Force]

Throppy can you please by-pass the language filter so we know what you're referring to? Use special characters if you need to.