Top 10 Wrestlers of the past 20 years

[clemensrules01]

In terms of ability in the ring, entertainment value, and importance to the sport.

10. Macho Man (entertaining)
9. Shawn Michaels (all of the above)
8. Kurt Angle (great ability in the ring/great as a heel)
7. Rock (possibly the greatest entertainer ever)
6. Bret Hart (ability)
5. Sting (all of the above)
4. Undertaker (scary as hell)
3. Ric Flair (all of the above)
2. Stone Cold (the single greatest fan favorite ive ever seen)
1. Hulk Hogan (most important wrestler ever)

Honorable Mention: Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, HHH, Chris Benoit, and a lot of older guys im too young to remember

[clemensrules01]

where have all the wrestling fans gone?

[pioneerhog]

I can't disagree with you list to much. Hogan was the biggest thing that has ever happened to wrestling so I think he has got to be #1.

[mikeb]

Who was the first hot lady in the ring....I'm not a fan so I don't know but I am a fan of the hot ladies

[hellrazor]

Good list


this is mine.. it's pretty close to your's

10. Kevin Nash
  9. Kurt Angle (great ability, in ring and on the mic, face and heel)
  8. Undertaker (good showman)
  7. Triple H  (from DX to "the Game")
  6. Shawn Michaels (all of the above)
  5. Bret Hart (ability and character)
  4. Stone Cold (the single greatest fan favorite ive ever seen.. true that)
  3. Ric Flair (for living the very definition of the term "pro wrestler")
  2. Rock (truely "the great one")
  1. Hulk Hogan (most influence through the industry's history)

I wish I could have included others such as: Keiji Mutoh (aka: Great Muta) and Scott Hall. I wish I could have included others from NWA and Mid-South. Bt by 86, the WWF was pro wrestling. I wish I could have listed some of my personal favorites higher on the list (such as HHH), but I had to take into account the wrestlers' contributions to wrestling's (as a whole) popularity. There have been many talented guys to walk the aisle, but not all of them could draw a crowd.

[pioneerhog]

I don't know that I would have put Nash on that list hell, I just never thought of him as a great wrestler.

[Shizzle]

all i can say is JYD

[hellrazor]

I don't know that I would have put Nash on that list hell, I just never thought of him as a great wrestler.

I never did either.. He's very big and his technical ability isn't that great.
I only included him because of his drawing power with WCW. That's it.
I probably should have put Keiji Mutoh in his place. He has great drawing power, in Japan.
But WWF and WCW were world wide. I dunno. You have a point.

[pioneerhog]

I don't know that I would have put Nash on that list hell, I just never thought of him as a great wrestler.

I never did either.. He's very big and his technical ability isn't that great.
I only included him because of his drawing power with WCW. That's it.
I probably should have put Keiji Mutoh in his place. He has great drawing power, in Japan.
But WWF and WCW were world wide. I dunno. You have a point.

I sure wouldm't have put him on there and not put Sting on there. IMO Sting was 10 times better than Nash.

[Brett Hitman Hog]

Bret Hart at number six and five.  You aren't going with overall talent, international carrying ability, charactor.  You are merely going with B.S. mic skills.

Hart symbolizes all of what the business should be, he had it all, talent, athleticism, mic skills, knowledge, passion.  Hogan was a is a wrestling version of bubble gum pop, as was the Rock, Austin, Sting. 

If you said money makers, then yes, but it says top 10 wrestlers.  Most are "sports entertainers" and couldn't really wrestle their way out of a bag other than Hart and Angle on those lists.

First hot chick, mikeb.  Miss Elizabeth, Macho Man's ex wife.

[bigt54]

I think you have to include Mick Foley.  He wrestled some of the best matches ever and was always entertaining on the mic and in the ring.  Sure some of his gimmicks were cheesy but he put on a show.

Oh yeah and JYD was the man.  I still remember when Tommy Smith announced on 105.1 that he had died in a car wreck in east Arkansas.

[secthumper]

....this is certainly open to debate....
10. Dirty Dick Murdoch (one tough SOB)
09. "Yellow Belly" Buck Robley (that loaded arm was treacherous, man!)
08. "Killer" Karl Kox (innovator of the dreaded "brainbuster" He schooled Murdoch on this move!
07. Bruiser Bob Sweetan (actively held the Brass Knuckles trophy longer than anyone!!! DAMN impressive!)
06. General Skandar Akbar(one of the greatest storylines ever with the great one, one Danny Hodge!!
05. The Spoiler (managed by Gary Hart) Punked Cowboy Bill Watts on a regular basis!) That Claw of his actually put several journeymen in the tank!!
04.Abdullah the Butcher (His matches with Bruiser Brody in Texas and Carlos Colon in Puerto Rico are still legendary!!) Actually a very nice guy! He owns a really great restaurant in Atlanta! I talk to him frequently. His shoot DVD is super!
03.Kerry von Erich (Talk about a star-crossed family!!) Held the national HS discus record!! Great combination wrestler! He and Flair drew 80,000 in the Cotton Bowl back in the day.
02.Sting (The feud he had going with the Nature Boy was the stuff of legends!! Originally teamed with Ultimate Warrior in Mid South, known as the Bladerunners!!!

01."THE Nature Boy" Ric Flair (I know he is just a shell of what he used to be, but he did for the smaller organizations what Hogan did for WWF/WWE!! 16 Time World Champion!!WWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!

NOTE: Yeah I know these are old guys, but you've got  to realize this crap nowadays is so called "sports entertainment", and leaves much to be desired! I used to live for Saturday nights when Abby and Bruiser would hook it up! Alas, those days are over and we now have an inferior product from Vince McMahan and family!!

Honorable Mention: Bruiser Brody(Best Brawler)
                          The Road Warriors(saw them dismantle The Texas Outlaws unmercifully)
                          Ken Patera(that Full Nelson really couldn't be broken!!)
                          Sputnik Monroe (great gimmick in some very nervous times regarding UFO'S!!)
                          Danny Hodge (My personal favorite of all time, pound for pound NOBODY is better!!

[DOGALUM]

Easy....



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Hogules]

This will be fun but I am going in reverse order
1 Hulk Hogan -because he made wrasslin BIG
2 Ric Flair- lots of personality and nobody takes a better beating
3 Road Warriors-Hawk and Animal made tag team cool
4 Brett HArt
5 Shaun Michaels
6 Andre the Giant -I am no fan but he is worldwide
7 Stone Cold - the cool anti-hero
8 The Rock- heir to the wrestling throne
9 Sting
10 Terry Bam Bam Gordy or Michael PS Hayes

[hellrazor]

If you said money makers, then yes, but it says top 10 wrestlers.  Most are "sports entertainers" and couldn't really wrestle their way out of a bag other than Hart and Angle on those lists.

The only thing that's real in wrestling is the money and the miles.

[dman]

In terms of ability in the ring, entertainment value, and importance to the sport.

10. Macho Man (entertaining)
9. Shawn Michaels (all of the above)
8. Kurt Angle (great ability in the ring/great as a heel)
7. Rock (possibly the greatest entertainer ever)
6. Bret Hart (ability)
5. Sting (all of the above)
4. Undertaker (scary as hell)
3. Ric Flair (all of the above)
2. Stone Cold (the single greatest fan favorite ive ever seen)
1. Hulk Hogan (most important wrestler ever)

Honorable Mention: Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, HHH, Chris Benoit, and a lot of older guys im too young to remember

great list

[CharlieHog]

20 years is too long of a time span and considering importance along with ability makes the possibilities too broad.

Oh, and Kevin Nash sucked in every way. He didn't draw in WCW. WCW ratings when up during the NWO era b/c of the booking. Not because anybody wanted to see Kevin Nash.

[A Boy Named Sue E.]

Don't forget Arman Hussein and Grizzly Smith.

[clemensrules01]

....this is certainly open to debate....
10. Dirty Dick Murdoch (one tough SOB)
09. "Yellow Belly" Buck Robley (that loaded arm was treacherous, man!)
08. "Killer" Karl Kox (innovator of the dreaded "brainbuster" He schooled Murdoch on this move!
07. Bruiser Bob Sweetan (actively held the Brass Knuckles trophy longer than anyone!!! DAMN impressive!)
06. General Skandar Akbar(one of the greatest storylines ever with the great one, one Danny Hodge!!
05. The Spoiler (managed by Gary Hart) Punked Cowboy Bill Watts on a regular basis!) That Claw of his actually put several journeymen in the tank!!
04.Abdullah the Butcher (His matches with Bruiser Brody in Texas and Carlos Colon in Puerto Rico are still legendary!!) Actually a very nice guy! He owns a really great restaurant in Atlanta! I talk to him frequently. His shoot DVD is super!
03.Kerry von Erich (Talk about a star-crossed family!!) Held the national HS discus record!! Great combination wrestler! He and Flair drew 80,000 in the Cotton Bowl back in the day.
02.Sting (The feud he had going with the Nature Boy was the stuff of legends!! Originally teamed with Ultimate Warrior in Mid South, known as the Bladerunners!!!

01."THE Nature Boy" Ric Flair (I know he is just a shell of what he used to be, but he did for the smaller organizations what Hogan did for WWF/WWE!! 16 Time World Champion!!WWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!

NOTE: Yeah I know these are old guys, but you've got  to realize this crap nowadays is so called "sports entertainment", and leaves much to be desired! I used to live for Saturday nights when Abby and Bruiser would hook it up! Alas, those days are over and we now have an inferior product from Vince McMahan and family!!

Honorable Mention: Bruiser Brody(Best Brawler)
                          The Road Warriors(saw them dismantle The Texas Outlaws unmercifully)
                          Ken Patera(that Full Nelson really couldn't be broken!!)
                          Sputnik Monroe (great gimmick in some very nervous times regarding UFO'S!!)
                          Danny Hodge (My personal favorite of all time, pound for pound NOBODY is better!!

u think they're better because you were probably young when they were around and it seemed real.  once you got older, you saw how fake it really was. same thing happened to me.  i love stone cold and the rock (when i grew up) and cant stand john cena and jbl.

[pioneerbasketball]

I would Put DDP and RVD also.

[pioneerhog]

One of my favs is on right now.... Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

[hellrazor]

My mom has photos of me holding a two by four and giving a thumbs up, when I was a child.

[hydrophonic]

Y'alls lists are good.  I'm not going to do one, mostly to cut down on the redundancy, but also because I'm not a big fan of Hogan.

But, uh...  Where is Ted DiBiase?  And Jake Roberts?  Rick Steamboat?

[pioneerhog]

Y'alls lists are good.  I'm not going to do one, mostly to cut down on the redundancy, but also because I'm not a big fan of Hogan.

But, uh...  Where is Ted DiBiase?  And Jake Roberts?  Rick Steamboat?

Leaveing out names like those I think it proves one thing and that is that with so many greats it is hard to name just 10 guys as the best, there are way to many that need to be listed.

[hogsNbeer]

JERRY "The King" LAWLER...... The Von Erick's....... JYD... Rick Flair is up there as well........ I'm old school... Only good thing about Wrastlin now is the BIGGO TIDDIES!

[hydrophonic]

I like the Von Erichs too.  I was all about WCCW back in the day.

When I was a kid, my favorite regional feds were:
1. Mid South on local TV in Little Rock
2. WCCW on that cable channel from Fort Worth
3. WCW on WTBS

I resisted - and resinted, for that matter - WWF for a long, long time.

[Razor(back) Ramon]

Ability:                               
1.  Bret Hart
1.  Kurt Angle (tie)
3.  Owen Hart
4.  Chris Jericho
4.  Chris Benoit (tie)
6.  Dean Malenko
7.  Ric Flair
8.  Ricky Steamboat
9.  Shawn Michaels
10. Curt Henning

Mic Skils:
1.  Chris Jericho
1.  The Rock (tie)
3.  Kurt Angle
4.  Stone Cold
5.  Mick Foley
6.  Road Dogg
7.  Triple H
8.  Shawn Michales
9.  John Cena
10. Shane McMahon

Best high-flyers:
1.  Rob Van Dam
1.  Jeff Hardy (tie)
3.  Billy Kidman
4.  Rey Mysterio
5.  Ricky Steamboat
6.  Sabu
7.  Juventud Gurrerra
8.  Super Crazy (really, just about all of the ECW guys)
9.  Shane McMahon (some of the guttsiest stuff ever)
10. Mick Foley (not really a high-flyer, but his falls were always awesome)
Honorable Mention - Tommy Dreamer (same as Mick Foley)

All-time personal favorites:
1.  Bret Hart
2.  Chris Jericho
3.  Chris Benoit
4.  The Ultimate Warrior (fav. when I was little)
5.  Kurt Angle
6.  Macho Man (2nd fav. when I was little)
7.  Razor Ramon (can't leave him out)
8.  Mick Foley
9.  Rob Van Dam
10. Trish Stratus (she's just too hot to leave off)

[Brett Hitman Hog]

Ability:                               
1.  Bret Hart
1.  Kurt Angle (tie)
3.  Owen Hart
4.  Chris Jericho
4.  Chris Benoit (tie)
6.  Dean Malenko
7.  Ric Flair
8.  Ricky Steamboat
9.  Shawn Michaels
10. Curt Henning

