Take up thy wrestling boots and walk - Greatest wrestler of the modern era countdown pt. 3
    Submitted by Pt2 on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 11:30 AM EST



    Welcome once again to the column that sold out to the million dollar corporation, Take up thy wrestling boots and walk. I’m the man who is back once again with the third portion of this little Christmas special, Pt2, to continue the countdown of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era, this time giving you the rankings from number 50 to number 26!

    Now we are into the top 50, the ranking system will probably become a lot less clear. In the past two columns, pretty much everyone that has won a match finishes below everyone that has won two matches, and so on. In the top fifty, we are dealing with the creme de la creme of wrestlers, and so who the results come against, and how many results there are, play a big part in deciding the final position. It makes it a lot more controversial, and a lot more interesting, and I’m sure it’ll give you a few talking points. Anyway, to the top 50!

    #50 Sean Waltman 3-3-0: Sean Waltman can consider himself very lucky at getting into the top 50, and not just because one of the most prominent chants in wrestling history has been ‘X-Pac sucks’. You could make a very good case for putting JBL into the top 50 ahead of him, the two extra contests, and a win over Jeff Jarrett (supported by his victories over BG James and Tajiri) see Waltman move above Bradshaw and claim this spot.

    #49 Mike Rotunda 2-1-0: Mike Rotunda is probably best known as either Michael Wallstreet, or the crony of Ted DiBiase that we call Irwin R. Schyster. Both his wins come against people ranked at the bottom of this list, but the fact that he has a positive record, and two wins over people who make the list (something that no one else with a record of 2-1-0 can claim) means that his wins over Terry Taylor and Greg Valentine are good enough to bring him in at number 49.

    #48 Brock Lesnar 2-2-0: Brock Lesnar didn’t exactly have the longest career in pro wrestling, but while he was there he fought pretty much anyone of any note, and that reflects in his ranking position. He isn’t really hurt by defeats at the hands of Angle and Goldberg, and is greatly helped by a victory over both Angle and The Rock. Lesnar is mostly hindered by his short record. With two defeats in only four fights, it is hard to rate him any more highly.

    #47 Chris Benoit 4-7-0: Certainly the most controversial name on this list, but unlike the WWE we aren’t going to pretend he never existed - since he appeared at the biggest stages of wrestling 11 times in his career, it is pretty hard to forget all about him, especially in a column like this. His biggest hindrance is the fact that as a triple threat match, his win over both Shawn Michaels and HHH is not counted in this column. Without it, his record looks a bit lacklustre, the pick of it being wins over Jarrett and Jericho. With seven defeats on the other side, against the likes of Perry Saturn and RVD, condemn Benoit to the lower echelons of the top 50.

    #46 Denny Brown 2-0-0: Brown makes it in by virtue of being undefeated in two trips to Starrcade. Wins over Mike Davis and Rocky King ensure that Brown is one of a small number of Cruisers who make it into the top 100.


    #45 Manny Fernandez 2-0-0: Manny Fernandez also makes the top 50 by virtue of being undefeated in his two visits to Starrcade. At consecutive Starrcade events Fernandez defeated Black Bart and Abdullah the Butcher. With those victories, the two time NWA Tag Champion makes it into a very respectable 45th.

    #44 Perry Saturn 2-0-0: Perry Saturn, a veteran of both WCW and WWE, also makes a very respectable finish, mostly due to a WCW victory over Chris Benoit. The other win also comes in WCW, against Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller. This undefeated record, including a win over a former WWE champion, sees Saturn sitting quite nicely. You’re welcome!

    #43 Owen Hart 3-5-0: One of the greatest heels in WWE history, Owen Hart returned to the greatest stage time and time again, either as a singles competitor (as which he made appearances) or as part of a tag team, with either Yokozuna, the British Bulldog or Jeff Jarrett. Owen has a negative record, but a victory over Bret Hart is valuable - while his defeats against his older brother, HHH and Steve Austin don’t hurt his standing as much as you might think. After all, there is no real shame in losing to the top guns, and eight contests is a hefty amount of time in the spotlight - unfortunately, even such a distinguished career was cut tragically short, as Owen had a wealth of talent to continue giving to the wrestling world when he died in 1999.

