Most important UK Wrestlers

[Vastardikai]

I did one of these for Japanese, and I would like to see the take folks would have on British workers. Apart from number 1, no real particular order.

10. Jim Breaks
9. Big Daddy
8. Davey Boy Smith
7. Johnny Saint
6. Will Ospreay
5. Billy Robinson
4. Dynamite Kid
3. Adrian Street
2. Fit Finlay (Northern Ireland is part of the UK)
1. William Regal

What is your take?

[DAMN iNATOR]

No Piper?

[XL]

Not sure if DAMN is being serious...

[DAMN iNATOR]

Not sure if DAMN is being serious...

I am. Why would he not be considered important enough to make a top 10 list like this?

[XL]

Because he’s Canadian?

[DAMN iNATOR]

Because he’s Canadian?

Now I can't tell if you're serious. He's clearly a Scot.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I love William Regal and I'm a mark for him, but #1 seems a bit too gracious. He's basically a long-tenured mid-carder that is well respected.

[Ultra Mantis]

Ospreay way too high, if he makes the list then surely Dunne should be on there too since they've built a whole spin off division around him.

Davey Boy seems way too low considering he's the only one with worldwide name value.

[Maluco]

I would say Gentleman Chris Adams would have to make the top 10 at Ospreys expense. Still too early for him in an all time context.

Giant Haystacks would also have to be in there. He is up there with Big Daddy for sure.

Adrian Street is extremely influential so should probably be number two, behind Big Daddy, who was a phenomenon back in the day. When British interest was at its peak, that was who was on top. It was even rumored that the Queen would tune in to a Big Daddy match

Davey Boy Smith was a big star in both singles and tag at a boom period for the company. Some very memorable moments from him despite Regal being far more talented

10. Billy Robinson
9. Johnny Saint
8. Chris Adams
7. Fit Finley
6. William Regal
5. Dynamite Kid
4. Davey Boy Smith
3. Giant Haystacks
2. Adrian Street
1. Big Daddy

[Shisen Kopf]

No Mick McManus? List fail

[Vastardikai]

I would even admit after I posted it, that I had forgotten enough British workers to create a whole different list, Including Les Kellet, the Villian, Zack Sabre Jr., Dunne, Haystacks, Adams, Marty Jones, and Kendo Nagasaki.

[XL]

Ospreay way too high, if he makes the list then surely Dunne should be on there too since they've built a whole spin off division around him.

Davey Boy seems way too low considering he's the only one with worldwide name value.

Apart from number 1, no real particular order

[Simple Fan]

Don't know alot about the UK scene so I'll only do 5. Probably not most important but more successful over here or around the world.

5. Finlay
4. Zach Sabre Jr
3. Nick "Magnus" Aldis
2. William Regal
1. Davey Boy Smith

[xrodmuc316]

Depends on how you define important and U.K.

The British Bulldogs were literally walking flags, so if you are saying important in terms of representing England, it is them with Davey Boy far ahead of Dynamite, as Davey also had a long and successful singles run.

If you mean U.K. as it is defined, "made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is an island nation in northwestern Europe", then clearly the answer is Sheamus. Nobody comes close to matching his success, again depending on what you mean by important. If success equals importance, The Celtic Warrior wins easily.

FELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLA!!!!!!

[Ultra Mantis]

@XL

Not sure what the point of numbering guys was if there's zero thought behind it, but if I need to rework my point, I present this: Davey Boy should be above Regal and Ospreay is not in the top 10.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah, I think both Bulldogs, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks would have to go above Regal. I bet you more British people have heard of them than Regal, and that's with Regal getting to go and play with the "big fake Americans."

Again: This comes from a position of love for Regal. I'm sure he wouldn't place himself on this list. It's hard to put anyone modern on there either, like Ospreay or Sabre, Jr., because they just haven't done enough during a period of significance yet. If Ospreay hurt himself and retired tomorrow, in a few years people would remember him as "trivia," but not much beyond that, you know?

[Vastardikai]

@XL

Not sure what the point of numbering guys was if there's zero thought behind it, but if I need to rework my point, I present this: Davey Boy should be above Regal and Ospreay is not in the top 10.

