|
I was recently sitting around on a lazy day off and decided to watch the WWE’s DVD production “The Top 50 Superstars.” Honestly, I was enjoying the heck out of it until I got to #23. It turned out to be Hulk Hogan!? I turned it off at that point because in no possible way in hell could you ever make a best of list and not include Hogan in the top 3. That would be like a group of NBA panelists putting together a top 50 list and putting Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain at #23. It’s just so asinine that you can’t possibly take it seriously or give it any credibility. So flabbergasted was I at the notion of Hulk at #23 that I decided to sit down make my own top 50 list. 1)Stone Cold Steve Austin – It’s taken me awhile to give Austin the nod at #1, but I think that as the years go on, the evidence is just too strongly stacked in his favor. We live in an era where TV is king and Stone Cold was the man who made the wrestling business something unbelievably popular to watch on TV. Ratings into the 8.0 and beyond is just insane to even dream about today, but the Austin-led Attitude Era made it possible. Never in the history of entertainment was wrestling more cutting edge and cool than it was in the late 90’s. Austin was the embodiment of the anti-authority times and it clicked with the public to the point of unprecedented success that put the final nail in the notion of there being competition to the WWE in the wrestling/sports entertainment world. 2)Hulk Hogan – For many years, I argued that it was the Hulk that was wrestling’s all-time best superstar. Love him or hate him, he was the king of an era that brought wrestling into the mainstream. Just as Austin had embodied the ideals of the late 90’s, Hogan was the characterization of the 80’s mindset. He was an American hero who fought for every man; the ultimate good in a world full of evil. He made a lot of people rich back in those times for it was him that the WWE rode to making Wrestlemania a reality. Headlining eight of the first nine Wrestlemanias in the final match is an unbelievable feat that likely will never be accomplished again. He set the indoor attendance record for his match with Andre the Giant, he made PPV what it is today, and he was a larger than life personality that is still considered the biggest name in the history of wrestling. Everyone may not know who Steve Austin is, but they damn sure know who Hulk Hogan is. 3)The Rock – The only knock on the Rock’s Hall of Fame, legendary resume is that he did not lead his era and will always be a little behind Austin when there’s talk of the late 90’s. Yet, he cannot be held out of the conversation for greatest of all-time. Rock is without question the most electrifying man in the history of sports entertainment, but the argument between he and Austin is very much Russell-Chamberlain-esque. There is no question that Wilt was a more skilled player just as there is no question that Rocky is more talented than Austin as an entertainer and performer. Yet, it was Russell that commanded the era, just as it was Austin who commanded theirs. The Rock will go down in history as the biggest crossover ever in the business, with a successful foray into the movie making business putting him in a category all by himself. His current run in the WWE may also help elevate him, as he’s proven to be a draw in multiple eras now (which is an area in which his peers cannot touch him). 4)John Cena – You wonder when the detractors are going to stop all the hate and give Cena his due as one of the greatest of the greats. Let’s face the fact that Cena has led his own era to business success in certain avenues, including the most profitable Wrestlemanias of all-time. On Cena’s watch, Mania has achieved a status where mayors sell their cities to the WWE to get the sports entertainment spectacular, knowing that there is $40-50 million on the table in economic boosters. Cena is also young enough to where he’s got no stopping point in sight and could move up the list. He’s in the prime of his career and he’s arguably got his most profitable feud to date coming up this coming Mania season. 5)Shawn Michaels – I think that, outside of the top four, the best of all-times lists become really up in the air. I list HBK at the five-spot because of his excellence at Wrestlemania. At what point does amazing in-ring performance on the most consistent level in the history of the WWE come into play on a best-of countdown such as this one? To me, Wrestlemania is the place where the bar gets raised and HBK made a habit of stealing the thunder in many ways from guys who were the main draws of about three different generations. To a growing majority of the fans that grew up during the Mania years, Mr. Wrestlemania is on a completely different level than the top 4 when it comes to his performance quality. 