Mic Skils:
1.  Chris Jericho
1.  The Rock (tie)
3.  Kurt Angle
4.  Stone Cold
5.  Mick Foley
6.  Road Dogg
7.  Triple H
8.  Shawn Michales
9.  John Cena
10. Shane McMahon

Best high-flyers:
1.  Rob Van Dam
1.  Jeff Hardy (tie)
3.  Billy Kidman
4.  Rey Mysterio
5.  Ricky Steamboat
6.  Sabu
7.  Juventud Gurrerra
8.  Super Crazy (really, just about all of the ECW guys)
9.  Shane McMahon (some of the guttsiest stuff ever)
10. Mick Foley (not really a high-flyer, but his falls were always awesome)
Honorable Mention - Tommy Dreamer (same as Mick Foley)

All-time personal favorites:
1.  Bret Hart
2.  Chris Jericho
3.  Chris Benoit
4.  The Ultimate Warrior (fav. when I was little)
5.  Kurt Angle
6.  Macho Man (2nd fav. when I was little)
7.  Razor Ramon (can't leave him out)
8.  Mick Foley
9.  Rob Van Dam
10. Trish Stratus (she's just too hot to leave off)

Ah my wrestling brethern .. You left Lance Storm off the ability list.  He had to fit in the top 10 on that one.

And how can Superfly Jimmy Snuka not be on your high flyer list?

[hydrophonic]

...and I'll take Vince or Stephanie over Shane on the mic.

Good lists though.

[hellrazor]

Lance Storm is great according to ability. He will be coming out of retirement to do Ring of Honor in the next couple of days.

[RazorDrummer]

Party crashing...

Best and most important wrestlers of all time: 
Dan Gable
As a Coach:
Coached Iowa to 15 NCAA Titles
21 yr. record of 355-21-5 (94.4%)
Big Ten record of 131-2-1 (98.5%)
21 Big Ten Team Titles
Coached 45 National Champions
Coached 152 All-Americans
Coached 106 Big Ten Champions
3x NCAA Coach of the Year
7 perfect seasons
9 Consecutive NCAA titles
1980, 1984, 2000 US Olympic Head Coach

As a Competitor:
3x Iowa High School State Champion
3x Big Eight Champion Iowa State University
3x All-American
181-1 Combined prep and college record
6x Midlands Champion
3x USA Freestyle National Champion
1971 World Champion
Outstanding Wrestler at Tbilisi Tournament
1972 Olympic Gold Medalist
Did not surrender a point in Munich Games
Top 100 Olympians of all time
Wrestler of the Century by Gannett Co.

and
Cael Sanderson
Gold Medalist at the 2004 Olympics
3-Time NCAA Champion at 184 lbs.
3-Time NCAA Outstanding Wrestler
2-Time Hodge Award Winner
2-Time Academic All-American
career collegiate record to 159-0 with 61 career pins
career high school record of 127-3 Four-time Utah state champion
Sports Illustrated names Sanderson's perfect college career as No. 2 most impressive college sports feat ever

[tophawg19]

jimmy superfly snuka , goldberg , dusty rhodes , these were some greats as well .

[PintailKiller]

Billy Dundee from MidSouth and The Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart was one of the first good mic guys- even though he was a "manager".

[Razor(back) Ramon]

Lance Storm was a mistake, but unfortunately someone had to be left off the high flyers and since I never saw a lot of his matches, it was Superfly.

[CharlieHog]

1. Jeff Hardy is one of the worst wrestlers of all time. The ability to fall off of high things does not make somebody a good high-flyer.

2. The ability to repeat catchphrases does not make somebody a good talker. The Rock could tell monkey poop jokes all he wanted, but he couldn't get over a storyline on the mic. Same for a lot of the guys on your list. HHH, Road Dogg, etc.

3. Billy Kidman is not a high flyer!

[hydrophonic]

Lance Storm agrees with me that MNM is the best tag team on TV right now.

Is MNM not the best Tag Team in the Business right now?

http://www.stormwrestling.com/020706.html

[CharlieHog]

Lance Storm agrees with me that MNM is the best tag team on TV right now.

Is MNM not the best Tag Team in the Business right now?

http://www.stormwrestling.com/020706.html

They aren't better than Team 3D, AMW or The Naturals.

[hydrophonic]

Not in your opinion anyway.  I like AMW and The Naturals just fine, but 3D lacks quite a bit to be desired.