Who are the greatest pro wrestlers of all time?

[dav4463]

I know it is staged, but no one can deny the influence of professional wrestling on the culture of this country.

Who are the greatest pro wrestlers of all time? Based on wrestling ability, charisma, interview ability, influence, how they work a crowd, etc......who do you think is best ever?

I listed ten off the top of my head. I'm sure there are plenty others deserving of votes.

[dav4463]

You might want to move this to sports. Can we call pro wrestling a sport? :)

[ldiatone]

Bruno! #1 no steroids no drugs! just 'free weights'. he would beat ANY one in his prime now.
ldiatone
ps aho, have i heard stoies about him and vincent price!!! its out there!!

[dav4463]

Vincent Price? Tell the story!

[46zilzal]

Like asking who the greatest of the Keystone Kops were.

[dav4463]

Like asking who the greatest of the Keystone Kops were.


It's no different than a discussion of the greatest actors of all time. Wrestling is no different than actors on a stage or film portraying characters except they do it in the setting of an athletic contest. It's like a soap opera for guys. I'm sure there are some polls on a soap opera board somewhere asking who the best soap actors of all time would be, or who are the greatest stage actors of all time.

[RaceBookJoe]

Of your list, best wrestler is Angle , most influencial is Hogan , best talker would be Flair. Bruno was raw power. Decent list though.

[delayjf]

Some of the stuff they so is damn athletic.

I seem to recall Hulk Hogan saying that is a straight up match he could not beat Andre the Giant. He was just too strong.

[RaceBookJoe]

Also if there was a tourney with your list, all in their prime , the only one who would go undefeated would be Andre the Giant....and I dont even think it would be close.

[Pace Cap'n]

Danny Hodge.

[imanatm]

Who didnt idolize Rick Flair.....the nature boy.....Rowdy Roddy Piper taught me how to pick up women...

[singletax]

The Iron Shiek. When he came out to the ring at Madison Square Garden
the earth shook. The security detail was drenched, everything was flying at the Shiek. There never was as much energy in the crowd since. Wrestling peaked at that time.

[OTM Al]

Dick the Bruiser

'nuff said

http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/bios/halloffame/bruiserbio.html

[Tee]

Steve Borden - better known as Sting.

[Greyfox]

Lou Thesz. His trainer/manager was the great Ed "Strangler" Lewis. The "Strangler" was once asked if wrestling was phoney.
He replied: "Look...Lou Thesz could break any man's leg within 1 minute. Do you want to see 1 minute matches. Or do you want to see a drama."

[njcurveball]

It's no different than a discussion of the greatest actors of all time. .

Wrestlers are more like stunt men or martial artists in films. Although there are people in this country who degrade them, the history of wrestling is full of injuries, some very severe.

If you think it is all fun and games for these guys, here is just one of many incidents that may change your mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpcbQyWKBrE

Actors in a movie or a soap opera may face a situation where injury could be involved once a decade or perhaps once a lifetime. These guys do it on a weekly, almost daily basis.

Keystone Kops? Come to Mays Landing and make that joke to Darren Drozdov! :mad:

[dylbert]

I miss regional wrestling product of 1960s and 1970s. Mid-South Wrestling in Wichita Falls and Shreveport were shown on local TV stations. Showmanship and schtick as art form!

Skandor Akbar, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Junkyard Dog, Ted DiBiase, The Great Kabuki, and many others...

My brother and I would stage our own reinactments. :lol: Also, the title names were so preposterous, "World Intercontinental Television Championship" or something like that. As AF brats, we moved from place to place and everywhere had a world, intercontinental, etc. title and its oversized, ornate belt. We always wondered how there could be that many championships?

Wrestlers would move from market to market, too. An up-and-coming guy might become fan favorite in one town, only to move elsewhere and assume role of "heel".

Once, product was unified and nationalized it lost its mystique for this then young fan. And the last match of the show was, "two out of three falls, or remaining TV time." Priceless!

[Bobzilla]

Guessing Circa 72-76. Could be off.