I think that's a fair point. I wanted to do someone more recent and, while I prefer Sabre and Scruill, I had Ospreay as the bigger star of the three.

I should have, by all admission went with Marty, Haystacks, or more likely Kendo

[Ultra Mantis]

I like Ospreay and he would definitely be near the top of a current important UK guys list, I don't think he has the legacy to place that high right now. He could, he and Dunne have tons of potential, but it's too early to give it to either guy. I'd actually like to see you do a separate list of just current UK talent.

[Emperor Smeat]

Was going to mention Sheamus but then realized he's from Ireland and not N. Ireland. He'd probably be up there for most important Ireland or UK + Ireland list.

[xrodmuc316]

Was going to mention Sheamus but then realized he's from Ireland and not N. Ireland. He'd probably be up there for most important Ireland or UK + Ireland list.

Still counts, Sheamus is the winner FELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLA!!!!

[xrodmuc316]

FYI, Sheamus has beat all Vince's guys for the World Title, Cena twice, Roman in like 2 minutes, Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds. That level of dominance alone makes him the best ever lol

[Anybody Thrilla]

Summerslam 92 was tight.

[XL]

FYI, Sheamus has beat all Vince's guys for the World Title, Cena twice, Roman in like 2 minutes, Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds. That level of dominance alone makes him the best ever lol

Best ever, maybe (IYO). But not Best UK wrestler.

[Outsider]

Ireland is not the UK.

Further reading: Government of Ireland Act 1920

[Outsider]

Also, Sheamus is fucking awful.

[Helmsphere]

Meh, He's alright. Just not really main event material.

[Destor]

Osprey being above Johnny fucking Saint is so offensive that i cant take this thread seriously

[Destor]

Johnny Saint abd Jimmy Breaks are 1 & 2 and i will fight anyone who disagrees to the death

[Nicky Fives]

Seems like I would give the nod to Dynamite Kid....Without him, none of small guys would have attempted to make it (Jericho, Benoit, HBK, etc.) and without those smaller guys, today's smaller guys the likes of Danielson, Rollins, etc. wouldn't be around.

[Vastardikai]

Again, no particular order. That said, I would have replaced Ospreay with Kenso Nagasaki after further review.

[Helmsphere]

Why isn't Norman Smiley on anyone list?

I'm disappointed in you Rowdy.

[RiX1024]

Orig Williams needs to be on that list

[Seth82]

much much too early imho to put Ospreay in the top 10.

here is my list in no particular order.

Kendo Nagasaki
Big Daddy
Atholl Oakley
Mick McManus
Mark Rocco
Johnny Saint
Dynamite Kid
Bert Assirati
Billy Robinson
Marty Jones

[Outsider]

Orig Williams needs to be on that list

Wasn't he responsible for Mason Ryan?

If so, then no. Take him off the list.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Sheamus is a weird case. I mean, obviously not British, but they've tried with the dude pretty hard over the years. Other than Alberto Del Rio, I can't think of a guy that has won as many World Titles and feels so mid-card. He's got everything they want and look for. He's a big dude, agile for that size, ripped, has a distinct look, is a comfortable talker and works his ass off (wasn't he their most prolific wrestler until Dean Ambrose came along?). He's appeared in movies and they've given him the King of the Ring, Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank. They've tried to put everything onto him, so why does he feel so...nothing? Is it just reflective of the era?

[Danny Electric]

Off topic sorry but I think Sheamus has found his new niche in tag team wrestling.

On topic , I don't have the most extensive knowledge of British wrestling apart from watching re runs of the 80s stuff and brief knowledge of modern day guys . What I do know is Davey Boy headlined the biggest event in British wrestling history (in terms of location and attendance) and on a personal level he would be the number one guy.

[Bad News Gertner]

Big Daddy is number 1 and it's not close.

[Bad News Gertner]

much much too early imho to put Ospreay in the top 10.

here is my list in no particular order.

Kendo Nagasaki
Big Daddy
Atholl Oakley
Mick McManus
Mark Rocco
Johnny Saint
Dynamite Kid
Bert Assirati
Billy Robinson
Marty Jones

That is a pretty fantastic list. I'd probably swap Assirati for Adrian Street

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm pretty sure even non-wrestling fans have heard of Big Daddy over in the UK.