6)Macho Man Randy Savage – Hulk Hogan arguably skews how most people remember the Macho Man since it was Hogan that has been given most of the credit for building the WWE into a worldwide phenomenon in the 80’s. The WWE’s unquestionable #2 back then was Savage and there’s no if, ands, or buts about it. From the moment that he stole Hogan’s thunder with that monumental performance against Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3, Savage would go on to great heights in the WWE. He was the original Mr. Wrestlemania with several notable performances in the early years that stole the show. He was arguably the MVP of the WWE during those years, reigning as their top babyface, playing foils as a top heel, and becoming the legendary figure at the end of his WWE career. Plus, he went onto more success in WCW. 7)Undertaker – To have a career that included wins over some of the biggest stars in wrestling history of any era suggests that you’ve been around for a long time. Taker has, indeed, been around forever and his resume is a patented one that features some seriously unbelievable accolades. 19-0 at wrestling’s greatest spectacle, more than a handful of World title reigns, a lasting personality that has spawned two decades of destruction, and perhaps the most respected man that the WWE has ever produced in the business…just an incredible career. His one drawback is that he was never THE guy during one of the WWE’s top eras, but he was always a huge player from the moment debuted in 1990. Perhaps no one has ever had the sustained run at the top that the Deadman can claim. 8)Ric Flair – You cannot leave the man that most will say is the greatest professional wrestler of all-time out of the top ten. While most of his body of work was done before wrestling became mainstream, the style, class, charisma, and in-ring grace that he showed for over three decades will always be revered and he’ll never be left out of a top 10 list. Flair was supremely gifted in the art of living and breathing your wrestling character, which made him very good at his craft. He talked better than anyone had before him and arguably better than anyone ever has. He had a knack for the brilliant performances, of which he had dozens. There is perhaps no greater combination of microphone skill and wrestling acumen than that of the Nature Boy. Such is why the Hall of Famer belongs near the top of the mountain, whether he ruled a popular era in history or not. 9)Andre The Giant – Even during the Hulkamania era, Andre was the kind of guy that could be sent out with a group of undercard wrestlers and draw in the main-event when Hogan was in a different town. His towering presence made him an icon the business and his match against Hogan at Wrestlemania III was the biggest main-event in the history of the business. There will never be another match quite like it. Andre was THE guy prior to Hulkamania running wild; the most dominant figure in wrestling. You have to wonder if the WWE really would’ve reached its 1980’s heights had it not been for a guy like Andre around to keep Hogan in check and to ensure that there was an experienced hand to add credibility to the early Hogan-topped cards. 10)Triple H – He could honestly be anywhere from 5th to this spot, but his inclusion in the top 10 should be taken as the compliment that it’s intended to be. Triple H was, much like Taker, never a guy that was “The Man” during one of the more heralded eras. He was a top guy, though, A top guy. He parlayed a successful run during the Attitude era, which included a Wrestlemania win over The Rock during a yearlong display of how good he was and a Mania X-Seven war with Taker into a dominant run at the top of the card once the other key players of that era were gone. Business dipped – and unfortunately he will always be known as the guy on top when it did – but he then helped build the generation of stars that took us into the next era. We must never forget that it was Triple H who groomed Randy Orton and Batista and gave John Cena the signature victory he needed to be 100% legit. 11)Bret “Hitman” Hart – The Excellence of Execution should always be in the conversation for the top 10 because he did, in fact, carry a generation in the industry’s history. His run at the top coincided with some of the worst business that the WWE has ever produced since hitting the mainstream, but the counter argument would be that you’d have to wonder how bad it could’ve been had he not been around. He was, at the very least, a very stabilizing presence during the post-Hulkamania years that worked his way up the ranks and had the respect of his peers and the fans because of how good his in-ring performances were. 12)Chris Jericho – Even though big business was never something that Jericho has really been a directly responsible party for, his all-around excellence in the pro-wrestling ranks is undeniable and nearly untouchable. He has so many titles to his name that you’d literally have to look it up to count them and list them, with the most prestigious of those accolades being that he’s the first-ever Undisputed Champion; the first guy to unite the two most storied championships in wrestling history. The fact that he re-invented himself showed his first-class versatility and elevated him to all-time great status. 