Rank a Wrestler #22 - Steve Austin
 

I've been sitting here for 7 minutes trying to figure out where to begin. SCSA is awesome. Before his knees and neck went out he was a damn fine wrestler, and even after he was still great at brawling. His charisma is top notch as well. I'm glad his career went the way it did. Getting fired at WCW where they wouldn't have used him right at all, to working in ECW and getting to practice his promos and wrestle some good matches, to WWF where they gave him the ball and he ran like no other starting with the king of the ring which gave birth to Austin 3:16. The feud with Bret leading to the double turn with him passed out in a pool of blood unwilling to tap out was brilliant. Then the Wrestlemania with Shawn that sparked enthusiasm throughout all of wrestling. It's hard for me to justify giving the first mainstream anti-hero anything lower then a 10.

What?

I said it's hard for me to justify giving him anything lower then a 10.

What?

... Fuck.

Jimmy Cones' True Pure Average Rank a Wrestler Rankings Spreadsheet.<table width="600"><tbody><tr><td> Pure Average
#1 Kurt Angle - 9.53
#2 Chris Jericho - 9.13
#3 HBK - 9.13
#4 Bret Hart - 9.05
#5 Undertaker - 8.98
#6 Curt Hennig - 8.82
#7 Ric Flair - 8.53
#8 Owen Hart - 8.35
#9 Chris Benoit - 8.17
#10Sting - 8.12
#11Mick Foley - 8.07
#12HHH - 7.89
#13DDP - 7.69
#14Scott Hall - 7.5
#15Kane - 7.33
#16Terry Funk - 6.94
#17Rey Mysterio - 6.59
#18Hulk Hogan - 6.54
#19Kevin Nash - 6.38
#20MVP* - 6.03</td>
<td> Jimmy Cones' Average
#1 HBK - 9.49
#2 Kurt Angle - 9.49
#3 Chris Jericho - 9.26
#4 Bret Hart - 9.11
#5 Undertaker - 8.96
#6 Curt Hennig - 8.8
#7 Ric Flair - 8.75
#8 Owen Hart - 8.47
#9 Chris Benoit - 8.41
#10Sting - 8.12
#11HHH - 8.12
#12Mick Foley - 8.08
#13DDP - 7.83
#14Scott Hall - 7.53
#15Kane - 7.52
#16Hulk Hogan - 7.22
#17Terry Funk - 7.14
#18Rey Mysterio - 6.99
#19Kevin Nash - 6.84
#20MVP* - 6.11</td></tr></tbody></table>

What?

10 without question..... He had over-the-top personality, could cut a mean promo and was well above average in the ring..... most importantly for me, he hasn't stayed around trying to wrestle like Flair, Hogan, Foley, etc., tarnishing his Legacy in the process..... He had one of the greatest runs ever, sold a shitload of merch and knew when to get out of the business.....

I Love Austin So Much But I Can't Give Him A Ten, cause he was not that great in the ring but otherwise one of the greatests ever, no doubt.

I agree 94% with n00b. 9 from me.

9. Steve Austin equals legend but point deducted for not being that great in the ring.

I vote ten.

What?

The Perfect Score.

What?

No points taken off.

What?

11-1.

What?

I'd vote him lower if he wasn't the game changer that he ended up being, but seriously.

Very high 9.

He can talk, has skills, and a wonderful gimmick to boot!

10!

10! Without a shadow of a doubt. Every match was exciting to watch, every promo was entertaining. Plus who hasn't beer bashed because of him?

Steve Austin is a definite ten. He had excellent mic skills, and anyone who saw him in WCW knew he could go from a techinical standpoint. His lack of technicality in WWE was largely based on his character and not inability. He had the total package (not Lex Luger) and got out while on top as opposed to some of the others who hang around a tad too long.

Like Benoit for his characters and body of work I give him a 9 but as real person I would be a lot less forgiving.

8.

Definitely one of the greatest of all time, just not one of my favourites unfortunately.

Most wrestlers are miserable human beings. I doubt more than 5 or 6 of them deserve more than a 3 on their humanity.

10. One of the top three all time on the mic, and pre neck injury he was very good in the ring from what I've seen.

Even after that, his matches were nothing if not exciting.

How can anyone say he was not great in the ring? Even after the neck injury, he was still great in the ring. Sure, he wasn't as technical as he was before, but his whole brawling style led to many classic matches. Just look at 2001 when every PPV had a great main event and Austin was in most of them.

I have to give him a 10 for sure.

EXACTLY! That was my point, his brawling style was mostly based on character. How many beer swilling rednecks do you know who throw multiple suplexes, armdrags, neckbreakers, etc? However, prior to SCSA, while in WCW he was technically as solid as they come. :y:

Austin's the most popular of all time.He's better then the rest.10 for sure.

Great analysis, but I just wanted to add that he showed his technical standpoint in WWE too. I always thought he still displayed his technical ability along with his Stone Cold style. For instance, his matches with Angle and Benoit were phenomenal and it involved both Austin and his opponent showcasing their abilites.

I agree, but I think some people when thinking of Austin think of mudhole stomping, punching, kicking, and Stunners. I mean he came in as the Ringmaster....which I assume would mean he was "master" of the ring. Yeah the gimmick sucked balls but he did indeed use his abilities in the E. He's often just overlooked due to his persona and later style.

If anyone is a 10 it's Austin. The transition from "new generation" to "attitude era" was the best time to be a wrestling fan and, deservedly so, was led by and centered around Austin.

Best on the mic, great in the ring (definitely before the neck injury, yet still exciting after), brought "the business" to heights never before seen and possibly never seen again.

10

7.

I liked Austin as "Stunning Steve" in WCW and then as a "hugging McMahon" heel in the WWF. Only times I have really enjoyed him. Above average, for sure though. Hence the 7.

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10

10 enough said

Wish I voted lower than 7 just to drag this down a bit.

You could have voted one and had a negligible impact.

You said it all.

10 all the way.

easy 10. biggest mark for him aside from taker. Absolutely amazing promo skills, knack for the business and very good wrestling skills for quite a bit of time. Not to mention a funny guy.

He brought a crazy amount of intensity to his promos and matches that no one could match in his time, and his work in a few years up until about 98 or 99 were probably the best stuff I've seen in wrestling.

10 should be the mandatory choice here. Its plain and simple he was fucking awesome and his run was bigger then Hogans. He out drew Hogan and Flair and saved the WWF.

Cut the motherfuckin' What? posts.

7.

I liked Austin as "Stunning Steve" in WCW and then as a "hugging McMahon" heel in the WWF. Only times I have really enjoyed him. Above average, for sure though. Hence the 7.

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It was the tremendous, unequaled popularity of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin which brought the WWE back from the dead, and influenced arguably the biggest boom period ever in the company's history. Austin also made more money for the WWE than anyone else, including Hogan and The Rock, ever did, so that helps, too. He deserves nothing less than a 10.