The Show Off's Top 100 Favorite Wrestlers of All Time
 

If the title of this thread sounds incredibly self serving--that's because it is. In an effort to re-introduce myself to you fine people of TPWW I've decided to do another one of my forum famous lists (famous to those of you who know who I am).

There are three reasons I'm making this list:

1. So that my fellow posters will have an understanding of my biases when it comes to commenting on wrestling here on TPWW.

2. To give you an opportunity to talk/debate my picks as well as to discuss the reasons for my picks.

3. I plan on coming up with a Top 100 Greatest Wrestlers of All-Time after I make this list and I feel this list will hold me accountable for any biases I might bring to that list.


In an effort to drag this out for as long as possible I'm going to reveal my Top 100 list one slot at a time starting today with #100 leading all the way to #1. After I've done a write up about each wrestler I will edit this post to include each wrestler. So here it is (or for the most part for now not is) enjoy...

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75. Lex Luger
76. Samoa Joe
77. John Bradshaw Layfield
78. Scott Steiner
79. Rick Steiner
80. Scott Hall
81. Kane
82. Rey Mysterio
83. Bruno Sammartino
84. Lance Storm
85. KENTA
86. Tyler Black
87. Trish Stratus
88. Sheamus
89. Shawn Michaels
90. Bill DeMott
91. Kevin Nash
92. Jay Briscoe
93. Mark Briscoe
94. Robert Roode
95. Stan Hansen
96. Terry Funk
97. Jerry Lynn
98. Jimmy Rave
99. Steve Williams
100. Homicide

I once powerbombed a friend of mine. I hope I make the list.

100. Homicide

Kicking off the list is “The Notorious 187” himself. This former member of The Rottweiler’s and The Latin American Xchange has been a great character in wrestling for the last 8 or so years (at least as far as what I’ve seen.) When I first saw Homicide wrestle I thought of him as the 21st Century’s New Jack, but as I came to see more of his catalogue of matches I came to the realization that he is far more than that.

Sure, he can brawl with the best of them but he can also do wrestling moves and actually chain wrestle. His turn as a member of both The Rotweilers and The Latin American Xchange showed us a volatile character that despite his demunitive size was intimidating none-the-less. He brought about a gangster type character that as a wrestling fan you’re actually afraid he may very will snap.

His best of 5 series against Bryan Danielson and his Colt Cabana Feud were two for the best feuds in Ring of Honor history and his and Hernandez’s feud against AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels is one of the best in the history of Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. He has provided countless hours of entertainment as a character and as a wrestler. If only he had better mic skills than just making machine gun noises (I’ve heard some actually promos, not too great) he would be much much higher.

Favorite Moment:
The Rotweilers attacking Samoa Joe after Homicide’s match at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2 Part 1. At the time of that beating Joe was an unstoppable monster and they took him down a peg. As The Rotweilers spat on the ROH Championship you could feel the crowd look at in shock. That’s what happens when you have a respected championship and a despised heel.

Favorite Match:
Colt Cabana v. Homicide (Chicago Street Fight, ROH Better Than Our Best)

I like your energy and this idea...but your top 100 is starting out horribly for you :(

I don't expect most of you to agree with my placements. I know at least one slot which will get a bunch of people annoyed. I just wanted to share with everyone. I know Homicide is a polarizing wrestler, but he's only #100.

I'm down for this as long as you promise your number 1 isn't john cena :)

Fuck Schlomey you ruined it...

99. Steve Williams

As a kid I was a gigantic fan of The Steiner Brothers. There were only two wrestlers I liked better than Rick and Scott, one of them is 1 on my list and the other is number 6. I loved the Steiner Brothers. Then, in the summer of 1992, a tag team I hadn’t heard of before (thought I guess I should have) known as Steve Williams and Terry Gordy won the tag team championship from my beloved Steiner Brothers.

Williams and Gordy weren’t your typical heel tag team, they took the Steiners to the limit and even beat them without heel tactics. They were just ass kickers that were great wrestlers, and they were just able to defeat the great team of the Steiners. But as a 9 year-old going on to 10 I couldn’t stand seeing this team win. For the longest time I hated “Dr. Death” and “Bam Bam.” Then I grew up…

In recent years I’ve seen some of Steve Williams’ and Terry Gordy’s matches in Japan as well as some of Steve Williams’ stuff alone in the NWA, and I became a fan. He was just a tough rugged individual that was that very cool old school style of ass kicker. He didn’t have the most amazing physique or the flashiest moves but he just kicked ass, and I came to really like his style match. He was one of the first wrestlers to introduce me to “Smash Mouth Wrestling.”

Favorite Moment:
Dr. Death Steve Williams coming out with Jim Ross to open up JR’s very own announce table, the predecessor to the Cole Mine. Sure, Steve Williams didn’t really say or do much but I loved the gimmick of having your own announce table and it was nice to see Dr. Death on TV. When I saw it I thought that was the start of a mini-push for Dr. Death, unfortunately I was wrong.

Favorite Match:
The Steiner Brothers [c] v. Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (for the WCW World Tag Team Championship, WCW Beach Blast 1992)

I <3'ed him in WWF as a kid. That's all I know/remember of him.


seemed like a real bad ass.

Just 98 more spots for me. Wonder where I'll place.

number one in our hearts.....97 on paper ;)

98. Jimmy Rave

Jimmy Rave! I’m going to be honest this choice of Jimmy Rave at number 98 is more or less a proxy slot for Prince Nana. As Prince Nana isn’t really a wrestler (thought I have seen him wrestle including Jimmy Rave’s favorite match) I had to pick someone that was a wrestler that was closely associated with Prince Nana. Their was no other person I could have possibly picked other than the Crown Jewel of the Embassy.

Now, let me talk about why I actually like Jimmy Rave. Jimmy Rave is an absolute heat magnet. If the only exposure to Jimmy Rave you’ve ever gotten was his god awful stint with The Rock ‘n’ Rave Infection then you really don’t know what I’m talking about. If you are so inclined you should look up some of his stuff when he was in The Embassy, and you’ll see a totally different guy.

Lets be honest, Ring of Honor has a bunch of smarks for fans. These are the type of people that will cheer for heels just because they theink they are cool. As fans they don’t care, they just cheer who they like and who cares if the guy they’re cheering is supposed to be a super heel. The exception to this rule is Jimmy Rave. Rave was a super heel in ROH for years and would always get “Die Jimmy Die” chants as well as getting toilet paper flung at him but the ravenous ROH masses. He was a truly excellent heel.

As a character he is mostly in the position he’s in because of Prince Nana’s power as a heel himself, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he isn’t a good wrestler. He’s a serviceable wrestler that has many shining moments of very good wrestling. His matches against AJ Styles and CM Punk were some of the best feuds in ROH history.

Favorite Moment:
At The Fifth Year Festival: New York Jimmy Rave pulled off the Rave Clash (Styles Clash) on Homicide from the second rope. Why was this such a great moment? Back in 2005 Rave and AJ Styles had a match to determine who would get usage of the Styles Clash. Rave lost that match and had the Rave Clash banned. Two years later he wrestles Homicide for the ROH Championship and in the ultimate heel move tries to win the title with a move he’s banned from doing.

Favorite Match:
The Embassy v. Generation Next (Steel Cage Warfare, ROH Steel Cage Warfare)

I was the one Iginfest powerbombed, so I should be in AND higher than him. This fucker can't even bump!

I'm waiting to see where The Man That Gravity Forgot lands on your list.

I think I know who your number one is going to be. If not number one, he will at least be top five.

Who do you think that is?

You're making me blush. I don't think I'll place quite that high, maybe Top Ten.

Obviously Iginfest will catapult himself past Randy Savage.

With Homicide at 100, I've already lost interest..... I can't stand the guy..... good luck with your list.....:wave:

97. Jerry Lynn

Jerry Lynn versus Rob Van Dam is quite possibly the greatest series of matches in the history of wrestling. That is not hyperbole if you are a wrestling fan and you have never seen one of their matches stop reading this stupid message board and watch one of those matches. Go on. This message board will be there when you’re finished. I’m serious go and watch one of their matches. I’m going to go as far as to say you can’t be a true wrestling fan without seeing that match. So, go!

If you are reading this paragraph I assume you watched at least one Jerry Lynn versus Rob Van Dam match. You then understand that Jerry Lynn is the foil to Rob Van Dam. Rob Van Dam may have gotten more mainstream attention than Jerry Lynn but the two of them will be forever linked to one another. Hell, Jerry Lynn’s moniker “The New F’n Show” would mean nothing without Rob Van Dam’s “The Whole F’n Show.”

Jerry Lynn’s wrestling career is practically the prototype for most indy wrestlers looking for work today, for good and bad reasons. The Bad: he was average at best on the mic and is too small and wrestles too varied a style of wrestling to be a main stream success. The Good: he mixed submission and high flying wrestling and always put on one of the best matches of the night. It’s a shame that he never really made it big but he is the only person to hold both the ECW and ROH World Championships. Not too shabby.

Favorite Moment:
It’s more of a personal moment than one any of you will know. I was at ROH Manhattan Mayhem III when Jerry Lynn lost the ROH Championship in a triple threat elimination match against Austin Aries and Tyler Black. He was a face but the ROH faithful were giving him shit because they were still fawning over Tyler Black. One of the fans at ring side was talking shit after Jerry Lynn was the first man eliminated and you could tell Jerry was actually pissed. When Jerry walked past me up the asile I yelled “You’re still the best in the World Jerry!” He actually stopped walking up the ramp turned to me and shook my hand. It was pretty cool.

Favorite Match:
Rob Van Dam [c] v. Jerry Lynn (for the ECW World Television Championship, ECW Living Dangerously 1999)

Wow, that's quick on the trigger.

Steve Williams would roll over in his grave if he knew he was sandwiched between Homicide and Rave.

This is quite the endeavor, if you go through with it I believe you will surpass Noid for most written in this forum.

Nah, Noid's the king of long windedness I can only hope to be The Prince.

Jimmy Rave is an interesting choice, I was never sure if it was 'x pac' heat or actual skill.

While Homicide probably wouldn't be in my top 100, i don't think he's as bad as people are saying.

trust me he is.

Homicide ain't bad. Just can't buy him as a main event player.

His matches against Matt Morgan a few months ago bored me to tears...even inside a steel cage I couldn't take it.

Oh, that's a wrestler? I thought it was a 450-grade joke about a man that gravity forgot "landing" somewhere.

I can't remember which side of the Screwjob TheShowOff is on, but whichever wrestler he sided with is his #1. And the other one is in the top 7. You heard it here first.

What. Are you thinking of Hernandez

I must be. Ok the other smaller one isn't THAT bad...the large Mexican fellow is who I speak of.

Jimmy Rave is easily #96 material.

Yeah, it's the smaller one of the 3 Mlexicons you know. He also doesn't moderate the wrestling forum, that juans Juan.

96 & 95: Stephanie McMahon's boobs

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...031002sd03.jpg

Looking back at my previous post and I now feel that was a 450 grade joke.

96. Terry Funk

He’s been middle-aged and crazy for about 20 years now defying the laws of time itself. Its not great that he is the blue print for wrestlers that are washed up trying to stick around in order to make money, but Terry Funk has always been of great quality. I wasn’t born yet when he one his first and only NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1975 but like most people my age he came to my attention when he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling.

For those people that are older than me they’ll think I didn’t put Terry Funk high enough, for those enough younger than me might think he doesn’t belong on the list. I have to admit I’m not very familiar with his career until the 1980’s so forgive my ignorance. I know the hardcore icon, and that is the man that made it on my list for better or for worse. Some of my favorites of all time consider him one of the greatest to based on that alone he makes my list.

Terry Funk was one of the best wrestlers I’ve ever seen that could make you love him, than laugh at him and then hate his guts. His mic work was truly impressive and is one of the main reasons why he’s on the list. He was also a tremendous brawler from what I’ve seen, and was in some truly epic hardcore wars. I assume that he’d be higher if I saw more of him. He’s not only one of my favorites but one of the best of all time holding the NWA Championship when it really meant something and helping ECW gain legitimacy.

Favorite Moment:
After another tremendous match between Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair Terry Funk came out of the announce position. When he began to talk to Ric Flair he was very complementary. He congratulated Flair on his victory and asked the new world champion for a shot at the title. Ric Flair denied Funk his request and than Funk proceeded lay in a brutal beating on Ric Flair, classic Funk going from lovable to brutal in seconds.

Favorite Match:
Beulah, Terry Funk, & Tommy Dreamer v. Edge, Lita, & Mick Foley (Six Man Tag Team Match, ECW One Night Stand 2006)

I'm going to do a list of the top 2000 rasslers. Be better than this pile of crap list.

95. Stan Hansen

The Master of the Lariat is somewhat of an anomaly on this list. How much do I know about him—not very much. I remember when I was young seeing him wrestle in WCW against Lex Luger. Since them I have only seen him in sporatic matches on the internet and on DVDs. From what I’ve seen I’m a fan. The guy looks gritty and tough as hell. His in-ring style is like JBL but more athletic and with better psychology inside the ring.

His being so low on the list is basically because I don’t know much about him, but the impact of what I have seen has gotten him onto the list when a lot (A LOT) of good wrestlers didn’t. So this is more or less a plea to the TPWW Universe to turn me on to some of his best matches or perhaps even a best of DVD that I could purchace.

I could hear many of you think “Why would you put a wrestler you barely know anything about on your list?” The answer is… <shrug> I’m just going with what I feel in my gut and my gut tells me to put The Lariat at the number 95 slot. I get the sense that if I were to see more of him he would sky rocket up the list. If he got this high based on little knowledge I could only imagine how high he could get if I knew a little more. Perhaps one when I do a new Top 100 list I could give a better write up of this guy.

Favorite Moment:
I don’t know enough about him to give one.

Favorite Match:
Stan Hansen v. Yoshi Yatsu (AJPW 16th Anniversary – Shootout at The OK Corral)

I look forward to it.

Here are some of the legends
A.J. Petrucci
Aldo Marino
Barry Horrowitz
Barry Hardy
Barry O
Bill Mulkey
Billy Travis
Bobby Walker
Boris Zhukov
Brad Armstrong
Brian Armstrong
Brian Mackney
Brooklyn Brawler
Buddy Lee Parker
Carl Fury
Charlie Fulton
Chico Rodriquez
D.H. Smith
Dave O’Hannon
Dave Barbie
Doug Vines
Duane Gill
Duke of Dorchester
Frank Marconi
Frankie Williams
Gene Ligon
George Gadaski
George South
Gillberg
Gino Carabello
Hardbody Harrison
J.T. Smith
Jake Milliman
James Earle Wright
Jeff Lang
Jim Powers
Jimmy Jack Funk
Joe Mirto
Joe Turco
Joey Maggs
Johnny Rodz
Jose Luis Rivera Kenny Jay
Lanny Poffo
Lee Wong
Len Kruger
Les Thornton
Manny Soto
Mike Boyette
Mike Jackson
Mike Sharpe
Mulkey Brothers
Outback Jack
P.J. Walker
Pat Rose
Paul Roma
Pete Doherty
Pete Sanchez
Pez Whatley
R.T. Reynolds
Randy Hogan
Randy Mulkey
Rene Goulet
The Renegade
Rick McGraw
Robbie Parliment
Rocky King
Ron Shaw
Rusty Brooks
S.D. Jones
Salvatore Bellomo
Scott Armstrong
Scott Casey
Sho Funaki
Steve Armstrong
Steve Lombardi
Super Ninja
Terry Daniels
Terry Gibbs
Terry Manton
Tony Garea
Tony Zane

Do I have to remind you of the classic matches I had in my youth?

There was the classic Intergender match I had against my sister when I made her tap out from the Figure Four to claim the highly regarded "Kellogg's Frosties title"

and then there was the critically acclaimed match against Mickey Mouse in the dangerous over the top of the bunk bed match.

My neighbor was the interspecies champion bc he used to pile drive his dog and bodyslam it. Pretty funny.

94. Robert Roode

In 2004 I really began to get into Total Non-Stop Action wrestling, and when I was watching TNA on Fox Sports Net, someone caught my eye. It wasn’t AJ Styles or Christopher Daniels or even Jeff Jarrett. I already knew about those guys. Sure there were some guys that I saw that I didn’t know that did impress me (Chris Sabin, Eric Young and Monty Brown to name a few) but one stood out above the rest and that was Robert Roode.

Robert Roode, or at the time Bobby Roode, didn’t stick out because he was especially talented or good on the mic. He stood out because he was one guy that I looked at and he just looked like a main event wrestler. Something about him just cried out main event wrestler. The good thing about that was he was pretty good in the ring and pretty good on the mic. I had mentioned on this board more than once in ’04 and ’05 that Robert Roode would be a main eventer within 5 years. Which brings me to the bad…

It’s 6 years later and Robert Roode is a tag team champion… just like 6 years ago and Robert Roode is still in TNA… just like 6 years ago. The failure to elevate Robert Roode to main eventer within the past 6 years is just one of many problems TNA has. But this isn’t about TNA. This is about Robert Roode. Despite Robert Roode being criminally underused and at times forgotten by TNA he still brings it every time. Beer Money is the best main stream tag team today and Roode has only gotten better on the mic and better in the ring.

And now the rumors on the internet are beginning again. “Robert Roode in line for a main event push.” I hope its true, his ability and dedication to his craft is something that should be rewarded in a more perfect world. I expect Roode to only be better as he ascends the ranks of TNA. They better let him.

Favorite Moment:
A couple of weeks ago when Robert Roode was in the ring with Ric Flair on TNA iMPACT (just before it became Impact Wrestling I think) and he was verbally jabbing back and forth with the Nature Boy, and when I saw that I couldn’t help but thing “Damn he looks like a star out there.”

Favorite Match:
EV 2.0 v. Fortune (Lethal Lockdown Match, TNA Bound for Glory 2010)

92. Jay Briscoe
93. Mark Briscoe

I have these two number 92 and 93 because they are both essentially the same wrestler. I believe that Jay is slightly better than his younger brother Mark, but for all intents and purposes I’m going to discuss them in tandem. Jay and Mark Briscoe became the blue print of what tag teams would be in the independent scene. They are for indy tag teams what Christopher Daniels was for indy singles wrestlers. The Fallen Angel was the first real independent wrestling star (I didn’t count ECW as an independent promotion) and The Briscoes were the first real indy tag team stars.

The boys from Sandy Fork, Delaware are a unique tag team in that they weren’t simply a high flying tag team or a brawling tag team they became both. I liken The Briscoes to a cross between The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in the this respect. They’re not just this they are also good on the mic, in-so-much-as they get across their gimmick: being redneck wrestling tough guys that always Man Up! They’re good at their characters as well as their ring work.

This is an individual list however not a tag team list. If this were my Top 100 tag teams these two would be much higher on the list. As it stands I’m judging them as individuals here and the two of these guys are very good as individual wrestlers as well. But, to separate the two of them would be a mistake. I think most that have seen them would agree that these two are probably the tag team of the first decade of the 21st century. I only hope some day the main stream wrestling fans can get a look at them.

Favorite Moment:
The springboard Doomsday Device The Briscoes pulled off through a ladder during the first ever Ladder War in ROH history.

Favorite Match:
The Briscoes [c] v. El Generico & Kevin Steen (Ladder War for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, ROH Man Up)

I'm enjoying your list. I don't have to agree or disagree with anything because, well, it's your list. Haha.

I look forward to reading more. :y:

Good call...I'm enjoying it too.

Thanks guys, I was starting to think no one gave a shit. As long as 1 or 2 people find entertainment in it (even if its from an ironic standpoint) I'll forge ahead.

Hey I'll kiss your ass a little too and say that I am enjoying it and reading along. Again, not agreeing completely but that's not the point :)

91. Kevin Nash

Big Sexy the Giant Killer comes in at number 91 on my list as one of the best big men in the history of the wrestling business. I remember being a fan back when he was Vinny Vegas in WCW and at the time I thought the “Roll the Dice” finishing move was such a cool finishing move. Vinny Vegas would never make it big in WCW but his mild mannered alter ego, Kevin Nash, would years later revolutionize the business. First, he would head up north to WWF and make his impact there.

Kevin Nash’s run as Diesel in the WWF wasn’t exactly one of the best title reigns in the 1990’s but when compared to the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and The Rock its hard to distinguish yourself as something exceptional. Diesel however was a good choice to bridge the gap between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels providing something very different than both men. His matches during this time were among his best but his real impact came in WCW.

As a founding member of the nWo Kevin Nash was responsible to revolutionizing the wrestling business and such an accomplishment cannot be understated of ignored. He was the most solid member of that nWo crew. He didn’t non-show like Scott Hall and he didn’t go off to make movies like Hollywood. His promos were always very good and he began to cut the first real inside promos I ever saw in wrestling. Though I’ve heard he was part of the problem with WCW I can’t help but look at his time there with fondness.

What really puts Kevin Nash on this list is humor. I contend that TNA and WWE are both missing the boat by not making this guy a color commentary. He’s quick witted and funny and would make an excellent addition to any announce team. I was also a big fan of Nash’s work in TNA working with the X-Division stars and working on Paparazzi Productions and the PCS alongside Alex Shelley.

Favorite Moment:
Not a liver spot, not my dog spot but MY SPOT. Though Double A ranks higher on this list and his emotional farewell to in ring competition was a sad one for me I still loved this parody promo. Nash was excellent in this promo and really built up tension between the Horsemen and the New World Order while also injecting humor.

Favorite Match:
Diesel [c] v. Bret Hart (No Holds Barred Match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, WWF Survivor Series 1995)

Same here.

I was gonna say how much i'm enjoying this list but then Kevin Nash appeared waaaaaaaaaaaay too high. The only consolation is that it can only get better from now on.

90. Bill DeMott

Bill DeMott ranks as number 90 on my… Wait as second—Bill Demott, really? This might be what you’re thinking but yes indeed Bill DeMott ranks on my list. Too many of you he might be better know but his silly play on word gimmick names of Hugh Morris (humorous) and General Hugh G. Rection (huge erection) or even more of you might know him as that guy from Tough Enough. I assure you he was more than just those things at least to me. His biggest claim to fame is probably that he was number 1 on Goldberg’s “Streak.”

When he was with the Dungeon of Doom I always found myself interested in his matches, something about a man his size being able to do the No Laughing Matter was very impressive to me. He also had a great grasp on his character, even if his character was just a scary dude that laughed a lot. His time within the Dungeon of Doom and First Family did little to distinguish him from the pack however. He finally separated himself when he founded the Misfits in Action.

The Misfits in Action may have been little more than a comedy stable but I thought they were the most entertaining part of the waning days of World Championship Wrestling. It was at this time that Bill DeMott, known at the time as General Rection, began to show his abilities on the mic and his ability to work high profile (relatively) matches. DeMott also distinguished himself as a color man for Velocity while with the WWE. Unfortunately, he never achieved the success I always hoped he would.

Favorite Moment:
Forgotten among the litany of wrestling parodies that have been done in wrestling over the years one of my favorites was the Misfits in Action parody of Team Canada. I thought it was particularly humorous (pun intended) because of General Rection’s mimicking of Lace Storm’s ultra serious promo style juxtaposed to the silliness of the M.I.A.

Favorite Match:
General Rection [c] v. The Franchise (First Blood Match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, WCW Sin 2001)

Stupid bunch of IWC bitches.

;)

89. Shawn Michaels

And here is the moment where I lose all of you. Before I continue talking about the Heart Break Kid I have to remind you that this is the list of my 100 Favorite Wrestlers of All Time not the 100 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time. Despite what I’ve just written I fully expect to catch shit for this placement and I’m guessing the next 88 placements I have for the rest of the list will come with the response of “You like ‘X’ better than Shawn Michaels?” All that being said allow me to continue.

I’ve never been a fan of Shawn Michaels. From the time when he was in The Rockers to his time as a mid-level heel to his first reign at World Champion to his starting of D-X to his eventual return all the way until his retirement I’ve never been a fan. I’ve always thought that he was overrated as far as cutting promos and I thought that he lacked any of the ability, capability or desire to put any people who needed the rub over when he returned from retirement. When he returned from retirement he played the same bland face from Summer of 2002 until April of 2010 with a brief 3 week exception in Summer of 2005. His hang dog cross eyed expression during promos irritated the crap out of me time after time.

Why than is this man even on the list if I dislike him so, you might be so inclined to ask. One word: respect. What I lack in “like” of HBK I make up for in respect. I think he is the greatest in-ring performer the wrestling industry has ever seen and he has put on more great matches than anyone in the history of the business. Though you can say I’m a “hater” of his I still appreciate the work he put into being one of the best all-around wrestlers of all time. Just for sheer power of great matches he makes it up this high which in ad of itself is a tremendous complement to him.

Favorite Moments:
The Barber Shop will always be when Shawn Michaels began to separate himself from the pretenders of the wrestling industry to one of the greats. When he planted that super kick on Jannetty and tossed him through the barber shop window he became a future main eventer.

Favorite Match:
Chris Benoit [c] v. Shawn Michaels v. Triple H (Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Backlash 2004)

HOLY FUCK YOU CUNT

That was just about the response I anticipated.

At least there's that.

I bet Bret Hart is number 1. Only thing that makes sense.

It is a "favorites" list and not a "greatest" list, keep that and mind.