13)“Rowdy” Roddy Piper – Piper was the greatest villain of the Hulkamania era and was the only one to really escape Hogan unscathed. An instrumental part in Wrestlemanias 1 and 2, respectively, it was Piper’s charisma and ability to play off Hogan so well that helped make that financially risky period a success. The Hall of Famer will always be overshadowed by Hogan and probably Savage, too, but there’s not many other guys from that era that have any business being placed ahead of him. 14)“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase – From a business perspective, one could argue that Dibiase is directly responsible for making sure that the Hulkamania era had enough juice left in it to make the Mega Powers story work to its maximum. After Hogan finished with Andre, in walks Dibiase to take the top heel spot and run with it for a while. It earned him a main-event match at one Wrestlemania and the headlining spots at several others. Of course, he’s also one of the best talkers of that era and arguably its best ring general. 15)Kurt Angle – Quite possibly the most gifted athlete in the history of the wrestling business, Angle’s status is elevated by having been a major player in the Attitude era and also helping to transition the WWE out of that era and into a new one. Much like some of his peers, he’s spent a lot of time on top during what were considered to be bad business years (compared to others) and he voluntarily left the chance to further build his legacy on the table when he bolted WWE for TNA five years ago, but the championship reigns during Wrestlemania seasons and the classic matches that he had keep him high on the list. Great overall talent. 16)Harley Race – Most of our list has, thus far, been skewed toward a time period where the WWE had taken over the wrestling world and popularized it like never before. Yet, as a guy who grew up in the south, I can vouch for the fact that wrestling was still huge before it became mega huge and Race was the top guy for a long time in the NWA. The top guys of his era had the utmost respect for his ability to lead a promotion and he was the type of guy that the likes of Flair and Dusty Rhodes emulated en route to the top. 17)Batista – One must shudder to think how high on this list he could’ve reached had he managed to stay healthy during his entire run as a main-event player, but injuries riddled many a year and a few key Wrestlemanias for Big Dave. Mania 21, the first that he main-evented, saw a rise in buyrates and ratings that demonstrated his unexpected ability to connect with the fans. The fact that he developed into a really strong performer and that he was a big part of one of the most profitable Wrestlemanias of all-time doesn’t hurt his case. 18)Mick Foley – He’s a guy that could be higher up on the list due to the role he played during the WWE’s second boom period and for helping groom two of the top guys of this current era, as well. The WWE title reigns that he has to his name, no matter the length, really solidified his legacy and put him in the discussion for as high as a top 10 spot (since it occurred during the heralded Attitude era). The bestselling author of a couple of books, Foley is also the owner of some of the most violent moments in mainstream sports entertainment history. 19)Dusty Rhodes – I think people sometimes forget that there’s a reason why the American Dream headlined a class in the WWE Hall of Fame. Back before the WWE took over, Dusty was one of the kings of the NWA, which was really the most important entity in wrestling at the time. He won the NWA title, at its most prestigious heights, on a number of occasions and has been instrumental behind the scenes for a long time in many promotions. He’s got a mind for the business and he built quite a legacy for himself both as a wrestler and as an entertainer while he was an active performer. 20)Bruno Sammartino – Any man who can hold a title for eight years must have been doing something right, both from a business perspective and a talent perspective. He could easily be a top 10 guy or even higher to a lot of older fans that got to see his work, but even a newer fan cannot deny the impact that he had in the old WWWF. They hitched their wagon to Bruno and he proceeded to carry the company to sell out crowds in Madison Square Garden – wrestling’s most hallowed hall – time and time again. 21)Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat – At some point, ultimately superior in-ring skill has to be taken into account. Such is why Steamboat can fall no further than right here. His all-time classic Mania match with Savage that stole the show from Andre-Hogan notwithstanding, he was also a former NWA champion, Intercontinental, and United States Champion. He’s been called “the greatest babyface ever” and has had dozens of memorable matches with Ric Flair, many of which join his match with Savage in the discussion for greatest match of all-time. 22)Randy Orton – He’s an undeniable superstar with a lot of upward mobility on a list like this since his future could hold greater things than he’s already accomplished. At just 31 years of age, he’s already had a nine year main-roster career that has included more than a handful of World title reigns (including being the youngest in history), three title matches at Wrestlemania, and the clear cut #2 to John Cena’s top guy status for the last few years. He’s also become one of the most respected guys in the business by his peers after a rocky start. 23)Edge – When you get to this stage of the list, it becomes very difficult to leave out a guy that main-evented/headlined four consecutive Wrestlemanias in World title matches before retiring as World Heavyweight Champion. The Rated R Superstar was a great story and provides the modern WWE wrestler the blueprint by which to work your way up through the ranks to achieve ultimate glory. Honestly, as time goes by we may have to put Edge higher on the list and into the top 20. He could certainly make a case based on his 12 World title reigns and endless other titles. He might very well be the most decorated star in WWE history. 24)Sting – You wonder what his legacy may have been had he ever had a significant stint in the WWE instead of never being on the roster of the top promotion in the world, don’t you? Sting is without question one of the all-time greats, but the fact that his entire body of work as a major player was with NWA/WCW works against him just slightly, especially since he just barely missed out on the heyday before WWE took over the business. He’s a multi-time World Champion, though, and one of the most recognizable stars of WCW history during that promotion’s greatest mainstream run. 25)Jake “The Snake” Roberts – Despite never having a run as the WWE Champion, Jake was arguably the WWE’s #3 guy for a few years during the big boom period of the late 80’s (behind Hogan and the combination of Andre and Savage). He was a headliner that the WWE built major programs around. From a talent standpoint, he might be the most underrated wrestler in WWE history. He was quite unique, introducing the DDT as a finisher, becoming a pioneer and modern wrestling psychology, and changing the microphone game with his soft voice (everyone else back then screamed) and intelligent diatribe. 26)Kevin “Diesel” Nash – It is somewhat difficult to rank Diesel because he was both a part of some of the worst financial times in WWE history and also a main cog in the wheel that led WCW to their near defeat of the WWE. He’s a multi-time World Champion, though, and an unquestionably big part of the Monday Night Wars. He’s got great charisma, too, which has translated to several small movie parts. 27)Eddie Guerrero – Latino Heat was one of the most well-rounded superstars in the wrestling world all the way back to his days in ECW, but no one really gave him much of a chance higher up the card in WCW and even WWE because of his small stature. Eventually, though, his talent could not be held down and he ascended to WWE Champion in 2004 and would’ve been World Champion in 2005 had he not suddenly passed away. He’s a Hall of Famer for very good reason. 28)“Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig – Much like some of the greatly talented athletes who never won the big one in their respective sports, Perfect was that kind of guy in wrestling. He was an unbelievably gifted athlete who could wow you with what he was capable of doing in the ring, but he never could get the brass ring. Had he done so, we’d probably have already discussed him. He revolutionized how a heel should take bumps. HBK took that style to the main-event as a heel. 29)Big Show – Only in the modern era would a guy as big and agile as Show end up often underutilized and over brutalized, but there’s no question that he’s arguably the most physically gifted big man of all-time. He can do things in the ring that a man of his size really has no business even attempting (especially in his earlier years). He just gets how to work in the ring. He’s the only guy to hold the ECW, WCW, and WWE titles and he’s also main-evented two Wrestlemanias. 