A Freddie Blasi (Sp?) find supposodly in some far off remote corner of the world only referred to as Parts Unknown. Blasi was the handler, or trainer, and would lead this long haired loincloth wearing subhuman hippie to the ring with a leash. Seemingly matched against a tomato can every week, the Wolfman, once unleashed and infomed by Blasi of which individual in the ring the actual target was, would rush up to the opponent and maul him in quick dispatch. Once the "fight" was over, which was usually in a matter of seconds, Pencil Neck Geek McMahon would ask that a sign with an "X" be placed in front of the television camera because the Wolfman hadn't finished his business with the opponent and his activity, whatever it was, was not appropriate for television viewing. We were kind of given the impression he might have been mutilating or canabilizing his opponent. Strictly conjecture.

The Wolfman wasn't around for long. He kind of disapeared after a match at the Boston Garden against Andre The Giant, where the Wolfman met his match. Totally ineffective against Andre, the frustrated Wolfman was reduced to diving for Andre's leg where he bit him and wouldn't let go for the remainder of, for lack of a better term, match. I wish the Wolfman could have been around longer, he did kind of grow on you.

[The Judge]

GEORGOUS GEORGE, AND Ray Stevens . Stevens caled everyone "pencil-necks."

[Turntime]

Ronnie Saunders

[prospector]

Dick the Bruiser

'nuff said

http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/bios/halloffame/bruiserbio.html

agreed...he once said he didn't have to be champion...he made more money than any of them...
honorable mention to johnny valentine...

[eastie]

and now being led to the ring, after a long absence, by his Manager Captain Lou Albano, at 265 pounds from the Motor City, Detroit Michigan, George "The Animal " Steele. The flying hammer was one of the great finishing holds in wrestling.....as far as the best, as good as some of these guys were, especially Flair and Bruno, Andre would maul anyone who would dare to try and stop it. As soon as he grabbed you with those hands...it's over, that's all there is.

[cj]

I can't vote without "The Rock" on the list. He was a very, very good entertainer, which is why he doesn't need to wrestle anymore.

[dav4463]

It was hard to narrow the poll down to 10. There are so many great wrestlers out there. Besides the ones mentioned, I can name quite a few greats off the top of my head. I still think the 10 in the poll are tops in my mind, but how about this list:

Kerry Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Abdullah the Butcher
George "the Animal" Steele
Jack Briscoe
Terry Funk
The Fabulous Freebirds
The Rock and Roll Express
The Road Warriors
Buzz Sawyer
Ole Anderson
Bruiser Brody
Curt Hennig
Bret "the Hitman" Hart
Adrian Adonis
Tully Blanchard
Rocky Johnson
Jerry "The King" Lawler


I could go on and on.......but the top 10 in my mind are on the poll......

[Greyfox]

Once upon a time, wrestlers actually had to wrestle, even if it was fixed.
From the days of black and white TV, here's Antonino Rocca vs. Lou Thesz in 2 matches.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvg-qwLvHrE

[Bubbles]

How has "Stone Cold" Steve Austin NOT been mentioned?! This guy became the biggest draw since Hulk Hogan's 80's run against Piper and Andre. If it wasn't for his success, there wouldn't have BEEN a Rock, as he was originally pushed down the fans throats as a clean-cut babyface and got absolutely chewed up by them. Before Austin, WWF was getting destroyed by WCW in the ratings. Austin turned it around.

Others who have not been mentioned...

Undertaker (Best. Gimmick. EVER.)
Goldberg
Ultimate Warrior
Dusty Rhodes
Shawn Michaels
Triple H (pre-2001, when he then relied on sleeping with the boss's daughter to keep the top spot in the promotion)
The Midnight Express

[Tom]

Guessing Circa 72-76. Could be off.

A Freddie Blasi (Sp?) find supposodly in some far off remote corner of the world only referred to as Parts Unknown.

Is this him?

http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/wolfman.html

[jballscalls]

Agree with Bubbles, the undertaker is the best gimmick ever. it worked for over ten years!!

i've always been one to appreciate the technical wrestlers. Macho Man was fantastic aerialy (?word). his match against Steamboat in WM III is still the best i've ever seen.

Mr. Perfect was very good technically, but he was so over the top when he would get punched he would literally flip around like a fish out of water.

Shawn Michaels was good, Ted Dibiase was sound technically, plus he's an ATO!

Generally the guys who gain the most fan base are the worst wrestlers. The hulkster was not a good grappler, but his charisma was undeniable. The minute "real american" hit the airwaves, the house would go crazy. The Rock, Stone cold not good wrestlers, but great mic men.

Angle is cool too.

[Lefty]

Yes, really hard to pick out anyone as the greatest. Different eras, different styles etc. Hulk had the most charisma and toiled in the AWA without being champion. Vince saw something in him that Verne Gagne evidently didn't see, brought him to the WWF and made him champion is his very first match, defeating the Iron Sheik. Bockwinkle, another AWA toiler and past champion was the most articulate wrester I have ever seen. Andre was the strongest, and Vince and Hulk were both worried in that wrestlemania match beteen Hulk and Andre that Andre might decide not cooperate but Andre like a trouper, did cooperate and alloed Hogan to slam him.
The difference betweeen wrestlers and actors is that wrestlers don't get to use stuntmen, they ARE the stuntmen and take some horrible chances.
Of all, Dick the Bruiser was my favorite. I sat in the front row at Roberts Stadium in Evansville Ind and watched the Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder wrestle as a great tag team. Bruiser wasn't very tall, but wide and muscular and frenetic. He and Wilbur and their opponents put on some great shows.

[Bobzilla]

Tom,

Thanks for the link about The Wolfman. Yes, that's definitely the guy, I'd spot him in a lineup anywhere. I never knew he was actually a soccer player from Hungary, kind of kills his persona a little. I had forgotten all about his signature move, the "Hanging Neckbreaker", and that he was actually from the wilds of Canada, but now it's all coming back to me. Remembering The Wolfman brings on a bit of nostalgia for me. There will never be another one like him. To me he was the greatest!

[RaceBookJoe]

Tom,

Thanks for the link about The Wolfman. Yes, that's definitely the guy, I'd spot him in a lineup anywhere. I never knew he was actually a soccer player from Hungary, kind of kills his persona a little. I had forgotten all about his signature move, the "Hanging Neckbreaker", and that he was actually from the wilds of Canada, but now it's all coming back to me. Remembering The Wolfman brings on a bit of nostalgia for me. There will never be another one like him. To me he was the greatest!

For years, i thought I was the only one to remember Jim "The Wolfman" Farcus. Loved when they "X'd" him onscreen when he would start biting a guys forehead. I saw him wrestle in person early 70's for $2 at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, NY. I saw some of the best wrestlers of the time back then, all the popular guys you could name from the old WWWF. Fun memories. rbj

[porkchop]

I think the greatest showman was rick flair the man that everyone loved to hate but my father in law loved the bushwackers and bruno sanmartino :sleeping:

[HUSKER55]

Don't forget OX BAKER from the early '60's. I forget the name of the traveling show they had but they were well known back then and entertaining.

[Tom]

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[Tom]

And my favorite, Dick the Bulldog Brower. His IFC title matches against Johnny Powers from Rochester to Buffalo to Cleveland in the 1970's were classics. I used to have front row seats every time they came to town.

N1Z3O9gOBSU

[jballscalls]

just now on RAw they showed Ric Flair vs. vince mcmahon. i think the combined age was 120 LOL it was kind of sad.

[dav4463]

Ric Flair is still "the man" !

Funny, notice that Hulk Hogan is winning the poll and he's the worst actual wrestler of the bunch, with the possible exception of Andre the Giant.

Also, I'm surprised that Nick Bockwinkle has no votes. He may be the best combination of wrestling ability and brains ever to grace the ring.

[njcurveball]

just now on RAw they showed Ric Flair vs. vince mcmahon. i think the combined age was 120 LOL it was kind of sad.

IN a way I agree. But I think McMahon has always shown his company that he would do anything to generate a buzz. He took a horrible (in more than one way) table shot and bladed himself.

Either that was to show the rest of the wrestlers that he would do anything he asked them to do, or it was because Wrestlemania sales (tickets and pre-orders) are in the tank. I am guessing the latter.

[njcurveball]

Funny, notice that Hulk Hogan is winning the poll and he's the worst actual wrestler of the bunch, with the possible exception of Andre the Giant.

.

Also funny that you put the names there and left out Bret Hart, who maybe the best "wrestler" of the past 25 years.

Seems we all like someone who is charismatic and forget the people who really do the work.