What events/occurences "made" your top 5 fav wrestlers...for YOU?

[Johnny Vegas]

We all have different top five favorite wrestlers, so what promos, matches, catchphrases, finishers or w/e made them your favoriten? i.e. - SCSA: King of the Ring '96, his gimmick of not giving a damn, his fued with Vince or whatever..BEGIN NINJAS!

[Jeritron]

Well my favorite 5 would probably consist of Jericho, Stone Cold, Foley, HBK and the fifth is hard to pick between a few guys.

Jericho-Used to watch WCW when I could, usually before Raw started and thankfully thats when Jericho was on, since he was undercard. I was a fan of his and thought he was hilarious, and he reminded me of HBK even as a young relatively uneducated fan.
I became a huge mark for him when he showed up on Raw, and by the end of his fued with Chyna I was hooked.

Stone Cold-Well this is basically the man that got me as into wrestling as I have been. I watched occasionally before him, but watched religiously during his big run in 1998. I think his fued with Vince/Undertaker and Kane in particular was what hooked me.

HBK- When I was in about 5th grade, is when Shawn Michaels was at his peak. This was 1996, and I knew little to nothing about wrestling and never watched but Shawn Michaels was cool. He was the wrestler everybody liked, and I did because of the playground fads, but never really got into wrestling big at this time.
In 1998, like I explained earlier Stone Cold drew me in big time, but Shawn Michaels was just leaving. This made me intrigued. He used to be the big star, he was the coolest and now he was gone. So naturally I wanted to see him in the mix more. I became a huge fan and went back and rented tapes and became familiar with him hoping for the day he'd come back. He became one of my favorite wrestlers and as I matured as a wrestling fan only learned to appreciate his work and talent more.

Mick Foley- Hell in a Cell and eventually Mr. Socko, mixed with his overall craziness. I'll admit it. Like Michaels, I appreciated him more as I learned more about the business and realized he wasn't only a funny guy who was entertaining as hell and had crazy matches, but a great worker and one of the best promo men in the business. His fueds were and are most of my favorites.


I don't know who my 5th is, I'd like to say The Rock because he surely was amazing when I was younger and still is but I feel like I'm ommitting other favorites of mine in the final spot on my list

[Xero]

Austin - Bret vs. Austin - WrestleMania 13

Mick Foley - Cactus vs Hunter really put him over the top for me.

Triple H - See previous statement.

Roddy Piper - Piper vs Valentine Dog Collar Match

The Undertaker - The (original) Kane vs. Taker storyline really made him for me.

[Johnny Vegas]

sweeeeeet

[Theo Dious]

In my top favorite wrestlers, only 2 have a real defining moment for me:

Shawn Michaels: Have loved him ever since Marty Janetty dove through the Barbershop window to escape from him. Fucking coward. Either that or seeing him take the IC title from the British Bulldog on SNME.

Undertaker: Locking the Ultimate Warior in the casket. Some of the kids at school cried when that happened; I cried out of laughing so damn hard.

[Morrisey]

Chris Jericho: Was amazed with his stuff at some point during his feud with Chyna, and has been my favourite ever since.

Chris Benoit: Just for being consistently brilliant in the ring. Also loved his "Prove me wrong" promos and feud with Jericho.

Shawn Michaels: Only got into wrestling in '98, was wowed by WM14, had to wait over 4 years to see him wrestle again!

Owen Hart: Kicking arse with him on WWF Warzone(somewhat lost its appeal in later years when I realized how shit that game is!)

Mankind: The first time I saw the Hell In A Cell match from KOTR '98.

[ttetf]

HBK: Wrestlemania XII. Truly showed why the WWF was alive and kicking with amazing performers in what would be considered an otherwise stale time in wrestling.

Bret Hart: See above

Stone Cold Steve Austin: I was at Wrestlemania XIV when Austin won the big one. To describe that atmosphere is next to impossible. Just unbelievably awesome.

Undertaker: Now I can remember ordering the 1990 Survivor Series as a little kid with my brother and seeing Taker make his debut. I've always enjoyed him, but what made me truly appreciate him was Wrestlemania 20. I still get goosebumps watching that entrance in the Garden. Showed me that WWF/E is something I can't imagine Undertaker not being a part of.

Ric Flair: Pick any match the guy's done in the last 25+ years. Brilliance...Flair is just brilliance

[Chuck Jones]

Bret Hart-Wrestlemania 13. His match with austin is my all time favorite match.

HHH- Probably when I first saw him, I had this sort of connection to him. I knew this guy would be a star.

Foley- Hell in a Cell with Undertaker.

Undertaker- Rising from the casket after mind games.

Austin-Wrestlemania 13

[Dorkchop]

Christian - I've liked him ever since he debuted in the WWF, but his hilarious shit with Edge (Foley and Angle) was what made him become my all time favorite. I miss, and forget, a lot of the awesome things him and Edge made up. Also, he's a really solid worker and can pretty much carry anyone.

Jericho - WCW. That's all I really have to say.

Sting - I was always a pretty big fan of his, but I disgustingly marked out for him during all of 1998.... well before and after that too (up until WCW folded), but 1998, especially the summer, was my all time Sting mark out season.

Benoit - Summer of 98 was when I really got behind him. I loved his intensity in the ring, and that he got so over with so few words.

Austin - I can't think of one moment, or short time period, where he instantly became one of my favorites. It's basically mid 97 up until Wrestlemania XIV. You couldn't get enough of him. He was the perfect thing pro wrestling needed at that time. Up until he turned heel, he was always fun to watch. I even enjoyed some of his heel work.

[Funky Fly]

Bret Hart: Saw him consistently put on great matches with just about anybody, with Neidhart for a partner no less. Was hooked after that.

Ultimo Dragon: Watched his shit in WCW and was hooked. Didn't matter if they were jobbers like Lizmark Jr or Super Calo (lol sunglasses), he put on a great match both in the air and on the ground.

Owen Hart: So good at being a heel. I totally wanted to cheer for him, but he was always such a dick to Bret (was a mark then). Damn near cried when he kicked bret's injured leg after losing the tag match at the Royal Rumble.

Chris Jericho: The Goldberg Saga. Nuff said.

Don't even know who to put for 5.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Kane: Just the guy's gimmick had me hooked. A psychopath who was scarred in a fire, and the underrated bigger little brother of The Undertaker? That was pretty fucking cool to me, as a new fan. I've always loved his Chokeslam finisher, and his performance in the 2001 Royal Rumble, eliminating everyone, was just fucking brilliant.

Matt Hardy: When I started watching, Matt Hardy was the only guy I knew in the business who shared the same first name as me. It's a little trivial, but it just helped me like the guy. He just always had this likability about him. When he and Lita ended up as a couple on WWE TV, it made me mark out that he got the girl over Jeff.

Val Venis: The 2002 Royal Rumble featured a bunch of guys returning to the WWE. Goldust, The Godfather, Val Venis and Mr. Perfect were all advertised. If I remember, Val Venis got a pretty huge pop when he was announced, and I just loved his music and the character was just a link to earlier years prior to when I started watching. Then he got right in Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. Perfect's faces after the Rumble, and it made Val look pretty tough. The guy also never has a bad match.

Paul London: I had heard a lot about the guy before he debuted, but what really hooked me was just his natural likable energy, and his match with Billy Kidman at No Mercy 2004 is one of the better cruiserweight matches I have ever seen. The one moment that really made me a huge fan of his, had to be when he and Billy Kidman defeated The Dudley Boyz on an edition of Velocity one week via disqualification, and then the next won the WWE Tag Team Championship on SmackDown!. They billed it as the greatest upset in SmackDown! history, and I just really connected with the moment.

William Regal: My first encounter with professional wrestling actually involved William Regal. He was having issues with The Rock, and he was European Champion at the time. The year was 2000. Regal was offended by The Rock, and his facial expressions had me and my cousin joking about him for years. Regal is true greatness.

[Heyman]

5) Shawn Michaels

-The way he acted during his original DX days.
-The emotion involved in his return of 2002 to face Triple H
-Like me, Shawn Michaels overcame many physical obstacles despite a severely damaged back (and amazingly enough, HBK's back was even more messed up then mine.....which is saying a lot).
-Like me, Shawn Michaels used to be a major dick and has made a conscious effort to try and better his life (via spirituality/religion, etc.)

4) The Rock

-The way The Rock acted during his Nation days in his feud vs. DX.
-The Rock vs. Triple H at Summerslam 98'
-The way Rock "stood up" to Undertaker/Kane after Summerslam when they were harrassing D'Lo Brown. For some reason, that always stuck out for me. I thought it was ultra cool (LOL - I was such a mark at the time :P).
-The way The Rock acted during his Corporate days. Rock's corporate music was the greatest theme of all-time IMO
-The Rock when he returned in 2003 as a heel (Hollywood Rock)
-Rock vs. Austin Wrestlemania 17
-Rock vs. Hogan Wrestlemania 18

3) Hulk Hogan
-Hogan vs. Andre
-Hogan vs. Warrior
-Hogan vs. The Rock WM-18
-Hogan's fanfare at Wrestlemania 18 and his standing ovation in Montreal the night after
-Hogan joining the n.W.o.

2) Stone Cold Steve Austin
-Austin's feud with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation
-Austin's feud with Shawn Michaels and DX
-Austin's feud with Vince McMahon, Undertaker's ministry, Kane, and Triple H.
-The face pop Austin received the night Mankind won the WWE title (loudest face pop of all-time IMO).
-The face pop Austin received on the night of Wrestlemania 17.
-The way Austin acted during the alliance

1) Viscera

-Nuff said.

[Skull316]

1) HBK - Started watching not even 2 months after Wrestlemania 14. Lots of my friends had talked about him but I had never seen him in action. I took it with a grain of salt because some of my friends went as far as thinking Disco Inferno was an amazing character, and I just could never understand that. Once he showed up as Commissioner and the such though, then I decided to look up some of his older matches. I was blown away by what over time had to be the top performer the company ever had working a match. And to this day, HBK in my eyes is the top performer in the company, both athletically and on the mic.

2) Stone Cold Steve Austin - First RAW I ever watched was Austin vs. McMahon with his hand tied behind his back. The whole "kicking the boss' ass" thing drew me in pretty quick. The months afterward (his feud with Kane, followed by tag champions with Undertaker, and furthering the McMahon storyline) solidified him as one of my favorites of all time.

3) Undertaker - Started at Over the Edge, while Austin was fighting Dude Love (if i'm remembering correctly) with Patterson and Brisco getting chokeslammed through the announcer tables. Follow that up with KOTR98 Hell in a Cell, his feud with Kane (in cahoots!) and the Ministry of Darkness, and he had really won me over.

4) Triple H - Granted the first time I marked out for Triple H was his ladder match with The Rock at Summerslam 98, I didn't really get too into his character until his "sledgehammer" heel turn. Really thought he was one of the more solid heels in the company and I really wish he'd go back to it.

5) Chris Jericho - I always thought for an undercarder in WCW he put on some of the most entertaining stuff on the show. That being said, when he debuted in WWE, I was caught completely offguard and marked out like a little bitch. His work in WWE never disappointed me, and I'm glad to see him back.

[Fox]

Rob Van Dam: RVD vs. Lynn for the ECW TV Title at Hardcore Heaven. Incredible. Made me a mark for RVD forevermore.

Diamond Dallas Page: Scott Hall offers DDP a spot in the nWo. Page shakes his hand, then pulls him in for the Diamond Cutter. BANG.

Sting: When he first rappelled down from the rafters at Uncensored 1997 and beat the living crap out of the nWo, dressed up as the dark crow Sting, I became a mark.

Mick Foley: His match against Triple H at Royal Rumble 2000. It was the most violent and psychological match I had ever seen. The reading of his first autobiography also helped establish Foley as a favorite for me.

AJ Styles: His match with Low Ki, Jerry Lynn and Psychosis for the crowning of the X-Title made me a permanent fan.

[Jordan]

HBK - I just turned on Superstars and they were playing a video of him and then an interview and match, I was just like "he is the shit"... I dunno around 95

Chris Benoit - Just watching him around 96 in WCW, he was so fucking vicious and brutal... lol

Steve Austin - Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass, and the reaction in months following.

[redoneja]

Chris Beniot- His feud with Kevin Sullivan in '96 really got me behind Beniot and his Best of 7 with Booker T solidified him as one of my favorites.

Bret Hart- Wrestlemania X v Yokozuna. I was 6 at the time, hated Yokozuna, and was really behind Bret especially after loss to Owen earlier in the night

Kurt Angle- His Street Fight with Shane McMahon really showed me how versatile he was in the ring.

Taz- First match of his I ever saw was at ECW's first PPV Barely Legal against Sabu. Made me an instant Taz fan

Randy Savage- I had been a fan of Savage since his WWF days but his feud with DDP in '97 and the development of his "Madness" character really made him a favorite of mine.

[Jordan]

Also I became a fan of Triple H in 96 when he an Austin had a great match at Buried Alive.

[Johnny Vegas]

Some great responses :y: i'll have some up later

[KYR]

5) Shawn Michaels

-The way he acted during his original DX days.
-The emotion involved in his return of 2002 to face Triple H
-Like me, Shawn Michaels overcame many physical obstacles despite a severely damaged back (and amazingly enough, HBK's back was even more messed up then mine.....which is saying a lot).
-Like me, Shawn Michaels used to be a major dick and has made a conscious effort to try and better his life (via spirituality/religion, etc.)

4) The Rock

-The way The Rock acted during his Nation days in his feud vs. DX.
-The Rock vs. Triple H at Summerslam 98'
-The way Rock "stood up" to Undertaker/Kane after Summerslam when they were harrassing D'Lo Brown. For some reason, that always stuck out for me. I thought it was ultra cool (LOL - I was such a mark at the time :P).
-The way The Rock acted during his Corporate days. Rock's corporate music was the greatest theme of all-time IMO
-The Rock when he returned in 2003 as a heel (Hollywood Rock)
-Rock vs. Austin Wrestlemania 17
-Rock vs. Hogan Wrestlemania 18

3) Hulk Hogan
-Hogan vs. Andre
-Hogan vs. Warrior
-Hogan vs. The Rock WM-18
-Hogan's fanfare at Wrestlemania 18 and his standing ovation in Montreal the night after
-Hogan joining the n.W.o.

2) Stone Cold Steve Austin
-Austin's feud with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation
-Austin's feud with Shawn Michaels and DX
-Austin's feud with Vince McMahon, Undertaker's ministry, Kane, and Triple H.
-The face pop Austin received the night Mankind won the WWE title (loudest face pop of all-time IMO).
-The face pop Austin received on the night of Wrestlemania 17.
-The way Austin acted during the alliance

1) Viscera

-Nuff said.

Wow. This is so close to my list.

Really the only noteworthy change I will make for my list is to replace Viscera with Eddie.

One of my biggest mark out moments was when Eddie beat Brock at No Way Out in 2004 to become WWE Champion. I really didn't think they'd give him the strap. For about a year leading up to NWO 2004 I really started to become a huge Eddie fan. Then he won and later that year he toured Australia with Smackdown! and I saw him wrestle in a non-televised show in Sydney against Angle. Both wrestlers gave huge performances that night for the 20,000 + (real number) crowd and I even had a renewed respect for Angle from that moment on for putting on such a great show in what, after all, would never be seen on TV.

[Johnny Vegas]

Chris Jericho - Something about this guy i just liked. I loved his charisma in WCW when he was "Lionheart" Chris Jericho. I loved the "loophole" gimmick he had too and i wanted Dean Malenko to whoop his ass sooooo bad lol. After that, loved him ever since.

DDP - His ring attire (late '96-mid-late '97) was the hottest shit to me. His move was so fucking crucial because it was split second and had variations to it. His connection with the people was electrifyling (he was waaaay over for a long time), and his music was cool also. Loved his fued with Savage, Benoit & Raven.

Stone Cold Steve Austin - just what the era needed: A bad ass who didn't give a fuck and was relatable. Like, everyone wanted to kick their boss's ass, drink beer, curse, and do w/e they wanted. Plus, he was just so unpredictable. I liked him during the Bret/Austin fued but when he took Bret out of that ambulance, :y:

Sting - loved him ever since i was a kid. Actually saw him live when he had the blonde hair and face paint. But the Crow gimmick just did it for me, because it fit so well with the "story" they were trying to portray. Loved the rafters thing, coming out of nowhere, his finisher, and him not saying a word but let that black bat do the talking. Man, those were the golden days...

The Rock - man, i'm not even going to talk about this guy..just look at what others have written because i totally agree. All around greatness...:y:

[The Gold Standard]

1) Bret Hart - What really turned me on to him was Wrestlemania 12 match against HBK. After that match was when I really looked into his career and saw past matches and just fell in love.

2) Hulk Hogan - I first time I saw him I thought he was great. I would watch wrestling with my Grandpa and we would always cheer Hulk Hogan. He just had everything.

3) Chris Jericho - His first appearance in WWE cutting that promo with The Rock and I was sold.

4) Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 12. Just like Bret Hart except I have seen him wrestle more and more.

5) Shelton Benjamin - His matches against Triple H when he debuted on Raw was a moment I will never forget.

[Mercury Bullet]

No particular order...

Sting - A fan since the blonde hair and neon face paint, but as previously mentioned, the crow gimmick (thought being a ripoff) really got me hooked on him.

Shawn Michaels - Began during the Rockers days. I think he just always had a bit of that aura of greatness around him and I picked up on it then.

Triple H - Was okay with him for the most part but became a big fan during the DX days.

Rob Van Dam - I don't know which match it was in particular, but the very first time I saw him in ECW I was sold.

Booker T - Liked him in Harlem Heat, was sold on him as a legit star after his feud with Benoit in WCW. I think he is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated stars of all time.

[NeanderCarl]

Mr Perfect: He always seemed really cool when he was helping out Ric Flair (I didn't catch his original run) but his face turn prior to Survivor Series 1992 cemented it for me. Of course, later going back over his back catalogue of great matches was just the cherry on the perfect cake.

Steve Austin: His unpredictability and hitherto unseen edgy character blew everything else in the business away. I think the night he first stunned Vince McMahon in Madison Square Garden was the moment I really became a solid fan of the previously hit-and-miss (in my view, at the time) Austin.

Shawn Michaels: To be honest, I didn't buy into Michaels as a character until he turned risque heel in 1997, despite his having great matches his whole career. My appreciation for him returned full force at SummerSlam 02 in his near perfect Street Fight comeback.

Roddy Piper: Piper provided no end of classic moments and promos, but his only truly classic, five star match was WrestleMania VIII vs Bret Hart. That solidified him for me.

Davey Boy Smith: SummerSlam 1992. 'Nuff said.

Ric Flair: My first exposure to Flair was the "she was mine before she was yours, Savage" doctored photos storyline in 1992. Even though I thought he was a bit too old to be in the ring (yeeeeeah.....) the whole Flair/Heenan/Perfect crew were very cool, even to this young mark. Watching the 1992 Royal Rumble soon after on video established Flair as great to me.

I know that's six, but I haven't even gotten to Bret Hart, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase or the Rock yet. And before you laugh, if you were a WWF wrestling fan in mid 1992, you were an Ultimate Warrior mark. And there was a period in the late 90s when my favourite wrestler truly was *shudder* Billy Gunn :?:

[El Fangel]

The Rock - His feud with Triple H is like legend, second to Vince vs Austin, and Rock vs Austin, This man is the mang

Undertaker - Always been a fan, just the look alone

Christopher Daniels - Him and AJ Styles vs AMW

Triple H - Cactus Jack vs HHH

Jericho - Jericho vs He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

[Mercury Bullet]

Christopher Daniels - Him and AJ Styles vs AMW

:drool:

That match was f'n amazing and the best thing TNA has done in quite some time.

[BigDaddyCool]

I never focus on one moment over another.

[Loose Cannon]

Bret Hart: Kind of what Funky said. I think what made me a huge fan was his IC Title win in 91.


Brian Pillman: Hollywood Blondes days would make him a favorite of mine, but it wasn't until his heel turn in 95 where I became a mega fan of his. In I had to pick one moment, it's probably when he kicked Flair in the face at HaVoc 95. WOOOOO


Ultimate Warrior: As a kid, I worshipped the guy. He just was a superhero. I'm still feeling the effects of his Title loss at Rumble 91. Wrestlemania 6 put him in gold standard with me.


Christian: My favorite guy in wrestling right now. His Captain Charisma gimmick is what made me a huge fan of his.


Chris Benoit: Yea, inside of wrestling, he'll always in my top five. When he joined the Horsemen, I became an instant fan.


Honrable Mention: Randy Orton, Raven and Scott Hall.

[Loose Cannon]

Randy Savage- I had been a fan of Savage since his WWF days but his feud with DDP in '97 and the development of his "Madness" character really made him a favorite of mine.

yea, he was awesome there. Savage I should of put as an honrable as well. He kind of got lost in the shuffle with the nWo, but he really stood out with the psycho character. Funny thing was I'm pretty sure he wasn't doing a character.

[AdrianM]

Shawn Michaels:

- I hated him so much in the early to mid 90's. He seemed to hold the IC belt forso long, and whenever someone (bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Marty Jannetty and numerous others) were about to beat him, he'd get disqualified or just leave the ring. It made me so mad and I hated him so much for it, and thats why I like him now. Because he was able to draw that emotion out of me.

Lex Luger:

- Survivor series 1993. Loved how he was the sole survivor for the All-American team (even though I'm not american).

Bret Hart:

- Always liked him ever since I saw him take on and defeat Owen Hart. Owen played such a good heel that it really made me feel for Bret. I guess that winning the 1994 rumble helped solidify my adoration for him too (esspecially with the injured knee).

Chris Benoit:

- Royal Rumble 2003. His match with Kurt Angle is still one of my most favourite matches ever. Really made me appreciate his intensity and workrate

Kurt Angle:

- Loved him right from his debut. "You do not boo an olympic champion!" And I liked him more and more when he began doing skits with Edge, culminating in the feud he had with edge

[St. Jimmy]

Triple H, HBK, SCSA, Foley, Edge.

Triple H: SummerSlam 1998 vs. The Rock (IC Title Ladder Match)
HBK: Bad Blood 1997 vs. The Undertaker (Hell In The Cell)
SCSA: SummerSlam 1997 - Royal Rumble 1998.
Foley: WWF Raw is War 1997 vs. Triple H as Cactus Jack
Edge: New Years Revolution 2006.

[Fox]

Diamond Dallas Page: DDP declines Scott Hall's offer to join the nWo and gives him the Diamond Cutter instead. (Nitro, 97)

Sting: Rappelling from the rafters and beating the shit out of the nWo at Uncensored 97. Awesome moment.

Kurt Angle: Angle versus Triple H at Unforgiven 2000 made him, in my eyes. That whole love triangle storyline was great. And of course he would go on to do much, much more.

Rob Van Dam: RVD versus Kurt Angle on Smackdown in 2001. After that I started looking into and finding his matches with Lynn and Sabu and others.

Chris Benoit: Benoit & Malenko vs. Saturn & Raven in WCW, late 1999.

[Impact!]

Everyone who said Benoit should mention his "What else can I do in 25 seconds promos". Those were gold

[HeartBreakMan2k]

Shawn Michaels - It started with the feud with Marty, then he became one of my favs with his fued with Razor, then he became my all time favorite with his 95 Rumble win into his feud with Hart. He has just further cemented that.

Taz - ECW. Nuff said. Started with his feud with Douglas and Sabu though.

Jerry Lynn - Feud with Mr PPV - RVD.

Brock Lesnar - His NCAA win, and everything he did in WWE. Carrying Big Show to some great matches cemented it though.

Paul Heymen - Every single time he picked up a fucking mic. I swear from his worked shoot on Vince, his promo for Brock Lesnar, his days as Paul E. Dangerously, everything. Paul E. is probably one of my all time managers.

[NYDon]

Shawn Michaels: Renting WM X tape and rewinding the ladder match a few times
Triple H: Becoming affiliated with HBK and the Sgt. Slaughter jokes
Kevin Nash: He cut an in-ring promo as WWE champion and I forget what he said but I became a fan immediately
Scott Hall: Same reason as Shawn
Ultimate Warrior: I don't even remember what it was, just being really young was the ticket I guess

[Stickman]

Kane: Just the guy's gimmick had me hooked. A psychopath who was scarred in a fire, and the underrated bigger little brother of The Undertaker? That was pretty fucking cool to me, as a new fan. I've always loved his Chokeslam finisher, and his performance in the 2001 Royal Rumble, eliminating everyone, was just fucking brilliant.

Matt Hardy: When I started watching, Matt Hardy was the only guy I knew in the business who shared the same first name as me. It's a little trivial, but it just helped me like the guy. He just always had this likability about him. When he and Lita ended up as a couple on WWE TV, it made me mark out that he got the girl over Jeff.

Val Venis: The 2002 Royal Rumble featured a bunch of guys returning to the WWE. Goldust, The Godfather, Val Venis and Mr. Perfect were all advertised. If I remember, Val Venis got a pretty huge pop when he was announced, and I just loved his music and the character was just a link to earlier years prior to when I started watching. Then he got right in Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. Perfect's faces after the Rumble, and it made Val look pretty tough. The guy also never has a bad match.

Paul London: I had heard a lot about the guy before he debuted, but what really hooked me was just his natural likable energy, and his match with Billy Kidman at No Mercy 2004 is one of the better cruiserweight matches I have ever seen. The one moment that really made me a huge fan of his, had to be when he and Billy Kidman defeated The Dudley Boyz on an edition of Velocity one week via disqualification, and then the next won the WWE Tag Team Championship on SmackDown!. They billed it as the greatest upset in SmackDown! history, and I just really connected with the moment.

William Regal: My first encounter with professional wrestling actually involved William Regal. He was having issues with The Rock, and he was European Champion at the time. The year was 2000. Regal was offended by The Rock, and his facial expressions had me and my cousin joking about him for years. Regal is true greatness.


lol

[Johnny Vegas]

^ lol

[HTrain90]

Shawn Michaels - I started watching when I was 7 years old in early 1996, and he was the top babyface. I still remember tuning into Raw the night after WrestleMania XII and jumping up and down screaming when they showed the picture of HBK with the belt - a celebration so ruckus that it got me grounded. Have been a huge fan ever since, but the night after WMXII made him for me. Coupled with his match the following month against Diesel, my first bought PPV, he was made.

Stone Cold - Royal Rumble 1997. The way he won that was so under-handed that I couldn't help but think the guy was pure gold. And I naturally didn't like BRet b/c he was fighting HBK when I got into wrestling, so I was drawn to SCSA for his pure hatred of Bret. Wrestlemania 13 put him over the top.

The Rock - Survivor Series 1998. He turned on all the people, and it worked. No one saw it coming. At least I didn't when I was watching then. He was so cocky, so cool that it was impossible to not be entertained by Rocky. At his peak, he might be the top face the company has ever had - and to think most of his runs were without the belt? Simply amazing.

Undertaker - Hard to put a finger on when exactly I became a Taker mark. Through 1996 he was the other top face, and his gimmick has never gone stale - he's always evolved with the times. I wasn't a fan of the American Badass run, however. When I finally saw Taker's entrance in person at a SmackDown! taping this year, however, I realized just how huge of a Taker mark I am. There's nothing like it in wrestling. Has to make my top 5.

Rey Mysterio - I'll get a lot of crap for this, b/c there are a lot of Rey haters. I was one - I didn't like Rey. I hated him winning the title, and the booking of it was just horrid. But seeing Rey in person is just awesome. He does things in the ring that no one else can. His style in the ring is breath-taking, and there are few stale moments in a Rey match. His feud with Edge recently has been great.

Triple H - I hated his run with Stephanie. I can't stand him now as a face. The new DX was funny, but not like the original. But one moment that made HHH for me? The night he and HBK put on visors with windshield wipers when Slaughter was chewing the out. "Sgt. Slobber" got duped, and it was absolutely hilarious.

Barely off:
-Kurt Angle (always entertained, but with TNA I can't watch)
-Kane (1997 debut I'll never forget)
-Jeff Hardy (was a huge fan as tag, but his recent mega-push SUCKS)
-Shelton Benjamin (his matches with HHH were great)

[Dave Youell]

Jeff Hardy – Standing over the entrance for the 2000 Rumble and hitting that swantom, on Buh Buh, simply awesome

Van Dam – Doing that flip into the crowd that was on the start of ECW tv for the next 4 years

Austin – Mania 13, being in that Sharpshooter with the blood pouring down and a little bit on his teeth, a classic moment

Foley – I always loved him, but that first title win for me was amazing, the HIAC always gets mentioned, but that was a special moment

[St. Jimmy]

Everyone who said Benoit should mention his "What else can I do in 25 seconds promos". Those were gold

:naughty: You all know what I'm thinking.

[Johnny Vegas]

The Rock - Survivor Series 1998. He turned on all the people, and it worked. No one saw it coming. At least I didn't when I was watching then. He was so cocky, so cool that it was impossible to not be entertained by Rocky. At his peak, he might be the top face the company has ever had - and to think most of his runs were without the belt? Simply amazing.

People like Hogan, HHH, and HBK need to take a lesson from this. When a guy doesn't even need to have the fucking belt and still be one of the most popular guys in WWE history, the only guy who can come back, leave, and come back with the same reaction from the fans, the ONLY guy who didn't let his politicing get him where he was/is, putting over guys like Hurricane and still getting love like he is the champion...The Rock was the Michael Jordan of the WWE. Some think Michael was the best, some didn't. But his aura (MAYBE Austin) cannot be matched. :y:

Dude, when he gets inducted into the hall of fame, that will be a moment.

[GD]

1. Undertaker- his gimmick, been his fan since childhood. I liked his feud with Yokozuna.
2. Bret Hart- His steel cage match with that evil dentist guy.
3. Hogan- his match with Savage at Mania.
4. Austin- 3:16 at KOTR.
5. Lesnar- strecher match against big show at judgement day.