30)Terry Funk – A multi-time World Champion, Funk was a real man’s man and one of the toughest guys in the history of the business. The time I ever saw him was when he was portraying exactly that kind of role in the movie, “Road House.” I then saw him wrestle during the twilight years of his career and was always impressed. Funk helped introduce hardcore into the modern American wrestling vocabulary. 31)Sgt. Slaughter – This Hall of Famer has a resume that could honestly place him higher on the list, but the gap in between his formative years as an American hero who had his own action figure in the G.I. Joe series and his Wrestlemania main-eventing switch to an Iraqi sympathizer was too great. Slaughter has a lasting gimmick that can still be called upon this day to usher in a little patriotism into the product. 32)Rey Mysterio – There may not be a more aesthetically pleasing superstar in the history of wrestling. Mysterio does things so fluidly in the ring that carry such great degrees of difficulty that it is almost unreal. We take that for granted. He’s parlayed that unbelievable ability to two runs as a World Heavyweight Champion despite being one of the smallest top guys of all-time. His cruiserweight matches in WCW, years before his WWE run, were a main reason to keep watching Nitro if you’d switch over from Raw. 33)Superstar Billy Graham – One thing the WWE DVD did get right was the praise for this man. He was one of the main influences on redefining what it meant to have a great body in the wrestling business. His chiseled and tanned physique would be considered the norm today, but back in his era the champions were built but average looking in comparison. Being the man that ended Sammartino’s 8-year championship reign lends credibility to his inclusion in this discussion, as if he needed it. 34)Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall – The Monday Night War officially began, in my opinion, on the night that Hall showed up on Nitro. That was the most impactful shot fired to that point and it be would be the catalyst for the New World Order and the WWE’s short-term demise. Of course, he also had the ladder match – one of the greatest matches of all-time – to his credit, but it was his contributions to the WCW Nitro vs. WWE Raw ratings battle that compliment his considerable skill level well enough to get him included. 35)Chris Benoit – Whether or not you choose to remember his talents is a personal choice, but one can never take away the fact that Benoit was one of the greatest wrestlers in North America for about a decade. His talents were so appreciated at the time that he was given the show closing title victory and subsequent celebration at the 20th Wrestlemania. Between 2000-2004, no one in the WWE had more classic matches than the Rabid Wolverine. 36)The Ultimate Warrior – Always the lightning rod for controversy, Warrior burned a lot of bridges during his wrestling career and is arguably a certifiable lunatic. However, he did have a memorable run atop the WWE as its champion and as one of its biggest superstars. He captured the imaginations of little kids everywhere in the late 80’s and used that to defeat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VI in 1990. The masterpiece of modern day storytelling between he and Savage the following year cushions his legacy in a major way. 37)Goldberg – There may not be a man with a greater presence in the history of wrestling than Bill Goldberg. He didn’t have much talent in the ring or on the microphone, but he overcame those two usual prerequisites to success by using his incredible intensity to become a major player during the Monday Night Wars and to become the WCW and eventually the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 38)Bam Bam Bigelow – You could make the argument that Bigelow was the most gifted in-ring performing big man of all-time…and if you did, then you’d probably have quite a few legendary wrestlers back you up on that. Featuring a crazy unique look and the quickness of a man half his size, Bam Bam main-evented a Wrestlemania and had some phenomenal matches with greats like Bret Hart. He was the perfect guy to go up against L.T. at Mania 11. 39)Brock Lesnar – While you have to base his inclusion on just a two-year body of work, that two year body of work is damned impressive. It includes multiple reigns as the WWE Champion, victories and/or major PPV matches against eleven guys on this list that precede him, and several reasons why people consider this guy to be one of all-time prodigies in the wrestling business. Never has there been nor ever will there be a more dynamic mix of size, speed, strength, and wrestling ability. 40)Bob Backlund – Backlund picked up where Sammartino left off with that 8 year title reign and had a five year reign as WWWF Champion of his own, keeping the New York territory afloat and continuing to do good business at MSG in NYC. He was a consummate professional in the ring and was respected amongst the legendary figures of his time for being able to do things like wrestle for an hour. The fact that he came back to the WWE some ten or so years after losing the title and regained the championship, albeit for one day, was the type of thing that padded his resume. 