As for TL, all I'll reveal is that Bret Hart is on the list somewhere.

I know i'm right. And that you're a prick.

I can't say I didn't expect the hate.

You'll just have to wait and see where Bret Hart ranks.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised. Curious now to see how the rest of the list goes. For example, if you rank Bob Holly higher, regardless of the criteria, my head may implode.

Honestly, considering your criticism of HBK, I really can't imagine Bret ranking that much higher, seeing as Shawn is arguably better in the ring, and on the mic, and Bret played the exact same character all the time too, with the exception of "I Hate America" Bret.

I'm in no way saying that Shawn Michaels is only the 89th best wrestler of all time.

If I were to guess I'd day Shawn would probably be any where from the 2nd to the 7th best wrestler of all time.

This is my favorites list and Shawn only ranks 89th as far as favorites are concerned.

Since this is all subjective and not objective I could agree that Shawn is better than Bret at everything and still say I like Bret more. Technically, speaking. But I can get into all that when Bret makes his appearence on the list.

I did and still....

Its clear this isn't about ability or anything though and just an actual favourites thread.

I know that. He's said it several times. He even underlined it for me like I didn't quite get it. I feel special now.

I'm just guessing, or at least I'd hope that there is, some sort of criteria being used. Something, anything, that gives a rhyme or reason to who is considered a favorite. Seeing as the list seems thought out, I doubt it's just an arbitrary "eh, I'll stick someone here." I'm guessing he can probably give reasons why he ranks certain people over other certain people, without it being a simple "Eh, because I like him more."

And I can.

When I rank Bret Hart I will clarify why he is ranked higher than Shawn.

Also, even if it is just a favorites list, he knew that putting HBK at 89 would spark debate. Quite frankly, because you're going to have a hard time convincing other wrestling fans, that as a wrestling fan yourself you like 88 people over HBK, even if it is an subjective criteria.

On a somewhat related note, whatever happened to that troll that tried to convince everyone that HBK was awful? I just vaguely remember him from here and another board, but he would try to defend statements like "The Great Kahli is a better wrestler than HBK."

Insanity.

But yeah, not an attack on the list, I just find it interesting.

GOOD! Because if you don't, the entire foundation of the internet and opinions will crumble forever.

We wouldn't want that.

Do it BDC!

88. Sheamus

The first ever Irish Born WWE Champion ranks in at number 88. Perhaps, I’m being a prisoner of the moment but I’ve been impressed with this guy since he debuted and began to feud with Goldust in the waning days of the ECW brand. When he won the championship against John Cena at TLC 2009 it came as a surprise to me that they’d give the belt to him that quickly. Perhaps it was given to him too quickly. But he was able to recover from getting a push so high so fast.

His feud against Triple H really gave Sheamus an opportunity to shine. He not only showed that he could put on entertaining matches but he could also cut really good promos. He was rewarded then with another WWE Championship run, however that run also failed to impress as well. Since losing the title Sheamus has been in a wrestling limbo of sorts but he has turned himself into a work horse for the WWE and he consistently puts one of the best matches of the night.

With his unique look and brutal style inside the ring the sky is the limit to what this guy can achieve. Whenever someone is ranked this high at such a young age it is generally because of what I think he can achieve rather than what he already has. I could imagine Sheamus being the Triple H of his generation of wrestlers that are trying to lay claim to being the next “Rock” or “Austin.” I only see good things in this guy’s future.

Favorite Moment:
At Shawn Michaels night when Triple H came to say a few words about his best friend Sheamus comes out and clobbers The Game. It was a simple but excellent little moment for Sheamus.

Favorite Match:
John Morrison v. Sheamus (Ladder Match for the Number One Contendership to the WWE Heavyweight Championship, WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2010)

DO IT.

Holy fuck @ this list....

Briscoe Bros.
Hugh Morris
Shawn Michaels
Sheamus

'One of these things is not like the others...'

ahahahaha :y:

Ironically those BDC posts are content consistent with the rest of his posts.

WTF? Chillax BDC, you're not RP. Crossing the line a bit there.

Fair enough. Nevertheless, really don't need to see said horse shit being shat into someone's mouth.

I'm really enjoying reading this thread, even if i disagree with it. I like the fact the opinions shown are completely unique. Fuck it, if Austin Aries is ranked higher than Stone Cold I want to known the reasons why. that's interesting to me. There's plenty of threads where we can shift HBK, The Rock, Bret, Stone Cold and Hogan into various shapes of the top 5 ever but this is a different view of things from a clearly devoted fan and i want to see through to number 1.

Plus i see where's he's coming from with the whole HBK thing. Even if 89 is completely harsh

87. Trish Stratus

The first woman to crack the list (and perhaps the only one, you’ll just have to stay tuned) is Canada’s Greatest Export to the WWE. If you get past her look… hold on a second, you don’t have to get past her looks just yet. She is an incredibly beautiful, that can pull of both sexy and sweet. That alone would be enough for any person to admire or adore her, but Trish is far more that just a pretty face (or body) she is also one heck of a wrestler.

When she first cracked the scene of the WWE, if you were to tell me she would wind up being one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time, I would have said your nuts. Her first few years as an in ring performer were a bit dicey but she turned out to be a very competent competitor inside the ring. Her matches with Lita, Victoria and Mickie James are among the best female matches I have ever seen. Her real strength was on the mic and as a character.

Trish Stratus on the mic is quite amazing, she did what seemed to be impossible for me she was able to hype up diva matches. Who woulda thunk it? And just as she began to get stale as the sweet damsel-in-distress-that-fights-instead-of-waiting-for-her-white-knight, she changed it all up and she aligned with Christian and became an even better heel. Her heel run not even made her a more dynamic performer but it also actually made her sexier. Her as a heel was one of my favorite things on WWE TV in 2005-05.

Favorite Moment:
Where it all begins again, interest in Trish Stratus began again. When she came out during the Christian and Chris Jericho I should have expected her to turn heel, but I didn’t. And when she cost Chris Jericho the match and then slapped the taste out of his mouth, I was stunned. It was a great heel turn and not even just for a diva, it was just a great heel turn period.

Favorite Match:
Trish Stratus [c] v. Mickie James (for the WWE Women’s Championship, WWE Wrestlemania 22 – “Big Time”)

I <3 Trish Stratus I'm glad she is on here.......












( even if she is above HBK)

86. Tyler Black

Tyler Black is your typical independent wrestling darling. If you like independent wrestling than that statement means you really love Tyler. If you have a visceral hatred for independent wrestling than you will probably really hate Tyler Black. He is the type of wrestler that uses a million different moves in seemingly random order, his grasp of psychology is essentially limited to being angry or hurt and he sounds like a muppet on the microphone with a lisp that would make Jack Swagger jealous.

If all this sounds like I don’t like him, don’t be alarmed, that’s what it sounds like to me, but despite this I really do like Tyler Black. His million different moves are always well executed and look like they can really hurt, he’s very good at his two emotions of being angry and hurt, and he his promos are at least worded cleverly and he does put emotion into them even if his voice is kind of comical. Perhaps why I like him is because the first time I ever saw a match of his was when I saw him live. He’s the first ever wrestler who I saw live before ever seeing him wrestle.

When I saw him live he was at the height of his ROH geek stardom (“Next World Champ! Next World Champ!) and I wanted to dislike him because he was going against one of my ROH favorites. But I couldn’t he’s very good, he’s like a very big diamond in not all that much rough. Perhaps my enjoyment of his is a bit skewed because I’ve seen many of his matches live (including his ROH World Championship win) and its tough not to get caught up in hype when you’re there for it. And if he could knock that rough off by the time he’s on WWE TV Seth Rollins could be a big name… Even if it is a stupid name.

Favorite Moment:
As I have said before Tyler Black’s promos aren’t exactly the best… save at least one. When Tyler Black signed with the WWE he was still the ROH Champion and the fans turned on Tyler in a heart beat (truth is they were turning on him slowly for months before) and ROH’s #1 babyface became one of their most hated villains. Then he cut a promo talking about how his dream was to wrestle in the WWE and how he loved ROH but he had to chase his dream. And he talked about how selfish the ROH fans were to ask him to not go after his dream. It was a beautiful heartfelt promo with a serious heel edge, truly excellent.

Favorite Match:
Nigel McGuinness [c] v. Bryan Danielson v. Claudio Castagnoli v. Tyler Black (Four Way Elimination Match for the ROH World Championship, ROH Death Before Dishonor VI)

To justify this shitstorm of a list, you better have Triple H at #1 or I open the gates of trolling hell upon this thread and every thread you ever post ever again.