    #42 Dusty Rhodes 3-3-0: The American Dream was primarily of another era, but in this he proved that while he may be past his best, he could still go. While he suffered defeats to the likes of Randy Savage and Tully Blanchard, Dusty picked up huge wins against the likes of Lex Luger and Ric Flair... and also a slightly less huge win against the Honky Tonk Man at Summerslam 1989. Still in the ring as recently as 2006, the Dream’s place in Pro wrestling lore is assured twenty times over. While 42 may seem rather low for a legend, remember - he made his wrestling debut in 1968, and so he’d spent 16 years in the ring by the time these records begin - a 3-3 record in the twilight of a man’s career against such noted opposition is certainly a great achievement.

    #41 Kerry Von Erich 2-0-0: Kerry Von Erich is also undefeated. A big win over Perfect and another big win over Dino Bravo is enough to ensure that the most famous of the Von Erich brothers gets a fairly big finish for what can only be described as a tragic career. On February 18th, 2003, it will be the 15th anniversary of Kerry Von Erich’s death.

    #40 Tully Blanchard 2-1-0: One thing you will never be able to accuse Tully Blanchard of is ducking a challenge. While the son of Joe Blanchard’s career may have been ended at the highest level following a failed drugs test in 1989, his three visits to the grandest stages of them all as a singles wrestler included wins over Ricky Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes, and his record was only blighted by a defeat at the hands of Magnum TA. In short, Blanchard fought three of the best wrestlers of the eighties and beat two of them. You can’t ask for much more than that. If he’d beaten Magnum TA as well, he’d probably be in the top 10.

    #39 Eddie Guerrero 4-6-0: Eddie Guerrero hit his peak late in his career, so who knows where the man from El Paso would have finished up were he not found dead in 2005? He could have made his way right into the top regions of this list. As things stand though, his defeats outweight his victories, and that holds him back. Wins against DDP, and Kurt Angle push him up into the top 40, though, and I doubt anyone would have predicted that back in his WCW days.

    #38 Rob Van Dam 3-1-0: Rob Van Dam has a fair record at the top level, but the big question you have to ask yourself is, who has he really faced? He fought Kane, and got defeated by him. Other than that, his only match of any note came against Chris Benoit, and he did manage to get the 1-2-3 in that contest. He gets the credit for wins against Regal and Hardy, but they don’t even make this list, and so Van Dam, despite having an impressive 3-1 record, can’t finish any higher than 38th.

    #37 Earthquake 3-2-0: The big, bad Earthquake was a huge presence in the WWE in the early nineties. His power in the company seemed to diminish as time went on, but his record didn’t. While only Hogan and Sting have ever beaten him at the highest stage, he has racked up three wins in his other three attempts. Impressive? We think so.

    #36 Rick Steamboat 3-2-1: Some people will be surprised to see one of the most praised wrestlers in the history of the business finishing up so low. However, his record is mixed at best, highlighted by a defeat at the hands of the man ranked number 99, Greg Valentine. On the flipside of that, there is his victory at Wrestlemania III over Randy Savage. Steamboat may get all the praise in the world, but his record is one of inconsistency. If he could have overcome that, then maybe he could have even sat at the number one position. As it is, 36th will have to suffice for ‘The Dragon’.

    #35 Goldberg 3-2-0: Goldberg seemed to decimate everything in his path for quite some time, but it would seem decimation wasn’t exactly guaranteed when it came time to lace the boots at the biggest shows WCW, and the WWE, had to offer. While his wins outnumber his losses, defeats at the hands of Kevin Nash and Bret Hart drag his record down and mean that one of the most dominant champions in WCW history has to settle for a place in the second column - something I’m sure will surprise a lot of readers. He is of course, not helped by his greatest victories coming on an episode of Monday Nitro - the same episode, as it turns out.

    #34 Mick Foley 3-2-0: An identical record to Goldberg in terms of numbers, but a comparison of Foley’s opponents makes it clear as to why he is ranked more highly. Foley’s wins over The Undertaker and HHH best any wins on Goldberg’s record, and move one of the most popular men in wrestling up into position #34. Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love or Mick Foley, call him what you will, but the conclusion from his record seems to be that Foley is Good. Not great... but definitely very good.

    #33 Wahoo McDaniel 2-0-0: Wahoo McDaniel hasn’t wrestled since the eighties. However, a record of 2 wins and no defeats, in two attempts against Rick Rude and Billy Graham, is enough to propel Wahoo right up to #33. He may be primarily from another era, but he certainly had it in him to make his mark on this one.

    #32 British Bulldog 3-1-0: Davey Boy Smith has a fine record at the top shows. In fact, you could probably call him a big show performer, pulling out wins against Bret Hart and Ken Shamrock at the big shows. His only defeat comes at the hands of Sid Vicious, who has a size advantage of almost a foot for Davey Boy to take into account. For someone who never held the world championship, a ranking of 32nd is certainly very respectable, finishing above such notables as Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Goldberg.

    #31 Glen Jacobs 4-5-1: Kane has a negative record - but just look at who those defeats come against. Undertaker twice, Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and the Great Khali, who has a huge size advantage. On the reverse of that, he has managed a draw with Taker, and wins over HHH and RVD. The days of Isaac Yankem are far behind now, and Glen Jacobs has a record, and career, to be proud of.

    #30 Lex Luger 6-7-0: Lex Luger made his return over and over and over again to the biggest stage of them all, in both WCW and the WWE. You may be asking yourself how he makes it into the top 30 with a negative record. Being the only man to beat Sting at a top level event is enough to power Luger into this high a position, and wins over Yokozuna, Mr. Perfect, Stan Hansen and others only seals the deal. A hugely important figure in the modern era of pro wrestling.

    #29 Ted DiBiase 4-3-1: Ted DiBiase has the record of a man haunted by another. His record would be sensational, where it not for Virgil, who inexplicably beat him twice. Virgil is clearly the MDM’s ‘bogey’ opponent. Without Virgil, only Savage would have a blot on his record that contains wins over people as highly rated as Jake Roberts.

    #28 Jeff Jarrett 4-3-0: Jeff Jarrett is a multiple time world champion, but looking at his record must raise questions about how he got to that level. While a win over Benoit is impressive, as is a win over the 500lbs Mabel, defeats at the hands of Razor Ramon, Sean Waltman and Benoit raise serious questions above Jarrett’s performance at this level.

    #27 Rey Mysterio jnr. 3-4-0: Mysterio is one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, but if this was only for cruiserweight wrestlers Mysterio still wouldn’t come top. His wins are out numbered by his losses, but two wins over Eddie Guerrero and a win over his cousin Chavo Guerrero impress us enough to push him up into #27th place. His four defeats prevent him from challenging for the top positions, and even the position of top cruiser.

    #26 ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude 4-3-1: Rude’s record may not be as stellar as some expect it to be, however his four wins come against some notable opponents, including the Ultimate Warrior, the Big Boss Man and Jimmy Snuka. On top of that, only two men have inflicted defeats onto him - one being Wahoo McDaniel, and Warrior managed it twice, at consecutive Summerslam events. A draw with Jake Roberts doesn’t look too bad on the record either, and Rude barely misses out on the top 25.

    As you can tell by the names you have already seen in this column, the next one featuring the top 25 will feature nothing but the absolute cream of professional wrestling. Join me for it on Christmas eve, I can promise you that you won’t want to miss it.

    I can be reached, as always, at takeupthywrestlingboots@gmail.com.

    Until next time

    Take care

    Pt2




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