41)Rob Van Dam – Say what you will about the former WWE and ECW Champion, RVD was a very unique performer that wowed the audience wherever he went. He developed a great following that eventually led to his being given the chance to grab the brass ring and, although he embarrassed the WWE a little bit after he did, he will still be remembered as a former champion. He was also instrumental in reviving ECW with his idea for the One Night Stand event that was such a success that it led to ECW becoming the WWE’s third brand. 42)Lou Thesz – One of the pioneers of the NWA, Thesz is the type that had a major influence on a lot of the other guys on this list that were dominant stars of the 70’s and 80’s. He is one of the guys that my grandfather talked about when I was but a miniature fan in awe of the wrestling business. Continuing with the basketball analogy, Thesz would sort of be like Bob Pettit, the original power forward that laid the groundwork. Thesz was a groundwork guy. 43)Arn Anderson – There was another guy during his era that they called the Total Package, but Anderson really was the total package. He was the kind of guy that could talk like few others and could go in the ring and back it up. He was known as the Enforcer and it was not just a nickname; he lived his persona much like his Four Horsemen stable mate, Ric Flair. 44)Kane – Easily one of the best big men of all-time, I firmly believe that it was his 5-month reign as World Champion last year that solidified his coming to mind as a top 50 superstar. He, perhaps more than any other superstar in wrestling history besides the early years for the Taker, has put up with a ton of crap storylines and managed to make them watchable. So, I suppose you could call him a master of turning nothing into something. John Cena called him one of the most underrated stars of all-time. That may be accurate. 45)“Ravishing” Rick Rude – One of my favorites of all-time and another one of those guys that would be in the conversation for most underrated, Rude never had his career completely validated with a World title run even though he certainly had the talent. He was a natural heel that could go at the highest level on the ring and on the microphone, even against a guy with far less talent like Warrior (a sign of being one of the best). 46)Pedro Morales – Had I actually seen more of this man’s work, I might’ve put him higher on this list. Yet, there’s no questioning his legacy. He was the very first man to win the WWE’s triple crown of being the IC champ, a tag team champ, and the WWE Champion. Unfortunately, he was at his prime during the era just prior to the explosion of the WWF’s popularity in the mid-80’s. 47)Jeff Hardy – The daredevil unquestionably earned his place on this list by putting his body on the line like few others in wrestling history. It’s sort of crazy that stupidity, not injuries, were the reason why he never made it farther, but he did become the WWE Champion and a major player at the top of the card. His legacy in the TLC era of the tag team division and his work as a singles performer in the mid-card are unquestioned. He’s a memorable superstar, for one reason or another. 48)Vader – Another of the most talented big men in wrestling history, Vader was a real bruiser that was about as dominant a wrestler as there’s ever been. The moonsault-capable mastodon used an undeniable presence to quickly rise the ranks in WCW en route to World Championships. He never got that far in the WWE, but it did not in any way tarnish the legacy he’d set in the other of North America’s top promotions. 49)Verne Gagne – If it were not for the fact that Gagne was always number 2, whether it be during the NWA’s heyday or the WWF’s first boom period, then perhaps the developer of the AWA would’ve been higher on this list. He was the booker, the leader, often the top star, and was one of the pioneers of an era in wrestling that many look back on as a golden age. The Hall of Famer’s contributions cannot be denied or go underappreciated. 50)Gorgeous George – The best of the Nature Boy personas belonged to that of Ric Flair, who followed in the footsteps of Buddy Rogers. However, it was Rogers that followed in the footsteps of Gorgeous George. The flamboyant star may have been wrestling’s first recognizable national personality, what with TV coming about in many a household around the time that George was making his name. The flair with which he carried himself was controversial to say the least, but it set a precedent in pro-wrestling that guys like Slick Ric built on and perfected.
|