[Ultra Mantis]

I wasn't alive during World of Sport's run, but growing up, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks were the only guys from that show I ever heard anyone talk about / reference.

[Bad News Gertner]

Big Daddy was the Hulk Hogan of the UK. That's the best comparison that I can think of

[EIWF]

No one has mentioned Grado :(

[EIWF]

Now I can't tell if you're serious. He's clearly a Scot.

Hehe

[Seanny One Ball]

Big Daddy was the most famous British wrestler based in Britain at one time but he was pretty much unheard of outside of the UK. His brother, Max Crabtree is probably the best/biggest booker&show runner the UK had but no matter how high the viewing figures were there is no way in Hell Big Daddy was seen by as many people as Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, William Regal or Fit Finlay at their peak. They reached a huge international audience with WWE whereas Big Daddy was seen by millions of Brits. Mostly because there was nothing else to watch.

Big Daddy matches were a disgraceful affair. Zero athleticism and absolutely no suspense or surprise. There's a claim to be made that his main events were responsible for the stagnation and eventual death of televised wrestling in the U.K.

Guys like Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo were just as popular and they could actually wrestle but again they weren't as well known outside of the UK as the likes of the WWE British imports.

[Seanny One Ball]

Big Daddy was the Hulk Hogan of the UK. That's the best comparison that I can think of



Not really. He was purely a wrestling attraction. There was no real cultural impact beyond the time period nor outside of wrestling. He made virtually no contribution to wrestling in the U.K. besides ticket sales which rapidly waned. His brother did all of the promotion and booking. Big Daddy was a freak sideshow to the athletic undercards. He was a big heel for years then a face later on once he was totally obese and immobile enough to look formidable enough to fight Giant Haystacks in a light shoving match.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I've seen and heard of Big Daddy referenced in different media.

[Seanny One Ball]

Not beyond the context of wrestling you haven't

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I like Rollerball Rocko

[Mr. Nerfect]

Not beyond the context of wrestling you haven't

I haven't heard of any British wrestler past the context of wrestling. I'm not even sure I've heard of any wrestler past the context of wrestling. Even Andre the Giant is famous for being a wrestler that crossed over. That still depends on a wrestling context.

[Seanny One Ball]

Andre The Giant was on TV and in films as an actor, not just as a wrestler. Andre was one of the first wrestlers to truly get so famous that he transcended wrestling. Hulk Hogan had far greater success as an actor, as a reality TV star etc. Macho Man and John Cena both released albums alongside acting roles. Then you have The Rock who some people will only know as an actor because he was so successful at surpassing wrestling's reach.

You're getting a basic fact wrong. There are levels of fame and recognition that go so far beyond wrestling notoriety and Big Daddy is a perfect example of a wrestler that was firmly stuck in his niche.
Big Daddy doesn't make me think of shitty rap albums or awful action movies, just fat old men belly bumping each other.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Andre The Giant was on TV and in films as an actor, not just as a wrestler. Andre was one of the first wrestlers to truly get so famous that he transcended wrestling. Hulk Hogan had far greater success as an actor, as a reality TV star etc. Macho Man and John Cena both released albums alongside acting roles. Then you have The Rock who some people will only know as an actor because he was so successful at surpassing wrestling's reach.

You're getting a basic fact wrong. There are levels of fame and recognition that go so far beyond wrestling notoriety and Big Daddy is a perfect example of a wrestler that was firmly stuck in his niche.
Big Daddy doesn't make me think of shitty rap albums or awful action movies, just fat old men belly bumping each other.

Yeah, that's you. I've definitely heard him referenced on British comedy panel shows, radio shows, TV, etc. I never would have heard of any other British wrestler if I wasn't into wrestling. Never heard of Cena's rap album or Savage's in public discourse, for that matter.

[Seanny One Ball]

You're struggling to understand transcendence and you have confused medium with context.

[Mr. Nerfect]

You're struggling to try and tell me what I have and haven't heard of.

[Seanny One Ball]

It's no skin off my nose if you choose believe something despite not understanding it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

:lol: