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Top 10 Pro Wrestlers ('91-'01)
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September 29, 2001 - Brad "Mr. Socko" Smoley (Columnist)
It's no secret, really. I like the wrestling, and admittedly, my knowledge of the subject isn't as vast as some other people's might be. But I DO love pro-wrestling (or sports entertainment, or whatever you call it), I have access to vast multitudes of wrestling information on the internet (which I understand is mostly a bunch of crap) and I'm a pretty smart guy, so I think that makes me at least a little qualified to put together a list of the best performers ever to step into the squared circle. Now, I'm not going back to the pre-Hulkamania days, I've never seen those days and wouldn't be able to fairly include a Lou Thes or Bruno Sanmartino on this list. So, in the interest of fairness I'm limiting this list to guys who are actively wrestling or have been performing within the last 5 to 10 years or so. Surprisingly, it's very balanced, too. Six guys on this list have been in both WCW and the WWF, two only in WCW, and the other two only in the WWF. Email me with who's been where and I'll give you a damn cookie...
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10. Bill Goldberg
Now, I know, I know... Bill Goldberg was a flash in the pan guy that honestly, couldn't wrestle his way out of a paper bag. But this guy had something no one else ever had, he had an undeniable charisma that made bookers say: "Hey, we can book this guy to go undefeated and make it believable." Unfortunately when you book somebody all the way to the top, there's no where else to go but down. Make no mistake though, when wrestling was dominated by WCW, WCW was dominated by Bill Goldberg. Fans chanted his name endlessly, Hogan dropped the belt to him, and he made the leap from TV to movies. You can question his ability all you want but you cannot deny his popularity and his drawing power back in the old WCW. Now that the WCW of old has disappeared, what will the future hold for Bill Goldberg?
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9. Kurt Angle
Wow. What else can be said really? Well, a lot actually. Kurt Angle is not only the 2 time WWF Champ and one of the most popular guys on the current WWF roster, he did it all in the course of less than 2 years. No one can say they've risen to the top in this business that fast except for maybe Bill Goldberg, but where is HE right now? Angle didn't need to be protected and undefeated to look credible either, he has real credentials. He's the only American to take home the gold in wrestling from the Olympics. Yep, he's a genuine gold medalist and he's even been inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame! Yeah, the REAL one. Angle is always adding more moves to his arsenal and is constantly bettering himself as a performer in the ring. Don't be surprised if he's carrying the whole business on his back in a few years when guys like Austin and the Undertaker have called it quits.
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8. Sting (Steve Borden)
Mr. WCW himself, Steve Borden, better known to the world as Sting spent the early days of his career bleaching his short spiked hair and painting his face multiple colors. He was the all-American surfer-dude type and he had an uncontrollable energy. Flash ahead into the late '90s and you'll see a completely different Sting staring grimly back at you. Long dark hair, stark black & white face paint, a leather trench coat and a brooding demeanor found the man called Sting. This after he'd been turned on by all his pals about a million times. He lurked in the shadows, walked among the rafters and never said a word for over a year, all building to a big money match with Hogan for the WCW belt. Sting was pushed as the guy to take the belt away from Hogan and fans ate it up. One of the biggest fan favorites in WCW history, Sting made his mark as a decent worker and the first guy I could remember with multiple finishing moves. That was bad ass. Scorpion Death Drop, Stinger Splash, Scorpion Death Lock...great moves all. Unfortunately, Steve Borden had decided to officially retire from the ring after the WWF purchased WCW. You will be missed Stinger!
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7. Bret Hart
Raw power! Technically, he's the most sound wrestler on this list. He can mat wrestle, brawl, come off the top if he's gotta and do everything in between. Starting in the tag ranks in the Hart Foundation, Bret soon split with his partner and began his slow climb to the top. Eventually he got there and became WWF champion when the company was having most of it's troubles. His legendary final match in the WWF before jumping ship to WCW, was the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" in which Vince McMahon called for the bell for no reason, awarding the strap to a shocked Shawn Michaels. Bret was a little pissed. Once in WCW, it didn't get any better as he was shuffled around never really taking his spot at the top of the card like he should have. His most memorable match in WCW was against Chris Benoit in memory of his brother Owen, who tragically died while performing a stunt in the WWF. Eventually however, Bret got his shot and became WCW champ, but by that time it was too little, too late. Bret's better years were behind him and the best there is, best there was and best there ever will be, faded out of the limelight. Bret now writes wrestling related columns for the Calgary Sun and probably enjoys his time away from the ring.
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6. Mick Foley
This friggin' guy. How can you not love him? He's absolutely crazy. YOU get thrown off the top of a 20 foot cage through a table and then tell me that what these guys do is easy! Not only is Foley absolutely nuts, he's got a fan following that is absolutely nuts about him. He's not pretty, he's not fit, and he's not the best grappler in the world, but it's obvious that Mick loves wrestling. Whether it's Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack, or just plain Mick, he's one of the most entertaining performers ever to cross between those ropes. He cuts a promo like no one else, interjecting authority, comedy, emotion and credibility - all while wearing a damn sock on his hand. His affinity for leaping through things, cutting himself and burning himself alive, all for the love of his fans, has taken it's toll and unfortunately Mick Foley wrestles no more, but will pop up in time to make a match or two or get cheap pops from the crowd. Hell, it gives him time to write books - three so far. In fact, 2 were best sellers! Foley is God!
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5. Triple H (Paul LeVesque)
Soooo damn good at being bad. Triple H started his WWF career as the snobby blue-blood Hunter Hurst Helmsly. Many years later, he joined buddy Shawn Micheals in Degeneration X before striking out on his own as a trash talking asshole that could frankly back up everything he said he could do. He'd tell someone they were gonna get their ass handed to them, and then he'd go and do it. You've gotta respect that. I guess it's fortunate that you're fictionally married to (and really dating in real life) the boss' daughter. It probably helps your status backstage. Not that Paul LeVesque really needs it. He's been in the business for years and is probably one of the smartest and most influential players in the backstage area. Besides being a great worker that can pull great matches out of almost anyone, he's got a manipulative streak to boot. They don't call him the "Cerebral Assassin" for nothin'. HHH will be a cornerstone of the WWF for a long time to come, in and out of the ring.
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4. The Rock (Duane Johnson)
He's the most electrifying superstar in sports entertainment today. He also does commercials, sings, and stars in big pre-summer blockbusters. Yep, he's The Rock, the wrestling world's answer to Leonardo DeVinci. He's a real renaissance man. It's funny how a guy can go from being TOTALLY hated by fans a few short years ago to being the people's champ. He IS wresting to a lot of people and if he wasn't part of the face of WWF tv right now, who knows where the business would be. No doubt, Duane Johnson has everything it takes to put you on the top of this business. He's got skill, talent, charisma, speeking ability and a mobile eyebrow. But because he's got so much more as well, he's branched off into lots of other avenues. Go see The Scorpion King when it's out and see what I mean. I'd say he's Hogan 2000, but the Hulkster couldn't land a movie deal that good in his dreams. The Rock's following is reaching it's peak, but it isn't there quite yet. We still have many many more years, of elbows, eybrows, pie and smelling things that may or may not be cooking to go.
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3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (Steve Williams)
Stunning Steve? No, I'm afraid not. No prancing around, blonde lockes flapping in the wind for Steve Williams any more. He's the Rattlesnake, the toughest SOB to jump into that squared circle. When the WWF was flagging and looking like it was gonna fall to pieces at the hands of WCW, they took a chance on a mid-card guy with an attitude and pushed him to the top as the no-nonsense foil to the evil Vince McMahon's plots. Boy did it work. Stone Cold was a huge hit with the fans who always wanted to be able to show up at work, flip off the boss and then pummel him, and be able to show up to work the next day like nothing happened. Austin did that a lot. Steve Austin is almost singlehandedly responsible for digging the WWF out of it's own grave and for starting it's whole "attitude" campaign. He changed the face of the WWF by changing the persona of Steve Austin from a silent, technical "Ringmaster", into a beer drinking, deer hunting, redneck ass kicker that lived by only one rule: Never trust anybody. Of course in a shocking move the WWF turned Austin heel and aligned him with the recently purchased WCW, effectively making him the guy everyone wanted to see get beat instead of the other way around. He still moves well in the ring despite numerous neck injuries and cuts better promos than virtually anyone. He'll always be one of the greats.
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2. Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea)
Well, he's the reason a lot of people (myself included) are into wrestling. Hell, he's the reason why a lot of people are IN wrestling. His influence is vast in the wrestling business. He was the most visible of the WWF's champs, arguably more popular than The Rock and Steve Austin combined. He had a cartoon on saturday mornings for cryin' out loud! He made crappy movies. He told us to eat our prayers and say our vitamins... er, uh something like that. He was, and still is the only thing many people know about wrestling. When he jumped to WCW, it signaled the beginning of the end for the WWF. In a brilliant move, WCW turned Hogan against the fans that supported him for oh soooo many years and started one of the most successful angles in wrestling history with the NWO. Strangely, his best traits were not his physique, his skills in the ring, or even his promo cutting abilities. His real strengths lie backstage as a cunning politician. He managed to convince everyone he worked for that he should always be on top, no matter how many movies he left to do, and no matter how crappy he was in the ring. His gimmick was to be the world champ. When that was taken away from him, he went off into wrestling limbo shortly before WCW's sale. At any rate he's the most recognizeable personality and really was resposible for bringing Pro Wrestling into the mainstream.
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1. Ric Flair (Richard Flehr)
WOOOOOOO! It's Ric Flair! Cue the 2001 theme. This guy has it all - great ring skills, great mic skills, and an undying character that carried him for years. He was the living legend in this business while he was active, and now he sits on the sidelines, teasing a possible return to the WWF. Sure he isn't as recognizeable to Joe Dumbass on the street as Hogan. He's never made any crappy movies, or had a cartoon made of him (he's pretty much a living cartoon if you ask me). What puts Flair at the top is his love and devotion to the business. He knows that his place as a 14 time WCW champion was in the ring, not in Hollywod making Suburban Commando. His pompas, playboy charisma made him hated and loved by fans all over the world. But love him or hate him, there is no denying that Ric Flair was at the top because he deserved to be there. The hour long epic match dubbed "Flair/Steamboat" is considered by many to be the greatest match of all time, a match that Flair lost. He played the game right. He had no problem losing to someone to get him over. He was the professional that Hogan never cared to be. Flair loves the business. Hogan loves himself. So, for unwaivering dedication and years of entertainment, we salute Ric Flair as DaddyMonkey's #1 Pro Wrestler. WOOOOOOO!
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Opinions, we all have them. Our's is not the same as yours. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. The point is, if you don't agree fine. If you do agree, even better. Just realize this: everything said on these pages, is an opinion, and should be taken as such. If you are offended by what is said, just don't come back. Please do not resort to childish flaming or spamming of our message board or monk.e.mail address below, but do feel free to drop us a line with any intelligent comments you may have.
Thanks,
Brad & Tim. |
DMLives@gmail.com
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